On Tuesday, the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library had a program to conclude their summer reading program, and according to Marie Cunningham, who is the children’s librarian, it had been a success.

I didn’t need to hear her tell me this though. I knew from her face. She was beaming from ear to ear.

Marie, who I have known since we were teenagers, told me that from all the events they offered during the 5-week long program, there were combined 1,000-plus children that participated.

My hat is off to Marie and the entire staff of the library.

No doubt every one of them had a role in making the summer reading program, which was a large endeavor, a success.

Reading is vital in so many ways, and I am sure this summer reading program will have a positive residual effect on Vicksburg. Not only did it put a fun spin on reading, but programs like this bring people together and strengthen the community.

And what would a summer reading program be without a top reader?

This year, it was 7-year-old Jim Williams.

He was quite an impressive young man and definitely mature beyond his years. In fact, Marie told me he hosts a program on the library’s Facebook page called “Shark Bites with Jim,” where he talks about different kinds of sharks.

When I asked Jim what it was about reading he liked, he said he liked reading because it was fun, and he enjoyed learning.

Reading is fun and you do learn.

While I may not have been quite as mature and driven as Jim when I was his age, one thing we do have in common is participating in the library’s summer reading program. While I don’t recall any of the summer reading library programs I participated in being quite as elaborate as the one Marie and her fellow librarians offered this year, it did have the same goal — to get kids reading.

Back in my day, the kickoff program was held at the old library, which was built by the Carnegie Foundation and located at the corner of Veto and Walnut Streets. The building is now home to the city’s inspection department.

However, after the initial program, we didn’t have to go there weekly to check out new books; our neighborhood had a bookmobile parked at the end of Columbia Avenue.

I remember us kids all waiting for that bus to come down the hill and once it was there, we would all crowd in and hunt for entertaining reads.

Bookmobiles are now a thing of the past, but thank goodness, libraries are still en vogue.

Vicksburg is fortunate to have a public library and we are equally fortunate to have a dedicated staff who are committed and care about our community.