Summer Reading Program

Students in the Neshaminy School District might be spending their summers watching new episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210, working to earn extra money, or just enjoying a break from their studies. But about 300 students in the English honors program have been reading War and Peace, Jane Eyre and Lord of the Flies, among other books. In September, they will be tested on the books or asked to write reports. The summer reading program is one of several changes taking place in the district, Deputy Superintendent Bernard G. Hoffman said at the high school last week.

The Bordentown Library marked the end of its summer reading program for children yesterday with games and pony rides. Sampling the fun is George Matthews of Bordentown, who takes his turn on Katie, led by her owner Sandra Lloyd. About 300 children took part in the summer-long program.

Young readers in the Marple Library's summer reading program did more than pore through books during the six-week session - they built a whole tropical rain forest. The library is adorned with decorations depicting trees, vines and exotic flowers.

When I was a kid, the library was not such a "cool" place. It was a place you went for serious research and study. The librarians were invariably nerdy, middle-aged, gray-haired women who were eager to assist you finding books. But their tolerance level was zero if you spoke above a whisper. Times have changed, and so have librarians. Last Friday, the temperature in North Central Philadelphia in the early afternoon was at least 90 degrees and getting hotter. George Fountain, 13, and other youngsters at the Cecil B. Moore branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia at 23d and Cecil B. Moore Avenue were in one of the coolest places to be. And not just because the library is air- conditioned.

The back-to-school season is almost upon us, which, for most kids, means one thing: hours of sitting indoors. But there's still time to enjoy the last rays of summer sun in gardens around Philadelphia, with a slew of children's programs scheduled in the last week of August. Programming includes everything from a canopy walk in the Morris Arboretum to yoga classes and storytelling at Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve to a "chocolate and vanilla" festival at the Camden Children's Garden.

The Free Library of Philadelphia is receiving a 2003 National Award for Museum and Library Service. The award, which carries a $10,000 prize, will be announced today by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the federal agency that funds museums and libraries. Based in Washington, the institute helps 15,000 museums and 122,000 libraries across the country. Robert S. Martin, director of the institute, will be in Philadelphia today to present the award. "It is, indeed, the nation's highest honor for a library," said Eileen Maxwell, a spokeswoman for the institute.

For Sandra Petri, a fourth grader at Samuel Mickle School, the East Greenwich Library is a place where she can go to collect her thoughts and relax. It is her retreat at least once a week when she enjoys reading all types of books, especially mystery novels. "I think it's cool. It's a place to come and read in peace," said 9-year-old Sandra, who is a member of the library's Kids Klub. She was among 50 residents at the library Feb. 9 to celebrate its 50 years of providing library services to this rural Gloucester County community.

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Delaware County is looking for adults 55 or older to help elementary school children improve their reading skills. Volunteers would become part of the America Reads Program, an intergenerational project whereby adults do paired reading with students in grades one through six during the school year. Christine Helmandollar, RSVP program coordinator, said the project provides one-on-one attention to the children and encourages them to enjoy reading.

If all had gone according to plan, the borough's $225,000 renovation of the library would have been nearing completion by now. But instead of a cacophony of last-minute hammering and sanding, there is only a front entrance blocked by boards and bars and the hushed calm of folks selecting books and students doing research. Robert Hunter, library director, said that although the job was not complete, construction workers were nowhere to be found. "They've stopped because there's nothing much to do," he said.

Words and pictures came together at an ice cream party behind the Free Libary of Philadelphia. The festivities marked the end of a summer reading program and the dedication of a mural at 19th and Wood Streets. Siblings Jennifer Brent (left), and Germaine, 5, listen to speakers.

They call it "Big Change" - and that has become an understatement. It's the Free Library of Philadelphia's unprecedented fund-raising campaign, a public-private drive that already has raised $50 million dedicated to upgrading branches. So far, 18 of the libraries' 53 sites have been renovated from basement to roof and reopened. Five more spruced-up branches will open by February, four more by the end of 1998, and the rest by mid-2000. This impressive achievement stems from a carefully planned, four-pronged strategy.

The paint was peeling, the roof unreliable, the fluorescent lights too dim. One recent January, the heater conked out for most of the month. For an awfully long time, the Paschalville branch library in a shot-and-a-beer section of Southwest Philadelphia had the used-up and left-behind look of a city ruin. But two years ago, the branch underwent a major overhaul. New paint, new lights, new computers. New customers. "The community loves the building," said Frank Ferguson, head librarian at the branch for 13 years.

Robotics. Backyard biology. Electrical engineering. Not typical summer-school offerings. But these days, more and more students are going to summer school by choice rather than by force. Dozens of area school districts have begun tailoring summer programs to students who want to get ahead, not just to those who have fallen behind. "I think the traditional 180 school days are being changed in a lot of ways," said Dennis Harken, executive director of the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit.