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A person reading a book with a bigfoot reading over his shoulder

Summer Reading 2024: Adventure Begins at Your Library

Ends in:

June 1 - July 31

Summer Reading 2024 has ended! Grand Prize winners will be contacted August 5. Thanks for reading with us - we'll see you next year!

Read to Earn Prizes

Kids dressed as pirates exploring the pages of a book Earn a raffle ticket for each hour you read! You can log your reading and submit tickets online, or visit your favorite branch for an old-fashioned paper tracker.

Each ticket can be submitted for a chance to win one of our fabulous Grand Prizes!

But that's not all - everyone can also earn the following prizes:

Kids and Teens Prizes:

1st hour of reading: A Railcats ticket + a discounted ticket to Deep River Waterpark*

2nd hour of reading: Beach ball

3rd hour of reading: Free book

4th hour of reading: Bear or bumblebee backpack (while supplies last)

*discounted waterpark tickets are for ages 6-18 only

Adult Prize:

At 4 hours of reading: 3 free books

la aventura comenza en tu biblioteca. Person in a tent shaped like a book reading

FAQs:

Q: What if I read to someone else?

A: Both of you get credit for that reading time!

Q: Do audiobooks count?

A: Yes! Time spent listening to a book is time spent reading.

Q: I can't read for a whole hour at a time. Can I log smaller units?

A: Yes! You can log as little as 1 minute at a time (and no more than 900 minutes in a day).

Q: When do I find out if I won a Grand Prize?

A: Grand Prize winners will be contacted August 5.

Special Events

How'd They Do That!? - Hometowns to Hollywood - Sponsored by the LCPL Foundation

Mon, Sep 09, 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Highland - Meeting Room A

Learn about how some of Hollywood's most iconic classic movie scenes were accomplished. Presentation by Dr. Annette Bochenek, Film Historian. Sponsored by the LCPL Foundation.

Virtual: Livestream Author Talk Garrett Graff - Bestselling Author of The Only Plane in the Sky

Tue, Sep 10, 1:00pm - 2:00pm

LCPL Virtual Branch - Zoom

Join a livestream chat with Garrett Graff who will speak about his body of work with particular focus on his oral histories.

The Underground Railroad in NWI - A Trail History

Tue, Sep 10, 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Merrillville - Meeting Room A

Join us as a representative of the Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project as we explore a history of people escaping to freedom through our region. Program sponsored by Indiana Humanities.

Library Card Sign-Up Month Celebration

Mon, Sep 16, 4:30pm - 5:30pm

Hobart - Large Meeting Room

Kids in kindergarten through 5th grade can join us in a celebration for National Library Card Sign-Up Month! Light snacks will be provided.

Misinformation and Fake News in US Elections

Tue, Sep 17, 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Merrillville - Meeting Room A

Presented through a non-partisan lens by Nico Casas, librarian from IU Northwest, learn how to identify misinformation and seek the best unbiased info. Voting registration will also be available.

Virtual: Livestream Author Talk Nate Klemp, PhD - Author of Open

Wed, Sep 18, 1:00pm - 2:00pm

LCPL Virtual Branch - Online

Join a livestream chat as Nate Klemp helps us explore pathways back to openminded living when he talks to us about the core tenets in his new book Open.

The Perks of Having a Library Card - A Family-Fun Event

Wed, Sep 18, 4:30pm - 6:00pm

Merrillville - Meeting Room A

Stop in and have fun while learning about everything your library card can do for you!

Researching Ancestors of Color with Renate Sanders

Fri, Sep 20, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Merrillville - Meeting Room A,Lake County Public Library Zoom Room

Join genealogist Renate Sanders in learning how to research ancestors of color, including formerly enslaved and free people of color. This presentation is courtesy of an Indiana Humanities grant.

Virtual: Livestream Author Talk Liane Moriarty - Bestselling Author of Truly Madly Guilty

Sat, Sep 21, 6:00pm - 7:00pm

LCPL Virtual Branch - Zoom

Join a livestream chat with author Liane Moriarty about her newest novel Here One Moment.

Morbid History With Lorrisa Julianus - Sponsored by the LCPL Foundation

Mon, Sep 23, 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Merrillville - Meeting Room A

Morbid History presented by award-winning filmmaker Lorrisa Julianus. “Because you’re just more interesting when you’re dead!”

Black Quilters: Hard Topics, Soft Blows

Tue, Sep 24, 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Merrillville - Meeting Room A,Lake County Public Library Zoom Room

Join us for a free community event on the intersection of arts and history as Dr. Tony Jean Dickerson speaks about the history of black quilting. This program is thanks to a Indiana Humanities grant.

Hammered Dulcimer Performance by Paul Horgash - LCPL Foundation Sponsored Program

Tue, Sep 24, 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Dyer-Schererville - Meeting Room Whole (A & B)

Enjoy an evening of lively tunes from Paul Horgash featuring the hammered dulcimer. Please register each attendee.

Virtual: Livestream Author Talk With Smithsonian Scientists - Authors of Bat Island

Wed, Oct 02, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

LCPL Virtual Branch - Online

Join a livestream chat with Smithsonian scientists. This talk will cover topics from the book Bat Island: A Rare Journey into the Hidden World of Tropical Bats.

NANORIMO Prep Workshop With Larry Sweazy

Thu, Oct 03, 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Munster - Large Meeting Room,Munster Zoom Room

The hardest part of writing a novel is finishing it. Fortunately, thanks to the Indiana Humanities' writing workshop grants, we're bringing in Indiana author Larry Sweazy to help us out.

Haunted Indiana: Ghosts and Legends of the Region - Sponsored by the LCPL Foundation

Mon, Oct 07, 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Highland - Meeting Room A

Join Bob Anderson, host of Bob After Dark, as he delves into the eerie and unexplained occurrences of Northwest Indiana. Sponsored by the LCPL Foundation. Please register all who will be attending.

See all events

Grand Prize Raffle

Thank you to the Friends of LCPL for providing this year's awesome prizes! For each hour you read, you earn one raffle ticket to put toward one of these prizes. You can also earn smaller prizes for your first 4 hours of reading!