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Hastings Public Library Celebrates Record-Breaking Summer Reading Program
Hastings Public Library has closed the book on another summer of reading, programs, and community fun—and this year, readers set new records along the way.
The library’s 2026 Summer Reading Program, themed “Unearth a Story,” brought together readers of all ages for a summer inspired by dinosaurs, history, discovery, and, of course, great books. This year, the community set new records across the board, with 924 readers participating, 464,393 reading minutes logged and 4,235 people attending summer programs and events.
The summer kicked off May 31 with the library’s annual Community Block Party, which drew more than 500 attendees for an afternoon of activities and entertainment. From there, the library kept the momentum going with 114 programs throughout the summer, drawing another 3,735 attendees. Together, Summer Reading events welcomed more than 4,200 visits—a new attendance record for the library’s summer programming.
While Summer Reading is designed to be fun, it also serves an important purpose—especially for young readers. Children can lose some of the academic progress they made during the school year when they are away from the classroom over the summer, a phenomenon often called the “summer slide.” Encouraging children to continue reading helps keep those skills active while allowing them to choose books and stories based on their own interests.
The library’s Bookmobile also had a busy summer, making 92 stops throughout the community and welcoming 1,238 visitors. That marks a 229% increase in visitors over last summer, when 376 people visited the Bookmobile during 81 stops. While the Bookmobile made about 14% more stops this year, the significant jump in visitors reflects a particularly strong summer for the library’s outreach efforts.
Summer Reading is about keeping kids reading and building those literacy skills over the summer, but it’s also about creating a community that gets excited about reading together,” said Sam Rundle, Programming and Collections Supervisor. “We are incredibly fortunate to have a community that embraces the library and participates so enthusiastically in what we do. When more than 900 people sign up to read, thousands come through our doors for programs and our community logs nearly half a million minutes, it reminds us why we love doing this work and how incredibly rewarding it can be. We’re so grateful to everyone who made this summer such a success.”
The library celebrated the end of the program with a Glow-A-Saurus Party, complete with glowing swag, neon games, and some larger-than-life prehistoric visitors. Special dinosaur guests roamed the party, posed for photos and helped send “Unearth a Story” out in suitably prehistoric style.
Although Summer Reading has ended, the library’s reading challenges continue throughout the year. Beginning Sept. 1, young readers can participate in the Golden Sower Reading Challenge and Reading Dragons. Adults can join the fourth and final 2026 quarter of Bingo by the Book beginning Oct. 1.
More information about Hastings Public Library’s reading challenges, upcoming programs, and services is available on the library’s website or by calling the library.
Published Date: 08/10/2026