In this episode of Summer Reading with UEN LitFlix, Matt and Jenn are joined by Dan Compton & Kirsten Nilsson from the Summit County Library. Listen to learn about the Summit library’s various reading groups and how through these groups, they’re encouraging their community to come together to become stronger readers!
In this episode of Summer Reading with UEN LitFlix, Matt and Jenn are joined by Dan Compton & Kirsten Nilsson from the Summit County Library. Listen to learn about the Summit library’s various reading groups and how through these groups, they’re encouraging their community to come together to become stronger readers!
The Summit County Library: https://www.thesummitcountylibrary.org/
Read with Libby: https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby
Explore classic films and related booklists with UENLitFlix: https://www.uen.org/litflix/
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Jen, I love talking to librarians, and Kirsten and Dan from Summit County libraries, our guests today, are no different. They're fantastic people who are deeply engaged in the process of helping everyone from pre-K to gray love reading, and engage in reading. But I'm just so fascinated from my standpoint of that underage teen, K-12 bracket, just because that's the world that I've most recently come from. And they had some great things to say about it, but there's some interesting stuff going on in research as well.
Well, there are, and as a parent of teens too, I also have a personal interest in this, as well as from the education standpoint. But I was recently reading that only about 25% of people under 18 are spending time reading each day. Yet, as we see in other research, there are many benefits to a sustained reading of printed material, as opposed to skimming information on our mobile devices. Which, hey, I'm a fan of that too. But some of those benefits are strengthening your brain, building vocabulary, and even soothing the nervous system.
Yeah, and it-- it totally is true. I mean, I've been making a challenge over the last couple of years to read every day, or read more every day, maybe take a couple of hours if I can. And I do-- every time I read more, I feel-- especially that last one of it's soothing, and I feel a little bit calmer over time. I'm also fascinated with what they talked about in our interview today, which we'll get to in just a minute, of community building through reading and book clubs, which was a huge thing during the pandemic.
Yeah. You know, how can we come together, how can we come out of our little caves of isolation and come together and enjoy being in company with each other? And we have more ways and means to do that now than ever before, and I'm really excited to hear how our public libraries are able to support that.
Absolutely. Let's jump in and hear a bit from Dan and Kirsten from the Summit County Library System here in Utah.
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First off, thank you so much for being with us here today, Dan and Kirsten. It's so great to have you, and we're excited to highlight the great work that's going on in the Summit County Public Library System. Can you tell us a little bit about the Summit County Library, who you serve, and what is the mission of the county library up there in Summit County?
I'll go ahead and take this one, Kirsten. So we serve the Park City area, the Kamas Valley, and the Coalville area, along with some other rural towns like Oakley, and Henefer, and we have about 36,000 people in Summit County. We have three brick-and-mortar branches up here. So the one's in Kimball Junction area, one's in Kamas Valley, one's in Coalville. We also have a bookmobile that goes around to some of the local preschools and schools, and also the rural parts of the county.
And we also have something really interesting-- a book locker that's in Henefer where people can request materials and we'll bring them out there and they can pick them up whenever it's convenient for them. But our mission is, that we're just trying to enrich people's lives and empower them and inspire lifelong learning. That's what we're all about, so everything we do we try to fit into that.
Well, that's amazing. You know, Dan, because we've talked before, what a fan of libraries I am. And they're such great places all year round, but in particular, we're getting into the season where we're talking a lot about summer learning loss. And parents, caregivers, and educators are all concerned about that. What is that, and how can libraries like yours help students retain and maintain their learning over the summer?
I am the children's librarian at the Summit County Library, and summer learning loss is something that educators also refer to as the summer slide, where kids have worked hard through the school year, and then over the summer, their reading skills decline. And so then they have to start at a lower level, and the teachers-- I mean, have to start at a lower level in the fall. And teachers, of course, would love to keep them at the level that they finished at the end of the school year.
So what we try to do is provide really fun, interactive reading activities for kids to keep reading all summer long. And that is the most fun, I think, that we have with the library is in our summer reading program. There's so much going on, it's exhausting just looking at the calendar. But I think that kids really have a lot of fun and appreciate it, so-- and parents as well.
