The pilot program is being sponsored by the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence at an estimated cost of $61,000.  The expanded program will allow any youth with a library card to earn points by reading library books from a selected list.

     The Accelerated Reading Program is already available in many of the public schools and at Tiftarea Academy.  Students choose books from a list.  After reading the book, they take a test and earn points if they score 70 percent or better on the tet.  They use these points to earn prizes, such as pencils, books or certificates.

     According to Mike Brumby, a member of the TCFEE, having the reading program available at the public library will allow students already earning points to continue working on their goal through the summer and would open the program up to other children who don’t have access to the materials.  At the end of the summer, the students’ points will be given to their schools in order to give them credit for having worked during the summer.

      “We want this to be open to all students,” Brumby said. “We wanted a place where everyone would have access and the library seemed like the perfect place.”

     According to Brumby, the public library’s Accelerated Reading Program will be housed at a three-person workstation in the children’s section of the library.  The cost of the workstation and the server is $15,000.

     The program, which is available in every elementary school except Annie Belle Clark and in the two middle schools, will be expanded to include more than 11,000 books and will allow the students access to more books.

      Sara Paulk, head librarian at the Tifton-Tift County Library, said the library currently has more than 50 percent of the books on the entire list and is hoping to acquire more of them.

     “We already have a lot of the books that are in the program,” Ms. Paulk said.  “We are purchasing more of the books, but they all have to meet the same criteria that our other books do.”

     Ms. Paulk said the ARP is one of two reading programs the library sponsors during the summer ; both are available to anyone who is interested.  The Summer Reading Program, which measures how many hours a child reads, will also begin shortly after school ends, she said.

      “If a child reads a book that is not on the Accelerated Reading list, it can still earn them hours in the summer reading program,” Ms. Paulk said.  “We are really excited about having the opportunity to house the ARP at the library.”

     According to Terri Nalls, who will be working with the program this summer, the program at the library will begin around June 11.  Ms. Nalls, who is also the media specialist at Charles Spence Elementary School, said the workstation will be open at least two mornings a week and one night a week.

     “The more people who use the services, then the more it will be open,” she said.  “Having the program at the the library will give the students more of a variety of books to choose from.”