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Today's Topics:
1. SRP Promotion VERY LONG! (Cheryl Brown)
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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 06:08:56 -0800 (PST)
From: Cheryl Brown <cheryllibrarian@yahoo.com>
Subject: [PY] SRP Promotion VERY LONG!
To: pubyac list <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Message-ID: <20040316140856.6826.qmail@web21406.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Thank you Pubyacers! I was overwhelmed with responses to my question on
how best to promote SRPs in the local schools. The following are
the responses I received..chock full of easy and creative ideas that
have
worked for others...
Thanks again everyone!
Cheryl Brown
Contact the school librarians ASAP. They will really appreciate the
lead time. I do my presentations by grade level if possible. Our
schools usually have 4 classes at each grade level, so between 80-100
kids.
I use lots of props & audience participation. It makes me more
comfortable because the attention is not focused on me. Using posters
that
are simple, few words, that reinforce what you are telling them. For K
&
1st, I read or tell a story. Older kids, book talk some new titles
(use props) Do what is most enjoyable for you.
Terry
If you can take the time, going class to class is an invaluable way of
reaching
the kids. I take about 20 minutes per class, tell a story, talk up the
SRP,
and hand out flyers. I travel as light as possible (it's tiring!) and
rely
just on my voice and my enthusiasm--no props. Sometimes classes will
double
up, which is fine, but I find that my effectiveness goes down if there
are more
than 40-50 kids in the room: the back-row kids always miss out during
Q&A. I
take 2 full weeks away from my library to go through all the schools in
the
community at the end of the school year, and I think it's the most
valuable 2
weeks of the entire year. The kids always remember me (and expect me
to
remember them: "You came to my class! Remember?").
They recognize me
on the
streets and in the shops. The opportunity to connect in these
relatively
intimate settings means that kids nag their parents to get them to the
library.
It's exhausting but fun, and entirely worthwhile.
Good luck!
Vicky Smith
When I promote the summer reading program to the school I wear a
costume. I dressed as a wolf - theme Wolfing Down Books, Fisher - Hook
a
book, Octopus - Occupy time with reading, dinosaur - reading is
dino-mite.
The costume gets the kids attention and ensure that they talk about in
the playground, the lunchroom and AT HOME. Rather then do an assembly I
visit each class and modify my presentation for each grade. The key is
to make it humorous and put the focus on the kids not how you feel
wearing the costume in front of everyone. By the way. I get into
costume
at the library and drive to the schools. It is "interesting" to
see
what happens at intersections and when I got through the drive through
for
lunch. During the visit I give out handout of the programs offered
during the summer, library card application form and a poster for each
classroom. Make sure you put the beginning date for the program on
everything - otherwise children will come in right after visit to sign
up
for the program.
If you really feel uncomfortable wearing a costume find a huge box the
bigger the better (but make sure it fits through the door and in the
car) Fill the box with props. Create a presentation that has you
pulling different things out of the box as you talk about your program,
the
library and getting a library card. Put your focus on the kids and you
will do fine.
Enid Costley - Hibbing Public Library
We attend the elementary school's awards day ceremony. By
doing that
we get to speak to parents and children. I speak for just a few
minutes
reminding them of our SRP and inviting them to come to the library to
sign up.
We also send a small handout which the school staples to final report
cards
that are mailed out.
Tina Mauney @ Morton Public Library, MS
We make up the summer reading lists for the schools with the
school librarians, and make sure that they're just "good books" not
"great
literature". Then we go to individual classrooms - 4th and 5th grades
only- as we figure the parents will get them into the library when
they're
younger. We do hair-raising book-talks, and invite them to join a
summer
book discussion group meeting three times over the summer. The group
meets
at noon, and they bring brown bag lunches to eat as we discuss the
book. The big draw for the book discussion group is that we meet in a
room
that is normally off-limits to patrons. We've had 1/2 and 1/2 boys and
girls, and about 15 kids attend each discussion. We spent the
classroom
time: book-talking, talking up the discussion group, and "How to sign
up
for summer reading at the library". for about 40 minutes per
class. nancy bonne: bonne@noblenet.org
Last couple of years I have done quizzes related to the theme with kids
competing against the adults. One fun addition has been a "name that
tune"
using tv, cartoon and movie songs. It is amazing how many kids know
the
first few bars to Gilligan's Island and I Love Lucy! I always rig it
so
that the kids win.
Maria Redburn
Irving Public Library
If you have time to provide school visits to schools one class
at
a time, go for it. In my years of experience in three different public
library settings, having that much time is rare. I now am responsible
for
visiting 15 elementary schools (sadly, we don't have staff time to get
into
the middle schools) and it is easier on my voice and energy level to
provide as many all-school assemblies and back-to-back 1/2 school
assemblies as possible. For schools that don't have a large enough
room,
or have too many discipline issues for the assembly to work, we provide
different types of visits with smaller groups of kids.
