Partners Promoting Reading Pleasure

Mary Ann Brown

The Des Plaines Public Library received notification on April 5, 1999, that the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, "Partners Promoting Reading Pleasure," had been awarded by Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State. The Library and Plainfield School, an elementary school in Des Plaines Community Consolidated School District (CCSD) 62, has two components. The first is a special Plainfield School Family Night at the Des Plaines Public Library. The second is a four-week summer program, Summer Fun at the Library, for sixty children currently enrolled at Plainfield School.

Review of Activities Accomplished

On April 27, 1999, Mary Ann Brown, Head of Youth Services, and Martha Sloan, Coordinator of Public Services, met with Maxine Hubbard, Plainfield School Principal, and Marty Pearl, Plainfield Instructional Media Center (IMC) teacher, to plan the Plainfield Family Night and the recruitment process of children for the summer program. The Family Night program was designed as an open house for all Plainfield families, to include information about Summer Fun at the Library, tours of the Des Plaines Public Library and the Mobile Library, library card registration for any Plainfield families that were not already cardholders, and refreshments. Ways to attract the parents and to reinforce the invitation to the open house were discussed. The date for the Plainfield Family Night at the Des Plaines Public Library was set for May 10, 1999.

In the two weeks before the event, flyers were designed and produced by the library. Plainfield School staff translated the flyers into Spanish, so that both English and Spanish language versions of the flyer could be distributed. The flyers were sent out in two Plainfield School Friday newsletters. Classroom teachers were also given information about the Plainfield Family Night and Summer Fun at the Library, so that they could promote the program. The Mobile Library, which has two stops at Plainfield School, one during the day and the other after school, also advertised the event. The week before the Plainfield Family Night, the Mobile Library staff gave each child a sticker, designed by library staff, reminding the families to come to the Plainfield School Family Night. The Head of Youth Services, Mary Ann Brown, wrote a script for Spanish speaking callers to use when they telephoned Plainfield families to remind them about the Family Night Open House. The bilingual callers were Plainfield parents who were recommended by the school. The weekend before the Family Night program, calls were made to almost all of the Plainfield households. When people attending Plainfield Family Night were asked how they had heard of the program, many families said that it was the callers reminding them to come that mattered, indicating that this special effort by Spanish-speaking callers to many of the Hispanic families encouraged them to come. The final enticement to attend Plainfield Family Night at the Des Plaines Public Library was offering busing from the school. Twenty-five people took advantage of the bus that ran from Plainfield School to the Des Plaines Public Library for the Family Night Open House program.

The Plainfield Family Night was held on Monday, May 10, 1999, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Approximately 150 people attended this event. The Head of Youth Services, Mary Ann Brown, welcomed the families and introduced the Summer Fun at the Library program. Interested parents and children filled out the forms for the children to enroll in the summer program. Small groups were formed to tour the Youth Services Department, the Adult Services Department, and the Mobile Library, which was parked outside in the parking lot. Because many of the families are Hispanic or East Indian, representatives from the Literacy Office at Oakton Community College were also present to explain the literacy programs, the ESL classes, and the GED and citizenship programs which are held at libraries, churches, and at the high schools in Maine Township. After the tours, a local storyteller and singer, Patti Ecker, entertained the families. Refreshments, punch and cookies, were served. Ten teachers and aides

* Mary Ann Brown, Head of Youth Services, Des Plaines Public Library, Illinois.

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from Plainfield School, some of whom are bilingual, attended and translated as library staff gave the tours. Their presence helped to create a familiar and welcoming feeling to the library. The entire evening was a great success. Everyone seemed to have a good time. The school principal had predicted that about fifty people would attend, but more than double that number came. This large turnout is attributed to planning and cooperative efforts between Des Plaines Public Library staff and the Plainfield School Principal, Maxine Hubbard, the Plainfield Instructional Media Center (IMC) teacher, Marty Pearl, and other Plainfield staff members, and to personal contact with the families by the bilingual callers. Some of the children reported that their classroom teacher had urged them to come and sign up for the summer program.

