Level Up at Your Library

It's almost summer reading time already! Jenny and Matt, along with some help from other staff members, explain how we can all participate and have fun leveling up at the library this summer and beyond.

This episode also goes above and beyond summer reading with some insider information to help you become library super users! We've gathered some tips you can use to get more out of your visits to the Hamden Public Library.

Transcript

Michael Pierry: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Hamden Library Podcast. I'm your host, Michael Pierry, and it's already mid-May, which means summer is rapidly approaching, and you know what that means: summer reading. The theme this year is Level Up at Your Library, and so to prepare us all for this special time of year, Jenny and Matt, along with some help from other staff members, explained how we can all participate and have fun leveling up at the library this summer and beyond. 
 
 

Now, in addition to telling you all about summer reading, we also have some insider information for you, just some tips you can use to get a little bit more out of your library experience, because we're here to serve you, and we wanna make sure everybody is aware of all the services we offer for free here at the Hamden Public Library. 
 
 

So without any further ado, here are Jenny and Matt 
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: My name is Jenny Nicolelli, and I am the teen librarian for Hamden Public Library. I am the point person for the teen summer reading program.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: And my name's Matt. I am a library technical assistant, and I am assisting with summer reading this year. What's coming up at the start of summer reading?  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: So summer reading will kick off with an event on Tuesday, June 9th from 4:30 to 7:30 here at Miller Library. 
 
 

We will be hosting video games and LED mini golf, which will be presented by the 1Up Gaming company. It'll be really awesome. They'll have nine holes of LED mini golf set up, as well as 30 stations where folks can play every type of video game they can imagine, and it also includes a VR station.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: But I'm an adult. 
 
 

Do I get to come?  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Yes. It is open to anybody who can play video games. We will have some activities for really, really little kids who will probab- you know, who might be there with older siblings and their families. Think, you know, we'll have some coloring and stuff for those who would be completely disinterested because they're too young for the games. 
 
 

But it's completely open to adults, teens, school-age kids. Zero through 100 is the age range.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: Awesome. I am psyched. I look forward to being there.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Okay, so we have the kickoff on June 9th. Matt, what, when does summer reading officially start? When can folks officially start logging their reading?  
 
 

Matt McGregor: People can start logging their reading starting on June 16th, and we're going to be going through August 16th, and it's the same for all the branches, same for adults, same for kids, same for teens. 
 
 

Now, I have a question for you.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Okay.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: I like to listen to audiobooks, and I like to listen to my audiobooks at 2X speed. So do I get to log 2X minutes?  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Okay, so if we were using previous years' summer reading models, yes. Technically, you are reading extra minutes. However, this year, for all three programs, children's, teens, and adults, we are actually logging days. 
 
 

And we encourage people to read every single day of the summer and beyond, but we shoot for, the, the goal is for those who participate to read 20 days this summer.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: Okay.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: So unfortunately, you can't log double days. Ah. I'm sorry.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: But I do get to log the day if I listen to an audiobook.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Yes. So all reading counts. 
 
 

You can read through audiobooks, you can read by fan fiction, you can read with obviously traditional books, you can count when you read to a pet, a rock, a grandparent, a sibling, your child. You can count the reading you do when you're trying to learn how to use new lawn equipment and you're reading the user manual. 
 
 

Matt, I think you do some reading online quite a bit. Do you want to tell us about that?  
 
 

Matt McGregor: I do. I do do a little bit of reading on Wikipedia. I do a little bit of editing on Wikipedia. I'm not one of the serious editors, but yes. So reading Wikipedia articles counts?  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Yes, that definitely counts. We just want people to engage with reading in whatever format is accessible, fun, and engaging for them. 
 
 

Michael Pierry: We'll get right back to the podcast after this brief message about reading.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Kacie, you just read books, right?  
 
 

Kacie Mexiell: Well, actually, I read a lot of fan fiction. Hey, Jenny, you just read books, right?  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: I actually listen to quite a few audiobooks when I'm out running. Hey, Henry, so you just read books, right?  
 
 

Henry Long: Well, I actually read audiobooks while I'm in the shower and document all of the fanfic I read. 
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Eliza, you just read books, right?  
 