That's fantastic. And Kirsten, it's probably a great question for you, because I just came back from-- about a month ago-- SXSW EDU, and I got lucky to go see some presentations from the New York Public Library and a few other public systems across the country and what they're working with that very young age group, the three- to a six-year-old age group where they're really trying to get them to become engaged in reading.
So what kind of programs have you seen, both in your system in the public library in Summit County, but across Utah that support young readership? And then also, maybe programs that continue that readership through, like, tweens and young adult ages as well?
So there is an organization called Utah Kids Ready to Read, and it's part of a national organization. So there are five things that parents can do with their kids every day that helps them to develop reading skills-- not to necessarily read, but to get ready to read. And those five things are talking with your kids, singing with your kids-- even though you think you might not know how to sing, kids don't care. Writing with your kids, which means coloring and holding writing implements and all those kinds of things, and playing with your children. Because imaginative play is so important to be able to put sentences together and create stories and be creative with writing and reading.
So that is the Utah Kids Ready to Read, and at our library, we have two programs geared for those youngest kids. The first one starts with age-- however, early a parent dares to come out of their house with their child. It can start at six months or a year, and it's called-- at our library it's called Baby Rhyme Time, where they come and we sing songs for half an hour, we play finger plays because that develops manual dexterity which helps them later be able to hold a pen. And we have puppets, we do all kinds of things.
We don't necessarily-- I might read the one really short little book, but I don't necessarily read books. It's all just playing and having fun and socialization. It's great for the kids and it's great for the parents. We've had lots of parents who have met other parents in the same situation and become lifelong friends. So that's one of my favorite programs that we do at the library.
And then we also have our regular preschool story times that go from age three to about six, so kindergarten. And those are a little more sophisticated. Well, I wouldn't say sophisticated. Maybe just a little more advanced than the Baby Rhyme Times where we read picture books and we have a theme for the week, which usually has something to do with the season. And in the summer, we have an overarching summer reading theme so that all of our story times will have something to do with that.
And we also have puppets and songs and music that we dance to, and it's just-- it's really interactive and really, really fun and I love it. And I think the kids and the parents love it too. And almost every library across the country has those very basic programs. If they have any programs, they'll have a story time of course, because I think most of us grew up with a story time in our local library, so it's kind of a bedrock of library programming.
I love what you're saying, Kirsten, and it seems like there is something really important about the combination of the different types of activities that go into learning and literacy for young kids. But as adults, we benefit from that too, don't we? I mean, your libraries have long since grown past being only book-based institutions, right? There are a lot of different ways that you serve your patrons and serve your mission through other media. How have Summit County libraries, or libraries in general, used things like film as a medium for encouraging partnership and community? And how do you-- how do other materials other than printed books help support lifelong learning and build that community?
Oh, those are an integral part of what we do at the library. We do have-- in the summer we have weekly movie programs for the kids, and I know that Dan has a book club-- a Book to Film club that-- that's been going for a long time. Maybe you could talk a little bit about that, Dan.
Sure. We've been going for quite some time with the Book to Film club, and basically, the idea is everybody can read or listen to the same book, and then we get together and watch the film that is based on that book. And then after the screening, we have a discussion about the book and the film. And I just have to throw out there too, audiobooks for adults are a game-changer. If-- I don't know if you all are audiobook fans, but I really didn't start listening to them until I started working at the library.
And so many people say, oh, I'm too busy to read. And if you can open that door to the audiobook world for people, I think it just changes their lives, and they can fit in so much more reading. And so I really like to promote the fact that we-- we used to have books on CDs and we still do, but now it's easier than ever to get audiobooks through Libby or other services like that where patrons can just, with their library card, create an account and go and download not only e-books but the audiobooks.
But yeah, we love to use film and other types of programming to get people involved and have educational opportunities. We love bringing in speakers as well on various topics. And libraries are just all about education and just trying to empower people, and-- and help them have a more enriching life, I guess. And just giving them-- giving them those opportunities that they may not have on their own, just bringing in speakers that would interest them. And it's a great place to-- to be, and I love working here and helping provide those opportunities to people.
