The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

The Blaine County Library in Chinook is winding down another outstanding summer. "Oceans of Possibilities" was the theme for this years Summer Reading Program and it was a huge success. As is the case with most Libraries in the state of Montana, the Blaine County Library acquired promotional materials at a lower cost through the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP). Blaine County Library Director, Valerie Frank offered some input as to what CSLP does for Montana Libraries.

The CSLP mission statement is to 'Empower libraries to foster community'. The vision being to "collaborate with libraries to create an inclusive literacy-based program that is enjoyable for all ages, provide a reproducible program with a unified theme, share resources, and offer professional support." One look at the success of the Blaine County Libraries Summer Reading Program this summer would suggest that they have hit their mark.

The program is simple, "For every two hours of reading, kids enter their name for a prize," stated Frank. "We offered a prize for Preschool/K students, and four prizes for grades 1 through 8." The program is also extended to the older kids and even adults. "High School students and adults will be able to enter a drawing for gift certificates to Rads, Bikini Coffee, and The Creamery. Kids have until 4:30 p.m. Friday August 12th to turn in time logs. Staff will draw for prizes. The participant who reads the most hours will win an afterhours pizza party at the library."

The Blaine County Library offers a variety of programs, each aimed at specific age groups, and interests to increase the level of participation. These programs include Beat the Heat Movies and 7/8th grade hangout on Mondays. Story time for children six and under along with 5/6th Grade Hangout is held every Tuesday. The regular Summer Reading Program featuring water activities is also held on Tuesday and will surely draw the attention of anyone passing by with all the kids laughing and playing. Wednesdays feature story walk by the pool with take home crafts and every other Wednesday concludes with 'Teen Scene' in the evening. The week winds down with LEGO/STEAM Club on Thursdays. Franks reminds readers that Accelerated Reading Tests are available at the library and that points earned during the summer are added to the student's record in the fall.

Frank emphasizes the importance of the Summer Reading Program, "Research shows that summer can take a real toll on a student's knowledge and skills-from mathematics to reading development. Summer learning loss contributes substantially to the achievement gap between low-income and high-income students in America. Thankfully, Summer Reading Programs can help keep kids' minds engaged long after the last school bell rings. Encourage your child to take part in the Summer Reading Program to prevent the Summer Slide. Kids will have until August 12th to turn in time logs."

The Blaine County Library received a boost this summer as well, "Blaine County Library was the recipient of a Town Pump Keep Kids Reading Grant, which enabled us to go all out with activities, prizes, and food for the participants. The Town Pump Charitable Foundation made $1,000.00 grants to 99 libraries in 90 Montana communities to support summer reading programs in 2022," concluded Franks.

The Staff at the Blaine County Library are phenomenal, in addition to Franks, Kelsey Buhmann Brown serves as the Assistant Librarian and Elle Puckett is the Library Clerk. Their impact and success can be gaged by the responses of the students and the parents of the children they serve. Pepper Harwood could hardly contain her enthusiasm, "I enjoyed the summer reading program at the library because It's so much fun. On Mondays there was a movie, and Kelsey gave us popcorn and juice. On Tuesday we did water activities! It was so, so, so much fun! On Wednesday, there was a story walk at the park and Kelsey gave us take home crafts!

On Thursday there was Lego Club and other stuff! I love to read, but in the summer if I read, I get a chance at getting a prize! That is why I love the Chinook Public Library reading Program!!!!!!"

"I like the books," said Benson Acosta. "My favorite is the Elephant and Piggy books. It was a good summer because I want to win the laser tag prize. The library had really fun water games outside and I liked the towel volleyball game we played with water balloons. I also got yummy snacks at the library." Many parents echoed the sentiment shown by their children, "We are so grateful for the summer programs at the Blaine County Library! It was a great way for our kiddo to beat the heat. He had so much fun," said Amanda Haney.

"Dax loves the library programs, getting to do different things, especially with the water theme this year, has been so fun for him. There is something different every day and I truly believe the programs provide a safe and friendly place for kids to go during the day. Even the teen scene hangouts have been a hit with my oldest," stated Tess Langford. "We don't have much for teens to do and sometimes they don't all fit with certain groups. She loves the environment and does well with the expectations of the group. Kids just need a safe, comfortable, device free space for a while and this really provides that! The reading incentive has been huge as well. Dax loves to read but getting him to start has always been a challenge. Adding prizes to the mix really holds him accountable. For my competitive kid, this made all the difference. I don't know what we would have done without the library programs this year."