San Bernardino County reports 36,402 participants in 2026 Summer Reading Program

San Bernardino County Library reported that 36,402 participants registered for its 2026 Summer Reading Program, "Catch the Wave!"; the county said participants read or checked out 618,083 books or items and 71,714 customers attended programs from June 8 through Aug. 2 across 32 County Library locations.

Those figures come from a County of San Bernardino news release; the county did not provide independent verification in the announcement.

The program invited children, teens and adults to track reading over eight weeks and to work toward incentives, prizes and special recognition; the county said grand prize winners were recognized across all 32 locations but that individual winners will not be publicly identified to respect participant privacy.

Library Program Coordinator Elizabeth Williams was quoted in the county release saying, "Our community truly made waves this summer. It was wonderful to see readers of all ages dive into new stories, participate in programs and make the library part of their summer adventures. Congratulations to all of our grand prize winners, and thank you to everyone who helped make 'Catch the Wave!' such a memorable summer."

Practical consequence: the county frames the results as evidence of strong community engagement with library services; the release says branches will continue offering year-round books, digital resources, educational tools, technology and free programs for all ages.

What the county release does not specify: demographic or geographic breakdowns of participants; program costs or funding sources; how the tally of "books read or items checked out" was counted; or whether the registration figure represents unique individuals or repeat enrollments.

For more information the county lists library.sbcounty.gov and 909-387-2220; the release also directs readers to the County Library's Facebook and Instagram pages.

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