Here is the most relaxing, non-threatening way to help children practice reading out loud. They may come to the library Children’s Room and read to a dog or cat. These visiting furry friends have been trained and certified as therapy animals and are mellow and friendly.
Upcoming Dates:
May 26
June 9
June30

Monthly Lego Party
3 p.m. Friday, May 25
West Salem Branch

Kids are invited on the last Friday of every month for an hour or two of unstructured Lego play. Legos are provided. Kids only need to bring their imaginations. No sign-ups are necessary.

Coming in June...

Summer Reading Club Kick-Off
Storyteller & Musician Eric Ode
10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 5
Loucks Auditorium

Back by popular demand, Eric Ode (pronounced Oh-dee) is an award-winning children’s singer/songwriter who gets audiences dancing in their seats. His upbeat, high-participation programs entertain with interactive music and include stories, skits, poetry, props and puppets.

Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. Doors open at 10:15 a.m.

This concert is free with support from a Ready to Read Grant from the Oregon State Library.

Dream Big - Read!

A Brand New Summer Reading Club for 2012
 
Children from birth through elementary school are invited to “Dream Big” as they read all summer long. The Summer Reading Club is an engaging way to encourage reading during the summer. The library also offers an array of free and interactive summer events and activities for area youth from June through August.

How to Participate:

1. Sign up online or at the Salem Public Library Youth Services Desk or West Salem Branch to get your reading log between June 5 and August 11.
2. Read or listen to books or audio books, and keep track of your time.
3. This year, the reading log is a game board. Keep track of the time you spend reading or listening to books on the game board (For every hour, mark off or color in a star).
4. Bring your reading log with you each time you visit the Salem Library during the summer, and stop by the Youth Services desk to report the hours you have read since your last visit, and to earn prizes.

How to Earn Prizes:

Bring your reading log with you each time you visit the Salem Library, and stop at the Summer Reading Club desk to report the hours you’ve read/listened since your last visit.

Readers earn 1 prize drawing ticket for each of the first 10 hours of reading or listening. This year there will be TWO prize drawings with spectacular summer prizes donated by our SRC sponsors. Drawing deadlines are Fridays July 20, and August 17. Winners will be posted August 3rd & 24th, respectively.

After 10 hours of reading or listening, you’ve earned entry to the Big Dreams End of SRC Celebration on August 24, your canvas book bag and ten prize drawing tickets. For each additional 10 hours of reading, you earn an additional entry into the SRC prize drawings. If you have read for 20 hours or more, you also receive a certificate for a free prize book to be redeemed on or after August 24.

Don’t forget to bring your reading log back to the library in August for finishing prizes! If you’ve read at least 10 hours during the summer, you’ve earned 10 prize drawing tickets, entry to the Big Dreams End of Summer Reading Celebration, which takes place August 24 from 2-4 pm, a "Dream Big" canvas book bag, a State of Oregon finishers certificate, and a coupon for a food item of your choice!

New Discovery Room Exhibit
Dream Big, Discover!
June 5-August 18

Kids with big dreams about what to be when they grow up have the chance to explore life as a an artist, firefighter, police officer, astronaut, and more.