Public Libraries in Suffolk County announced this week that their 2025 youth summer reading initiative reached thousands of young participants. The program, Color Our World, which ran from late June through the end of August, saw 33,086 young readers register across 56 participating libraries. Participants read a total of 126,594 books and attended thousands of associated programs offered by participating libraries.
Of the 8,159 summer programs hosted by participating libraries, 166,895 children and teens attended. The 56 participating public libraries offered summer programs for kids and teens, many keeping with the theme of Color Our World. They included family concert performances, friendship bracelet making, life-sized Candy Land, 3D printing, escape rooms, jewelry making, and recycled art creation.
Teen summer reading saw a significant increase in participation, up to 7,044 from 5,956 in 2024. In fact, participation in summer reading among Suffolk County teens is the highest it’s been since 2014. These participation numbers are a welcome sign for the Public Libraries of Suffolk County, as teen literacy rates nationally are on the downswing and social media usage across all adolescent age groups is on the rise.
“In 2025, children and teens have so many things fighting for their attention, including social media, which is why we’re so proud of these youth summer reading participation numbers,” said Kevin Verbesey, executive director of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System. “With over 126,000 books read in just over two months, it’s clear that Suffolk County’s youth and their caregivers are taking literacy seriously. The Public Libraries of Suffolk County will continue to prioritize youth literacy and offer the exciting programming and services that keep young patrons interested in their libraries.”
“The fact that tens of thousands of our young patrons across Suffolk County spend their summers at our libraries shows that even during their time off, the library continues to be a space for them to prosper,” said Derek Ivie, youth services coordinator of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System. “It’s a testament to the youth services library staff members that they know what their patrons are looking for and can make those important experiences and connections.”
Last year, Suffolk County residents visited their public libraries more than 6.6 million times, and over 1.5 million patrons attended a program at their local library.
Staff Writer on Oct 28, 2025