Nevada City, Calif. June 2, 2017 – The Nevada County Community Library is going “Full STEAM Ahead” with their fun-packed Summer Reading program.

“We seek to provide free, quality programming to youth year-round, but summer is when our staff truly shine,” Lisa Nowlain, Youth Librarian, said. “Come see us any time during the summer to find the perfect book, movie, audiobook, or fun activity!”

The excitement starts on June 10 with a Big Build Summer Launch at Madelyn Helling Library in Nevada City, where Playwell Teknologies will bring 10,000 LEGOs for a participatory big build from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and continues all the way through August 4 with an 11:00 a.m. to noon Summer’s End Concert from local band Musical Robot. All library programs are free and do not require a library card.

Other programs include a show from Conservation Ambassadors (formerly known as Wild Things), Art from the Indigenous Perspective with the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe, Teen Audio Engineering, The Great Water Mystery from SYRCL, and Sierra Harvest’s Space Soil Explorers Program.

“We really wanted to collaborate with the excellent local organizations we have here in Nevada County,” Nowlain said.

The libraries will also facilitate programs on 3D printing, robotics, mermaids, spies, yoga, and art, which cater to age groups from zero to 18. Musical Mondays at Madelyn’s, a collaboration with InConcert Sierra, will bring local musicians to the new amphitheater at Madelyn Helling Library every Monday between 11:00 a.m. and noon between June 12 and July 31 and is open to all ages. The library’s first program developed for kids with special needs will be debuting on Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to noon at Madelyn Helling Library with Sensory Storytimes, aimed at kids with sensory processing issues but open to all. The first Sensory Storytime will be held June 15.

Kids who sign up for the reading portion of Summer Reading get a free book, donated by the Friends of the Nevada County Libraries, and a STEAM Sheet with reading, making, and visiting challenges to complete by August 3.

“Research shows that kids who read over the summer improve their reading skills and do not lose academic skills,” Nowlain said, “so we wanted to motivate kids to read. We also wanted to inspire kids to be creative, so our STEAM sheets include more than just reading.”

Pre-readers or early readers have a program as well, and teens who sign up get a Reading Challenge bookmark to return by August 3. All program finishers will receive two free ride tickets to the Nevada County Fair and will be entered into a raffle for prizes including an iPad Mini, gift cards, movie tickets, Nevada County Fair packages, and prizes donated by local stores.

Six Teens-in-Residence were chosen this summer to display their work at our library branches. They include Scientist-in-Residence Clara Luisetti, Engineer-in-Residence Nicholas Ashbaugh, Artists-in-Residence Julia Stauffer and Anjali Dowling, and Mathematicians-in-Residence Grace Pardini and Clara Luisetti. Their work will be on display between July 3 and August 5.

The library will also be distributing Maker Family Challenges, which are weekly challenges to do together as a family with different STEAM themes. Visitors can complete them at the library or bring them home.

“Research shows that learning is deepened by adult engagement with a child’s exploration of a subject,” Nowlain said, “so I wanted to provide activities for caregivers to engage in STEAM subjects with their children.”

For visitors to the Nevada County Fair, the library will have an exhibit of work created at the library this summer displayed in the Northern Mines Building.

For more information about Summer Reading, contact Lisa Nowlain at lisa.nowlain@co.nevada.ca.us or (530) 265-1541. A full schedule can be found at our website at http://mynevadacounty.com/nc/library/Pages/SummerReadingProgram.aspx