Reading buddies
Fall Reading Buddies
Reading Buddies pairs teenage volunteers ages 13-17 with children in grades 1-3. The Buddies meet every week to do fun reading-related activities. Applications for Big Buddies open on August 31, and Little Buddies registration opens September 20.
Reading Buddies pairs teenage volunteers ages 13-17 with children in grades 1-3 for a fun, welcoming hour of books and activities each week. It's one of our favorite programs at the Louisville Public Library, and kids and teens keep coming back session after session.
Big Buddy applications open August 31 and are due September 21.
Little Buddy registration opens on a rolling basis, 2 weeks before each session date. Register only for the dates you'd like to attend.
How it works
Teen volunteers (Big Buddies) commit to the full 7-week session. Little Buddies register session by session and may attend as many or as few dates as they'd like. Because of this, a Big Buddy may read with a different Little Buddy at each meeting, rather than being paired with the same child all session.
If your child (Little Buddy) would like to be paired with a specific Big Buddy, please arrive 10 minutes early to that session. We will do our best to accommodate pairing requests, but we cannot guarantee them.
During each meeting, Buddies read together and do fun reading-related activities. The goal is to get kids excited about reading and the library. Reading Buddies is not a tutoring program.
The program is run by Reading Buddies Coordinators, who are experienced teen volunteers, under the supervision of library staff.
Who can join
| Role | Who Can Apply |
|---|---|
| Little Buddy | Children currently in grades 1-3 |
| Big Buddy | Teens ages 13-17 |
How to apply/register
Big Buddies: Apply through our volunteer management system. Applications open a few weeks before each session begins. Big Buddies who are accepted commit to attending all 7 weeks of the session.
Little Buddies: Register using our online event calendar. Registration for each session date opens 2 weeks before that date. You can register for one date or several — just pick what works for your family, and register again closer to the date for weeks further out.
We run a waitlist for Little Buddy registration. If you register but later find you can't attend, please cancel as soon as possible so a waitlisted child can take the spot.
Fall 2026 session dates
All sessions meet on Sundays from 3:30 to 4:30 PM.
- Sunday, October 4
- Sunday, October 11
- Sunday, October 18
- Sunday, October 25
- Sunday, November 1
- Sunday, November 8
- Sunday, November 15
Required training for new teen volunteers
New Big Buddies who are accepted into the program must attend a training session.
- Date: September 27
- Time: 3:30 to 4:00 PM
- Format: Zoom (a link will be sent before the training)
Returning Big Buddies do not need to attend training again. If you cannot attend the training on the scheduled date, please contact us.
Program guidelines
- Parents and caregivers are required to stay in the building during the program.
- Little Buddies must remain in the Children's area for the full session.
- Big Buddies are asked to commit to all 7 session dates. If something comes up and you need to miss a date, please contact us by email as soon as possible.
- Little Buddies should register only for the dates they plan to attend. If your plans change, please cancel your registration promptly so a waitlisted child can take your spot.
Questions
We are happy to help with questions or with the application or registration process.