Based on the findings of a recent three-year study by Dominican University's Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, the authors can confirm what many librarians have long suspected: students who take part in their local library's summer reading program significantly improve their reading skills. This article describes the results of the research conducted by the authors from 2006 to 2009 to test the theory that summer reading programs boost student achievement. They targeted students who were completing third grade because between the end of third grade and the beginning of fourth, students are especially susceptible to summer learning loss. Plus, at the end of third grade, many students are required to take state-administered standardized tests. While other studies have explored summer reading programs from the perspective of schools or have focused on the efforts of individual library systems, theirs is the first national study to tackle the topic from the perspective of public libraries. Their findings showed that third-grade students who participated in summer reading programs scored higher on reading tests at the beginning of fourth grade and did not experience summer learning loss. They also scored higher on the post-tests than students who did not participate. Although students who did not participate in summer reading programs made gains, they did not reach the level of students who did participate. Looking more closely at the test results, students who participated in summer reading programs increased their scores by 4 Lexile points on the Scholastic Reading Inventory, while students who did not participate increased their scores by 15 points. However, even at the end of the summer, students who participated in summer reading programs were still 52 Lexile points ahead of their peers who did not take part. Examining the student reading outcome results, the authors found that those who participated in their local public library summer reading program left school reading at a significantly higher level in spring 2008. When students returned to school in the fall, those who participated in the library program were still reading at a higher level but the difference was no longer statistically significant when compared to students who did not participate. The authors urge library staff, administrators, educators, and others to use these findings to transform attitudes about public library summer reading programs.