How Many Pandas Does it Take to Run A Wild Reads Program?

In a few more days, everyone will be in full swing with their summer reading program. Yikes! If you are still deciding on what activities you will be using to engage kids and parents, here's an idea. Why not pose a fact-finding question that will send families on a safari or scavenger hunt? How might you ask? One of our librarian-friendly Cambridge-based organizations, TERC--an educational research and development non-profit designed some really cool 11x17 inch posters to generate a little buzz in your library. These "Can You Guess?" series posters are free to download from the TERC website but you can get these along with the answers if you like by join the Mixing in Math listserv. These 10 free animal facts posters will go perfect in any program! Why not kick off your raffle or information scavenger hunt by having your kids guess the answer? Or why not use the poster in your next library display as you celebrate the theme?

You can visit the Mixing in Math series to explore what other fun program ideas you can use for your program. And if you're feeling really creative, you can even contribute an idea to TERC. They are just dying to hear your ideas. In fact, the Mixing in Math series is designed to promote the M-word *smile* for kids in an informal afterschool setting. Fun is the theme every year with Mixing in Math activities! And the fun is just beginning because thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation, TERC is not only able to hear your ideas but can help to produce such useful printed materials for programs that you have in mind. Just imagine...your fun M-word idea/activity can be a part of a NSF funded grant project. (I don't know about you but I will most certainly take part in this opportunity once summer is over. Details of a fall program will be forthcoming).

However, if you have ideas now that you would like to share write them down and get them ready for a future swap and share program. Or if you are currently hog-tied and can't offer any suggestions feel free to use what TERC currently offers. Just be sure to share your success with others at your next Summer Reading roundtable. Or if you can't wait until then, you can always leave a message here on our blog. *-)

Who to give credit too....

My word! I forgot to provide the wording on how to thank our sponsors:

Wild Reads at Your Library and X-pect the Un-X-pected is sponsored by your local library, the Massachusetts Regional Library Systems and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

or if space is a premium on your brochure or flier, you can use our standard graphic instead:




(To download this graphic just right click on it and save a copy to your desktop).

And let's thank Janet Eckert Western Region's Youth Consultant who created our wonderful librarian & public coupon page. You'll also find examples of such collaboration across the region on our statewide wiki. We are looking for a few good children & teen bibliographies and teen craft ideas to supplement our manual. If you have any or bibs or craft ideas, feel free to post them. Please contact your regional consultants for the username and password.

Our coupons are ready!

Prepare to stuff your patron's bags or refer your patrons to our statewide coupon page. As with last year, we created a public site that is viewable at http://www.wmrls.org/sum/coupon08.html. Here patrons will be able to view the coupons that are available as prizes for the Massachusetts Summer Reading Program. New this year to the SEMLS fold are Water Wizz in Wareham and The Edward Gorey Museum in Yarmouth Port. With the inclusion of the New Bedford's Buttonwood Park Zoo, we are now up to the three attractions. Yeah! For those of you who are using the online summer reading product to promote your services, we are requesting that you provide the public coupon web address listed above within your program links. Our sponsors like to be promoted and we want them to know that we support them as much as they support us. It's one of the ways that we thank them for their participation.

As with last year, in order for you to print out the coupons you'll receive the confidential password to download the variety of family fun coupons. Please do not share this password beyond your library staff. Our sponsors look for the stamped coupons to ensure that our summer readers did their part in receiving this reward. As usual thanks for your cooperation and let's get our coupon-cutting on!

A Sharp(ened) Eye

So a few of you have commented on the blurriness of our most popular black and white image--the Wild Reads at Your Library Eye. It looks absolutely gorgeous online but when you print it out on a flier, the image is not as clear. In fact, it's downright blurry. *sigh* To resolve the blurriness of the logo-wild reads picture, here's a tip to rectify the problem.

1. Find the image logo-wild-reads.jpg.
2. Double click to open. It will open in Microsoft Photo Editor.
3. Go to the EFFECTS menu tab and select-SHARPEN.
4. Slide the cursor to your liking toward the Strong category.
5. Do a Save As and rename your clearer wild-reads-logo.

You can do this for any other image where the animals seems to be 'alive with movement'. This tip should capture the moving beasts. 8-)

Swap-o-rama

While orders are still coming in from Janway and items are checked against the packing slips, it's possible that you have a surplus or even a deficit. If the later is the case, please feel free to call Janway. Or you may place your request to swap with others. *-) I'll begin by offering what we have to give in case you would prefer more of any ordered item:

In the SEMLS warehouse, (closet actually) we have:
350 Posters
40 pks. Bookmarks
28 pks. Blank Reading Logs
19 pks. Timed Reading Logs
60 pks. Lined Reading Logs
8 pks. Certificates
7 pks. YA Cards

You are more than welcome to ask for what you need.

Summer Reading Orders Are Being Prepared for Shipment

Woo hoo! Janway is preparing our SRP shipment and are hoping to mail out a few hundred orders sometime next week. In it will be both the paper goods AND incentives that you have ordered. While the paper orders have been paid for by your regions, please keep in mind that you will, as usual pay for your branch's incentives along with its shipping costs. I have no clue who will receive what when but all orders should arrive by April 14th.

My, this certainly is Un-x-pected!

Read for a Cause

In case you missed the information-filled workshop lead by our charitable summer reading program veterans, N. Denman, D. Grimett and J. Southworth, you are now able to listen to the audio. Welcome to SEMLS' debut of our Continuing Education Podcast Workshop series! Here you will be able to take advantage of select program offerings of timely topics and discussions. Our How To Catch A Beluga Whale This Summer workshop offering advice and tips on running a growingly popular philanthropic-themed program premieres today.


Listen & Be Inspired!



P.S. To subscribe to future SEMLS CE podcasts, click here.