One thing I wanted to add too is that we offer Kanopy, which is a film subscription service that we as a library subscribe to, and if you have a library card. And I know several libraries across the country also subscribe to Kanopy, and you can have access to all kinds of independent films, mainstream films, kids' short videos of books. I mean, there are endless opportunities, and you get a weekly email that tells you all about what you should watch that week.
I wanted to also say that we're promoting podcasts at the library too, for kids and teens especially. I've been doing a lot of research because parents come in all the time and say, oh, what-- do you have any books on-- audiobooks that we could listen to in the car? And I think, oh my gosh, we do, except a podcast would be maybe more fun and interesting for your kids. So anyway, that's another thing that we're moving towards.
Those are amazing programs, but I have some follow-up for you on those. Because I think, taking the standpoint of-- I was a classroom teacher for a long time, but also standpoint of a parent. Dan, your program, from book to film, sounds incredible. What if I-- my brain automatically goes to Harry Potter and things like that, but what have been some of your favorite books and movie pairings? And what kind of things can, for instance, a parent or community member look for to share with a younger reader that could be engaging for them through that-- looking at those two different artifacts?
Yeah, so it is a program primarily geared to adults, but sometimes we do read young adults or even children's novels. And so it certainly could be family-friendly when we're reading those books. Let me think of a couple of examples. One was actually not based on a book. It's an article called-- that Chip Ward wrote about homelessness and how it affects public libraries, and Emilio Estevez directed it. He actually read this article in the Los Angeles Public Library, and it interested him so much that he decided to make it into a film, and adapt it.
And so we had everyone read this article by Chip Ward, and the film is called The Public. That was one of my favorite ones. It just shows that important issue-- that the libraries are often one of the only safe places that someone who is homeless can go without the expectation of having to pay money to be there. That's one example.
This next month-- or actually now in May, it's Mental Health Awareness Month, so we're doing a book and film called Words on Bathroom Walls. It's a young adult book about a young man who suffers from schizophrenia. And it's all about-- the book is about this new drug that he's taking and how it's helping him try to have a more normal life, and his friends that he's making at school, and how he's trying to deal with those issues. So that would obviously be the example that-- we'd love to have teens attend that event.
And there's a non-profit organization in Summit County called CONNECT Summit County that deals with mental health issues, and so they're helping us promote that. So we'll see if we get some-- some new people to this screening in addition to our regulars. But yeah, there are so many different possibilities. And it doesn't always have to be a book, it could be an article as well. Just something that somebody could read and then show up and watch the movie, enjoy it, and have a discussion after.
Well, and I wanted to add too-- I can't remember the name of the book, Dan, where the Australian author-- it was a children's book.
Oh yeah. So--
You should tell them about that.
Well, it has-- it has two different titles. One is the Australian title and one is the American title, and I think the American one is like, The Categorical Universe of Candace Phee, or something. And he-- I think his name is Barry Jones. Oh, I'm on the spot here, but--
Sorry, I can look it up.
No, no, we can check it after. But he got-- somehow he saw that we posted this event from Australia. He reached out to me and said, oh, I'd love to-- and this was kind of during the pandemic, too. So how we would do this program during the pandemic is with our Kanopy subscription, we would have everyone watch the film from home on Kanopy, and then we would get together on Zoom and have a discussion. Well, Barry was able to join our Zoom discussion from Australia, and it was amazing. And he provided all these really cool insights about having the book adapted into the film and stories about the young actors.
That was definitely one of the best programs we've ever had, and our members loved it. It was just kind of lucky that we got him, but sometimes you have experiences like that and then it just helps you realize, like, authors really want to be involved and you just need to ask. It doesn't hurt to ask. They may say no, or you might not be able to get a hold of them. But a lot of times when I've asked for-- for authors to show up, they will if they can. And with Zoom, possibilities are endless now.
We've done the same things with kids.
Barry Jonsberg. The Australian version is My Life as an Alphabet, and in America, it's The Categorical Universe of Candace Phee.