After the Plainfield Family Night, a list of the children who enrolled in the program was compiled. The project was written to include sixty children, in two groups of thirty. One group would be children going into second and third grades, and the other group would be children going into fourth and fifth grades. The children were to be enrolled on a first-come-first-served basis. After enrollment at the Family Fun night on May 10, there was room for additional students. Teachers at Plainfield School, and Marty Pearl, IMC teacher, helped to recruit students for the program. Children who were not regular library users were especially encouraged to attend. After a cooperative effort between the school and public library to recruit participants, a total of forty-three children enrolled in the summer program, including twenty-five children in the second and third grade group and eighteen children in the fourth and fifth grade group. Maxine Hubbard, Principal of Plainfield School, said she was very happy with the number of children who registered for the Summer Fun at the Library program.

In the meantime planning for the second component of the grant project, the four-week summer program for Plainfield School students, began. The summer program, Summer Fun at the Library, partners reading with literature-based activities. Advertisements were placed for a program assistant, who would be hired to plan activities and to assist the project director in running the program. The advertisements ran in the North Suburban Library System Blue Sheets and were posted at area colleges for graduating education majors, library science students or interested people with appropriate experience, skills, and knowledge. The closing date for the program assistant position applications was May 14, 1999, with interviewing to be held the last two weeks in May and a candidate selection to be made by May 28, 1999. The person selected would be responsible for the daily activities of the program, Summer Fun at the Library, scheduled to run July 12 through August 5, 1999. To plan activities and to order any necessary materials to supplement them, the program assistant would begin work on June 28 and work until August 13, 1999, to complete records and evaluations.

Nine people applied for the position to plan activities and to assist the project director in running the summer program. Interviews were held with the three applicants best qualified on May 17, May 19, and May 25, 1999. The selection was finalized on May 27, 1999. Carmen Gray, the person selected for project assistant, had just completed a teaching degree. In addition, Carmen Gray speaks fluent Spanish as well as English, and she is familiar with a public library setting since she had been working part time in a nearby public library. The teachers at Plainfield School said that being fluent in Spanish languages important when working with many of the children who would be attending the summer program.

Planning for the Summer Fun at the Library program began in May, 1999. The four-week summer program was planned for two age groups, including one group of children going into second and third grades, and one group of children going into fourth and fifth grades. Each group would come to the library twice a week for a two-hour program of literature-based activities, each week, a different book would be shared through readings and activities, including puppets, drama, arts and crafts, foods, construction, and writing. Every child in the program would receive a paperback copy of the book used that week. At the end of the four week program, parents would be invited to the library for an open house, where the children would share displays of the projects made during the summer program, the summer program would include bus transportation to and from the library, from neighborhood stops.

Mary Ann Brown and Marty Pearl met twice in May, 1999, to plan the Summer Fun at the Library program. On the first occasion, they selected the eight books to be used in the program, four for the children going into second and third grades, and four for the children going into fourth and fifth grades. The titles for the younger group are Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley, Galimoto by

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Karen Lynn Williams, and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka. The titles for the older group are The Adventures of All Baba Bernstein by Johanna Hurwitz, The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson, Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith, and The Puppy Sister by S. E. Hinton. Thirty-five paperback copies of each title were ordered on May 20, 1999, from Book Wholesalers, Inc. Each child got a copy of the book used in the program each week to keep, along with a book list of related books to enjoy for each title used in the four-week program. Veronica Schwartz, a Youth Services librarian at Des Plaines Public Library, created the book lists of suggested titles to go with each of the eight books used in the summer program.

On the second planning meeting, Mary Ann Brown and Marty Pearl outlined literacy-enriching activities for each of the eight books. A library scavenger hunt was planned to introduce children to library materials and their location. Various craft projects, including puppet making, modeling clay sculpture, paper masks, collage, wire sculpture, and tee shirt painting were incorporated to extend the interest and understanding of the stories. Creative writing activities, including poetry and posters, were planned to allow children to express their ideas on paper. Dramatic activities, including readers' theater and puppet plays, were planned to let children dramatize scenes from some of the stories. Activities including locating countries on a globe, assessing the various languages spoken by families of the children attending the program, and eating rice with chopsticks were planned to incorporate multicultural awareness. Supplies were ordered for the planned activities.

In early June, 1999, letters from the Des Plaines Public Library were distributed through Plainfield School to the families of forty-three children registered to attend the summer program. In the letter, Mary Ann Brown, Project Director, welcomed the children to Summer Fun at the Library and told the families the scheduled dates and times for each child's age group. Twenty-five children going into second and third grades were scheduled to attend Monday and Wednesday mornings, 9:30 to 11:30. Eighteen children going into fourth and fifth grades were scheduled to attend Tuesday and Thursday mornings, 9:30 to 11:30. The letter also included a photo permission slip to be filled in and signed by the parents, to give the library permission to take photographs of the children for possible publication and for a memory book to document the program.

