• Pueblo City Schools and Pueblo City County Library District - Colorado
• Burr Ridge Community Consolidated School District 180, Anne Jeans Elementary and Indian Prairie Public Library District - Illinois
• Jessamine County Schools, Nicholasville Elementary and Jessamine County Public Library - Kentucky
• Mary McLeod Bethune School and Minneapolis Public Library - Minnesota
• Scott County School District, Morton Elementary School, Central Mississippi Regional Library System and Morton Public Library - Mississippi
• Columbus City Schools, Arlington Park Elementary School and Columbus Metropolitan Library, Shepard Branch - Ohio
• Columbus City Schools, Salem Elementary School and Columbus Metropolitan Library, Karl Road Branch - Ohio
• Lakewood City Schools and Lakewood Public Library - Ohio
• David Douglas School District, Cherry Park Elementary School and Multnomah County Library - Oregon
• Fredericksburg City Public Schools and Central Rappahannock Regional Library – Virginia

This project, titled “Do Public Library Summer Reading Programs Impact Student Achievement,” is studying whether summer reading programs offered through public libraries and elementary school partnerships affect children’s attitudes about reading and whether these programs help students retain, and possibly expand, their literacy skills over the summer.

“Because over 95 percent of public libraries in the United States offer summer reading programs in their communities, this research promises to be a major contribution to both the education and library science fields,” said Susan Roman, dean of the Dominican University GSLIS and principal investigator for the study.

Now that the recruitment phase of the project is completed, the participating sites will work with researchers at the Center for Summer Learning (CSL) at Johns Hopkins University. According to CSL Executive Director Ron Fairchild, “This study presents a unique opportunity. Nearly every child has access to a library summer reading program and this research will document the impact public library reading programs have on children’s literacy skills.”

“As a practicing children’s librarian, I have seen children in a summer reading program experience the joy of reading,” said Carole Fiore, the project manager for the evaluation. “Now what we learn from this evaluation will be applied to public policy.”

The research is funded by the IMLS, a primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The institute empowers libraries and museums nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain our cultural heritage, build 21^st century skills, and increase civic participation.

Additional information can be obtained by contacting project manager Carole Fiore at cfiore@dom.edu.

Accredited by the ALA, Dominican University’s GSLIS has been educating future library leaders and information professionals since the 1930s. The school offers master’s degrees in library and information science and in knowledge management.

The Center for Summer Learning’s mission is committed to expanding summer learning opportunities for disadvantaged children and youth as a strategy for closing the achievement gap. 

Press Release

For Immediate Release: Monday, October 9, 2006

Contact: Jessica Mackinnon, director of public relations

(708) 524-6289, jmack@dom.edu

River Forest, IL – Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science has received a $290,224 Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grant to examine the impact of public library summer reading programs on student achievement. Partners on this project include the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, the Colorado State Library, and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

The three-year research project will study the impact of public library and school partnerships on the reading achievement of disadvantaged third and fourth grade students. This project will seek to answer whether the summer reading clubs offered by 95.2% of public libraries in the United States actually accomplish the goals of preventing summer learning loss in reading performance and sustaining a love of reading in children.

“This research promises to be a major contribution to the field and will encourage schools and public libraries to cooperate in creating a nation of readers, those who not only have the skills but also a love for reading and lifelong learning,” said Susan Roman, dean of Dominican’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

The IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The institute empowers libraries and museums nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain our cultural heritage, build twenty-first century skills, and increase civic participation.

Accredited by the American Library Association, Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science has been educating future library leaders and information professionals since the 1930s. 

 Founded in 1901, Dominican University is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic institution offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In the 2007 issue of America’s Best Colleges, U.S. News & World Report again ranked Dominican University in the top tier of Midwest master’s level universities and as a “best value” for the ninth consecutive year.