The Summer Reading Program, sponsored by the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS), is a cooperative effort among the public libraries in Rhode Island to promote reading during the summer school vacation. Research has shown that children who read six or more books during the summer maintain or improve their reading skills, while children who do not lose ground by September. In addition, the Summer Reading Program encourages reading for pleasure, the development of positive attitudes about the public library, and provides constructive activities during this long break from school.

Rhode Island's Summer Reading Program is in its 33rd year with the 2010 theme of "Make a Splash-Read!" for the children's program and "Make Waves at Your Library" for the teen program. Each year the program has grown, and funding is sought from a variety of sources which has included 14 years of support from the McDonald’s Restaurants of Rhode Island. The Institute of Library and Museum Services provides funding through the Library Services and Technology Act. Additional support has come from Citizens Bank, the Pawtucket Red Sox, and Pepsi. Museums, zoos, and other recreational venues in RI support the program with discounts on entry fees for readers who reach goals determined by individual libraries.The combination of government, library, corporate, and grant funding is needed to make the project a reality. The result is an enjoyable and educational summer for children.

Almost 13,700 children and 1,700 teens participated in 2009, from preschoolers whose parents read aloud to them to high school students. For several years, almost two thirds of the children who began the program have completed their library's reading requirement. Incentives are always sought to encourage completion such as weekly raffles for those who have read a book that week, free admission passes to 13 places like the Roger Williams Park Zoo and the Providence Children's Museum for each book read, and prizes and a party at the end. The McDonald’s Restaurants of Rhode Island have provided funding for books as prizes. In 2010, there will be approximately 250 performances by entertainers and educators, along with crafts, activity sheets, and many special theme-related events to encourage continued participation throughout the summer. In 2009, more than 11,600 children and 5,500 adults attended shows in libraries.

OLIS maintains membership in the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) for all Rhode Island public libraries. Through this multi-state cooperative, a manual with clip art on a CD and vouchers to be used for materials such as posters, bookmarks, reading records, and certificates are provided. CSLP allows for cost savings, greater variety of materials, public service announcements, a teen program, and Spanish language materials.

OLIS's Talking Books Plus program supplies reading materials to blind and disabled children and supports programs at Bradley Hospital and Meeting Street School.

An annual evaluation is conducted to measure the effectiveness of the project.

The Summer Reading Program varies in specifics from library to library in response to the needs of the local community and the inventiveness of the library's children's librarian(s). In general, the program runs for five to eight weeks during which time the children read a certain number of books (for instance, six, one per week, or a number determined through a contract with each child) or read for a certain amount of time (15 minutes per day, five times per week, 10 hours). The children report on the books orally or through a variety of projects. Then the child's reading is recorded in his or her reading record and also through a theme-related bulletin board or game sheet. Many libraries are crowded with theme-related items such as paper ice cream cones or tornadoes representing the theme of the year and books the children read. Children can concretely see their progress, and the program maintains its emphasis on the principle that reading is fun.