INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Public Library is celebrating a record-breaking 2026 Summer Reading Program, with more than 27 million minutes read by kids, teens and adults.
This year 28,992 kids, teens and adults took part in the 107th Summer Reading Program, which ended on August 1. Readers devoted 27,606,252 minutes to reading while earning prizes generously donated by community sponsors, far surpassing the Library’s goal of 22 million minutes read.
A total of 22,574 kids participated in the 2026 Summer Reading Program. For the sixth consecutive year, kids kept track of the amount of time spent reading instead of the number of books read. This allowed participants of all reading levels to have an equal opportunity to earn prizes such as free passes to local attractions such as The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis Haunted House, Royal Pin Bowling, The Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis Indians Baseball, The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, IU Indy Basketball, Indianapolis Indians Baseball, a coupon for a free Penn Station Kids Meal, books, toys and more. Prizes were earned at milestones of reading for 1 hour, 5 hours, 10 hours, 15 hours and 20 hours.
In addition, more than 6,844 kids attended free summer programs such as our Zoo Explorers with the Indianapolis Zoo, Robotics Club with Kids Explore Robotics and Field Day at the Library with Amazing Athletes.
A total of 6,418 adults took part in Adult Summer Reading, where they tracked time spent reading, completed activity challenges, and earned prizes. In addition, 502 adults attended free summer reading programs, including Magic: The Gathering, Mahjong, and Trivia at the Library.
Throughout the Summer Reading Program, kids and families dropped off new and gently used books in donation bins at Library locations. This allowed participants to give back to the community by donating more than 695 books to Listen to Our Future, an organization dedicated to equipping youth to make long-lasting changes in their communities through education, empowerment and social action.