The Allen County Public Library is celebrating a successful summer of learning and discovery as its annual Summer Learning Program wrapped up July 31, 2026.
Allen County Public Library news release:
ACPL’s Summer Learning Program Celebrates Successful Summer of Dinosaur-Sized Fun
Fort Wayne, Indiana (August 18, 2026) – The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) is celebrating a successful summer of learning and discovery as its annual Summer Learning Program wrapped up July 31. This year’s “Unearth a Story” theme invited children, teens and adults to explore reading, learning, and hands-on experiences throughout the summer, with thousands of community members taking part. The free program, which ran from June 1 through July 31, attracted 15,685 registered participants, including 11,795 youth and 3,890 adults. Participants could take part individually or as part of a group, with 12,753 individual registrations and 2,932 group registrations.
“Summer Learning is one of the most exciting times of the year at the Library because we get to see our community come together around curiosity, reading, and discovery,” said Jacki Fulwood, Youth Services Manager at ACPL. “This summer, our participants truly embraced the ‘Unearth a Story’ theme. From earning books and prizes to attending programs and exploring dinosaurs, there were so many ways for people of all ages to keep learning all summer long.”
The library distributed more than 26,000 prizes during the program as participants tracked their learning activities throughout the summer and claimed free books and prizes at milestone levels. This represents a nearly 20% increase year over year.
Summer’s prehistoric theme also proved to be a major attraction. ACPL hosted the traveling exhibit “Dinosaurs: Fossils Exposed,” giving the community an opportunity to explore fascinating specimens and learn about life millions of years ago. The exhibit welcomed more than 25,000 visitors of all ages. Across the ACPL system, the Library welcomed another 24,000+ participants to more than 1000 programs exploring STEM, crafts, reading, and other hands-on learning experiences.
ACPL’s Summer Learning Program also helped connect families with essential community resources. Through its partnership with Fort Wayne Community Schools, ACPL distributed 17,953 meals and snacks to youth and the Library’s partnership with Blessings in a Backpack distributed 8,942 non-perishable weekend food bags, an 11% increase over 2025.
Finally, the ACPL’s Team Read program employed 37 local teens to travel to local community centers and parks to read to children. They conducted 71 visits and gave 2000+ books to the youth.
“When I total it all up, it’s more than 100,000 individual examples of how the Summer Learning Program helped the community stay engaged and connected during the summer,” said Fulwood. “And all of this is above and beyond the usual tasks of a librarian. I am so grateful to our team, our funders, and the folks in Allen County for making it a success!”
The 2026 Summer Learning Program was made possible through the generous support of Foellinger Foundation, Friends of the Allen County Public Library, and the Allen County Public Library Foundation.
Click here for more information about ACPL initiatives like the Summer Learning Program.
About the Allen County Public Library
The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) has fostered lifelong learning and discovery in northeast Indiana for more than 135 years. The ACPL consists of fourteen branches throughout Allen County, serving more than one million visitors per year. The ACPL’s collection includes more than 3.9 million items, with a circulation total of 4.6 million items borrowed annually. It also houses The Genealogy Center, the nation’s largest public genealogy research center, and The Rolland Center for Lincoln Research, consisting of more than 30,000 artifacts related to President Abraham Lincoln.
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