Virginia Public Library Children's and Youth Services

The Children's and Youth Services Consultant provides assistance to public libraries in the area of library services to children and young adults. This assistance may take the form of providing materials and resources for member libraries to host programs, training in the form of conferences, workshops or class or specialized training upon request of individual libraries.

Children's and Youth Services Programs
On behalf of the public libraries in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Library of Virginia works collaboratively and cooperatively with state (Department of Social Services, Department of Health, Smart Beginnings) and multi-states organizations to promote library services and the love of reading to children and young adults.


Summer Reading Program
Kids who read succeed and children who read during June, July and August maintain and often improve their reading skills over the summer. The Library of Virginia has supported reading programs to children and teens through its statewide summer reading programs since 1982. With funding from Institute for Museum and Library Services and additional funding from the Library of Virginia Foundation, purchases are made for the children's and teens' summer reading programs. These materials include:

  • Summer reading program manual for each library building
  • Posters
  • Booklogs
  • Bookmarks
  • Certificate


Winter Reading Program
The Library of Virginia offers an annual winter reading program beginning in February, "I Love to Read" Month, and concludes the first part of March on Read Across America Day. The program is designed for young children, from birth through first grade, and contains elements to help parents and others assist in children's reading development. Special consideration is given for homes in which Spanish is the primary language.


2010 Summer Reading Program


Hook a Book
Each summer, hundreds of thousands of parents throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia are faced with the same old question: What do I do to keep my kids occupied this summer? Since the 1980’s the Library of Virginia has had the answer. Get them reading!

The Library of Virginia is member of the nationwide summer reading cooperative, The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP). Through this partnership, the Library of Virginia, encourages children and teens to improve their reading skills by reading and using their public library. Each child and teen signs up at their library, then tracks their reading throughout the summer, either in total number of books read or total number of time spent reading. Library staff is knowledgeable and willing to help you find the right books for you and your child.

Fishing Reading BookStudies (pdf) about summer learning show that more than just fun happens when children participate in library programs.  The summer reading program is a project of the Library of Virginia, supported by the federal government’s Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provision of the Library Services and Technology Act. The Library of Virginia gives every public library the opportunity to take part in the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP). Through LSTA funding, the Library of Virginia pays the CSLP membership fee, purchases program manuals and summer reading program materials for every public library that wishes to participate. The Library of Virginia also provides training for staff.

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