Readers still needed for library program

June kicked off the Berryville Library’s 25,000 Leagues Under the Sea Summer Reading Program.

This year, a local family has agreed to donate $1 for each hour read up to $25,000.

This year’s challenge is to read and log 25,000 hours by July 29. All money raised from this challenge will go toward the Berryville Library Building Fund.

“This is a great way to read while helping the library raise needed funds to build a new library,” said library director Julie Hall. “It’s not too late to get signed up, and if you’re already signed up, don’t forget to log your hours. Whether you live near or far from Berryville, you’re welcome to log your reading hours on a smart phone app called Beanstack or you can stop by and pick up a paper log sheet to track hours manually or just give us a quick call letting us know how many hours you’ve read, and we will log it for you. It’s just that easy!”

A total of 9,500 hours were logged in the month of June, leaving 15,500 hours needed in July for the library to meet the 25,000-hour goal.

All ages are welcome to participate, and reading doesn’t have to be a book or eBook. Reading the newspaper or a magazine or reading online and on social media all count.

If someone is reading to you, those hours count for both the reader and the listener. Listening to an audiobook also counts.

Reading over the summer helps eliminate the summer slide in school-age children and reading or being read to in adults is equally as important as it keeps the mind active and engaged.

Help the summer reading program reach 15,500 hours or more in July. With the temperatures being so high this summer, what better way to stay cool than to curl up in an air-conditioned place with some good reading material?

Your friends at the Berryville Library appreciate your support and encourage you to stay cool this summer by staying inside and, of course, reading.