Please remember to be consistent.

It might seem like no big deal to bend the rules a bit, but the next time
the parents and children come in, theyre going to say, But so-and-so did it for me, I dont understand
why you wont
Ok take a deep breath. This looks daunting, but its hard to put it in words. The procedure itself is much
simpler.
FINE FORGIVENESS: When kids sign up for a reading club, they can do Fine Forgiveness. Please fill out a
slip for them (Childs name, childs barcode numbers, phone number, then in the Childrens staff box write your
initials and the date you filled it out). These slips will be given to the Heads of Circ (Kathleen or Patty). Do not
give the slips to the patrons it confuses Circ. Patrons should never be handing the slips to Circ!
The $10.00 doesnt come off the card immediately (Kathleen or Patty will do it when they can,
usually within a day)
Fine forgiveness is only good for overdue fines. It will not go towards any lost or damaged items
on the card.
Be aware that its possible that a card may have more than a $10 fine on it (one year a parent
complained that the $10 hadnt come off. Kathleen looked it up and found that the $10 had come
off, but there were still additional fines above that on the card.)
Only good for South Country Library childrens cards.
Fine Forgiveness is only good June 29 July 31.
If a family doesnt do Fine Forgiveness when they sign up and they ask about it later, just double check that the
child is registered for a reading club, then go ahead and fill out a slip. As long as its still July, they can still
participate.
If a patron does have a complaint or question about the fines coming off, do not send them to Circ. See if either
Kathleen G. or Patty in Circ is available and go talk to them privately. They keep the slips and can see what was
done. If they are not available, take the patrons contact information and talk to Kathleen G. or Patty the next
day, or leave it with a childrens staff member who will be in the next day.
PRE-REGISTRATION: We did a DIY online pre-registration. If someone says they are pre-registered and you
have time, check Evanced to make sure they are in there and that the first weeks prize box is checked off (the
prize box indicates that we filled out a nametag for them). If it is the day of the Kickoff Party and its too busy,
you can just hand them a reading record and sign-up packet.

How the SRC works:

1.

Parent/Child should decide whether they want regular Summer Reading Club or the Read to Me Club.
Be sure to explain it is fine for parents to read to their kids in EITHER club.
NOTE: We gave the suggested ages of newborn-3 yrs for the Read to ME Club and 3 yrs- going into 5th
grade for the older Summer Reading Club. This was based upon the choking hazard age warnings that
appear on many of the toys. Our age ranges are suggested ages. If a parent wants their newborn to do the
Star Readers club, let them (BUT older kids cant do the little club). Just warn the parent that the prizes are
intended for older children and often have choking warnings, but that they are welcome to participate in
whichever one, ONE being the key word. A child, even if they are 3 yrs old, cannot participate in 2 clubs.
Its an either/or situation. And the reason the little ones are only getting one prize is because age-appropriate
prizes are more expensive. But on the bright side, they dont have to make weekly visits. Also, if a child
finishes their Read to Me reading record, they may not join the BIG Reading Club. It is always an either/or
situation.

2A. If they choose the Read to Me Club (ages birth through 3 yrs):

We enter their info into the online database (Evanced).

Fill out a nametag. They receive the Read to Me reading record sheet. Only 1 sheet, 1 prize per child, even if
they finish it in 1 week. They can keep the reading sheet, just make sure to log in the completion on
Evanced.
2B. If they choose the older Summer Reading Club (ages 3 through going into 5th grade)
we enter their info into the online database (Evanced).
Fill out a nametag. Give them a starting package: a sticker, a bookmark, reading record, and a FAQ.

