ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The Kansas Talking Books program does a lot of wonderful work throughout the state, and this summer will offer another opportunity to be involved.
Kansas Talking Books is inviting patrons and qualifying individuals of all ages to participate in the 'Color Our World' summer reading program that will be taking place from June 2 to Aug. 1. The program will feature weekly prize drawings, themed book recommendation lists to visit vibrant new worlds and discover exciting new ideas, activities to unleash creativity, stimulating events, and there will be multiple events posted on social media and the Kansas Talking Books Web site throughout the summer. Participants will also be entered into the grand prize drawing if they fill out and return their reading logs – adults have to read five books, and youth patrons have to read at least 60 minutes a week.
Kansas Talking Books Director Michael Lang and Outreach Librarian Maggie Witte offered encouragement for patrons to participate.
“Each year, the National Library Service increases its programming, and there are always programs for youth, teens, and adult patrons, so there's going to be something interesting for everyone. It's important especially for children to read so they can keep up their skills throughout the summer and not be behind when they get back to school,” Lang said. “And with the activities Maggie and the rest of the staff put together, they post those online as instructions, and those really try to be as tactile as possible and inclusive so if you do have some type of visual impairment – as many of our patrons do, that's considered within these creations. Maybe some crafts and activities aren't as accessible where you are, but ours are designed with accessibility and user friendliness in mind.”
“And the National Library Service does a fantastic job with everything they do, and they have activities for everyone,” Witte added. “What I like about that is families can do their summer reading together, which is great because that helps them spend time with each other.”
Witte added signing up is very simple.
“People wanting to participate can sign up through our Web site, library.ks.gov/talking-books, and there is a link there for people to use, or they can call us at (800) 362-0699 or email us at
“And hopefully some of these programs will spark some extra interest and bring even more people, that would be amazing,” Lang said.
Lang also talked about the importance of summer reading programs.
“There's a lot of research about what's called the 'summer slide' and how that can affect children, and the thought behind that is since children aren't in a structured educational environment for those two months, they could lose some of those skills since they don't practice them as much, whether it's reading or writing,” Lang said. “Studies have shown that prove if children keep up with their reading throughout the summer, they have an easier time going back to school when it starts back up. If we can help combat that 'summer slide' in a way that's fun and tied to activities and some prize incentives, that's a good thing.”
Lang added he and his staff will not be staying quiet about this year’s program.
“We've been at various health fairs and other events, and we'll continue to do that, and we've also been sharing information online and other area media,” Lang said. “I also recently did a training session with a group of patrons who have volunteered to help pilot a patron ambassador program for us, so we're also empowering patrons to get out in their communities and help spread the word to groups and organizations and as many people as they know. We're starting it in the Topeka/Manhattan area, but I'd love to see us expand that to rural areas that might be more isolated and not know about what we do. The more people we can get talking about Kansas Talking Books, the better.”
Overall, Lang and Witte said, it should be a great summer, and there is a lot for patrons to get excited about.
“We will do a virtual book club each month that is open to everyone throughout the state, and we have some great books we'll be reading,” Witte said. “And we'll have our planning meeting in August, so this summer is a great time to get involved and share some suggestions on other books to read for the next year. We will be sharing that information on our Web site and social media pages, so if anyone is interested in participating in that, they're more than welcome to get in touch with us.”
“We're a division of the State Library of Kansas, we're a free service, and we're here to help anyone and everyone who needs it,” Lang said. “It's personalized support, so we're happy to help you with anything and everything you need. We're here to help people get books, which is a really great job. If you have any questions, and if there are any particular materials you're looking for, feel free to reach out to us, and we'll answer you as best as we can.”
