The Galesburg Public Library is offering some incentives for summer reading.
Galesburg residents of all ages can win prizes for reading books and for other activities, like reading out loud to their family.
Children will receive a scoop of ice cream at Lim's Ice Cream and adults will receive a gift card for Innkeeper’s Fresh Roasted Coffee.
Melinda Jones-Rhoades, supervisor of the children’s department, said people have the freedom to choose what they want to read.
“All the activities are centered around reading. But we don’t want to tell them what to read, because we don’t want them to feel like a chore. We want it to feel like something they do for fun,” she said.
People in the summer reading program also have a chance to win three grand prizes. Those include trips to Chicago or Peoria or a tour around Galesburg.
Jones-Rhoades said there are different reading-related tasks for different age groups -- and people can complete them anywhere.
“They can read whatever they want, and wherever they want. We are never going to ask them to prove that they did the reading, or tell them that it’s not appropriate,” she said. “It’s just about reading.”
The program continues through July 27.
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