Zoom in on your location to find the participating installation nearest to you!

Locations are color-coded by service (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force & Space Force), but remember that eligible patrons can participate in any Summer Reading Program, even if that base doesn't match your service affiliation. 

Or view the complete list here. Use CTRL + F to search for your base name, then click the URL. 

DoD Summer Reading Program is an annual initiative that aims to support strong reading habits all summer long. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, military bases worldwide will offer multi-week programs jam-packed with themed events, learning opportunities, and rewards for dedicated readers. 

Listen to our 2024 MilitaryOneSource podcast episode to learn more about Summer Reading Program.

How It Works

After finding your installation's Beanstack page or the DoD Virtual SRP, follow these instructions to participate:

1. Register or sign in online or through the Beanstack mobile app. You can share one account for multiple readers in your household to make logging and tracking your rewards simple and convenient. 

2. Log your reading. Input how much time you read each day. Remember that you read (and listen) more than you realize! Forgot to log one day? No problem! Beanstack allows you to back-log up to 90 days. 

3. Earn badges and compete with other readers! At intervals set for your reading level, you'll begin earning badges for your achievement. Make sure you pay attention to the badges--there may be instructions on how to claim your prizes!

Literacy is about more than just books!

DoD Summer Reading asks readers to count their total minutes read, not total books, to allow fair logging and increase reading confidence. It doesn't matter how quickly you read—it matters that you stay consistent and dedicated to create healthy habits and improve your literacy skills!

Remember that literacy also includes:

• Digital Literacy: The ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills 
• Information Literacy: The ability to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information (critical thinking, as well as research skills)
• Financial Literacy: An understanding of basic financial principles to be an informed consumer and manage one’s finances
• Health Literacy: Skills for managing one’s health and well-being, including making effective decisions and partnering with healthcare providers to live a full, productive life
• Media Literacy: An informed, critical understanding of mass media, including the ability to evaluate sources and synthesize information

For Warfighters, Present and Future: 

DoD SRP is designed to motivate our current and future military members and strengthen the readiness and resiliency of our Armed Forces. For current service members, career advancement requires continued training and education. No matter where you are in your career, literacy skills will be vital. Each Service has Professional Reading Programs and Military Professional Education requirements that must be met. Participating in SRP encourages reading for recreation and professional development.

Military children are twice as likely to serve in the military and that 44% of teen dependents say that they plan to serve in the future. Joining SRP helps prospective service members get a stronger head-start for their futures. 

For Civilians and Retirees: 

Studies show that reading on a regular basis, especially reading for fun, will improve your memory, reduce stress, and increase overall cognitive function.  Literacy skills are also essential for professional development and advancement.

For Families: 

Military families face significant educational challenges, especially since moving disrupts schooling. Participating in Summer Reading reduces learning loss (the “summer slide”) and provides a consistent experience throughout the DoD with the same theme and graphics. Families can start the SRP at one installation and seamlessly transfer to the SRP at their next installation.

Summer Reading also offers families with free learning and entertainment activities all summer long! Participation in library events gives families the opportunity to work together, learn new skills, engage with their community, and support one another. 

Summer Reading Prevents the Summer Slide

Summer Reading Program provides an easy way to encourage and incentivize education between school years. By providing a platform where families can work together to learn, grow, and earn rewards for their hard work, DoD MWR Libraries assist with combatting the summer slide. There have been countless readers of all ages who have mentioned that making a simple commitment like reading 30 minutes a day had significantly improved their mental agility and helped them stay prepared for school in the fall. 

Research spanning decades shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer. Of even greater concern, summer reading loss is cumulative. Children don’t “catch up” in fall because the other children are moving ahead with their skills. Summer reading programs can help.

National research from Dominican University finds students who participate in public library summer reading programs scored higher on reading achievement tests at the beginning of the next school year than those who did not participate. 

Parents of children enrolled in the public library summer reading program also reported that their children spent more time reading over the summer, read more books, were well-prepared for school in the fall, and read more confidently. Free, voluntary reading is essential to helping students become better readers, writers, and spellers.

According to former Education Secretary Arne Duncan, “A key step toward stopping the summer slide is the development and launch of high-quality programs that take advantage of time outside of the school day and year to help children learn, grow and develop.”

Library Engagement Creates Lifelong Learners

• There’s so much to see, so much to do, so much to learn at your library! The library is a place to learn, read, and have fun...a place the whole family can enjoy. In fact, over 900,000 patrons attend library programs on DoD installations every year.
• Studies show that children who are read to at home and who use the library perform better in school and are more likely to continue to use the library as a source of lifetime learning.
• The amount of time children spend reading outside of school is linked to gains in reading achievement. Numerous studies show that access to books and magazines is directly related to higher reading achievement.
• Beanstack is available to log your reading time throughout the year. You can see statistics on how much time you’ve logged over the course of a month or a year, which is a fantastic tool for parents. Even if there is no active challenge at your installation, readers and families can get creative with sticker charts at home or even rewards like ice cream outings or tickets to a sporting event once they reach a milestone. 

Source: Dominican University IMLS-funded research: Public Library
Summer Reading Programs Close the Reading Gap

Each year, DoD readers log decades—sometimes centuries—of reading time. In 2025, our total minutes logged exceeded 213 YEARS of reading! 

Thank you to all that helped make 2025 a success. Can't wait to see what we achieve this year!