While summer reading is a dreaded concept for many students and young academics, make it fun this year by embarking on a library road trip. Presented by the Mid-Hudson Library System, the road trip program is a collaboration among the 66 member libraries in Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Putnam, and Ulster Counties that encourages community engagement, local travel, and connection, all while collecting incentives along the way.
A cooperative public library system chartered by the New York State Board of Regents overseen by the New York State Education Department’s Division of Library Development, the Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS) provides essential resources via its member libraries to keep the Hudson Valley’s communities strong, connected, and well-informed. The Mid-Hudson Library System’s new road trip initiative, which runs from June 6 through October 18, intends to motivate residents to visit the 70 library buildings of the MHLS member libraries.
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“Our libraries are a regional treasure. Each one is unique and a catalyst for good in its town,” says Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, MHLS’s executive director. “I guarantee that folks will be surprised by some of the wonderful services offered by our area libraries and blown away by how much money they can save by using their local public library.”
As a part of the summer road trip program, the MHLS hopes to foster community engagement by providing locals with the opportunity to explore the region’s towns while visiting libraries, discovering local businesses and historic sites along the way. The summer initiative also aims to connect people with resources and help them gain a deeper understanding of the library system and its free assets.
Visitors who choose to embark on the road trip can pick up a map at any participating library to get stamped at each new visit. A tiered souvenir program offers unique prizes and incentives for each visit, including a sticker after visiting 10 libraries, a magnet after visiting all the libraries in one county, a tote bag after visiting half of the libraries in the MHLS system, and a special edition MHLS library card for anyone who completes the road trip and visits all 70 member library buildings.
Participants are encouraged to share their visits and experiences on social media by using #MHlibraryroadtrip and #MidHudsonLibrarySystem and by tagging the Mid-Hudson Library System Instagram page.