The Des Plaines Public Library contracted with Septran, Inc. for bus transportation. The four-week program included bus service from neighborhood stops close to each child's home, to and from the Des Plaines Public Library, Mondays through Thursdays, for a total of sixteen days transportation service. Septran, Inc. planned bus routes and neighborhood stops for the Summer Fun at the Library program. As soon as the bus routes and schedules were completed, the families were notified and given the schedule.

Carmen Cray, the program assistant hired to conduct Summer Fun at the Library activities, began working June 28. She created attendance sheets and wrote detailed activity plans for each of the eight books. Additional materials and supplies for the activities were purchased and organized. The week before the summer program began. Carmen Gray telephoned each family to introduce herself, to remind them of the starting date and time of Summer Fun at the Library, and to be sure they knew their child's bus stop location and time. Most of the families took advantage of the bus transportation, and many said it was necessary for their child to be able to attend Summer Fun at the Library.

The four-week program began July 12 and ran through August 5, 1999. Each week, the children read and discussed one book, participated in activities based on that week's story, and enjoyed refreshments. Carmen Gray kept a journal of the activities throughout the summer program. At least one library staff member of the Youth Services Department assisted Carmen Gray in each of the sessions. Photographs were taken throughout the program for a memory book to display the last day at the parents and family open house. In addition, examples of crafts and other projects were saved to display at the parents and family open house.

On Monday 12, 1999, the group of second and third grade children arrived at 9:30 a.m. The children were met at the library door as they got off the bus, and were led to the meeting room. The day began with preliminary housekeeping activities, such as taking attendance, collecting photograph permission slips, and passing out plastic tote bags for each child to use to carry books and other items back and forth to the summer program. A paperback copy of the book, Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes, was passed out to each child. The book was read aloud to the group. The story of Chrysanthemum is about names, so the first activity was a name acrostic poem. On large white drawing paper using colorful markers, each child wrote

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his or her name vertically and then created a poem using words beginning with each letter in the name. The second activity of the day was making large tissue paper flowers. The children enjoyed the activities, especially making the tissue paper flowers, which they got to take home along with their copy of the book. After refreshments were served, the children left at 11:30 a.m. for the bus ride home. On Wednesday, July 14, 1999, the second and third grade group returned for another session of activities based on the book, Chrysanthemum. They began by making a flower collage, arranging and gluing pictures of flowers cut from magazines and garden catalogs onto large white drawing paper. After they finished the collages, Veronica Schwartz read them two picture books that were on the suggested reading list for Chrysanthemum. Next, a member of the Des Plaines Garden Club spoke to the boys and girls about plants, flowers, and trees. Each child got a small clay pot to decorate. Then they added potting soil and planted grass seeds in the pots. The pots were watered and left by a window in the library so the seeds could sprout. Refreshments were served and the children left.

Tuesday, July 13, 1999, was the first session for the fourth and fifth grade group. After attendance was taken and photo permission slips collected, the book, The Adventures of Ali Baba Bernstein, by Johanna Hurwitz, was introduced. Carmen Gray read the first chapter aloud to the boys and girls. This story is also about names, and the group talked about why they thought David wanted to change his name, and why he chose Ali Baba as a new name. The story of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" was introduced for additional background to the discussion. The first activity was to make name plaques from Model Magic clay. The boys and girls formed a base of the clay, then formed clay letters of their name and added them to the base to make a plaque. Two holes were punched in the top for a yarn hanger to be attached after the plaque dried. The plaques were laid aside to dry. The boys and girls then made large tissue paper flowers to take home. Katie Rank, Youth Sciences library assistant, read aloud to the group from the book. The Adventures of Ali Baba Bernstein. Paperback copies of the book were given to each child, along with a plastic tote bag to carry books and other materials back and forth to the summer program sessions. Refreshments were served and the children left for home at 11:30 a.m. On Thursday, July 15, 1999, the fourth and fifth grade group of children returned for another session using the book, The Adventures of Ali Baba Bernstein. The first activity was a dramatic acting of a scene from the book. The boys and girls were divided into three groups to do a creative portrayal of a scene for the others to watch. They enjoyed the dramatic activity. Next, they painted the name plaques they had made two days before. The final activity of the day was a scavenger hunt in the library. Each child started with a different clue, which led them to additional clues placed throughout the library, and finally back into the meeting room. The purpose of the scavenger hunt was to introduce the boys and girls to the various materials in the library and their location. They thoroughly enjoyed the activity. Refreshments of cupcakes and juice were served to go along with the birthday party the main character, David Bernstein, had in the book they read this week. Paperback copies of the next week's book, The Puppy Sister, by S. E. Hinton, were passed out to each child so they should read the story by their next session on the following Tuesday.

