Carbon School District (CSD) has announced the birth of a new summertime program aimed at providing local children with off-season reads. This program, entitled Leave a Book, Take a Book, encourages elementary-age students to visit the district’s schools and briefly borrow a free novel to enjoy during the summer months. Also known as the Little Free Library, this program was created when many minds in the area came together.
First approached by local parent Kendra Seeley with the idea, the CSD then met with Price City Council. Together, they were able to create a plan and put it into action. Local PTA organizations conducted book drives while Daniel Bear assisted the elementary students in decorating the library cabinets that the books will be housed in.
“It has been a great group effort and our intent is that students will continue to read all summer long, thus avoiding the Summer Slide that sometimes takes teachers and students quite a while to overcome in the fall,” Carbon School District Superintendent Lance Hatch stated.
The Little Free Libraries will be located outside of each elementary school within the Carbon School District. It is expected for the libraries to operate on a one-for-one format. However, if those that participate bring three books that they have already enjoyed and leave them, three may be taken. Supt. Hatch stated that the system will fall apart if more are taken than brought in.
The hope is that a priority will be placed on children’s books aimed at ages five through 12.
“We hope families who have books that they have already read will consider exchanging them and giving the opportunity to others to read them by placing them in the Little Free Library,” Hatch said..
This program will run throughout the summer in Carbon County and will be available 24 hours per day.