Readers ages 18 and up are invited to join us as we compete against libraries in other towns named Clinton for a summer reading challenge! We’ll take on readers from the Kirkland Town Library in Clinton, New York, the North County Branch Library in Clinton, New Jersey, the Bigelow Free Library in Clinton, Massachusetts, and the Clinton Public Library in Clinton, Iowa to see who can read the most this summer.

All you have to do is keep track of how long you spend reading each week. You can read books, magazines, or newspapers, listen to an audiobook, or anything you can borrow from the library. It counts! Visit the library to get a Clinton Challenge Reading Log.

Every Friday from May 31 through September 6, let us know how long you’ve read during the week. You can snip this week from your reading log and drop it off or email your total to ross13@rosslibrary.org. We’ll tally the hours and see how we stack up against the competition. Every week that you submit your time, you’ll be entered in a raffle to win a fun prize at the end of the summer.

The fun began back in 2021 when a librarian from Clinton, New York, challenged the patrons of her childhood library in Clinton, New Jersey, to see who could read the most. At the end of that first summer, New York prevailed with 2,492 hours.

In the second year, Clinton County, Pennsylvania joined the race. Although the three libraries were neck-and-neck all summer, Clinton, New Jersey made a last-minute dash and won by just one hour with a total of 5,914 hours.

Clinton, Massachusetts joined the fun in 2023 and proved to be stiff competition, but New York regained the trophy with 9,901 hours read.

This year, the competition has expanded west with the addition of the Clinton Public Library in Clinton, Iowa. With more than 40 different towns named Clinton in the United States, the competition will keep growing year after year.

Stop in the library, check our website, or follow us on social media for updates throughout the summer. Thanks for joining our team and helping us show the country that this Clinton loves to read!