The New York Public Library Celebrates Reading Superstars, August 9 at Chatham Square Library

Citywide Summer Reading Participation Up 34% So Far With Debut of Online Registration

The New York Public Library celebrated its Summer Reading Program on August 9 at the Chatham Square Regional Branch Library. Among those attending the event were Abby Milstein, New York Public Library Trustee; Howard Milstein, CEO, Emigrant Savings Bank, lead sponsor of Summer Reading; Zhen Hui Gao, Summer Reading Participant; Ronald Chan, Supervising Librarian, Chatham Square Regional Branch Library; Jia Qi Gao, sister of Zhen Hui Gao; Paul LeClerc, President, The New York Public Library; and Susan Kent, Director and Chief Executive of the Branch Libraries, The New York Public Library.

New York, NY, August 9, 2005 -- The New York Public Library celebrated summer reading on Tuesday, August 9 during a 10:30 "reading rally" at the Chatham Square Library at 33 East Broadway in Manhattan. Dozens of voracious young readers - many of whom have devoured up to 100 books so far this summer - were on hand to represent the tens of thousands of young people enrolled in the Summer Reading program Citywide. The 2005 Summer Reading Program has seen a great increase in its enrollment, with the debut of online registration available at www.summerreading.org. So far, 84,000 participants have enrolled this year, a jump of 34% from last year's registration.  

Young readers were cheered on by Dr. Paul LeClerc, President of The New York Public Library; Susan Kent, Director and Chief Executive of the Branch Libraries; Howard Milstein, CEO of Emigrant Savings Bank, lead sponsor of the Summer Reading Program; and noted children's book author and illustrator Pat Cummings.

Children, and teens from birth through 12th grade are encouraged to take advantage of thousands of literacy-related activities, use computers, search the Internet, and socialize with friends in libraries across the City. The Summer Reading Program also encourages parents to become involved with their children's reading by offering family-friendly events and activities.

"Emigrant Savings Bank is delighted to be the lead sponsor for the 2005 Summer Reading Program," said Howard Milstein, Emigrant's CEO. "It is vital that New York City youngsters continue reading during their summer vacations to maintain the skills they worked so hard to build during the school year. We hope that our sponsorship encourages others to support our public library system."

The Summer Reading Program challenges students to continue their education through reading, writing, and special programs in a fun and relaxed environment. Libraries play a critical role in maintaining reading levels over the summer. Research by the U. S. Department of Education, library systems across the country, Barbara Heynes' definitive 1978 study "Summer Learning and the Effects of Schooling," and others, shows that summer reading is as important a contributor to student achievement as the structured reading curriculum during the academic year. According to this research, if children select their own reading materials, this positive experience leads to more time spent reading and improved reading ability. [For links to these studies and more on summer reading research and effects on student achievement, please visit: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer/research.htm]

"Reading for fun over the summer gives young people the opportunity to expand their minds, to explore their own interests, and to enjoy themselves in July and August. It is one of New York City's most innovative and popular activities for children and like all branch library programs, it is free of charge," said Library President LeClerc.

Summer Reading Program
Babies, children and teens, from birth through 12th grade, can register at their local branch or at www.summerreading.org. They can pick up a free age-appropriate booklist, track the books that they read on a special log, and learn about the many special programs, discussion groups and workshops available. At the end of the summer, each library hosts a celebration to recognize those who have participated in the program. Every child who participates will receive a special certificate signed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

This year's theme is Tune In @ Your Library. Power 105.1, Summer Reading's media sponsor, will send their street team to spin tunes at libraries across the city throughout the summer. Other special events for kids and teens include: poetry slams, film festivals, puppet shows, magicians, arts and crafts, book discussions, library storytelling at New York City parks and playgrounds, and special give-aways.

Children and teens can find schedules of events by visiting their local library or they can keep in touch with the program, even when they can't make it into their branch by visiting www.summerreading.org. There will also be computer workshops where children can explore the Summer Reading Website where they can find puzzles, games, crafts, suggested reading, book reviews by other kids, and much more.

Support
The 2005 New York City Summer Reading Program is jointly sponsored by The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Borough Public Library, and The New York City Department of Education, Office of School Library Services. The Tune In @ Your Library theme is provided through Federal Library Service and Technology Act funds awarded to The New York State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Emigrant Savings Bank is the lead sponsor of Summer Reading 2005 at The Brooklyn Public Library and The New York Public Library. New York City Newsday is the lead sponsor for the Queens Library Summer Reading Program. Additional support has been provided by generous grants from the Hillandale Group of the Sulzberger Foundation, The Wallace Foundation, Time Warner Inc., Scholastic Inc., and the Hurford Foundation.

The New York Mets, in partnership with Banco Popular, also support Summer Reading and Power 105.1 is the media sponsor.

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Contact: Herb Scher or Jennifer Bertrand 212-704-8600