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.
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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
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
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
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!