Baker County Library District Helping The Community Stay Creative this Summer

By on Friday, July 7th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News

BAKER COUNTY – Summer may be part way through, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to brush up on reading. Libraries across the state are helping kids, teens, and adults stay reading and putting on plenty of fun activities along the way. Among these programs, the Baker County Library District offers unique ways to get youth invested in reading, and in some cases, even help them make up their own stories.

Like other programs in Oregon, the Baker County Library District offers both a reading tracker challenge and various reading and education related activities. The reading challenge is run via the Beanstack program, though a paper tracker is offered, with participants of all age groups logging their reading hours throughout the summer. More time spent reading means more tickets earned and that means more opportunities to win prizes. Those that sign up also earn a free book. 

Note that the reading challenge can be joined at any time, regardless of prior involvement, and is managed separately from the other reading program activities. As stated by Baker County Library Youth Service Coordinator Missy Grammon, “You can do both. You can do separate. It’s really what level you have time for.”

As for the activities, Baker County Library District has a full calendar of group events for kids, teens, and families lined up for the rest of the summer. A personal favorite of Grammon is the stuffed animal sleepover (July 20), where kids (and apparently some adults) drop off their stuffed animals at the library for the night. Staff then come up with a story of all the hijinks the animals got up to during the night and tell it to the kids when they pick them up the next day. 

Fun and creativity also go hand in hand with the summer reading program, especially during the Library’s DnD (Dungeons and Dragons) sessions. Available for ages 10 to 18, Grammon gave the following answer when asked why DnD was such a popular part of the program, both among staff and participants:

“Oh man, storytelling, cooperative play, it’s all there. They get themselves in situations and they have to work together to get them out of it. It’s a lot of fun and they have to make it so that the story makes sense as well, so it’s fantastic for kids.”

The next DnD sessions are scheduled for 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, July 7, along with the afternoons of July 28, August 3, and August 17. For those eager to really flex their reading skills, the 24-hour Read-A-Thon kicks off at 5:00 p.m. July 15. Participants pick up a snack bag from the library and read as much as they can in 24 hours before reconvening the next day and sharing their experience.

Other activities to look out for during the remainder of the program include:

  • Storytime in the park
    • Every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.
  • Grab and Go Crafts, for teens and kids.
    • Every other week.
  • Lego Plays.
    • July 13 & 27 at 10:00 a.m.
  • Field Trip to Baker Heritage Museum.
    • July 12 at 10:00 a.m.
  • Young Writers Club.
    • July 13 & 27 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
    • August 3 & 17 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
  • Kids Book Club (ages 9-12).
    • July 19 & August 2 at 4:00 p.m.
  • Teen Book Club (ages 13-18).
    • July 26 at 4:00 p.m.
  • Oregon Rocks geology exhibition.
    • July 21 at 10:00 a.m.

Of course, no program of this merit would be complete without an overarching theme to tie the whole thing together. Complimenting the goofy, creative nature of the activities, the Baker County Library District is using “Find Your Voice” as this year’s theme, encouraging kids to both speak up for themselves and think about who they really are as a person. As Grammon explained:

“Really, what we’re encouraging all kids and adults to do is learn to speak up for themselves a little bit more, find out who they are, and be an ambassador for themselves. 

As a reminder, while most of the activities mentioned up to this point are focused on kids and younger teens, the summer reading program itself is open to all ages, with adults especially encouraged to participate in the reading challenge portion. This not only provides the obvious benefit of increasing literary interest among adults but can help kids stay inspired to read as well. As Grammon further explained:

“I always think it’s essential that adults read and that kids see adults reading, even if it’s not to them, because it models good reading behavior. We want to see that in our adults, we want to see that they are modeling reading to kids in their lives, even if they don’t have kids.”

For those interested in joining the program or may know someone who would be, additional information and registration links can be found at https://www.bakerlib.org/summer-reading-challenge

Elkhorn Media Group