Lincoln City Libraries encouraging young adults to read this summer
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Reading over summer vacation may not be a priority for some kids, but many parents, teachers, and librarians say it’s a good idea to stay in the habit.
On Sunday, teens and adults were welcome at the Lincoln City Library’s 2nd annual teen book swap event.
It’s just one of their many summer programs aimed at getting kids to keep up on reading while out of school.
Librarians brought a variety of books to choose from, including young adult, science fiction, biographies, and even manga and graphic novels.
Susan Steider, a young adult librarian, said it’s important to never stop reading because you’ll be doing it the rest of your life.
“I don’t care how you read, it can be a graphic novel, it can be an audio book, it can be a book you got a garage sale,” she said. “Bottom line is we just want people to read. Our job is not to tell you what to read, but just to provide that access.”
Steider hopes that programs like this will help more young adults get into reading for fun, and not just because they have to.
Some experts say it’s necessary for children to read daily in order to maintain the literacy skills they’ve learned in school.
One Lincoln resident, Nathan Tessema, said he enjoys going to the library and finding new books.
He believes these swaps and other events encouraging young people to read will help them learn something new.
“Reading is always good, it kind of broadens your horizons,” he said. “It’s kind of cliche, but there’s something about it that can’t be replaced.”
Tessema said there are some books you won’t find online that a local library might have, so it’s worth checking out.
Another woman at the swap, Mary Chirnside, said she also loves to collect new books.
“They’re my friends,” she said. “I feel very comfortable when I can look over and see a couple of little stacks of books. And it’s just lovely to have a book in your hand, flip through the pages, it’s a tactile thing. It’s wonderful.”
Chirnside says getting books in kids’ hands and reading to them from a young age will help them stay at it as they get older.
