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  3. How-To Guide: Planning Summer Reading Programs with AI
1
of 6— Open ChatGPT and set the context

What you'll accomplish

You'll use ChatGPT to generate a complete summer reading program framework — weekly themes, activity ideas, craft projects, reading challenge structures, and promotional copy — in one working session instead of over several days.

What you'll need

  • A free ChatGPT account at chat.openai.com
  • Your library's summer reading theme (often from Collaborative Summer Library Program — CSLP)
  • Age groups you're serving and approximate weeks of programming
  • Time needed: 15 minutes to set up, 1–2 hours for complete program plan
  • Cost: Free

How-To Guide: Planning Summer Reading Programs with AI

Step 1: Open ChatGPT and set the context

Open a new ChatGPT chat. Start with a full context message so everything it generates is consistent:

Copy and paste this
I'm a librarian planning a summer reading program. Theme: [theme name — e.g., "Adventure Begins" or "Read Beyond the Beaten Path"]. Age groups: [list them — toddlers/preschool, elementary K-5, middle school, teens, adults]. Program duration: [X weeks, starting approximately when]. My library is [describe briefly — e.g., "a small-town public library serving about 5,000 people"]. Budget is limited. Help me plan the complete program.

What you should see: ChatGPT acknowledges the context and may ask what to tackle first, or dive into an overview.