SummerQuest - York County Libraries

SummerQuest is York County Libraries’ version of a summer reading program—but it’s so much more! We offer kids and teens (and adults! Click to learn about SummerQuest for those 19+) tons of ways to stay active in mind and body all summer long. We host free, fun activities that keep everyone learning, reading, and physically active from June to August. Each year, the theme and special events change.

Participating in reading-based activities like SummerQuest is particularly important for school-age children and youth. The single best way to stay ready for the upcoming school year is by reading over the summer. Children lose as much as 30% of the knowledge gained during the school year over summer break (2017, Brookings). Stay engaged in learning, enjoy your summer, and stop summer learning loss with SummerQuest. Stay connected by attending programs at all York County Libraries locations.

Kids & Teens: Take the SummerQuest 800 Minute Challenge!

Log 800 minutes by reading, attending programs, completing activities and doing GO York! hikes. Use the Beanstack app or website to log all your minutes and earn prizes for every 200 minutes logged.

Make your Minutes Count

Tracking and logging your minutes is the key to earning prizes.

Minutes can be counted for any of the following activities:

Reading OR listening to a book, eBook, audio, or eAudio book
Attending library programs and events*
Taking on one of the GO York! hikes*

*Attending library events or doing a GO York! hike gets you a bonus 20 minutes toward your goals! Don’t forget to log them after completing the activity.

Read or log 800 minutes to “complete” the SummerQuest challenge!

Get the App and Join the Challenge

Beanstack is a super-useful, super-easy app to record all your activities, events, and reading this summer. To earn chances toward our biggest prizes, be sure to log your reading minutes!

Mobile App available for Apple and Android!

Returning Beanstack Users: Your accounts remain active from year to year. Using your login information, you can update your account and register for the current year’s SummerQuest program.

Beanstack Tips & Tricks

Get Outdoors (GO) York!

GO York is a challenge facilitated by our partner, Wellspan Health. 30 wooden posts are hidden in York County parks every summer. Using an annual GO York guidebook, follow the steps to locate the posts and unveil the “rubbing” of the sketch and a secret code.

Log the secret code into the Beanstack app to earn entries for GO York grand prize drawings! Join the GO York! Facebook group for updates and info.

Visit the GO York! Website

Scouts

Calling all Scouts! Earn a special patch for participating in SummerQuest:

Complete the 800 Minute Reading Challenge
Attend 6+ SummerQuest events at any of our libraries
Complete 10+ GO York! Hikes

Log your progress on Beanstack. When you finish, pick up your patch at any YCL location.

SummerQuest isn’t only for children!

Most people have fond memories of their library’s summer reading programs. We say those memories don’t need to stay in the past! We welcome adults 19+ to join our SummerQuest challenge in the Beanstack Tracker App, participate in the very popular GO York! Hikes with others around the county, and perhaps even try a fun activity from your local library. Some libraries do Book Bingo during the summer, or offer a concert series on the lawn. Others hold special events on important topics, have community gatherings to create and craft, or welcome you to our all-ages programs. If you think you can’t have fun during the summer just because you’re a grown-up, think again!

If your business is interested in becoming a sponsor of SummerQuest, contact us!

Thank you to our community partners!

Annually, many local businesses donate prizes and offer financial support to York County Libraries’ SummerQuest. They help us encourage kids to keep reading and to stay active over the summer months. In 2024, those included: