1. SUMMER READING
@ HPL

2. STUDY TEAM Kirsten Moffatt Teen Librarian Brantford Public Library
Dr. Lynne McKechnie
Project Consultant
University of Western Ontario
Helen Benoit
Director, Children and Young Adult Services
Hamilton Public Library

3. IN THIS PRESENTATION
Background information on Hamilton, the Hamilton Public Library and its Summer Reading Program
Who was involved in the study and how they were involved (methodology)
Principal findings as well as additional findings
Benefits of conducting this type of study
Tips for conducting your own Summer Reading Program study

4. ABOUT HAMILTON Hamilton is the fourth largest city in Ontario
A culturally rich population of approximately 500,000
Recent Social Planning and Research Council report indicates 20% of the population living below the poverty line, this figure includes 25% of all children in Hamilton

5. ABOUT HPL 24 branch locations and 2 bookmobiles
Branches located in urban and rural areas

6. ABOUT SUMMER READING Summer Reading Program is a core service at HPL
Planned and delivered yearly by Youth Services Librarians, Branch staff and Summer Literacy Workers (post secondary students)
Read-and-report structure
Children must read one book to sign up
Participants are rewarded with incentive prizes after reading certain numbers of books

7. SUMMER READING PROGRAMS
STORYBOOK CLUB
Parents read with children aged 0 to 6 years and record
their progress on their own.
SUMMER READERS
Children aged 6 to 12 read on their own and report on their
books at the library.
READING BUDDIES
Reluctant readers aged 6 to 12 read with a buddy.
TEEN READING CLUB
Teens aged 12 to 18 read and fill in ballots to record their
progress.

8. PROGRAM GOALS The Hamilton Public Library’s Summer Reading Program
has four main goals:
Stimulate and encourage a love of reading in children including those with reading difficulties.
Assist interested children in maintaining their reading level over the summer.
Improve children’s ability to communicate about literature via oral and written reports.
Improve staff knowledge of children’s reading interests.

9. FUNDING HPL hired 42 summer literacy workers in 2004. Funding for
these positions came from a number of sources:
Summer Career Placements
Summer Job Service
Young Canada Works
Hamilton Public Library

10. SUMMER LITERACY WORKERS
Summer Literacy Workers are post-secondary students with
career interests in library work, teaching, early childhood
education and literacy.

11. SPONSORS Major sponsors for 2004 included: TD Bank
The Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton Tiger Cats
Optimist Clubs

12. PARTNERS and PRIZES
Many incentive prizes for the SRP are provided on an
in-kind basis
Requests for prizes are made to local and national organizations, i.e. Kiwanis, Canada Post Heritage Club
Incentive prizes are given to program participants as they reach specific levels within a club
Donations are also used as prizes for programs and contests

13. PRIZE STRUCTURE # BOOKS CHILDREN’S CLUBS TEEN CLUB 1
Ti-Cat Tickets and TD Passport
Ti-Cat Tickets and Spectator Tour 3
Colouring Sheet and McDonalds Coupons 6
TD Poster and Stickers
TD Poster and Magazine or Anime Sampler 12
Book or Canvas
Book Bag
Book and Choice of 2 Food Coupons

14. GENDER BREAKDOWN AND COMPLETION
Of the total participants in 2004, 45% were boys and 55%
were girls.
Compared to 2003:
793 more boys enrolled in 2004
678 more girls enrolled in 2004
2004 saw an increase of 1,137 readers reaching the six book
level.
Data also showed that there was an increase in the number
of boys reading more than one book.

15. 2004 STATISTICS Storybook Club 3,413 participants – 15.3% increase
Summer Readers
5,714 participants – 19.5% increase
Reading Buddies
704 participants – 6% increase
Teen Reading Club
961 participants – 4.7% increase
TOTAL PARTICIPATION
10,792 participants – 15.7% increase

16. SUPPORTING PROGRAMS
408 supporting programs were offered during the months of
July and August. 16,074 young people attended these
programs – a 35% increase over 2003.
Kick off programs with “Reptile Man”
Teen Animé Film Festival
Pen Pal Program
Library Bingo
Crafts

17. PROMOTION OF SRP School visits
Partnership with Boards of Education to produce and
distribute a flier to all students
HPL promotion
- What’s HPL
- HPL web site
- Posters and other print material available in the library
Program kick-off events
Directed mail outs to parents of preschoolers in partnership with Healthy Babies Healthy Children
Repeat ads provided by our local newspaper
Outreach and Participation in local Festivals

18. HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE SUMMER READING PROGRAM?
An evaluative study of the
program at Hamilton Public
Library.

