Summer in Full Swing: Check Out What’s Happening at the Library

Summertime is well underway, and so is the Seminole County Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time.

Kids can complete reading challenges to earn special badges for their lanyards, and if they keep reading, they’ll earn tickets for weekly raffle drawings. Teens are eligible to win gift cards and book bucks with special scratch-off raffle tickets – simply for reading. And youth of all ages can pick out a free book to keep, just for registering for the program.

Adults who write brief book reviews can earn book bucks and enter weekly raffles for gift cards, too. Grand prize drawings for all age groups will occur at the end of summer. To sign up, visit any of our five library branches in Seminole County.

Summer Reading Wins Big!

In May, the Seminole County Public Library’s Youth Services team received the Florida Library Associa­ tion’s 2026 Betty Davis Miller Youth Services Award for its unique badge-based Summer Reading Program.

Weekly reading challenges allow participants to choose books that interest them, earning badges for each completed challenge. This innovative approach has dramatically increased participation, engaged young readers throughout the summer, and made the program accessible for all reading levels. By replacing quantity-based tracking with meaningful, tangible rewards, the program fosters a love of reading, mo­ tivates regular library visits, and builds long-lasting excitement for literacy.

Sara White is the Youth Services Senior Librarian at the Seminole County Public Library.