By Cecilia Ellis
For The Republic
The kick-off celebration for Jennings County Public Library’s community Summer Reading Program will have some bite to it.
Called “Sharks Alive,” the May 22 event will feature live baby sharks transported from the Newport Aquarium, near Cincinnati.
Newport Aquarium staff members will give hour-long presentations involving the sharks at 4 p.m. and 7.p.m in the Conference Center. The public is invited to attend, and those who come will be to see the sharks up close and touch them.
“The Friends of the Jennings County Public Library are sponsoring this event to encourage participation in this year’s summer reading program. The Summer Read is all of the community. It’s for people of all ages,” said Annie Payne, the library’s youth services associate.
The theme for this year’s summer reading program is “Build a Better World.” The goal is for 1 million minutes of reading to be completed by members of the community, Payne said.
“I think we will do it because last year we completed 750,000 minutes of reading, and we only had eight weeks to do that. This year the program will last 10 weeks, so we will get more done,” Payne said.
Once registered, participants record the amount of time they spend reading and the information will be collected either by paper registration kits or online.
Library staff members will be available during the evening of May 22 to help people register for the program. Those who registering for the at the “Sharks Alive” event will receive goody bags and paper tracking kits to record the amount of reading they do during the summer.
People will also be able to register for the Summer Reading Program during library’s normal hours of operation, online at jenningslib.org or by calling 812-346-2091.
