Transcript Hook Them for Life! Promoting Reading to Youth February, 2004 Presenter: Katie O’Dell [email protected] Today’s Agenda  What is Reading Promotion?  Reader’s Advsiory and Outreach Programs  Summer Reading and.

Hook Them for Life!
Promoting Reading to
Youth
February, 2004
Presenter: Katie O’Dell
[email protected]
Today’s Agenda

What is Reading Promotion?

Reader’s Advsiory and Outreach Programs

Summer Reading and Programming

How to Make Your Case
Expectations

Listen openly

Asses critically

Implement thoughtfully
Goals





Get familiar with the idea of reading promotion
Feel energized to look at your current library
services with a fresh eye
Learn new ways to approach outreach service to
promote reading
Recognize the importance of summer reading
and/or year-round reading programs and be able
to articulate to administers what should be
improved in your program
Leave with at least five new ideas for
programming that promotes reading
Who Am I?

Reading Promotions Coordinator for Multnomah
County Library

Active in ALA and ALSC

Author of two books (listed in biblio)

Mama of a gorgeous little boy

Love to read, knit, walk and get pedicures
Introductions

Name

Where you work and your position

What you hope to leave here with

What you enjoy most about your
job
Section One
What is Reading Promotion?

Encouragement and support of active
reading for pleasure and information

Making resources available to youth
in our communities and promoting
those services to increase the
popularity of reading
Why It Matters for Your Library?

Creates life long readers and library users
 Increases

circulation
Supports work of schools and families
 Builds
intergenerational bonds in the
community



Creates new relationships with parents
Advertises readers’ advisory services
Attracts funding through grants and
sponsors
Small Group Breakout
Exercise One

Share five things your library currently
does to promote reading to youth

Select two services to share with the large
group
Section Two
Reader’s Advisory & Outreach

Reader’s Advisory
 Best
Practices
 Booklists
 Web Site Resources

Outreach
 Early
Childhood
 School Age
 Young Adults
Readers’ Advisory
Best Practices
 Identify
strengths in reading knowledge of each staff
member and post to your intranet
 Use
a small portion of each staff meeting to rotate
booktalks to increase readers’ advisory knowledge
 Promote
staff reading knowledge through “staff picks”
display, promotional stickers or buttons
 Submissions
newspapers
to library newsletters and community
Booklists
 Annotate!!!
 Multiple
audiences: youth,
parents, and educators
 Available
at multiple outlets
Web Site Resources



Reading promotion main feature of site

Form for young patrons to submit their own reviews

Contests and opinion polls

Online reading programs and reading logs
Links to authors, illustrators, and book sites

Online current booklists

Book discussion information, virtual book group
Create email lists for youth and parents
Sample Sites to Check Out

Multnomah County Library


San Francisco Public Library


www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/
Calgary Public Library


www.sfpl.org/sfplonline/kids/kids.htm
The Internet Public Library


www.multcolib.org/kids
www.calgarypubliclibrary.com/kids/welcome.htm
School Library Journal Site of the Month

www.slj.com
Outreach Connections

Early Childhood

School Age

Young Adults
Early Childhood: Making the
Connection

Connecting with

Parents

Childcares

Preschools

Social Service agencies
Connecting with Parents and
Caregivers

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
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New library card pack to hospitals and birth centers
Stock booklists at pediatrician’s offices
Consider age specific storytimes for babies, wobblers,
and preschoool
Advertise your services to play groups, indoor gyms,
park and recreation programs
Connect caregivers to library services through visits,
email, mentoring, book packs, storytime training
Offer licensed child care providers the same
considerations you offer teachers: longer checkout
times, higher hold limit, reduced fines, etc.
Connecting with Preschools and
Social Service Agencies




Build relationships with preschools and
social service agencies through visits,
email, and mailings
Extend invitations to appropriate staff
trainings to staff
Rotating collection of book sets
Trade promotional space with social service
agencies to expand potential audience
School Age: Building the
Relationship

New opportunity to build a relationship
between burgeoning independent child and
library
 Library card campaigns
 Book groups
 Direct sign-up for reading programs
Library Card Campaigns
Getting the cards to the kids
 Working with schools
 Annual event
 Allowing youth and teens to work off
fines or offer restitution days
 Bookmark with tips on managing library
card

Book Discussion
Groups


School age is prime time for book discussion
groups
Bring the group to the school, then link back to
the library

Encourage student ownership of the group

Plan special events to build buy-in

Talk It Up! Web site: www.multcolib.org/talk/
Direct Sign-ups




Don’t wait for school age kids to come to
you
Partner with local schools to reach entire
population
Sign-up students for summer reading while
they are still in school
Award certificate/prize to school with
greatest percentage or greatest increase in
sign-ups, send out media alert
Outreach for Young Adults



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It is all about service and collections
Offer opportunities to reduce fines
Consult with teens on library policies and
services
Promote like crazy!
 Advertise
in high school newspapers
 Collect email addresses
 Send monthly flyers/emails to media specialists
Small Group Breakout
Exercise Two

Brainstorm what additional reader’s
advisory and outreach services your
library could do to promote reading

Each person selects three ideas to share
in “power” circle
Lunch Time!
See you back at 1 p.m.
Section Three
Summer Reading & Programming

Summer Reading
 What
you give
 What you get
 Year Round Reading programs

Programming
 Current
programs
 New Ideas
Summer Reading
What you give . . . .

Make the most of this recognizable library service for
youth

Offer summer reading to all ages

Keep them reading all summer

Offer incentives and philanthropic opportunities

Online registration option

Partner with schools

Keep your statistics! It is worth it!
Summer Reading
What you get . . .

Generate amazing sponsorship
opportunities

Form close bond with schools

Build stronger community partnerships

Create life long library users and fans

Energize the volunteer program

Craft library’s role as THE place for reading
Year Round Reading Programs
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Are you crazy?
Research supports daily reading
More low key than summer hoopla
Family centered with library link
Great vehicle to promote school year
services and programs
Programming to
Promote Reading

Relate all programming back to library
collection and reading interests

Book Discussion Groups

Library sleepovers

Program series that explores popular topics
like science, history, animals

After-school reading club or program time
Author and Illustrator Visits

Can work for all ages

Spend as much or as little as you want

Low cost - local or new authors and illustrators,
out on book tours, appearing at conferences

More investment - bringing in nationally known
talents, share with local libraries or schools,
involve youth in planning and preparation
Breakout Session
Exercise Three


Complete Exercise #3
Share your response with your partner
Resources for Making Your Case

How to Make Your Case to Administrators

How to Make Your Case to Staff

How to Make Your Case to Funders
Small Group Breakout
Exercise Four

Choose one small group member’s idea
for a program or service and create a
pitch on the improvements you would like
to make. Your pitch could be to fellow staff,
administrators, or outside funders.
Questions and Answers
How to Contact Katie O’Dell
[email protected]
Please fill out your evaluations. Thank you!