The book, Galimoto, by Karen Lynn Williams, was chosen for the second week in the second and third grade group. On Monday, July 19, 1999, the children arrived at the library at 9:30 a.m. Paperback copies of the book were distributed and Carmen Gray read the story aloud to the children. After the story was read, the boys and girls located the setting of the story, Malawi, on a globe and in an atlas. Then Carmen Gray read aloud from a nonfiction book on the African country, Malawi, including a section on the arts and crafts of Malawi. The activities for the day included making their own toys similar to the ones made by Kondi, the main character in the story. The boys and girls made their own galimotos, or wire sculptures, using chenille stems. They also made other toys, such as a ball-in-the-cup toy, a Fun Foam puzzle, and name plaques made of Model Magic clay. Refreshments were served and the children left for home. On Wednesday, July 21, 1999, the children returned for another session using the book, Galimoto. The first activity was to make an African mask. Mary Ann Brown read a nonfiction book on African masks, and the children learned about the meanings and origins of African masks, as well as seeing many examples in the book, before making their own mask. After modeling their masks and describing the kind of celebration or event their mask depicted, the second activity of the day was introduced. The children used Fun Foam to make and decorate sunglasses. The basic shape of the sunglasses was cut from Fun Foam using an Ellison Letter Machine and sunglasses die. Small shapes of Fun Foam, buttons, feathers, and other embellishments were glued on to the sunglasses for

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decoration. Then the boys and girls listened to a picture book from the suggested reading list for Galimoto as it was read aloud. The children got to take home their planted grass, which was sprouted and growing around a small silk flower that they had added to the little clay pots.

On Tuesday, July 20,1999, the fourth and fifth grade group of children arrived at the library to read, discuss, and do activities based on The Puppy Sister by S. E. Hinton. Most of the children had started to read the book and were almost completed, which made the discussions lively. The first craft activity was to make small dogs or puppies of Model Magic clay. The boys and girls thoroughly enjoyed making the little clay sculptures. The group then discussed proper pet care, and then siblings, relating to the story they had just read. The final activity of the day was writing acrostic poems. The Thursday, July 22, 1999, session continued with a discussion of The Puppy Sister. The boys and girls then made sock puppets for characters in the book, making their choice of a puppy, a cat, or a boy puppet. Mary Ann Brown read aloud a chapter from the book. Then the boys and girls used the sock puppets to dramatize a scene in the story. The children painted their clay dog sculptures as the final activity of the day. Each child was given a paperback copy of the book, Chocolate Fever, by Robert Kimmel Smith, to begin reading in preparation for the next weekly sessions.