19. ABOUT THIS STUDY
Budget of approximately $15,000 for all associated costs approved by HPL Board
Co-op student/recent MLIS grad hired as lead researcher
Four months from start to finish
Descriptive statistical and qualitative data collected to determine whether the Summer Reading Program is meeting pre-established goals

20. PURPOSE OF STUDY PRIMARY PURPOSE
To determine how successful the Summer Reading Program is in meeting its established goals.
SECONDARY PURPOSE
To collect information on the effectiveness of particular aspects of the program and on the perceptions of different stakeholder groups vis a vis the Summer Reading Program.

21. WHO WAS INVOLVED? Storybook Club/Reading Club Participants
Teen Reading Club Participants
Reading Buddies Participants
Parents of Participants (all streams)
Educators (Public, Separate and Private Schools)
New Canadians (adults and children)
Reading Buddies Volunteers
Summer Literacy Workers (university students)
HPL Branch Managers
HPL Staff Involved in SRP

22. PARTICIPANT NUMBERS SBC/SRC Participants – 260 interviewed
TRC Participants – 22 surveyed
RB Participants – 46 attended focus groups
Parents of Participants – 141 interviewed
Educators – 70 surveyed
New Canadians – 73 attended focus groups
RB Volunteers – 53 attended focus groups
SLWs – 26 surveyed
HPL Branch Managers – 6 surveyed
HPL Branch Staff Involved with SRP – 26 surveyed
TOTAL STUDY PARTICIPANTS - 723

23. DATA COLLECTION METHODS
To collect data from members of our targeted stakeholder
groups, we used:
Personal Interviews
Surveys
Focus Groups

24. WHAT DID WE LEARN?
Based on the data we collected, it appears that Hamilton
Public Library’s Summer Reading Program is very
successful in meeting its goals.

25. GOAL 1 STIMULATE AND ENCOURAGE A LOVE OF READING IN
CHILDREN INCLUDING THOSE WITH READING DIFFICULTIES
83.7% of parents interviewed said their children displayed more enthusiasm for reading than before they joined SRP
84.6% of BSC/SRC participants said they liked to read more than before they joined
81.8% of TRC participants said that one of their top two reasons for joining the TRC was that is nurtured their love of reading
89.1% of Reading Buddies participants said they liked to read more since joining the program

26. GOAL 1 (cont’d)
81.8% of Reading Buddies volunteers reported positive changes in their buddy’s attitude towards books and reading over the course of the program
By consensus, 100% of new Canadians agreed that visiting the library and participating in programs like the SRP helped children learn to love reading
85.7% of educators said they believed/had observed that SRP participation improves children’s enthusiasm toward books and reading
91.7% of SLWs said they noticed a positive change in the attitudes of most SRP participants toward books and reading over the course of the summer

27. TESTIMONIALS
“I never used to read hardly at all because I thought it was
boring and hard, but now I love it.”
Reading Buddies Participant, Central Library
“My kid is more excited to read now. He doesn’t just say
‘reading is boring’ like when he first came. He sees that
some books are funny or interesting and he actually wants
to read them.
Reading Buddies Volunteer, Central Library
“This program fosters a love of reading that lasts a
lifetime.”
Participant Parent, Ancaster Branch

28. GOAL 2
ASSIST INTERESTED CHILDREN IN MAINTAINING THEIR READING LEVEL OVER THE SUMMER
89.4% of parents said they witnessed literacy
maintenance or improvement in their children that they
attribute to SRP participation
95.5% of TRC participants said that they believe program
participation maintains or improves their literacy skills and provides them with an academic advantage over their
classmates who do not participate
95.7% of Reading Buddies participants said they believed
that participating in the program made them better readers or kept up their skills over the summer

29. GOAL 2 (cont’d) 83.0% of Reading Buddies volunteers said they had
witnessed not only maintenance but perceptible
improvement in the skills of the children they worked with
By consensus, 100% of new Canadians agreed that
visiting the library and attending programs like the SRP is
very important to helping children to not only maintain but improve their literacy skills in English
100% of Summer Literacy Workers reported witnessing
maintenance or improvement of literacy skills in almost all children who joined the program and continued to
participate throughout the summer

30. TESTIMONIALS
“I think the program definitely makes a difference in their
skills. My kids always go back to school reading at least as
well as they did when they left.”
Participant Parent, Barton Branch
“This program helped my reading get better. My teacher
even noticed!”
Reading Buddies Participant, Terryberry Branch
“I work with students at different grade levels, so I’ll often
see the same ones several years in a row. Every fall, there
is a definite difference in skills between those who have
read and visited the library over the summer and those who
have not.”
Educator, Hamilton Wentworth District School Board

31. ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE
Many studies have been conducted throughout Canada and the United States in which standardized test were used to measure student literacy scores before and after SRP participation
Results of the majority of these studies (Heyns, Carter, Howes, Robbins and Thompson, Markey, Doleman, etc.) prove that SRP participants show increases in post-test literacy scores while the scores of children who do not read over the summer typically decline

32. ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE (cont’d)
Although this study did not involve a pre-test post-test component, results of other studies are transferable to HPL context because:
HPL’s SRP operates according to the same ‘read and report’ style as the programs involved in these studies and is actually more rigorous than most about ensuring that children are actually reading
Standardized tests used in studies are frequently ones that have been used in Hamilton schools, eliminating the possibility of area bias

33. GOAL 3
IMPROVE CHILDREN’S ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE ABOUT LITERATURE VIA ORAL AND WRITTEN REPORTS
90.1% of parents said their children have become more willing/able to communicate about what they read since joining the SRP
73.9% of Reading Buddies participants said that they talk more about what they read as a result of being in the program
88.7% of Reading Buddies volunteers said the children they worked with become more willing/better able to talk about their books over the course of the program

34. GOAL 3 (cont’d)
77.1% of teachers surveyed said that they believed SRP participation helped children become better able to communicate about what they read
By consensus, 100% of new Canadians agreed that library programs including the SRP improve the English communication abilities of ESL children, not only in literature but in general
100% of SLWs said that they observed improvements in the literature-related communication abilities of SRP participants over the course of the summer
71.5% of Branch Managers and 84.7% of library staff said that in their experience, children who participate in the SRP do become better able to communicate about what they are reading

35. TESTIMONIALS
“It’s kind of funny: at first I could hardly get him to talk at
all other than reading the words. Now we get into
discussions about different characters or what’s happening
in the story and sometimes they go on for so long that he
forgets to read or we both forget where we were!”
Reading Buddies Volunteer, Terryberry Branch
“Kids are excited and want to share their reading and this
program opens the door to parental encouragement,
communication about books and so on.”
Participant Parent, Mount Hope Branch
“The forms need more lines to write on. Some people like
to write a lot!”
Teen Reading Club Participant, Central Library

36. IMPROVE STAFF KNOWLEDGE OF CHILDREN’S
GOAL 4
IMPROVE STAFF KNOWLEDGE OF CHILDREN’S
READING INTERESTS
66.7% of branch managers surveyed said that their own knowledge of children’s reading interests has been improved significantly by managing a branch in which the SRP is operating % said that they believed that SRP involvement has a discernable impact on their staff’s knowledge of children’s reading interests over and above their regular library work
65.4% of full-time youth services staff surveyed said that they thought SRP involvement had a discernable impact on their knowledge of children’s reading interests over and above their regular library work

37. GOAL 4 (cont’d)
100% of Summer Literacy Workers surveyed said that they thought that SRP involvement has improved their knowledge of children’s literature and reading interests

38. TESTIMONIALS
“Not only this year, but over the past three years (of being a
Summer Literacy Worker) my understanding of children’s
reading interests has greatly changed and expanded. I now
have a greater understanding of what they like and why.”
Summer Literacy Worker
“I think that I already had a good understanding of
children’s reading interests before I began this job, but I
have been introduced to many other books and series of
books through SRC reporting.”

39. A FEW OTHER INDICATORS OF PROGRAM SUCCESS
Program enrolment has increased steadily over the last five years, with many children returning year after year
97.5% of SRC/SBC participants who had joined the program in previous years said that the quality of the SRP is as good or better now than in previous years
100% of parents interviewed agreed that the program has both educational and recreational benefits for a their children and many mentioned other benefits as well, including improving their confidence and self-esteem and facilitating rich and positive social interactions
98.6% of educators believe that the program is valuable enough that they either do or plan to recommend it to their students

40. INDICATORS (cont’d)
95.5% of eligible Summer Literacy Workers said that their experience in day-to-day running of the program at the various branches was so positive that they would definitely consider coming back to the job next summer

41. MORE STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK
“This is a wonderful program. It has contributed to the
reading skills of our children and truly inspired a love of
reading skills in our children and truly inspired a love of
reading in our family that I believe will last a lifetime. All our
children have done it and the older ones look back on it
fondly.”
Participant Parent, Terryberry Branch
“I love this club and I just want to say to everyone at the
library ‘you’re the best!’”
TRC Participant, Westdale Branch
“The program here is beautiful. It is beautiful. I like it a lot!”
New Canadian, Red Hill Branch
Here are some more answers we received to qualitative-type questions.