 

Eliza Moyer: Actually, I love to read the captions on TikTok.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Carrie, so you just read books, right?  
 
 

Carrie Kerzner: Actually, I like to read cookbook recipes.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, TJ, you just read books, right?  
 
 

Thomas Rooney: No, I also read a lot of, like, tabletop war gaming rules and strategies and stuff  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Kelly, you just read books, right? 
 
 

Kelly Castano: I don't have time to read books for myself, so I just read books to my child.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Marcy, you just read books, right?  
 
 

Marcy Goldman: No. I like to listen to audiobooks on my commute home from work.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Matt, so you just read books, right?  
 
 

Matt McGregor: No, I read all sorts of things. I think Wikipedia counts. I think Reddit counts. I read magazine articles on Ars Technica all the time. 
 
 

No, if you're reading, you're reading. It doesn't have to be a book.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Elizabeth, you just read books, right?  
 
 

Elisabeth Angele: No, not only books. Are you kidding me? I'm reading the print newspaper, The New York Times, every morning, and it is always such a pleasure to open it up and read the articles with my coffee. I like to read magazines in print. 
 
 

I also go online and read articles online. Sometimes it's easier to access them online, or people send me links to online articles. So all these things, digital, print, I love them all.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Rosie, you just read books, right?  
 
 

Matt McGregor: Yes, I do.  
 
 

Michael Pierry: And now back to your regularly scheduled Summer Reading podcast.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: Why is the library promoting summer reading anyway? 
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: So public libraries have been promoting summer reading programs for decades, and the very original idea behind summer reading was to encourage school-aged children to read during the summers to prevent summer slide, which is the loss of literacy over the summer without structured school. Summer reading has evolved over time to include all ages and to break out into programs specific to certain age demographics, so having a program for children before they enter school, having a program for kids in elementary school, having a program for teenagers, and I'd say perhaps the newest installment is to regularly have summer reading programs for adults. 
 
 

And there's all types of reasons. I would still maintain that preventing summer slide for those who are, you know, in school or before school even, so 0 to 18, to encourage literacy is still a big reason, particularly considering the literacy rates in Hamden, in Connecticut, and in the country right now. 
 
 

That's still important and always going to be important. There's plenty of other reasons why we promote summer reading and engage with summer reading. It's a really great time of year for folks to learn about the library, maybe visit the library for the first time, maybe get their first library card, learn about our streaming apps like Hoopla and start using them because during the summer people go on vacation, kids go to camp, folks might be taking really long car rides to national parks or to visit family. 
 
 

It's also very hot during the summer here in Connecticut, and libraries are cooling centers for folks during the day because they're available to the public. They're free to be in. You don't need to buy a cup of coffee to sit at a table like you might need to in a cafe. You can be here all day enjoying what the library has to offer. 
 
 

And having a library card, you can access your resources and materials that you need no matter where you are in the world. So you can use our audiobooks, you can use movies that you stream on Hoopla, you can use magazines that you read through our apps. You can travel with your books and you know, just learn how fun the library is during the summer. 
 
 

And of course, the library is more than books. As the teen librarian, I house the video game collection, and while I can claim I'm technically in charge of it, I'm certainly not the expert of it because many of the recent purchases that were made were based on advice from you, Matt. So do you wanna tell us about some of our newer games? 
 
 

Matt McGregor: Yeah. So, we added some modern classics into the collection recently. If you're looking for just some zany all-ages fun, Untitled Goose Game is a puzzle game where you're a goose, and you are causing mischief around town. We have Balatro. If you haven't had a chance to play it yet, it is a insane poker rogue-like. 
 
 

We have that for the Switch. We also, for the Switch, have Overcooked and Overcooked 2, which is another really fun party game. It's a great way to start divorce proceedings, so if you have someone who you wanna get into a big fight with, Overcooked is what you wanna play. And for our more serious gamers, on PS5 we got a copy of Shadow of the Erdtree, which is the new expansion, standalone expansion to Elden Ring. 
 