I put you on the spot, but that was a good example of a very cool program.
H is for Happiness-- H is for Happiness is the name of the film. And it's one that you can't even get on DVD, so we could only watch it through Kanopy. So we wouldn't have been able to provide that program traditionally, like with showing a DVD in the library. We had to use Kanopy just to screen that.
Yeah, I love that you have that resource and that you're able to bring so many different materials to your patrons. And one of the things that we have to love about our public libraries is, it doesn't cost you anything to get your library card and to use it. Like, that is so cool. But getting back to this idea of building community, you have all these wonderful opportunities. Would either of you like to share what you see happening amongst the patrons who participate in these activities? How can you tell that community is being experienced? Like, what does that look like?
I can think of one thing right off the bat. Last summer because of COVID, we moved our story times to the park in Park City at Willow Creek Park. And it was really fun to see how gradually over the summer more and more kids-- the same kids would come and play with the same kids, and it really grew into a fun event. And I think that those people-- I would hope that they would still keep in touch or that they-- I mean, that's where you make those connections is people to people. So that was a fun experience for me to see.
Yeah, and I think through these book clubs that we have-- we have so many different types of book clubs, but people who come regularly become friends. And like with that book to-film example, when we first started, we had some regulars and they would come. But at this point, they come and it's like a little reunion. And I have a hard time getting them out of the building at the end of the discussion. They just want to sit there and talk for like an hour, and the library is closed. And I just try to be nice about it and say yeah, take as long as you need. But they've become friends.
And I'm not saying it always has to be like that, but I do think, especially in today's world, just having some kind of a connection in person is a big deal. We do so much electronically that it can just seem not as personal, and so just having a chance where you can even just meet up with people and have a conversation is huge. And I think you're going to feel more connected to where you live if you participate in these types of programs that libraries provide.
Well and ideally, I think a library is really a community hub where everyone-- it's a meeting space where everyone can come and have any kind of meeting, essentially, that they like on their own, or come and meet other people, other like-minded people. So speaking of book clubs too, we do have several. We have a-- it started out as a mother-daughter book club, but then I had a couple of parents who are like, my son would really like to do this. And so I changed it to If You Give a Kid a Book Club, and it's an adult-child book club.
So they read a book together, and then they both come and talk about it. And we just met last night actually, and those have been so fun and so popular. And we've been doing it probably for six or seven years, and it never-- never wavers. Everyone just loves it, so-- especially the kids. I think they just feel like, oh yeah, I've got a book club separate from school. And it's fun. They really love it.
Another one that's kind of unique is that we just have to give credit to our branch manager Shaylee Phelps here at our Kimball Junction Branch-- she had this idea. And this new book club is called Sips and Stories, and they meet on Zoom. We're not allowed to have alcohol in our facilities, so people meet from home and they-- so they all read a book on their own, and then they meet on Zoom at home and they-- and they instruct them on how to mix a certain drink that is like a themed drink based on the book that they read. Or they can just do a non-alcoholic version, have whatever drink you want.
But I think that's so creative, and they've been going for a few months now. And you can kind of get a sense there too that that's going to be a little community, and then they're going to become good friends over the years as they keep doing this. But I thought it was such a neat idea.
Yeah, it's funny because it is on Zoom, but I know because Shaylee office is right next to mine-- she gets emails all the time, like, where did you find that specific kind of salt or all these ingredients for the drinks? It's really funny. And last night they met. It was Cinco de Mayo and they had martinis and read-- I don't know what book, I just remember the drinks.
It was Amanda Gorman's poetry.
Yeah. Leave it to the librarians to come up with A, the most clever names for book clubs--
Yeah, that's a good one.
--but then also be the best ideas behind those book clubs. Both of those sound incredible, and it makes me want to join a book club this week. Thank you so much, Dan and Kirsten. We're so excited to spotlight the Summit Library and what you guys are doing up in Summit County. Can you tell us where we can find you and your programming on the internet and any special programs you'd like to highlight that are coming up throughout the year?