The third week began with the Monday, July 26, 1999, session for second and third graders reading and discussing Everybody Cooks Rice, by Norah Dooley. The children painted their name plaques from the previous week. Then, Carmen Gray passed out paperback copies of the book, Everybody Cooks Rice, and read the story aloud to the group. As she read the story, when a different neighbor from a different country was introduced, the children would locate the country on a globe. After reading the book, the boys and girls talked about rice recipes they used at home. Each child was asked to bring a rice recipe from home to the next session on Wednesday. A musical activity was presented, using an Ella Jenkins CD with a song of many ways to say "Hello" in various languages. The children discussed the languages spoken by their families, and it was found that there were many languages represented by the group. A craft activity was introduced next. The children were given small boxes and colored construction paper. They began to make little houses to build a colorful community similar to the one in the book, Everybody Cooks Rice. The snack for the day tied in with the theme of the book. Rice had been cooking in a rice steamer since the children arrived. The boys and girls got a plate of rice to sample, and also packaged Rice Krispy treats. As an added bonus, the children got chopsticks to use to eat their rice. Mary Ann Brown showed the children how to use the chopsticks. The boys and girls loved the rice, and many of them asked for second and third helpings. On Wednesday, July 28, 1999, the children brought the rice recipes from their families. Carmen Gray collected the recipes to put together into a rice cookbook for the children to have. The boys and girls finished the little box houses they started Monday. The little houses were arranged on a base made to look like a neighborhood, with green grassy areas and a gray road. The houses were saved for a display at the parents and family open house on the last day of the program. The next craft project was to make milk jug houses. Carmen Gray showed the boys and girls an example with decorated windows, door, and chimney on the outside and little furniture made of Model Magic clay, beads, and other small embellishments on the inside. The children couldn't wait to get started making their own milk jug house. The doors and windows had already been cut in the milk jugs. The boys and girls decorated the outside of their houses and then started making furniture to go inside. The children were very creative in making furniture. They made televisions, bedroom sets, satellite dishes for the outside, and more. They thoroughly enjoyed the milk jug house project. Before the children left for the day, they were given invitations for the open house to give their parents.

The Tuesday, July 27, 1999, session for fourth and fifth graders began by reading chapter from Chocolate Fever, by Robert Kimmel Smith. Carmen Gray led a discussion of the story through chapter five. A craft project was introduced and the children made a chocolate collage, using pictures of chocolate food items they cut from magazines and arranging them on a large sheet of white drawing paper. The next craft activity was a little felt Hershey Kiss character. The children all enjoyed making the chocolate soft sculpture character and giving it personality with googly eyes and a mouth. Carmen Gray read aloud chapters six and seven from the book. Chocolate Fever. Snacks for the day, packaged Coco Krispy Treats and chocolate milk, related to the theme of the book. When the children arrived for the Thursday, July 29, 1998, session, they finished the Hershey Kiss character and made it a magnet by attaching an adhesive magnetic square to the back. Carmen Gray read a humorous scene-from the book. Chocolate

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Fever. The boys and girls made wanted posters, relating to a scene in the book in which Henry, the main character, is missing from the hospital. Carmen Gray then presented information about chocolate. She read the book, 8 Visit to a Chocolate Factory, which describes how chocolate is grown and processed into candy and other chocolate food sources. She also passed around cocoa beans in a plastic bag for the boys and girls to see. The final craft activity for the day was a wooden doorknob hanger decorated with fun foam. Invitations were passed out for the parents and family open house on the last day of the program. The children were given paperback copies of the book. The Best School Year Ever, by Barbara Robinson, to begin reading for the next week's session.

On Monday, August 2, 1999, the second and third grade group began preparing for a performance to be presented to their parents and families on the last day. Carmen Gray read aloud the book, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by Jon Scieszka, and each child was given a paperback copy of the book to keep. Many of the boys and girls were familiar with the story. The children were divided into groups of four. They made sock puppets to be the characters for a sock puppet play. In each group, one person was the wolf and the other three were the little pigs. After the sock puppets were finished, each group rehearsed how they would act out the story with their puppet characters. The boys and girls had a lot of fun with this activity, and were very funny performing the sneezing part. The children were given evaluations to complete. They also drew pictures of what they thought about the library and the Summer Fun at the Library program. Invitation responses were collected for the open house, with an enthusiastic response of forty-five family members expected to attend. The families were given the option of riding the bus with the children for the open house program. Twenty family members responded that they would take advantage of the bus transportation. On Wednesday, August 4, 1999, the two-hour session was an open house to share with the parents all that their children had been doing over the past four weeks. A total of fifty-five children and family members attend the open house. The children performed their sock puppet performance of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, which the families thoroughly enjoyed. After the puppet plays, the families were invited to join in and help the children with a craft activity. The boys and girls made a story wheel for the folk tale of The Three Little Pigs. Mary Ann Brown read aloud to the children a fractured fairy tale from the suggested book list for The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. While the children were listening to the story, the parents filled out evaluations of the Summer Fun at the Library program. Next, the children and families were served refreshments in the meeting room, where they could also view the displays of projects and pictures from the summer program. Each child had his or her picture taken with the family members present. The children took home their projects at the end of the session.

