The Goleta Valley Library and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries will kick off this year’s Summer Reading Program for youth, teens and adults on Saturday, June 6. The first live show of the summer will be a bilingual children’s concert from singer and songwriter Nathalia Music, 11 a.m.-noon on June 6. Log on to Goleta Valley Library’s Facebook page to access the live stream.

The summer reading program runs through Saturday, Aug. 1. It is completely online, but readers will still be able to participate in many of the same aspects of the program they’ve enjoyed in the past including logging books to earn prizes, reporting on their reading, and attending live shows.

Instead of using paper logs to track their reading this summer, readers will have access to a premier online platform called Beanstack, where they can log their books and complete fun activities to earn digital badges. Participants can sign up at http://goletavalleylibrary.beanstack.org or download the Beanstack app from either the iTunes Store or the Google Play Store.

The app is built specifically for mobile devices and has the capability to scan book ISBNs for easy logging. Prizes from local sponsors will be mailed to youth and teen readers once they log a specified numbers of books; they will have a chance to win grand prize drawings at the end of the program.

Adults who participate in the Adult Summer Reading Program will be entered for a chance to win several prize drawings throughout the summer.

Traditionally, one of the most special and memorable parts of the Summer Reading Program has been the opportunity for young readers to report on the books they’ve read to the teen volunteers who spend their summers at the library earning community service hours.

Because the library’s volunteer program is on pause during the closure, this year’s readers can request a phone call from a librarian at the Goleta, Solvang or Buellton branches to report on their reading.

Teens seeking volunteer opportunities can still earn community service hours by submitting book reviews that will be posted on the library website. Plus, Goleta Valley Library is launching its first Teen Graphic Novel Book Club, which will meet virtually once a month and will focus on exploring the incredible genre of graphic novels.

More information on Teen Volunteer Opportunities are at https://www.cityofgoleta.org/city-hall/goleta-valley-library/youth/teens/volunteer-opportunities. For details on the Teen Graphic Novel Book Club, visit https://www.cityofgoleta.org/city-hall/goleta-valley-library/youth/teens/volunteer-opportunities.

Throughout the summer, community members can tune in via the libraries’ Facebook pages to attend more than a dozen live-streamed shows by Summer Reading performers. Performances will include concerts, magic shows, puppet and marionette shows, zoo animals, and bubble shows. More about the virtual performances are on the library Events Calendar.

Helping community members of all ages get excited about reading is one of the main goals of the Summer Reading Program. Research consistently shows that young people who read over vacations from school demonstrate a much better chance of staying at grade level or even improving their reading skills between school years.

Adults who set aside time to read enjoy the benefits of reading, including stress relief, increased knowledge and improved memory.

The Goleta Valley Library & Santa Ynez Valley Libraries thank local sponsors: Bennett’s Toys & Educational Materials, Birkholm’s Bakery, Blenders in the Grass, The Book Loft, California Pizza Kitchen, Chipotle, Chomp!, Elverhoj Museum of History & Art, Gino’s Pizza, Golf N Stuff, Kyle’s Kitchen, Mystic Merchant, Nathalie’s Dollhouse, Natural Café, Neighbor Tim’s BBQ.

Also, New Frontiers Natural Market, Old Town Coffee, Pattibakes, Pollofino, Samsara Wine Co., Santa Barbara Axxess, Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch, Solvang Bakery, Space VR, Stuart C. Gildred YMCA, Tower Pizza, and Woodstock’s Pizza, as well as our literacy partners Ingeborg’s Danish Chocolate, and the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum & Parks-Janeway Carriage House.

The 2020 Virtual Summer Reading Program is sponsored by the Friends of the Goleta Valley Library, the Friends of the Solvang Library, and the Friends of the Buellton Library. For more information on programs at the library, visit www.GoletaValleyLibrary.org.