Infopeople Webcast Series: Promoting Reading in Your Community

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Infopeople Webcast Series Promoting Reading in
Your Community
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Promoting Reading To Adults
Thurs., Oct. 23, 2003, 1200 noon to 100 p.m

• Presenter Katie ODell
• pdxkatie_at_yahoo.com

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Technical Housekeeping

• Use Chat window to ask questions or post to group
• Click IM button to send a private message
• For technical problems, send IM to HorizonHelp
• Evaluation pops up during QA please fill it out
• Webcast is being archived will be available on
  Infopeoples website tomorrow

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Todays Webcast

• What is Reading Promotion?
• What are the three levels of Reading Promotion?
• How can we build community partnerships to
  increase promotion?

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What is Reading Promotion?

• Encouragement and support of active reading for
  pleasure and information
• Making resources available to adults in our
  communities and promoting those services to
  increase the popularity of reading

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How Is It Different From Adult Literacy?

• Adult Literacy the ability to read, write, and
  speak in English, and compute and solve problems
  at levels of proficiency necessary to function on
  the job and in society, achieve one's goals, and
  develop one's knowledge and potential
• Reading Promotion supporting and endorsing the
  act of reading for pleasure and information

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Why It Matters for Your Library?

• Advertises readers advisory services
• Expands readers resources
• Encourages use of the library
• Builds bonds in the community
• Increases circulation

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Level One Promotion

• Basic services or resources your library can
  provide at low or no cost
• Booklists
• Readers Advisory
• Website resources
• Merchandizing

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Booklists

• Annotate!!!
• Genre, regional, nonfiction
• Unique lists

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Readers Advisory

• 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 to library newsletters and community
  newspapers

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Web Site Resources

• Devote a page for reading promotion
• Online current booklists
• Book discussion information
• Form for patrons to submit their own reviews

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Merchandising

• Create simple standards
• Design an effective browsing experience
• Rotate responsibility
• Stock frequently
• Props can get in the way
• Spread the work out

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Level Two Promotion

• Involves more resources in terms of staff time
  and or budget
• Takes some coordination
• Can benefit greatly from skilled use of
  volunteers
• Book Discussion Group
• Writers Critique Groups
• Book Promotion Services
• Staff and Volunteer Training

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Book Discussion Groups

• Library Book Groups Perfect Fit!
• Run by Staff or Trained Volunteers
• For a New Group Poll Community
• Group Members by Interest
• Consider a Virtual Book Group

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Writers Critique Groups

• Writers groups libraries perfect fit
• Meeting room space
• Monthly program featuring local authors, poets,
  essayists
• Volunteer or guild member as point person

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Book Promotion Services

• Programs, displays, and/or handouts that
  highlight the latest and greatest
• Holiday gift giving booktalk program
• New books section
• Staff picks

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Staff and Volunteer Training

• Minimum of one readers advisory training
  opportunity per year
• bring in expert
• attend conferences
• staff created
• Extend training opportunity to volunteers who run
  book groups or create displays

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Level Three Promotion

• Joins the talents of your library staff with more
  complicated planning and partnerships
• Can make a high impact with your community and
  build very strong relationships between patrons,
  the love of reading, and the public library.
• Author readings or lectures
• Community Group Reading
• Reading Promotions
• Literary Awards
• Community Partnerships

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Author Readings or Lectures

• Local authors
• Nationally known authors
• Book tours
• Lecture

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Community Group Reading

• Washington Center for the Book at Seattle Public
  Library started What if All of Seattle Read the
  Same Book?
• California The Grapes of Wrath
• Build off state pick
• Create unique community pick
• Partner with community agencies
• MANY resources on Web to help

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Reading Promotions

• Author features on Web site
• author spotlight
• book discussion groups
• update frequently
• Adult summer reading club
• most recognizable library programs
• donations for free coffee or discounts at local
  book stores
• adults can track reading and feel closer
  connection to the library

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Literary Awards

• Create on your own or with partnering agency
• Local author
• Staff favorite
• Community pick
• Voting box vs. Qualified judges
• Press release, conference, ceremony
• Library as THE source for reading resources

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Community Partnerships

• Combining resources and audience to create
  something bigger and better
• Partnerships for reading promotion for adults
• community education or neighborhood groups
• community philanthropic organizations
• businesses
• other government agencies
• parent and teacher associations

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Potential Projects?

• Level One Promotion
• stock materials at adult education sites
• Level Two Promotion
• work with writers group to start monthly
  spotlight
• Level Three Promotion
• organize book discussion groups at local
  businesses, schools, or other government agencies

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Handouts

• Class outline
• Web resources for readers advisory
• Print resources for readers advisory
• Web resources for book discussion groups and
  programming
• Print resources for book discussion groups and
  programming

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How to Contact Katie ODell

• pdxkatie_at_yahoo.com

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Questions and Answers