 

So come borrow our copy and play it on us.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Yeah, totally. The video game collection is available to not just our Hamden residents, but anybody who has a library card. And conversely, our Hamden residents can check out video games from other libraries in the state. So for those who visit and don't see games they want or the games they want are already checked out, they can reserve games from other libraries, get them, you know, sent to Hamden, or they can go to other libraries with their Hamden Library card, which is a super fun summer activity when you need something free to do, if it's really hot out, and you're running out of ideas for you and your family. 
 
 

You can travel to other libraries in the state and change things up and discover their collections as well. And in addition to things like video games, another great item that folks can check out during the summer are the yard games from our Library of Things collections. Summer is time of graduation parties, barbecues, things like that, and you know, you might not wanna buy a yard game because you're gonna only use it once or twice a year for a celebration during the summer, so you might as well check it out from the public library rather than invest in one for yourself. 
 
 

Matt McGregor: Borrow the cornhole. Borrow the oversized Jenga blocks. Borrow the lawn darts-they don't have the needles on the end. They're weighted-but borrow them anyway, and they're a lot of fun. Get outside. Play some games. So Jenny, we've been talking a lot about games. How does that tie into our summer reading theme? 
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Well, so this year's summer reading theme is Level Up With Your Library or Level Up At The Library. And we really encourage people to level up in several ways. So the formal way you can level up is to do the reading challenge game board. There's a game board for childrens, a game board for teens, and a game board for adults. 
 
 

It's very straightforward. You just cross off a square for each day that you read, and every time you reach a star on the game board, you get a prize. And when you reach the 20th day or the last square, which is marked off with a trophy, that's when you can get your raffle ticket, your final prize. 
 
 

We encourage people to complete multiple game boards throughout the summer. We encourage people to complete three squares on the game board throughout the summer. There's no such thing as finishing summer reading. There's no such thing as failing summer reading. All of it is important, and any type of participation on the game board counts and is valid. 
 
 

And like we talked about before, all reading counts, so any reading you do for a day counts as reading through all those types of methods we've already talked about. The other way people can level up with Hamden Public Library is to complete side quests. So we have side quest bingo boards for each level for childrens, teens, and adults. 
 
 

And folks can get bingos on the game board and get different prizes. We- you do max out at three bingos, but we encourage people to complete their bingo boards throughout the summer because they're really fun. So most of these bingo board squares are reading adjacent, but they're not specifically about reading. 
 
 

They're more about just kind of diversifying how you level up throughout the summer. So for example, on the teen game board, some of... Or on the teen bingo board, our side quests include going to the park and swinging on a swing as high as you can go. Another one, another side quest includes visiting our Whitneyville branch and asking for a book recommendation. 
 
 

You can create fandom content, play a retro video game, which is super easy to do, to find for free on the internet. You can do a guided meditation. You can film a book talk. We have a bunch of different things that you can do for our side quests, and we have similar types of side quests for our childrens and our adults. 
 
 

Matt McGregor: For my adults, you can get out there, and you can look at a hill or mountain. You don't even have to climb it. Just look at it. Admire nature for a little bit. We wanna encourage people to not just use the things in the library, but to explore the area around the mountainside of the library, too. 
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Right. Like, leveling up, we all- I think most of us automatically think of, like, a video game, and Mario just jumping on his blocks. And leveling up can apply to so many different things, so that's all we're doing is creating a platform through which you can level up your summer experience with the library. 
 
 

Michael Pierry: And now, here's how else you can level up!  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Kerry, how do you level up with Hamden Public Library?  
 
 

Marcy Goldman: I read The New York Times for free with my Hamden Library card.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Marcy, how do you level up with Hamden Public Library?  
 
 

Marcy Goldman: I check out museum passes for free or discounted admissions with my Hamden Library card. 
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Eliza, how do you level up with Hamden Public Library?  
 
 

Eliza Moyer: Ooh, good question. I level up with the Library of Things, where I take out a pizza oven and make my own delicious pizza over the summer, or take out some yard games and play some fun things with my kid.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Rosie, how do you level up with Hamden Public Library? 
 
 

Rosie Rubin: I level up by requesting holds from other Connecticut libraries that are delivered to me here at Hamden Public Library.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Henry, how do you level up with Hamden Public Library?  
 
