Sterling library launches summer reading with dinosaur-themed kickoff

A dinosaur dig will open Sterling Public Library’s summer reading season at 10 a.m. Monday, June 1, giving Logan County families a free, built-in activity just as school lets out and summer schedules start to fill.

The first featured event is the Kids Discovery Zone, “Unearth the Dinosaurs,” aimed at younger children who need something hands-on to pair with reading. It is part of the Wendy Marks Summer Reading Program, which runs from June 1 through July 31 and is meant to keep children logging books through the full stretch of June and July, not just showing up for one kickoff.

For parents, the logistics are straightforward. Summer reading sign-up starts Tuesday, May 26, and book logging begins Monday, June 1. The final day to finish the 2026 reading goal and receive the free book is Friday, July 31. Children get one free book when they sign up and another free book when they meet the goal, making the program one of the few summer activities in town that pays families back in books instead of tickets.

The library says the 2026 theme is “Plant a Seed, Read!” and that related storytimes will follow that idea. Most SPL Family Nights are scheduled for Tuesdays from 5 to 6 p.m., giving caregivers a recurring weekday option that fits around work, errands and travel. The library will be closed Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day, so the June launch also gives families a clear next step after the holiday weekend.

Sterling Public Library is using Wendy Marks’ name to anchor the program. Marks, a long-time Sterling resident and McGill University graduate, served 25 years on the Sterling Public Library Board. The library quotes her as saying, “It is so critical for children to read at an early age,” and notes that she fostered a love of reading in her three children and seven grandchildren.

That focus on early reading fits the library’s broader role in Sterling, where 420 N. 5th Street serves as a free public space for families, students and caregivers. The building opened Nov. 22, 1905, as a Carnegie library, and the library says the summer program sits alongside its catalog access, digital resources and local-history materials as part of a larger push to keep children engaged while school is out. In a county where summer days can disappear into travel, outdoor work and other obligations, the reading program gives families a low-cost routine that is easy to return to each week.