We are delighted to announce that Kate Inman of the Squamish Public Library is the 2020 BC SRC Community Story Award Winner!
This year’s winning story is all about the power of the BC SRC to transform a child’s relationship with reading! Our judges chose Kate’s story because they were touched by “Sammi’s progression from being uncomfortable with the library to choosing to be engaged with the Reading Link Challenge.” We think you’ll agree!
Kate will attend this year’s BCLA Conference (April 15-17 ) as a guest of CUPE BC. She’ll also be joining us at the SRC Conference booth. Please come by and say hello, and congratulate her!
BCLA, introduced the SRC Community Story Award at the 2013 BCLA Conference. Each year, the BC Summer Reading Club presents this award to an individual whose story best demonstrates the impact of the SRC within their community.
We look forward to hearing your SRC stories! You may submit them anytime, directly to [email protected] with the subject line: BC SRC Community Story Award.
Another Young Reader Emerges Thanks to BC SRC!
We have a number of Syrian families living in Squamish now. One family lives in a suite in my good friend’s house and she has taken it on to make sure they enjoy life here to the fullest – especially the children. She talked to me about the summer reading club and decided she would bring the two children to the library to sign up.
Sammi is 10 and his sister is 8. Both are doing well with their English but Sammi would definitely have fallen into the category of reluctant reader. He was quite uncomfortable in the library at the beginning of the summer and I could tell he would have preferred to be somewhere else. But he is a sweet boy and never once looked sullen or annoyed. Over the weeks in the club he started smiling more and clearly was starting to enjoy himself. I’m not personally in the programs so I’m only guessing when I say he enjoyed them but he definitely looked happy whenever I saw him.
And he filled in his reading record every week. My friend (the one who brought them to the library each week) made sure they had filled in exactly one page per week but who really knows how much Sammi was actually reading each day. But he definitely was reading something and enjoying it. Here in Squamish we try to focus on whatever they have filled in, not how much or for how long they have read. So whatever the children write down, they get a sticker.
Whenever I think of Sammi, I think of his big smile. And here’ the best part of the story. Last week I was visiting his school to talk about Reading Link Challenge which is a program where all the children read up to 6 chapter books and then compete in a quiz-like challenge. It’s a lot of reading! At Sammi’s school, it is run as an extra-curricular event and the students can choose if they want to join. And guess who I saw, smiling his big smile at me and waiting with the others, excited to hear the titles? That’s right. Sammi chose on his own to join. Sammi had become a reader!
About Kate
Kate Inman has been the Children’s Librarian at the Squamish Public Library for the last 15 years. She loves working with all ages of children and really enjoys seeing the youngest library patrons grow and change over their years of visiting the library. Many of her storytime attendees have gone on to be involved in the Summer Reading Club as well as other programs like Reading Link Challenge or Reading Buddies. Kate loves her teen volunteer group too and has had the true pleasure of getting to know many wonderful young people over the years in her job.
Kate has lived in Squamish for over 20 years and really enjoys the outdoors. Mountain biking and hiking are two of her passions. She also loves yoga and dance. And her cat!