My colleagues and I have
developed a formula for the
presentation,
which is typically 30 minutes long. We have an opener which might be a
joke, or a magic trick, or a large puppet with portable puppet stage
and
opening music - to introduce the theme, then we introduce ourselves and
talk for a moment about library cards, then launch into the current
year's
reading record and how it works, how many books/hours kids need to read
to
earn each prize, then we show the flashiest prize (last year it was a
pair
of giant sunglasses) and talk about the donated pizza coupon prize. We
tell kids about other parts of the program such as Reader of the Week -
a
weekly drawing - and the Estimating Jar (winners get a free book).
We
have a closer - a story or an activity (one year we did "Joe & the
Button
Factory")
We also have a "Find
the..." activity going on in all of the
library locations during the month of May through the end of school.
"Find
the..." is a very large picture of something theme related, each branch
hides their picture, moving it occasionally, and kids look for the
picture. When they find the picture they don't move it, instead they
go to
the desk and tell where they found it and receive their surprise -
sometimes a temporary tattoo, once a bouncy ball, once a
mini-magnifying
glass. This activity gets kids to beg their parents to bring them to
the
library and then parents can ask about the summer reading program. At
the
school visit I explain that the picture (which I show to the kids)
won't be
hidden under, between or behind any books, videos, etc. They won't
have to
move stuff around to find the picture - then I give them some ideas
about
where it might be hidden, "Might be taped to the ceiling, or in between
bookshelves, or taped to the under side of a table. Look high, look
low
and Find the..."
We also promote the program by
distributing a bookmark about
the
program through the schools - ideally one goes home in every Friday
Folder
in kids' backpacks. And, finally, we send an article to all of the
schools
for them to include in their school newsletters - which go home with
kids
and which parents expect and look for.
Finally, we send two large
posters to each school with the
summer
reading program dates on them for the school librarian to post in
visible
areas. That's in addition to the 2 - 4 posters in each of the library
branches.
I think that's pretty much
everything. -Karen
Karen Lucas
Youth Services Librarian
Madison Public Library, Sequoya Branch
261-9807, 266-6385
It has been my experience that the most effective
school contact has to get all the way to the kids'
parents. Last year I sent flyers with the end-of-year
report card letters and got very good feedback.
Another successful promotion was sending the flyers to
nearby child care centers with summer programs. They
came in droves. Building enthusiasm with the children
is a good thing, but it's the parents who are choosing
summer activities for their kids.
Debra Allen
I saw your post on PUBYAC and wanted to give you a few suggestions. :)
The children's librarians in our system (which is county-wide) pair up
and call schools to set up appointments. We address grades K-4 all at
once, assembly-style.
In the past, we have done a skit related to the SRP's theme. For
example, last year was "Laugh it Up at Your Library" so we did an
Amelia
Bedelia skit.
We also talk briefly about the Summer Reading Program (how it works,
how they can sign up, prizes they can win, etc.) to get the children
pumped up.
We have scheduled our visits in late May and early June, close to the
end of the school year, which is close enough to the start of the
program for the children to remember the information.
Also, our graphics folks design bookmarks stating the SRP starting and
ending date and a few minor detaisl. We bring the bookmarks to the
schools and ask the principals to put them into packets, which go home
with
the students every week.
Another thing you might want to consider is hanging up signs in your
library to generate interest before the program actually starts.
Another
PUBYAC subscriber has mentioned she creates wacky signs asking "What is
the SRP? Is it self-rising poodles? Strawberry-raspberry pie? Silly red
pickles? No! It's the Summer Reading Program! Details coming soon."
I hope this helps you! If you have questions on anything I've mentioned
or would like more information, please respond to this e-mail address.
Thanks, and good luck with your promotions!
Sincerely,
Molly A. DeCleene (children's librarian, Brown County Library, Green
Bay, Wisconsin)
We visit the schools and do a brief presentation to the entire school,
or
perhaps half at a time if the school is large. We usually present a
brief skit or description of the program and have a flyer to take home.
We also use the school newsletters. Here at the library we do posters
and have copies of the flyers. We have a marque in front of our
library
which also advertises the program. Have a great summer.
We go to every school in the area to promote our SLP. I recommend
doing each
class separately or two at a time. The kids will get more out of it
and
have a chance to ask questions. We only talk up the program. We
don't
spend
more than 10-15 minutes per class. The main idea is to get them
excited
about coming to the library in the summer. They won't remember all the
rules, etc and you will have to tell them again when they sign up.
Bulletin boards and getting the teachers to promote it for you are also
good.
We usually give every teacher a poster for the bulletin board when we
go.
Deborah L. Dubois
Children's Outreach Librarian
Mansfield/Richland County Public Library
deborah_dubois@freenet.richland.oh.us
I have promoted our SRP in schools, either by visiting a grade at a
time (which translates in to 7 different visits) or by having groups of
grades. I usually start with explaining who I am (I generally ask,
"Do
any of you think you know who I am?") and talk about library cards and
things you can get at the library. Then I ask if they still like to
hear stories, and they usually say yes. (5th and 6th grade can be a
little tough on that question, so depending on the visit, I may
booktalk.)
