2026 Summer Reading Challenge Midpoint Update

Submitted by Sarah Brubaker

We’re halfway through the summer, so here’s an update on what we’ve seen from May 1 to June 30!

Summer Programming

From May 26–June 30, 2026, we hosted 335 in-person programs with 21,097 attendees! That’s an  increase both in the number of programs and the number of attendees since this point last summer.

We’ve seen more “sold-out” programs than ever before, and staff have done a phenomenal job managing the record-breaking crowds. Thank you for all the work you’ve done to make this process as smooth as possible for both patrons and staff!

Challenge Signups

We have 7,444 registered participants so far! Shockingly, despite our high program numbers, this is actually lower than this point last summer.

Here are the current registrations by age and branch:

Challenge Participation

Our participants have read 4,100,076 minutes and earned 23,048 prizes. So far, they have redeemed 12,219 of those prizes. Every prize-redemption represents staff time, so thank you for all the work you've put into rewarding our readers!

What’s Next?

Whether it’s a quick, “Are you participating in the challenge this summer?” at the Ask Us desk, introducing a program with the suggested script, or including a slide in your program slideshow, these reminders might encourage a patron to participate.

Everyone is providing incredible customer service, as shown by the many positive comments we’ve received from our patrons in the past few weeks. We've been told our libraries are "outstanding," "heavenly," and "magical" this summer. Keep it up!