Yeah, Just our website's probably the best place. It's thesummitcountylibrary.org. You have to put the "the" at the beginning. There are two other Summit Counties, one in Ohio and one in Colorado, so thesummitcountylibrary.org. We have all of our events posted on our calendar there, and we also have Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, where we post information about all these events as well.
The theme that we have going for this summer that will start in June is Oceans of Possibility, and it's a national theme. And so we're doing all kinds of things this summer with kids that have to do with water and bubbles. And we're having a farm-- I mean a foam party and a bubbleologist coming. And it's just going to be a great summer, so hopefully, kids will do a lot of reading.
One thing, Dan, I think you should mention is Open+, which you didn't talk about.
Oh sure. Open+ is a new program that we started last July in our Coalville branch. It allows patrons who-- adult patrons who register to sign up and they can get access to the facility even if library staff are not on-site, like in the early morning or after we are closed for a couple of hours. So it increases their access to this rural library. Because we just-- we can't hire more staff members there, but this is just a way that people can go in and still use the space and get their holds when it's convenient for them, either before or after work. Also on Saturday afternoons.
And it's been very successful so far. I'll be presenting about it at our Utah Library Association annual conference. We're the first library in Utah to try it. So cameras are installed for security, you have to sign an agreement to use it and everything, but so far so good. And your library card is essentially your key to the building. You scan your card outside, type in your pin, and it opens the door for you if you're registered. Really cool, an innovative program that we're trying out here. And we'll keep monitoring it and see how it goes, and maybe we'll move it to some of our other branches too over time.
That's so clever, like the 24-hour gym model.
Kind of like that, yeah.
Is that how those work? I never knew that.
Yup.
For your brain.
Yes.
That's right.
And yeah, we have summer reading programs for teens and adults, too. So it's not just for children. Every age group has activities that they can participate in throughout the summer to have fun and-- and enjoy reading. So I encourage everybody, whether they live in Summit County or anywhere, to get to your public library and see what they have to offer because chances are there's a lot there that you don't know about.
Yeah, that's very true. I agree. And we'll also have links to your summer reading program on uen.org/litflix.
Great. One program that we are-- this is our second year using something called Beanstack, which is an app that kids can-- and parents, families, anyone can download to their phone, and then it keeps track of their summer reading, which we use. But also there are different challenges, they can keep track of all the books they read. It's a really convenient app to have on your phone, so--
And it makes it fun. You get to earn badges, and you can even win prizes and things like that. So just-- it keeps it fun throughout the summer.
Fantastic, and I could not agree with you more. Get out there, and check out your local public library. Even if you're not in Summit County, there are amazing programs going on throughout the summer. So thank you again, Kirsten and Dan. And make sure that you take some time and check out their amazing work at Summit County libraries.
Thank you.
Thanks for having us.
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So I love libraries. I will say that again and again and again, Matt. And the more I get to work with librarians, wow. I just-- what an amazing, dedicated, and innovative group of folks, and the fact that they love books, and they love all-- you know, and they bring in all these different kinds of media for lifelong learning and building community-- so cool.
Absolutely. I'm seriously now considering joining a few of their book clubs up there in Summit County, or looking at my own local library system and seeing what kind of book clubs they have, just because it's that community part of being able to read something that you love and then share it. I had that experience over Christmas break where I read a book and I went, I want to immediately talk to like, 15 people about this book. But nobody I knew was reading it, and I still don't know anybody that was reading it. And so it-- it doesn't help me to expand my view of that book.
And so I'm very excited about the work that they're doing, and other libraries in the area, to create not just awareness and encouragement surrounding reading, but the encouragement of groups of people reading together, which I think is just a powerful thing.
Yeah, I hear you. And the resources that are available-- like each public library system and branch, they have-- they're doing something. And if your local one isn't quite hitting the bell that you need to have rung, somebody out there probably is, so you can dial in.
Absolutely. Check out your local public library, check out statewide public libraries here in Utah. But also, if you want to go farther afield, there are lots of great programs around major public library systems around the world. But I'm so excited to go check out some of these. I know you are too, Jen. And I'm excited to see you next time on our next episode.
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