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Contact: Paul Burns   (502) 574-1683 [Office] 
Mayor Greenberg celebrates the Louisville Free Public Library’s largest Summer Reading Program since 2017

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (August 5, 2025) – Today Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced that this summer has been one for the books at the Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL)! This past weekend marked the end of this year’s Summer Reading Program and, at last count, more than 26,600 children and teens completed the program – reading more than 400,000 books. This is the largest number of youth completing the program since 2017. 
 “The Library’s Summer Reading Program is a great way to help keep young people continue to learn when school is out,” Mayor Greenberg said. “We are thrilled so many families took advantage of the engaging and amazing learning opportunities offered this summer at our libraries. As a result, many of these children are returning to school this week ready to succeed.”  

LFPL’s Summer Reading Program has been an annual tradition since 1929, encouraging children and teens to read for fun during the summer by offering prizes and incentives. Sponsored by the Library Foundation, Summer Reading is a free program aimed at preventing summer learning loss when students are out of school. The program was open to all area children, newborn through 12th grade. While Summer Reading ended on August 2, families can still pick up prizes anytime this week at any Louisville Free Public Library location.

“What an exciting finish to an outstanding Summer Reading Program! I am thrilled to see so many families in our community made reading a part of their summer plans,” said the Library’s Interim Executive Director Barbara Sexton Smith.  “I am also extremely grateful to the Library Foundation and our donors for funding the Summer Reading Program, and for the outstanding library team that made it happen. It truly takes all of us working together to achieve the kind of success we have seen this summer at the Library.” 

The success of the 2025 Summer Reading Program included increased participation at a number of library locations, including the Parkland Library. After a nearly forty-year absence, the Parkland Library reopened in February of this year, following a $6.6 million renovation and expansion. In its first six months, Parkland Library has checked out nearly 10,000 books and other materials, and the number of children completing Summer Reading topped 1,100! 

Special thanks to donors to the Library Foundation for sponsoring this year’s Summer Reading Program, especially LG&E/KU Foundation, Maplewood Foundation, Wood & Marie Hannah Foundation, V.V. Cooke Foundation, Dick Gilbert Charitable Fund, Cralle Foundation, Charles Dishman III Family Foundation, and Susan Coventry and Brad Asher. Additional thanks go to the Library’s prize sponsors, especially Frazier Kentucky History Museum, Kentucky Science Center, Louisville Bats Baseball, Racing Louisville FC, Hwang’s Martial Arts, Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, the Ali Center, Squire Boone Caverns, Locust Grove, Ehrler’s, Fazoli’s, and University of Louisville Athletics. To learn more about how to support the Library’s Summer Reading Program, visit the Library Foundation online at LFPLFoundation.org, or call (502) 754-1702.

For more information on all of LFPL’s services, including locations and hours of operation, visit LFPL.org.