Aug. 29, 2022    A fun bonus of Tulsa City-County Library’s summer reading program is the Mayor’s Challenge to see which community in Tulsa County has the most eager readers.

   This friendly competition encourages readers in the Tulsa, Skiatook, Sand Springs, Sperry, Collinsville, Broken Arrow, Owasso, Glenpool, Jenks and Bixby communities to keep the pages turning all summer. The community with the highest percentage of 0-17-year-olds enrolled in the summer reading program could earn a special plaque to display for the year, as well as bragging rights for earning the distinction as a community of active readers.

   With 34 percent of the town’s children under 18 participating, Collinsville Library, 1223 Main, earned the “2022 Summer Reading Program Mayor’s Challenge” title. The Bixby and Jenks communities were next with 33 and 32 percent participation.

   “Our customers loved the return of in-person programs and activities. They were so happy to experience life returning to normal and sharing the experience of programs and events with other people,” said Rhonda Weldon, Collinsville Library manager. “I would like to thank the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, older brothers and sisters and caregivers who bring the children to the library each summer, and in doing so, pass along their own love of reading to the next generation. They are the real heroes of the summer reading program.”

   Thousands of readers in each community helped make TCCL’s 2022 summer reading program a success. Across Tulsa County, more than 50,000 people signed up for the annual reading program, reading more than 300,000 books. Throughout the summer, more than 700 programs kept all ages visiting the library for entertaining and educational events.

   “Our library has been on Main Street for over 100 years and continues to be a major part of our growing community where parents and caregivers are engaged in their children’s education and activities, bringing them to the library on a regular basis,” Weldon said. “I would also like to stake out some bragging rights for the Collinsville Library staff who maintain an active social media presence as well as contribute a weekly article in the Collinsville Times Star newspaper. In a community that has grown nearly 20 percent since 2010, it’s important to stay in contact with new and returning library customers.”

   For more information on TCCL’s services and programs, call the AskUs Hotline, 918-549-7323, or visit www.tulsalibrary.org.  

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