As we are all enjoying the sunny, windy, erratic weather of spring in Southwest Colorado, we here at the Ignacio Library are planning for the future. The Summer Reading Program at ICL is just around the corner. Beginning the first Wednesday in June, we’ll be helping students and their families to not just combat “summer slide” but to actually slide into progress. Summer slide is the term that educators use to describe what happens to student’s young minds each summer. Students who don’t participate in regular reading and math experience a slow deterioration of their skills, resulting in setbacks for their education.  Students who do read and engage in math and other skills continue building these skills all summer long and are much more ready and able to reengage when school starts.  

So, how do you battle summer slide? One way is to make use of the resource you have in the Ignacio Community Library. This resource is free, available to all, and has materials for everyone. Years ago, we stopped charging fines for late materials, and we are happy to work with people to make sure there are no barriers to using the library. We offer online resources from Scholastic for families, research tools for adults as well as children, books, and movies for everyone. If you haven’t used our literacy boxes or our maker boxes, you’re in for a treat. They are filled with books, puzzles and other activities, and kids just love them. The variety in the maker kits mirrors the variety in interests of folks in our community. So many resources to choose from. This year especially, when schooling and life in general have been so restricted, and so filled with uncertainty, we at the library would like to offer you our support. We hope you will take advantage of this free, fun, and beneficial resource. Watch for more information about Summer Reading on our sign, newsletter, and on information your child will be bringing home from school.  

We’re hoping to help you help your children and other youth in your life to slide into progress this summer. We hope you will join us.