The Tuesday, August 3, 1999, session for the fourth and fifth grade group began with a discussion of the book, The Best School Year Ever, by Barbara Robinson. The boys and girls discussed the Herdman family characters in the book and the various things they did. A craft project was introduced. The boys and girls made a pencil holder using a paper cylinder attached to a Fun Foam base, with crayons glued around the paper cylinder to decorate it. For a final craft project, the children painted tee shirts with fabric paint. After the tee shirt painting project, the boys and girls were given evaluations of the summer program to write. Open house response forms were collected, with a response of thirty-one family members expected to attend. Twenty-three family members indicated on the response form that they would ride the bus with their children. On Thursday, August 5, 1999, the open house program was held for the parents and families of the children in the fourth and fifth grade group. A total of thirty-three children and family members attended the open house. Carmen Gray and Mary Ann Brown talked to the families about what their children had been doing over the past four weeks in the Summer Fun at the Library program. Then, the young people told the group what they liked best about the program, and explained in their own words the different activities they did. A craft project was introduced, and parents and family members were encouraged to join in and help. The project, a gecko beadie critter, involved following a pattern and lacing pony beads on cord attached to a lanyard hook. The activity was not an easy one for some of the children, and it was gratifying to see the families work together to complete the geckos. The boys and girls loved the completed bead gecko, and many attached them to belt loops and wore them. Refreshments were served and parents were asked to complete an evaluation of the summer program.

Family Evaluation

Twelve parent/family evaluations were collected, all favorable. Five of the evaluations were written in

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Spanish and were translated into English by Carmen Gray. Some of the comments on the evaluations are as follows:

"My son has been very enthusiastic with this program, because he learned new activities and he shared them with his little brother. And, he also improved his reading and he likes to read books more now and share the stories of the books with us. Thank you for your help."

"I liked the program a lot because the kids learn things like creating, doing things, reading different books that teach them good things and lessons that you couldn't imagine. They also know more stories, songs, which helps make them more intelligent. My husband and I are very pleased with the Summer Fun program and we would like to see it continue in the future."

"I've enrolled two boys in two different age levels of the program. When I told them I had done this, they were upset with me. Then they attended and immediately there was an attitude change. They have loved the program and have been eager to go. They have enjoyed showing other family members their "creations." We would recommend the program to anyone. Thank you for the opportunity."

"The program provides some very positive and fond memories in my child's mind. The reading material supplied was good, informative, and interesting. Kids liked them. This kind of promotional program will encourage kids in the benefits of reading and some creative work."

"This was an excellent program. I think it motivated my child to read more, get familiar with the library and it's valuable resources. I think you should continue this kind of grogram in the future."

"My child was hesitant to come to the program initially, but decided that it was awesome after the first class! He is a good reader, but is usually reluctant to read. I think that the stories and the projects selected for the summer program encouraged him in his reading."

"I think this program was a wonderful opportunity for our children. I love the idea of the kids coming to the library for a story and arts and crafts. My daughter was very enthusiastic about coming on Mondays and Wednesdays. The transportation provided was a treat for the kids. My daughter enjoyed riding the bus to and from the library. She also enjoyed receiving a copy of the books that were read.

Thanks so much for a super program! P.S. The idea of continued reading throughout the summer is a fine one. I think all children would benefit from such a program."

Student Evaluation

Student evaluations were also collected. Nineteen evaluations were collected from children in the second and third grade group. Fourteen of the children responded "yes" for all four titles when asked if they liked the books used in the four-week program. The following responses are representative of the group of evaluations for the question, "After this summer program, what do you think about the library?"

"It was very cool."

"It was fun."

"I really liked it."

"We have a lot of things to do now."

Fourteen evaluations were collected from the children in the fourth and fifth grade group. Eight of the children responded "yes" for all four titles when asked if they liked the books used in the four-week program, and the remaining six children responded "yes" to three of the four titles. The following responses are representative of the group of evaluations for the question, "What will you tell your teacher and classmates at Plainfield about this summer program?"

"I'll tell them that we did cool stuff."

"It was very fun. I wish I could still go."

"I improved reading. It was fun."

"If it comes again you should join it."