42. FEEDBACK (cont’d)
“I have learned more from this job/experience than any
other job or university course I’ve ever taken. Working with
a vast array of children, parents and teenagers all at once
has been extremely challenging – but also rewarding…I’ve
developed some great relationships and made connections
with some wonderful people both young and old.”
Summer Literacy Worker

43. OVERALL Based on the responses of participants, there is every
reason to believe that HPL’s Summer Reading Program is
very successful in meeting the goals it has set for itself and
is a very valuable program in the eyes of its stakeholders.

44. ADDITIONAL FINDINGS
While the primary purpose of the study was to evaluate the
Summer Reading Program in terms of its success in
meeting its goals, there were many other things to be
learned from the data collected.

45. OTHER OFTEN-CITED POSITIVE OUTCOMES OF THE SRP
While increasing the amount of reading children do is not
an explicit goal of the SRP, this study found that:
81.6% of parents said their children are reading more as a result of participating in the SRP than they would otherwise read over the summer
63.6% of teens also indicated that they read more as a result of TRC participation
Likewise, while increasing children’s creativity is not a
primary goal of the program, it was found that:
64.5% of parents said that they believe the SRP contribution to the development of their child’s creativity and imagination
54.3% of teachers observed these contributions

46. NEW CANADIANS’ UNIQUE USES OF THE LIBRARY
Many newcomers involved in the study described the
library in very unique ways.
The library as a safe environment in which adults and
children alike can practice their English skills without fear
of ridicule.
“We all come to the library to work on communication. As
we communicate we practise English. It is a friendly place
to practise…and we don’t feel embarrassed and people
don’t treat you like you’re so different from them.”

47. UNIQUE USES (cont’d)
Library resources as tools to retain their traditional cultures
and languages even as they adapt to life in Canada.
“We started taking out the language kits for my son. After
he saw them, his grandfather also was interested in them.
Now, (he and his grandfather) use the kits together to
practise English but also read in our own language.”

48. SRP PARTICIPANTS’ OTHER LIBRARY USES
Children in HPL’s SRP/SBC are also using the library for
other reasons. Of the 260 children interviewed, 259
reported other uses of the library in addition to SRP related
activities.
93.1% take out books or other items
56.2% attend programs year-round
36.9% use library computers
5.0% do homework at the library
7.8% come to the library to meet or
hang out with friends
7.8% come to the library for other reasons,
including to read quietly and to play with toys

49. ADVERTISING
School visits are the most effective way of advertising the
program to children.
54.2% of children in the SBC/SRC and 45.7% in Reading Buddies reported learning about the program this way
In-library ads (posters, flyers) are the most effective way of
advertising the program to teens and adults.
55.3% of parents reported learning about the program this way
40.9% of TRC participants reported learning about the program this way

50. INCENTIVES Incentive prizes were felt to be important and were
positively regarded by most respondents.
85.8% of parents said that the SRP prizes have a motivating impact on their children when it comes to reading over the summer. In another question, 99.3% said they were satisfied with HPL’s prizes this summer
52.7% of SBC/SRC participants (including 58.0% of boys and 48.2% of girls) said that getting the prizes was their favourite part of being in the SRP
81.8% of teens said the prizes this year were great

51. INCENTIVES (cont’d)
81.8% of Reading Buddies volunteers said that the prizes were important motivators for the children they worked with
100% of Summer Literacy Workers surveyed said that prizes were motivating for the majority of children at their branch

52. BENEFITS OF CONDUCTING THIS TYPE OF RESEARCH
Ensure that the SRP is meeting the goals of the library has set for it
Connect with the community and ensure that the SRP is meeting the needs of its stakeholders
Learn about the program and the library itself through the eyes of different patron groups
Discover new questions that are worthy of further research
Make recommendations to board, sponsors, etc. based on findings

53. STEPS IN CONDUCTING YOUR OWN SRP STUDY
Establish program goals (measurable outcomes)
Determine the parameters of your study, i.e. how
much time and money can you devote it
Determine who you would like to involve in the study – which stakeholder groups – and what your intended data collection methods will be
Contact representatives of these stakeholder groups to inform them of the study and request their involvement
Determine what procedures may be involved in obtaining permission to involve each group and complete any required paperwork, i.e. ethics approval packages, parental consent forms, etc.

54. STEPS (cont’d) Compose your data collection instruments
Collect your data according to the methods you have selected and offer participants a chance to view the results of the study when it is complete
Organize and analyze your data in a way that makes sense for your purposes (significance testing, for example, was not required for the descriptive statistical data in this study)
Compose final report(s) for your audience(s)
Ensure that copies of relevant reports are forwarded to any parties who helped organize or fund the study and to any participants who indicated interest in viewing the results

55. CONCLUDING REMARKS
This study has shown that the Summer Reading Program at
the Hamilton Public Library is effective in meeting its goals.

56. THANK YOU
Any questions?