EPL’s Read by Design

Registration opens June 1 for Read by Design: Evanston Public Library’s 2017 Summer Reading Program.  At the Library and around town, participants of all ages will have opportunities to win books and other prizes, achieve reading goals, exercise creative muscles with innovative design projects, and have fun — all for FREE.  People of all ages can register online at epl.org/summerreading or by visiting any library location in person.  After registering, participants can start keeping a log of time spent reading and activities completed. This year’s program is longer than ever to better meet family needs during the out-of-school months.

The 54-page program guide to a huge array of free events was distributed in late May to all District 65 Schools and in public locations throughout Evanston, and is available online as well as at all library locations. Some programs require advance registration, while others are drop-in events.

Movies, Family Maker Activities, MakerKids, Book Groups, Storytimes, Adult 3D Design, LGBTQIA+ events, Maker Mondays, STEAM Saturdays, Teen DIY, Building Challenges, TED Talk Screenings and many more activities are included as part of the Read by Design program.  Many programs will take place outdoors in various community parks while others will go on at library locations.

Summer Reading is important because children and young adults need ongoing opportunities to learn and practice essential skills. The Summer Reading Program makes this process fun. Young people experience learning losses when they don’t engage in educational activities during the summer. Research spanning 100 years shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of summer. Summer Reading programs are part of the solution!

We thank our program partners: City of Evanston, Evanston/Skokie School District 65, the McGaw YMCA, Delta Chi Fraternity, Y.O.U., Ridgeville Park District, Family Focus and Evanston Cradle to Career.

Expansion of the Summer Reading Program in 2017 is made possible in part by a generous contribution from Brian, Stephanie and Nathaniel Miller through the Dogus Fund.