Program Accomplishments in Relationship to Goals and Objectives

The goals of the program were to increase library usage by Plainfield School children and to help the children view reading as a pleasurable activity. The project built on the Des Plaines Public Library's initial partnership with Des Plaines Community Consolidated School District (CCSD) 62 to provide all children in the schools with library cards and to show them how to

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take advantage of library resources. Based on observations during the program and Student evaluations received from parents, the program achieved the goals of making the library a welcoming and familiar place for families and children, and of promoting reading for pleasure. Several children brought their library cards to the summer program, ready to check out library materials. Many children in the summer program have used the library before, and continue to come to the library frequently. All of the children who participated in the program have library cards, and therefore do have the ability to check out library materials.

The children did learn to enjoy reading for pleasure, because they participated in many different activities based on the books they were reading. Also, according to the parents, the program was successful. The parents and other family members of children in the Summer Fun at the Library program commented on how the program taught their children that reading can be fun. The children looked forward to coming back to the library, and they associated reading and the library with fun. Probably one of the most exciting projects the older group of children did was the scavenger hunt in the library, the purpose of this activity was to familiarize the children with the different sections offered in the Youth Services department. After the activity, the children commented on how they didn't know certain areas existed. The major areas that they had to find were fiction, nonfiction, magazines, videos, foreign language books, audio books, computers, computer software, and new books. Throughout the four-week program, the children would often ask if they could do that activity again. They not only felt comfortable in knowing where to locate library materials, but also were made aware of the many different library resources available to them with library card.

Changes in Program Direction

The program direction was carried out according to, the proposal: however, a budget amendment was requested on July 7, 1999. The need for the budget change request resulted when the actual expenditures of two budget lines, Professional Contracts and Contractual Services, were contracted for less money than expected in the proposal. Expenses in the Professional Contracts budget line included the bilingual callers, Family Night entertainment, and the program assistant. The bilingual callers were used in May, 1999, to make personal contact with Plainfield School families to inform them about the program and to invite them to Family Night. There was no need for additional bilingual callers' service after Carmen Gray, the bilingual program assistant, was hired. Also affected by this budget line was the cost of entertainment for the Family Night being less than estimated. A local storyteller and singer, Patti Ecker, was contracted to perform at the Plainfield Family Night. Expenses in the Contractual Services budget line included the bus transportation between Plainfield School and the Des Plaines Public Library for the Family Night program, and bus transportation between the library and neighborhood stops for the four-week summer program. The bus transportation contract was made with Septran, Inc, the company that contracts with Des Plaines' CCSD 62. The cost of contractual services for bus transportation was a considerable saving over the commercial bus transportation estimate used in the grant proposal. The personnel at Septran, Inc. were familiar with the Plainfield School routes and stops used during the school year, and the company contracted with the library for the school district price.

Under the amended budget, funds were added to the Library Materials and Supplies budget lines. Additional books were purchased to complement and extend the eight books used in the Summer Fun at the Library program. Because the original partnership with Plainfield School began with a library card sign-up campaign, these additional library materials will encourage children to use their library cards and check out related materials that they are made aware of through the Summer Fun at the Library program. Additional funds added to the Supplies budget line were used to purchase globes to extend the learning in the multicultural stories discussions. Funds in the Supplies budget line were also used to create materials for dissemination, including a printed brochure, bookmarks listing services to teachers and children, and transparencies. This program is a pilot project, and materials to inform community members about the school and public library cooperative efforts will help to gain additional support for future programs. To continue the cooperative efforts between Des Plaines Public Library and CCSD 62, teacher book bags were purchased to facilitate teachers' requests for public library materials to use with their classes.

On September 29, 1999, the Des Plaines Public Library held an afternoon tea for school principals and IMC staff. At the tea, the library Youth Services staff listened to the needs of the schools and informed the

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school staff of Des Plaines Public Library services to teachers, including assignment alerts, homework carts, and teacher book bags. The Summer Fun at the Library brochure and bookmarks listing services to teachers and children were included in each school's packet of information. Every effort will be made to encourage a cooperative relationship between the Des Plaines Public Library and the schools it serves.

Project Strengths and Weaknesses

Program strengths included strong planning and organization, sufficient supplies, convenient transportation for students, excellent library staff support, and high family involvement. The cooperative planning between library and school personnel helped insure that as many families as possible could take part in the program, which helped to reach the goals of increasing library usage by Plainfield School children and of helping the children view reading as a pleasurable activity. The program was well organized, due to cooperative efforts in selecting the books and planning the literacy-enriching activities. The books selected for the program and the supplies purchased for the activities were exciting and motivating to the children. Many of the families could not have taken advantage of the summer program if bus transportation had not been available, making it an important component of the success of the program. The excellent library staff support from all departments, and the high family involvement in the program, made it a pleasurable and worthwhile experience for the children.

