COOS BAY - Shrieks of youthful delight drifted through the open back door at the Madison Elementary School library, mingling with the hum of conversation as children wandered among the short shelves, reading titles aloud and calling to friends.

Although most school libraries are silent during the summer break, Madison's library is open once a week for students and their families to check out books. On Wednesday morning, following the school's free lunch program in the cafeteria, the library's door out onto the recess yard stood open and children stopped in - heading straight for the shelves.

In between checking out books and giving a few recommendations, Library Clerk Teri Jones visited with neighborhood children and families.

“Oh no, these pages are missing,” Jones said to Christian and Gabrielle Mullins as they checked out their selections with Tiffany Hubbard.

Christian leaned forward against the counter, fingering some of the pages as Jones looked through a damaged picture book.

“We'll have to put this one in the book hospital,” she said to Christian. “Do you want to pick something else?”

As he made another trip to the picture books on display, Jones exchanged a smile with Hubbard.

The children visiting the library on Wednesday seemed just as eager to browse the shelves as to claim a swing on the playground - clutching books as they scampered out the door.

Madison's volunteer-staffed summer library program has been going on for about three years and provides library services to the Empire neighborhood. Offering open hours during the summer break was an idea the teaching staff suggested to give neighborhood kids a chance to borrow books and encourage reading, said Principal Arlene Roblan.

But despite the extra work, the staff at Madison is more than willing to volunteer the time to keep the library open, Roblan said.

“This is something to keep kids reading and get them involved with school during the summer,” she said. “In the past, kids also were able to go to the computer lab once a week, but we're not doing that this year because we don't have the staff for it.”

Jones said the attendance for the library's summer hours has been great this year, with an average of about two dozen books going out each week.

“This has been our best year so far. The staff really emphasized it during the kindergarten pre-registration and we've been getting a lot of families coming in with the new kindergarten students,” Jones said. “It's really good for them to get used to the building, the staff and the library, so it's not such a shock in September.”

Part of the neighborhood

Eleven-year-old Amy Kress and her family visit Madison often during the summer - whether it's to play in the garden or borrow books at the library.

Amy, a student at Millicoma Intermediate School, said she brings her brothers and sisters to the school from their home on Michigan Street. Although their grandmother keeps a careful eye on the children while their parents are working “sometimes five kids is a lot,” Amy said and laughed.

The family makes use of the neighborhood playground at the school, visiting the community garden and eating free lunches during the summer, but the children said they look forward to coming to the library every week.

“I think it's a really cool thing the library is open, because the kids who don't go here yet can see how big the library is and how many books there are to check out,” Amy said, pushing her blond bangs out of her eyes. “It's really nice to have a place to get something new to read.”

Amy spent some time selecting her book of the week, an installment in the Geronimo Stilton series, only to have her 6-year-old sister Kaylee request one for herself. Two blond heads bent close together as Amy's whispering voice read a book synopsis to Kaylee. The two girls reviewed the titles carefully before finally picking out two books and heading to the checkout counter.

“What's really great is to see families coming in together,” Jones said. “During the school year, we don't see most parents as much, but in the summer they come in as a family and the kids can show them their books and the school.

“The parents, the siblings - everyone can check out books. And they do!” she said.

While there is a core group of neighborhood children who come to the library once a week, Jones said she also sees a variety of different students over the summer break.

As for using the library while school's out, the kids don't seem to be very surprised to see the door open once a week.

“They're very casual about it. As if this is a library and they just expect it to be open, and that's how it should be,” Jones said.

Casual or not, children's faces reflected the smiles of the volunteer staff as they checked out books, shared summer accomplishments and relished a few moments of indecision in picking their books for the next week.

A Wednesday tradition at the school, the library - along with the free lunch program - will close for a few weeks between the end of August and the beginning of school. But kids won't have to turn in their books, Jones said.

“We try to work with the families as much as possible. If the kids are in the middle of a book, we don't want to interrupt them,” she said.

While the library might be closed, Jones said she and the school staff try to remember that “a book is only worth something if it's being read.”