About the Summer Reading Program
The California Summer Reading Program helps make summer reading easy and fun for California’s librarians!
The program gives every public library in California the opportunity to take part in the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP). CSLP is a national project offering libraries access to summer reading themes, programming ideas and support, professional artwork, promotional materials, and incentives developed through the cooperative efforts of librarians, artists, authors, and others in 44 states.
Through LSTA funding, the California State Library pays the CSLP membership fee and purchases program manuals for every public library in California. The California Library Association (CLA) administers the California Summer Reading Program for the state library.
Program manuals are sent to libraries in the fall. Librarians can review the manual and choose whether or not to take part. Participating libraries receive:
- Pre-packaged summer reading programs for children and teens
- The opportunity to purchase high-quality, low-cost, themed, program materials such as posters, reading logs, bookmarks, certificates and other program incentives
- Programming ideas, useful websites, reproducible graphics, and PR materials from CSLP, CLA, and fellow librarians
- Technical support from CLA
- Training sessions hosted by CLA and presented by California librarians
- Access to a forum where librarians can exchange program ideas and advice
- The opportunity to suggest ideas for future national CSLP summer reading themes
The California Summer Reading Program provides the support and training needed to help California libraries receive the maximum benefit from the CSLP materials, and enables California’s public libraries to take advantage of a summer library program designed by librarians for librarians.
If you would like to take part in the California Summer Reading Program, please take a look at our Getting Started pages.
Any questions? Please contact us.
More about the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP)
CSLP is a grassroots consortium of state agencies and associations working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children and teens at the lowest cost possible for their public, private and school libraries. Representatives from each of the member states meet each year to choose future themes, develop ideas for the manual, suggest potential artists, determine incentives, and conduct other business.
CSLP began in 1987 when children’s librarians from 10 Minnesota regional library systems joined forces to develop a summer library program for children. They worked together to choose a theme, create artwork, and select reading incentives that public, private and school libraries in all ten regions could purchase and use.
The success of this cooperative effort continues as more states become members. CSLP has continued to grow and evolve – the group now numbers 44 states – but its guiding principle remains the same: librarians sharing ideas, expertise, and costs to produce a high-quality summer reading program for children and teens.
The California Summer Reading Program is a project of the California Library Association, supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) is the sponsoring organization for the 2008 Summer Library Program. Artwork is for use by CSLP members only. Copyright 2007-2008 by Highsmith Inc. All rights reserved. No images may be reproduced without written permission.