How The City Library Makes Your Summer Super

It’s a blue-skied day in July, and Vishal Jammulapati is locking up his bike at the rack in front of The City Library’s Anderson-Foothill Branch. The branch is a regular summer stop for Vishal as he tries to keep busy during the school break, something he admits can be a struggle. “Frankly, without school, summer can be pretty boring,” said the soon-to-be West High sophomore. “In the mornings, you’re like ‘oh, I have nothing to do,’ [so] I like to just hop on my bike and go where it takes me.” Today his bike takes him to the Library. He heads straight for the cookbook section and finds The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. “I just adore the cookbook section,” he said. Vishal plans to take the book home and make a meal, completing one of the challenges laid out in his Super Summer Challenge Tracker.

Running from June 1–August 11, The City Library’s annual Super Summer Challenge program is designed to help everyone — teens, kids, adults, even babies and toddlers — learn new things, cultivate their interests, break out of their comfort zone, and better connect with their neighborhood and community. The Super Summer Challenge is The City Library’s version of a Summer Reading program, something libraries across the country are doing to prevent the phenomenon known as the “summer slide,” which can happen when grade-school students pause their learning and exploration over the school break.

“Libraries began providing summer reading programs to give kids learning opportunities that help them retain learning from one school year to the next,” said Tommy Hamby, The City Library’s Adult Services Coordinator.

The Super Summer Challenge differs from traditional summer reading programs by emphasizing not just reading but also getting outside, trying new things, and interacting with friends, family, and the community. “We recognize how important literacy is, but in our Super Summer Challenge we also recognize the importance of exploring, creating, and moving as ways of engaging in and enjoying the world,” said Tommy. The Library’s community partners are also an important part of the Super Summer Challenge. By partnering with local organizations and individuals, The City Library serves as a community connecter, bringing the services these organizations offer to Library users that might not otherwise be able to take advantage of them.

Staying physically, mentally, and creatively active over the summer isn’t just for kids. “Because of the root of library summer reading programs, many libraries focus on young people, but at SLCPL we have just as robust of a program for adults,” Tommy explained. “The Super Summer Challenge fosters in adults the sense of freedom, exploration, and fun that summertime meant for us as kids. Our goal is to re-engage adults with the Library and the community. If you don’t have kids, the Challenge is a great way to explore and try new things while also collecting great prizes along the way! If you do have kids, you get to do those things, plus model that for young ones!”

The theme for the 2018 Super Summer Challenge is Strike a Chord. Participants receive a tracker full of activities that challenge them to READ, CREATE, EXPLORE, and MOVE. Many of the challenges take on a musical note, like writing a melody or lyrics, learning a tune on a ukulele, making mix-tapes (or playlists), or reading books by or about musicians. A small sample of the other challenges include:

• Read a book you started but never finished.
• Read a book outside for 30 minutes.
• Design a postcard or make your own music video at the Library’s Creative Lab.
• Go to a cultural event for a culture that’s different from your own.
• Take a walk around your neighborhood and learn the name of three plants, animals, and flowers that you find.

Progress is tracked on bingo cards that can be turned in for prizes and a chance to win a grand prize basket full of things to help participants pursue their interests and follow their curiosity all year long.

The Super Summer Challenge has Library staffers excited. “It’s a nonstop summer Library nerd party!” said Teen Librarian Claire Doctorman. Communications Specialist Bryton Sampson added, “It really is! I think of a nerd as someone who loves to learn, experiment, have fun, and create without limits. It doesn’t matter what your interests are, a nerd is anyone with an endless curiosity. Someone curious to learn new skills, find new places, or just see what they’re capable of.”

During the Super Summer Challenge, the Library adds even more special events and programs to its already robust calendar. “This year I’m really looking forward to the Sounds of Summer Concerts at the Sprague Branch,” said Heather Hart, Sprague Branch Manager. Scott Bahlmann, Children’s Librarian at the Glendale Branch, is excited about the Book Break program. “It’s an opportunity to get older kids connected through books they already know and love from the school year. We’re starting Book Break with Captain Underpants!”

Longtime staffers like Scott have fond memories of past Super Summer Challenges. “The fox that came last year! One of our teen volunteers got to hold it during a petting zoo event.” Claire’s favorite memories involve the Teen Squad volunteers that help with the Challenge throughout the summer. “These amazing teens will most likely be my boss one day. It’s so great to watch them find joy in passing out prizes to little ones, and growing up to be INCREDIBLE young adults.” Heather agreed, “It was so rewarding to see the Teen Squad in action last year! We wouldn’t have been able to do everything we did without their help.”

The Super Summer Challenge makes use of everything The City Library offers: books, crafting, writing, cooking, yoga, dance, science workshops, discovery kits, community partnerships, live-music performances, and all the digital and “old school” tools available in the Creative Lab. This makes it easy for everyone to Strike a Chord any way they’d like.

Vishal is all-in for making his summer, well… super! He’d like to encourage everyone to sign up. “The Library is such a great resource. There’s always super cool stuff to do here and super cool people you can talk to. Libraries have changed so much. They’re not just rooms full of books, they can really help you do all the things you like to do.”

Find out more at slcpl.org/supersummer

The Salt Lake City Public Library’s community partners are an important part of the Super Summer Challenge. This year’s partners include the Tracy Aviary, Hawkwatch International, the Bboy Federation, Scales and Tails, the Utah Children’s Theater, the SLC Ballet, Salt Lake Power Yoga and a variety of other experienced yoga instructors, the Mundi Project, the Utah Food Bank, Utah State University Extension, Moka Chocolate and Coffee, Divya School of Dance, the SLC Bicycle Collective, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Natural History Museum of Utah, Anime Banzai, Music Together, the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors, Healthy Relationships Utah, the SLCC Community Writing Center, the Utah Film Center, and many local artists, musicians, and entertainers.