Making Summer Challenge Accessible
St. Charles City-County Library, Mo.
Innovation Synopsis
The St. Charles City-County Library made Summer Challenge accessible and safe. Our reading program was hosted online for the first time, and physical materials were made available through outdoor compartments at each branch. Patrons also enjoyed the outdoor “Enchanted Tour” where each branch represented a magical land.
Challenge/Opportunity
With the inside of our branches closed to the public due to COVID-19, we had to completely rethink our summer reading program. This meant offering an online option for the first time while still providing physical materials for those without internet access. We also had to shift our plans for the "Enchanted Tour" from inside each branch to outside each branch.
Key Elements of Innovation
The online portion of Summer Challenge was offered through Beanstack. All library staff had to train quickly on this new platform. Our physical materials (game boards, contest forms, etc.) were offered outside of every branch via real estate style boxes. Lastly, staff at each branch painted garden posts to represent their stop on the "Enchanted Tour." Patrons could visit each branch to see the garden posts and earn a prize when logging their visit in Beanstack.
Achieved Outcomes
- 13,692 total registrations.
- 6,745 total completions (49.2%).
- Over 14,000 customers signed up for the "Enchanted Tour."
- 20,009 participants between Summer Challenge and the Enchanted Tour.
- 1,272 people became Super Readers, three times more than the previous year.
- Feedback was overwhelmingly positive from our patrons and staff.
- Going forward, we will continue to use Beanstack and offer Summer Challenge online.
