Woburn Public Library lays out summer-reading prizes, author fair and teen/adult tracks

Megan Cast, assistant director of the Woburn Public Library, told the School Committee the library's summer-reading program will run June 27–Aug. 15 and is open to all ages, residents or not. The children's program rewards daily reading with beads and prizes; the teen program offers book reviews, program attendance and bingo-board activities that earn raffle tickets; adults have bingo-style and quest options.

"If you read for 40 days over the summer, you get a prize," Cast said, describing the children's incentive structure and noting weekly raffles and grand-prize packages such as amusement-park tickets and gift cards.

Cast said last year's participation included 921 children, 191 teens and 331 adults, with more than 3,000 raffle tickets and over 450 book reviews submitted. The kickoff event on Saturday will feature a local-author book fair, lawn games, food from the Friends of the Library and a Flying High Dogs Frisbee demonstration, with contingency registration if weather requires moving indoors.

Committee members asked about curricular alignment, grade-level reading lists and access. Cast said librarians curate recommended-grade reading lists and that the library coordinates with Woburn Public Schools to promote continuity. She also described community partnerships: the Woburn Public Library Foundation funds most of the program, and the Friends of the Library and other local sponsors provide support.

On food access, Cast described an arrangement with the nonprofit Foodlink that delivers surplus grocery items to the teen room weekly; teens can help themselves and supplemental snacks are purchased for programs. Members praised the program's breadth and asked staff to continue promoting it to families and to make online registration and event information easy to find on the library's site (wpl.pub/summer-reading).

The committee voted to send a letter acknowledging the Woburn Public Library Foundation's support.