The Austin Public Library’s summer reading program, which concludes Friday, has seen a spike in interest this summer.

More than 750 kids signed up for the reading challenge, which offers prizes to those who can read for at least 20 minutes a day for a week. Last year, roughly 350 signed up.

“It’s just been overwhelming, the turnout,” library staff Anita Bruggeman said. “I’m hoping this is something we can continue.”

Beyond being able to draw prizes from a “treasure chest” after successfully completing the week-long challenge, kids who ramp up their reading for 21 days receive a ribbon and coupons to the Mower County Fair.

Bruggeman said more than 400 kids have completed that challenge this summer.

The library also saw more than 1,000 people show up for a number of free Wednesday events to promote summer reading.

These included a magic show, a reptile and amphibian display and a sing-along.

Library director Ann Hokanson said the summer reading program is a lot of fun and “generates a ton of enthusiasm,” but admits that such a high turnout really puts a strain on staffing and resources.

“We used up every last supply,” she said during a Aug. 3 Austin City Council meeting.

However, the program may get a boost from the Hormel Foundation. At that Aug. 3 meeting, the council prioritized a number of requests to the foundation and ranked summer reading first. The grant request is for $9,000 and will be decided upon by the Hormel Foundation by the end of the year.

Library board approves budget request

The library board approved a $1.06 million budget request for 2010 during their Monday meeting, a slight decrease from last year. In 2009, the library worked on a $1.12 million budget.

The Austin City Council is still in the process of approving the overall 2010 budget.