Pride joins Summer Library Partnership
May 11, 2021
Celeste Bruno
Communications Director
1-800-952-7403 x208
celeste.bruno@mass.gov
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) is pleased to announce that the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) team Boston Pride will be joining the Boston Bruins to encourage reading over the summer. Boston Pride are one of the four charter franchises of the NWHL and they recently became the first two-time winners of the Isobel Cup.
As part of the collaboration, Pride captain Jillian Dempsey will be featured on a poster, bookmark and reading certificate available to all summer library program participants. Bruins player Charlie Coyle will also be featured.
“Having Pride join the partnership is a tremendous boost to the summer program and is especially inspiring to young girls and teens. Pride and Jillian Dempsey demonstrate that there is no limit on reaching dreams and goals,” said April Mazza, Massachusetts Library System (MLS) consultant.
With gaps in learning caused by the pandemic, the statewide summer library program has become even more important in keeping kids learning and reading. Studies have shown that children who read just four books over the summer do better when returning to school in the fall than children who read one book or fewer. To inspire kids to keep reading this summer, Ms. Dempsey has shared some of her favorite book series: The Keeper of the Lost Cities, Harry Potter, and The Unwanteds.
The MBLC and the Massachusetts Library System (MLS) have partnered with the Boston Bruins since 2009 and since that time more than four million people have participated in summer programming at public libraries.
The statewide Summer Reading Program is made free to all public libraries and residents in the Commonwealth thanks to support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Massachusetts Library System, and the Boston Bruins. On average, 350 libraries offer statewide summer reading each year. In 2020 despite the pandemic, nearly 450,000 children, teens, and adults participated and read more than 1.7 million minutes.
About MBLC
The Board of Library Commissioners (mass.gov/mblc) is the agency of state government with the statutory authority and responsibility to organize, develop, coordinate and improve library services throughout the Commonwealth. The Board advises municipalities and library trustees on the operation and maintenance of public libraries, including construction and renovation. It administers state and federal grant programs for libraries and promotes cooperation among all types of libraries through regional library systems and automated resource sharing. It also works to ensure that all residents of the Commonwealth, regardless of their geographic location, social or economic status, age, level of physical or intellectual ability or cultural background, have access to essential new electronic information technologies and significant electronic databases.