Meet the 2023 SRC Team

Each fall a team of Content Creators from all over the province, set about building the BC SRC Manual. Under the direction of Co-Chairs Jennie Castleton (Surrey Libraries, Outgoing Co-Chair) and Kate Wood (Incoming Co-Chair), each Content Creator takes responsibility for a section of the BC SRC Manual. During the dark days of autumn, these creative folks dream up sunny programs, activities, and booklists for libraries to use during the BC Summer Reading Club. It’s a delight to introduce you to the team behind the 2023 SRC manual!

Jennie Castleton, Surrey Libraries, Outgoing Co-Chair Portrait of Jennie in a storytime room holding a white and tabby cat puppet

Youth Services Librarian & SRC Coordinator (Fleetwood Branch), Surrey Libraries

I’ve been in my position for 15 years and involved with SRC for all of them.  I’m looking forward to doing programming this summer and connecting to our community.  

Fun fact, if you’re ever looking for a previous year’s poster and print materials, Jennie has her own archive!

Kate Wood, Incoming Co-Chair Portrait of BC SRC Co-Chair, Kate Wood, wearing a purple and teal baseball cap and holding a library book.

Outgoing YAACS Chair and Circulation and Library Assistant, Greater Victoria Public Library

I can’t wait to share my passion for reading and literacy with the rest of the team and to have a small part in continuing to develop and implement a program that is beloved in British Columbia. From participating in Summer Reading Club as a child, to working as a Summer Reading Club Assistant for one summer, I have witnessed first-hand the pure joy and the ability to foster a love of reading in our young readers with this program.

BC SRC Content Creators

The BC SRC is incredibly lucky to have this fantastic team of Content Creators! We thought you’d like to get to know this amazing group of people a little better.

Mehjabeen Ali and Surrey Libraries

Portrait of Mehjabeen

  • Position: Children’s Librarian, Strawberry Hill Branch
  • Area of content creation: Activity Sheeta

The Summer Reading Club is an annual highlight. Seeing children excited about books and the sense of achievement they have over the summer with their reading is a gift. Thanks Summer Reading Club for helping to make that all happen!

Corene Maret Brown and Port Moody Public Library

Photograph of BC SRC Content Creator, Corene Maret Brown. She is standing otuside in a green blouse with greenery behind her. She has glasses.

  • Position: Programs and Youth Services Coordinator
  • Area of content creation: Family Storytimes

Her favourite part of the Summer Reading Club is doing school visits to meet all the excited readers. As a lifelong sticker enthusiast, collecting the new set is a close second.

Erin Crowley and Fraser Valley Regional Library Photograph of BC SRC Content Creator, Erin Crowley, standing outside with fall foliage outside. She is wearing a rust coloured sweater and black skirt.

  • Position: Librarian, Summer Reading Club Coordinator, and most importantly, a lifelong Summer Reading Club enthusiast!
  • Area of content creation:  Programs (Ages 9-12) A photograph of 3 SRC buttons that Erin Crowley received as a child.

For as long as she can remember, she has been involved as a participant or as a library employee. When she aged out of SRC while in high school (there was no teenSRC at FVRL back in her day), she worked as a Young Canada Works student SRC assistant; a role that solidified her desire to work in programming in public libraries.  While working on her MLIS, Erin had the opportunity to design and implement a directed study that evaluated the impact of SRC on reading skills of its participants. Along with her FVRL collaborators, she is excited to be a part of the BCSRC content creator team helping to enhance the Summer Reading Club experience for everyone involved! PS. While she doesn’t have any of her medals from years past anymore, she’s pretty sure these buttons are from SRC at FVRL in the 90s.

Alicia Dobbs and New Westminster Public Library

Portrait of Alicia wearing a gray sweater and red adn white top holding a brown chicken puppet

  • Position: Librarian I (Children’s and Teen Department)
  • Area of content creation:  Booklists

My favourite things about working on the Summer Reading Club have been seeing the (amazing!) artwork take shape, from first drafts all the way to a beautiful finished poster and reading log. I am so excited to finally see the materials in print! I’ve also been blown away by the creativity and hard work of the content creators, who come up with such a wide variety of material for the manual every year and help bring the SRC’s themes to life.

Kelly Savage, Vancouver Public Library

A close up photograph of content creator, Kelly Savage.

  • Position: Assistant Manager, Middle Years
  • Area of content creation:  Programs (Ages 9-12)

My favourite part of SRC is actually the school visits.  I love the energy of a crowded gym or library and how excited the kids are (even if it is just excitement about missing school.) I love that in every group, there is one kid who tries to “lawyer” me on the rules.  I love when the kids who I have seen at the school come into the branch weeks later and ask if I remember them.  It’s exciting that (fingers crossed) this year we get to be back in schools, and I hope I get the chance to do a few visits.