Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) released the results of a three-year national study on the effectiveness of summer reading programs offered by public libraries across the country. The study, conducted in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University Center for Summer Learning, was funded through a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

The Dominican University study provides a rigorous quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the impact of public library summer reading programs on summer reading loss through the examination of students from large and small communities in rural, urban and suburban areas during the summer between third and fourth grade. The study pays particular attention to students from low-income families.

Students completing third grade and entering fourth grade were specifically selected for the study because this grade appears to be a transitional year from learning to read to reading to learn. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, less than one-third of U.S. fourth graders meet the proficient standard; in fact, over 85 percent of students in high-poverty schools fail to reach the proficient level.

According to the study results, students who participated in public library summer reading programs scored higher on reading achievement tests at the beginning of the next school year than those students who did not participate. In addition, there were additional benefits for students who participated in the public library summer reading program: they did not experience summer reading loss and began the next school year with more confidence.

“Public librarians have been under pressure from federal, state, and private funders to prove that tax dollars spent on summer reading programs yield a valuable return on investment,” said Dr. Susan Roman, dean of Dominican University’s GSLIS and the project administrator for the study. “ This study definitively shows that summer reading programs play a significant role in preventing summer reading loss and that public libraries provide an important bridge between academic years. Based on the study’s findings, it is also clear that investing more resources in summer reading programs especially in economically depressed areas can contribute to closing the achievement gap that is plaguing our country.”