Summer reading: 414 registered, 258 logged; library reports 6,848 total program hours

At the meeting, Grama Grumowski (Speaker 9) presented the summer reading outcomes: 414 guests registered for the all-ages challenge and 258 recorded minutes. Staff aggregated 410,912 minutes of reading across participants, which they said equals 6,848 hours and an average of about 26.54 hours per reader; the blue team averaged roughly 30 hours per reader and won the team competition on that metric.

Grumowski noted that program participation dipped slightly compared with the previous year, in part because the library operated with one fewer youth-services librarian for much of the summer and because a new program (Reading Dragon) generated a higher initial bump in the prior year. The library used the Beanstack platform to register participants and record minutes, and staff said participants can count the same logged time toward multiple challenges if they are enrolled in more than one.

Staff said weekly updates kept teams competitive and that social-media support (credited to Tiara) helped visibility. Board members asked whether the totals included children and adults; Grumowski confirmed the challenge was all-ages. Staff also described other summer activities including Makerfest, teen movie night and family magic night that supported outreach.

Next steps: staff will use these participation metrics in annual reporting and to refine programming and staffing for next summer.