It’s still free: Summer of recession saw kids flock to library programs

This past summer saw a big jump in participation in Idaho libraries’ summer reading programs for kids, which registered 63,300 children, 38 percent more than 2008. “Every  year we hope to see the numbers of children being reached by these valuable programs increase, but we were totally blown away by the numbers this year,” said Idaho Commission for Libraries summer reading coordinator Peggy McClendon. “We know more families may have stuck closer to home this year, but all the work librarians are doing with outreach to schools, daycares, and other community partners is also really paying off. The outreach statistics show that libraries are reaching more low-income and underserved children than ever.”