The 2022 Summer Reading Challenge — Oceans of Possibilities — Starts Today!
Covington – The St. Tammany Parish Library has launched the 2022 Summer Reading Challenge (SRC) — Oceans of Possibilities! Registration is open through July 30! Patrons can come into one of our 12 branch , opens a new windowlocations or register online at www.sttammanylibrary.org, opens a new window. This year’s ocean-themed challenge is to read (or be read to) for 20 minutes each day or 720 minutes until the Challenge ends July 30. Patrons can create an account for themselves and/or their children at sttammanylibrary.org, opens a new window using the Beanstack app. Any patron in need of assistance can visit a branch location. Paper logs are available for children. There are prizes for sign-up, challenges, and completions. This year, the St. Tammany Parish Library is challenging our community to read One Million collective minutes!
The 2022 SRC kicks off with a Community Party on Saturday, May 21, from 1 p.m. – 4p.m. at the Madisonville Branch, 1123 Main Street. This event is free and open to the public.
Plan for an afternoon of fun featuring aquatic activities like knot tying with local Boy Scouts of America Troop 111, casting, and fish printing through the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Aquatic Volunteer Instructor Program. Try out the maritime simulator from our partner, Northshore Technical Community College. Get to know our neighbors at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum and Research Center! Enjoy live music by local musical duo the PopRocks!
St. Tammany Parish Fire Protection District No. 2. will be on-hand for Touch a Fire Truck. Enjoy bubbles and fun with Hey Now Productions. The Lake 94.7 will be broadcasting live from our event. It’s also a great opportunity to stock up on your books for Summer Reading.
“Every year we look forward to Summer Reading to remind people of all ages how important it is to keep reading, especially as we ease into summertime,” said Kelly LaRocca, Director, St. Tammany Parish Library. “This year though, we are especially looking forward to enjoying the 2022 Summer Reading Challenge with more in-person events, and hands-on experiences we have missed in recent years.”
More than reading, the 2022 SRC offers programming for Children, Teens, Tweens and Adults. Programming choices will be primarily in-person, with additional virtual offerings as well. Programming begins the week of May 31 and wraps up July 9. All events can be found at www.sttammanylibrary.org, opens a new window.
Public libraries offer their communities a constructive way to spend the summer. The Summer Reading Challenge seeks to instill a lifelong love of reading in St. Tammany Parish youth and to involve them in rewarding and stimulating activities. Studies have shown that the effects of summer reading programs improve reading comprehension skills between school years. An additional purpose of the SRC is to combat the “Summer Slide” — which Scholastica defines as: “…when children kids lose significant knowledge in reading and math over summer break, which tends to have a snowball effect as they experience subsequent skill loss each year.” Reading — especially reading for leisure — is one way to combat the Summer Slide.
To participate, patrons should register for the 2022 SRC at sttammanylibrary.beanstack.com, opens a new window, or come into one of the STPL’s 12 branch locations to register and pick up a reading log. Track the minutes spent reading in the Beanstack App, from Google Play or the App Store and earn points. Points translate to opportunities to win prizes!
Enjoy the 2022 Summer Reading Challenge kickoff video here, opens a new window.
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The St. Tammany Parish Library has been serving the citizens of St. Tammany Parish for nearly seventy years. Our twelve branches offer over 542,000 loanable items including books, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, and magazines. The library’s website offers 24/7 access to downloadable audio and e-books, music downloads, research tools, magazines, and newspapers. Our programs and services are designed to meet residents’ cultural, informational, educational, and recreational needs.
