Youth Services
ODL Youth Services assists libraries as they serve patrons from ages 0-18 through providing summer reading materials and assistance, training and professional development, program planning guidance, and help with other youth services related needs.
Summer Reading
Every summer, libraries across Oklahoma join together to bring you the fun of reading, learning, and discovery through special programs and activities. Summer reading is a fun and engaging way to keep kids learning and help prevent the "summer slide."
2026 Theme: Unearth a Story – Dinosaurs
Next summer, Oklahoma libraries will invite readers of all ages to Unearth a Story! This dinosaur-themed adventure will bring prehistoric fun to life through books, activities, and exciting library programs.
Libraries across the state will offer hands-on activities, family events, interactive workshops, and reading challenges with fun prizes. Watch for all the adventures waiting at your library next summer—and get ready to dig into your next great story!
Hunger Free Oklahoma
Oklahoma libraries serve as crucial community resource hubs to connecting families with vital resources and services to help ensure Oklahoma children have free access to healthy meals.
Hunger Free Oklahoma now offers an easy way for libraries to support this mission: a free online ordering portal where libraries can choose materials like posters, bookmarks, and more. HFO will ship the items directly to you—no cost, no hassle.
Connecting with Books
Read for Adventure
Free Admission to the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Gardens!
ODL and local libraries are once again partnering with the Oklahoma City Zoo and OG&E for the Read for Adventure summer reading promotion!
When children check out the book Juniper’s Butterfly Garden from a participating library, they’ll receive a voucher good for free admission to the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden for up to four people—children, adults, or seniors. No reservations are required; vouchers can be redeemed at any Zoo ticket window.
Thanks to the Oklahoma City Zoo and OG&E, all participating libraries will receive:
One copy of Juniper’s Butterfly Garden
100 Zoo ticket vouchers (valid through June 30, 2026)
Posters and bookmarks to help spread the word
This statewide program is a wonderful way to promote both literacy and outdoor exploration across Oklahoma.
My First Library
My First Library is an early literacy initiative promoting family reading. Since 80% of brain development occurs by age three, early reading is vital for a lifetime of literacy. To achieve this, the project provides quality children's books each month to children in Southwest Oklahoma.
Providing books and engaging parents/caregivers is the core strategy. Participating teachers introduce the monthly book with participating sites, read it aloud, and give one to each child to take home and build their home library.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book-gifting program that provides free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, regardless of family income. Founded by Dolly Parton in 1995, the program aims to inspire a love of reading and improve early childhood literacy by mailing a new, age-appropriate book each month directly to a child's home. Starting as a local initiative in Tennessee, the Imagination Library has since expanded globally and now serves millions of children, fostering literacy, imagination, and lifelong learning.
Youth Services Grant
The Youth Services Early Learning and School Readiness Grant is designed to strengthen participating libraries’ programs for their youngest children. It will feature three main components: training with an Early Literacy expert, program creation, and implementation of the new program.
Questions? Email Trisha.Hutcherson@libraries.ok.gov.
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