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WorldCat for Summer Reading Program Fun

How do we love summer? Let us count the ways…

Use WorldCat.org as the online component to your summer reading program. It's free and a fun way to get even more mileage out of your WorldCat subscription. Plus, your library gains even more Web visibility with families. Sign up now to subscribe to WorldCat e-mail updates so you’ll be in the loop as new functionality is added.

Just add WorldCat

There's no need to change anything about your existing summer reading program plans—just add Worldcat to them! On WorldCat, kids and their parents can:

  • Find materials
  • Write reviews of the titles they've read
  • Rate the titles they've read
  • Read other people's reviews
  • Create a profile (with supervision, if they’re under 13)

Promotional ideas

  • Hand out the bookmarks at the Summer Reading sign-up
  • Put bookmarks at self-checkout stations and the circulation desk
  • Start a summer reading program blog or wiki
  • Have kids blog about their favorite materials—and link each title back to WorldCat
  • Sponsor a contest for who can write the most reviews on WorldCat
  • Print honorary certificates for everyone who creates a list on Worldcat
  • Have people put RSS feeds on their lists and insert them on the library's Web page

How-to corner

How to track your users' progress

Hard copy poster

As participants sign up for the Summer reading program, have them create their WorldCat account right then, at sign up. Note their username and have kids keep track of their reading on a public poster in the library. They can proudly show how many books or other materials they've read, reviews they've written or lists they've made.

Share through e-mail

Have people sign up for their WorldCat account at home, start a list and then share it with the library. WorldCat has this functionality built-in, with the "Share with a friend" functionality. Then you have everyone's user names, conveniently stored in your inbox.

Alternatively, go the old-fashioned route and have people e-mail the library with their usernames.

You could even set up a profile to create your library's recommended reading lists for specific ages on WorldCat.

Lists

Have everyone create lists for materials they've read, and set up an RSS feed for it. Then have them e-mail you their feed link. Then you can subscribe once, and see everyone's progress throughout the summer.

Artwork

Download the WorldCat for Summer Reading fun bookmark.

 WorldCat for Summer Reading fun bookmarks

These are 2-sided and come out 4 to a page. Print them on heavy stock, or download the file and take it to your local copy center for assistance. Let us know if you need help.

For more information: