FOSTORIA, Ohio — While the library can't host too many children in person due to COVID-19, leaders with the Fostoria Library have found a new way to offer their summer reading program online.
For just over a month, the Kaubisch Memorial Public Library in Fostoria has been offering its free summer reading program to area children. But this summer, it's all been held online.
The library features daily content on its Facebook page in videos or interactive posts and tracks participants' reading progress through the end of the program on August 7.
Kids can also take part in STEM-related crafts, which are offered for free as well.
"We're also offering kits where we have pre-made packets that they can register for and pick up either through our curbside pick-up, or come in on our hours that we're open and they have everything they need in the kit," Kaubisch Memorial Public Library Head of Youth Services Tara Bahnsen said.
The primary goal of summer reading programs are usually to limit the "summer slump" while the kids are out of school. But with this year being such a tumultuous one, the program is also being offered as a way to give kids something to do regularly to break up the monotony of pandemic-related shutdowns.
"So, we want to make sure that we offer them a variety of activities for all age ranges. And we're trying to make it as normal as possible, because kids need some kind of normality in this chaos," Bahnsen said.
Along with the library's summer reading challenge for kid's, the Fostoria library is also offering a teen and an adult summer reading program, so the entire family can take part together.
For information on how to register, click here.