 

Henry Long: I level up with Hamden Public Library by listening to audiobooks on Libby and Hoopla.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Hey, Michael, how do you level up with Hamden Public Library? 
 
 

Michael Pierry: I level up by reminding patrons that there is no time limit on our computers. Hey, Jenny, how can patrons level up with the Hamden Public Library?  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: They can join the Friends of Hamden Library, and support our programs and all of our happenings. 
 
 

We're going around and asking folks how they level up with Hamden Public Library, and essentially telling us the secrets, the hacks for the library. And you and I are going to act out one of these hacks. So I'm gonna play the librarian at the desk, and you're gonna play the patron. Got it?  
 
 

Matt McGregor: Yeah. Okay. I think I can do this. 
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: All right. You start.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: Um, I just came up to the desk to return my book because it's late.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Oh, okay. No problem. I can check it in for you.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: No, I mean, like, it's really late.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Well, you know, that's not a big deal. I'll just check it in for you.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: Probably, like, four or five days late.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Only four or five days late? 
 
 

Okay. So, first of all, in the grand scheme of things, that's not late at all. We have checked in books from patrons that were two years late, two years overdue. It's not a big deal.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: And how much do I owe?  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: You don't owe anything.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: What do you mean?  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: You'd returned it.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: But it's late.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: It doesn't matter. You returned it. 
 
 

As long as you return the book, even if it was so overdue that we billed you, once you return the book, the bill disappears. Because we're fine-free, we don't charge fines for books being late.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: We're fine because we're fine-free  
 
 

Michael Pierry: And now back to the podcast.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: So Matt, where can people find information about summer reading? 
 
 

Matt McGregor: You're going to be able to find information about summer reading in summer reading brochures that we're going to have at all three of the branches. You're also going to be able to find that information on the library website.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Yes. So as opposed to previous years, we're putting all bingo boards, all game boards, all the directions into one summer reading magazine so families can just grab a magazine and know that they have the information they need for all the age ranges in their household. 
 
 

And our magazine will also feature highlight, it will highlight featured programs at all three locations for different age ranges throughout the summer, and you can just visit our website for a full calendar of programs, or you can read about upcoming events in the library newsletters, which you are subscribed to if you have a library card. 
 
 

And if you're listening to this and you're like, "I don't have a library card," you should get a library card because then you will get the newsletters and be completely up to date on the programs and happenings at Hamden Public Library. So Matt, we're talking about how summer reading works. We're talking about, you know, our big wonderful kickoff event on June 9th. 
 
 

Are we going to celebrate the conclusion of summer reading this year?  
 
 

Matt McGregor: We are going to celebrate the conclusion of summer reading this year, and there's going to be bingo, and there's going to be an ice cream social. And I think this might not be the bingo that you're exactly useful. It'll be a fun surprise. 
 
 

Come check it out. It's happening on Tuesday, August 5th, a little bit before summer reading ends, and it's going to be from 6:00 to 7:30 at the Miller Library.  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: Yes, and once again, it's available to all ages. We encourage young folks and more mature folks to come to our bingo and ice cream social event, and we're planning some fun things to make the bingo interesting. 
 
 

Let's just leave it at that for now.  
 
 

Matt McGregor: Jenny, I have someone very special to me in my life, and she can't read. She can't hold the book. She can't hold her bottle. Yes. What do we have for summer reading for littles?  
 
 

Jenny Nicolelli: To clarify, Matt's referring to his daughter. So for our littlest patrons, those who are from birth, infancy to five years old, we really encourage caregivers to start 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, and if they've already started that, to keep doing that throughout the summer. 
 
 

It's the perfect program for caregivers to do with their littles to hone those pre-literacy skills and have their child enter kindergarten with everything they need to become a fantastic reader. 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is year-round, and summer is a great time to start it if you have not already. 
 
 

And if you're like, "Wait a minute, my child is four," you should still do 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten because regardless of how many books you end up reading with your child, it's a really valuable program. We have information about it in our summer reading magazine and on our website.  
 
 

Michael Pierry: That's all the time we have on this episode. 
 
 

We will be back in June with some incredible interviews that I can't wait for you all to hear. Until then, as always, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening