Anne Arundel County Public Library Administrator Hampton "Skip" Auld is encouraging residents to become readers this summer.

VIDEO: Anne Arundel County Public Library Administrator Hampton "Skip" Auld explains the joys and benefits to family summer reading.

Summer can be a time for students to recharge and take a break from the classroom. This can also be a chance for students and their parents to catch up on their reading.

Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science partnered with the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University and the State Libraries of Colorado and Texas to study summer reading programs in public libraries.

“The Dominican Study: Public Library Summer Reading Programs Close the Reading Gaps” found several academic benefits to public library summer reading programs.

The Dominican Study reports students in these programs scored higher on reading achievement test at the beginning of the school year compared to those who did not participate. These students reported that they like to read books, like to go to the library and picked their own books out to read.

Teachers solicited for the study reportedly observed their students who participated in summer reading programs came back to school “ready to learn.” These youths reportedly improved their reading skills and motivation. This helped timid students display increased confidence when participating in classroom reading activities.

The complete Dominican Study is available online at http://www.dom.edu/academics/gslis/imls/ClosetheReadingGap/ .