Topline:
Registration is up for the L.A. Public Library's Summer Reading Program — and that signals a COVID-19 recovery, librarians say.
The backstory: The Los Angeles Public Library summer reading program runs June 5 to Aug. 5. This year the library registered 28,000 people to track their reading accomplishments and enter drawings for prizes. That’s up 12,000 registrants over last summer. About as many adults have registered as kids.
Why it matters: LAPL Associate Director Diane Olivo-Posner says she’s encouraged by the higher registration because it signals more people are connecting to the library’s services. Olivo-Posner says drawings for gift cards, iPads, and other prizes also motivated adults and children to sign up. Registration ends Aug. 5 at branch libraries.
No more totes: The program’s free tote bags, designed by LA artist Brenda Chi, feature an adorable rendering of P-22, a coyote, and other local symbols — have been snapped up. LAPL will be looking for another Southern California artist to design next summer’s tote bag. And because of the bag’s popularity, they may hold it as a reward at the end of the reading program instead of giving it out at the beginning.