The program could have been improved with longer sessions, to include time for an ongoing project and built-in time to check out library materials. The children were engaged and proud of the things they were making and doing. An ongoing project had been discussed in the preplanning, but was not included in the final plans due to lack of time.

Needs Changed or Altered by Program Activities

The needs expressed in the grant proposal included reaching out to non-traditional library patrons such as the large immigrant populations, including East Indians, Latinos, and Eastern Europeans, to introduce them to the benefits of library use. The Des Plaines Public Library has been working in partnership with Des Plaines CCSD 62 to provide all children in the schools with library cards and to show them how to take advantage of library resources. Through these programs with children, the library also has attempted to reach their parents and help them know the library as a welcoming and comfortable place. Plainfield Family Night brought approximately 150 people into the library to hear about the special Summer Fun at the Library for children, and to introduce the parents and families to the resources and services of the library through tours of the Youth Services Department, Adult Services Department, and Mobile Library.

On October 13, 1999, Mary Ann Brown and Margie Borris, Head of Circulation, attended the Plainfield School Language Arts Night. A Des Plaines Public Library table at the event offered library card registration, children's programming information, the bookmarks listing services to teachers and children, and a Summer Fun at the Library display. The children who attended the summer program were very proud of the exhibit and brought friends and family members to see the books, examples of crafts, and pictures from the program. The Summer Fun at the Library display materials and memory book were taken to Plainfield School the following week to be displayed in the IMC throughout the remainder of October and November. Plainfield School will be presented with a plaque to commemorate the partnership for promoting children's literacy. Other schools served by the Des Plaines Public Library will be encouraged to join in partnership to provide all children with a library card and to introduce families to the benefits of using the public library.

How the Goals of the Illinois State Library's Long Range Plan were Met

The goals of "Partners Promoting Reading Pleasure" are to increase library usage by Plainfield School children and to help the children view reading as a pleasurable activity. The Plainfield Family Night and the Summer Fun at the Library both address Goal Three of the Illinois Long Range Plan for Use of Library and Technology Act Funds - Enrich the quality of life for citizens of Illinois by advocating the pleasures of reading, the ability to read and the importance of reading.

The books used in the program were chosen for their humor and interest level for children to advocate the pleasures of reading. An added bonus was the children getting to keep copies of each book for their personal library. The ability to read and the importance of reading were reinforced through the book discussions and reading aloud to the children. The literacy-enriching

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activities provided additional reinforcement to the pleasure and importance of reading. The parent involvement in the program helped further the goal to enrich the quality of life for citizens of Illinois.

Summary

The "Partners Promoting Reading Pleasure" was a cooperative effort between the Des Plaines Public Library and Plainfield School to bring an under-served pop on to the library through a summer literacy-enrichment program. The project included family involvement with a special Plainfield Family Night at the Des Plaines Public Library. Plainfield Family Night informed parents about the summer program, introduced them to the public library, and made them aware of the resources and programs available to them there. The project also included a four-week summer program for children, Summer Fun at the Library, which partnered pleasure reading and literature-based activities. Bus transportation, which enabled families who would otherwise not be able to get to the library to take advantage of the program, was an important component of Summer Fun at the Library. The Summer Fun at the Library sessions concluded with family open houses on the last day of each age group's program.

During the open houses, parents and other relatives were entertained by their children's performances, worked together with their children to make a craft project, viewed displays, and enjoyed refreshments, the program was successful in bringing the families and children of Plainfield School to the library so that they could leam about library resources and feel welcome and comfortable about the library as an institution.

The "Partners Promoting Reading Pleasure" LS grant project created and solidified a partnership between Plainfield School and the Des Plaines Public Library. Each correspondent met its goal. The initial Plainfield Family Night open house resulted in over 100 parents and children learning about the library and its programs. The Summer Fun at the Library program reached forty-three children, many from minority populations. The mix of reading and linked creative activities enriched these children's understanding of literature as well as their personal enjoyment of books. The follow-up display, teacher contacts, and library card signup ensured that the partnership would endure. Key components for this project's success were a bilingual program assistant, personal telephone calls in English and Spanish, transportation, and parental involvement.

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