Child checks out age/grade/reading-level appropriate books from the library, takes them home, writes
down the titles
Each week the child should return to the library and show us their record, either the online or paper
one (and there should be something new added. If they havent read beyond what they read the
previous week, it doesnt count). If they are doing the paper reading record, they MUST have the
record. If they kick up a fuss you can give them a sticker but they CANNOT get the weekly
prize. No exceptions!
We will go into the Evanced (the online SRC database) and pull up their account. Enter the number of
books read by putting bk for the first title, bk for the next title, etc. This is an easy way for us to
get the stats without typing out all the titles. If they read a magazine, or some chapters from a book, or
listen to an audiobook, just enter it as if it were a book.
Child gets one sticker per visit. Please just choose a sticker for them. In the paper reading record,
please be sure to make a slash mark & put your initials after the last book written so we know where to
start the next time.
Weekly Prize On each return visit, the child gets the current weeks prize (1 weekly prize per week
per child). If a child misses a week, they cannot get two weekly prizes! (You can explain to the parent
that the weekly prize is the prize for visiting the library each week.) No-one is allowed to pick 2
prizes out of the Treasure Chest. For the paper reading record, please put your initials and cross off
the week on the reading record so that we know theyve received that weeks prize. Also, mark off
that weeks prize box on their Evanced account. For online reading records, just mark off that
weeks prize box on Evanced.

We will have a weekly prize sheet on the desk so you can see what week it is and what they receive in that
week.
So, lets run a scenario. A boy comes in during Week 3. He gets the first weeks prizes (aka registration week
prize - the Reading Record, the bookmark, the sticker, the FAQ sheet, the passport) and you fill out a nametag.
Then you cross off and initial Week 1 on his reading record. He cant get the Week 2 prize because the week has
already passed. However, if he reads something and comes back within the time period of Week 3, he can still
get Week 3s prize.
The rationale behind this is that its not fair for a kid to come in on Week 5 of the club and then get every prize
that some kid has been reading all summer to get. So they get prizes for whichever weeks they actually
participate.
Parents/children get a different FAQ flyer, so if someone gives you a hard time about something, you can as
politely as possible show them their FAQ flyer and point out our rule on the matter. Read over their version of
the FAQ flyer so you know whats on it.

What if someone signs up and then doesnt come in again for a week or two will they still get the
missing weeks worth of prizes?
They cannot catch up on the treasure chest weeks. If a parent objects, say that the weekly prize is to encourage
kids to visit the library and participate in the Club on a weekly basis. Also, the other kids wouldnt understand if
they saw someone getting two prizes out of the Treasure Chest.

What about a kid whos entering 6th grade in the fall? Are they YA or childrens?
They are YA. They should participate in the YA summer reading club and YA programs and use the YA
computers. They cannot do both Childrens and YA.
Do magazines count?
Magazines can count; were just not going to advertise/encourage it because wed rather they read books.
However, if a kid writes a magazine on their reading list, go ahead and count it.
Do audiobooks count?
Yes.
What if a child runs out of space on the reading record?
They can pick up another reading record, or continue writing titles on a piece of paper and just attach it to the
reading record.
What if a child loses their reading record?
They can get a new one. You can check Evanced to see what weeks prizes they have received and mark them
off.
What about the parents who say, Oh, she read 5 books, we just left the reading record at home. Cant
she just get a sticker and the prize?
Be as nice as possible, but no. We ask that every child bring the reading record in for it to count. Its hard to
keep track of weekly prizes if they dont have the record. Please, please PLEASE dont make exceptions to this
rule! You can give them a sticker to make the transaction more pleasant, but no treasure chest!
What about kids/parents who say, We read books that we have at home?
Explain that it really helps if library statistics to reflect that kids are using the collection. We encourage parents
to check out library books, but reading is the ultimate goal.
Parents with several children sometimes complain that they have to fill out multiple records but theyre
all reading the same book. What do I say when they want to use just one record?
Each child must have his or her own reading record. It would be too hard for us to keep track of weekly prizes
otherwise. Unless all the children want to share one prize per week Just kidding!
Sometimes a parent complains that it so much work filling out reading records for both Brookhaven and
South Country. What should I say?
Were so glad they using both libraries, and how lucky the kids are to get prizes at both libraries. But because
we run our programs differently, we need to keep track differently. Some parents use a photocopy machine or
type it on the computer so they dont have to write it.
Can a child bring in the reading record more than once a week?
They can, but they will not get another weekly prize. They can get another sticker.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO BE CONSISTENT!