I tell a story (hopefully related to our reading program, and then
launch into all the info about the program. I generally hand out
program
schedules (1 for each student) and flyers (1 for each classroom, and a
poster sized one for the media center.)
I am comfortable with doing 2 visits--1/2 the school per visit.
However, make sure you are comfortable with the size, and get your
manager's
approval. It can be very draining, but well worth it. I also found
that the older grades are better behaved if they have a class or two
from
a younger grade with them. The best for me was when the afternoon
kindergarten classes came with the 6th graders. It was amazing!
If you'd like more info on what we do here in Dakota County, MN, let me
know.
Hope this helps,
Sincerely,
Anne C.R Friederichs
Children's Librarian
Dakota County Library, Wescott
1340 Wescott Road
Eagan, MN 55123
phone: 651.688.1526
e-mail: Anne.Friederichs@co.dakota.mn.us
We generally do a skit related to the SRP theme for the grades up
to fourth grade. For 5th and 6th, we do booktalks. We go out in
pairs. If you have the people, it's a great way to make sure that all
the
info gets covered.
Whether we do a big assembly or smaller
groups depends on the
school and it's schedule. We try to encourage them to give us larger
groups, but ultimately we're grateful they're letting us into their
building, so we adjust to what they give us.
Clare Meehan
Carol Stream Public Library
Carol Stream, IL
I do it however the school prefers. My preference is to talk to
anentire grade at a time and taking about 10-15 minutes to talk about
theclub
and the programs. I can get to about 5-7 minutes to go toindividual
classes, but since I have 7 schools to visit....it saves thevoice if I
don't have to go class to class. I like splitting out thegrades so I
can
tailor to the ages--how you sell to a kindergartner isway different
from
6th grade! I have been the guest on morningannouncements before (kinda
fun!). The last couple of years, I've takena puppet to help me. It is a
bit of an icebreaker and even the olderelem. kids like it (though, of
course, they'd NEVER admit it!!!) andmakes it where they don't just
hear
"me" talking!One thing I would like to do (time for me and the schools
permitting,of course, which is why it hasn't been done!) would be to
spend a wholeday at a school, 30-45 minutes for each grade, talking
about
SRC andthen booktalking (for the 3rd-6th grades) and/or reading (K-2)
new booksthat they can find at my library (hopefully good bait to reel
themin!!).Beverly K.Hurst Public LibraryHurst, TX
Hello, Cheryl! We have done school visits for a few years now. I
think the format depends on your personality and the school's wishes.
We
have three people in our department that go out on visits. Our dept.
coordinator tries to match us up with our areas of specialty
(preschool,
elementary, teen) when sending us out, but we all end up visiting the
whole range of ages just due to scheduling conflicts like reference
desk
duties and class visits at the library.
Our preschool person likes to storytell and doesn't mind doing the
300-400 person groups in gyms and auditoriums that some schools
request. I
like to read a picture book to the younger grades and booktalk to the
older grades and I prefer single classes. Many of our schools allow us
to come in during the classes' scheduled library time. I like doing
small groups because it's easier to share books and booktalks with
them.
They can sit close enough to see the covers on booktalks and the
pictures on JEs. I try to take new stuff that they may not yet have in
the
public schools. Last year for the 5th and 6th graders I took the Holes
Survival Guide which practically none of the kids had seen, but they'd
all just seen the movie in April. Class after class, even if they
hadn't read the book, which many had, having seen the movie allowed
them to
enjoy the "quiz" I read to them from the book.
We visit private and public schools, preschools, and even a few daycare
centers. The local high school has video announcements on Fridays, so
the teen person has gone over and recorded a spot.
Putting aside the debate over giving prizes for reading, since we use
them, we utilize them by taking a sample of the "big" prize from our
goody bag along with us on visits to the kids who would be in the J
program. (Our goody bag typically has a pencil, sticker, bookmark,
couple
pieces of candy and one or two other prizes.) We use the themes from
the
multi-state consortium, so last year with the "Laugh it Up @ Your
Library" we had whoopee cushions (blue elephant shaped-the kids loved
them),
and the year before with "Join the Winner's Circle" we had gone with
the multicultural theme, so we had flipsticks (Chinese yo-yos). They
were also very popular. In both cases, there were kids who would come
in
and say, I finished the level so I can get the yo-yo (or cushion).
We'll do it again this year.
We take the smaller half-sheet posters for every classroom, and large
ones for the office or hallway. We haven't done bulletin boards in the
schools, but it sounds like a good idea. (I can count 16 buildings
with elementary in the county and just don't have time to do that.)
Hope this helps! Good luck with your SRP-enjoy!
Cheers,
Judy Czarnecki
Judy Czarnecki
Youth Services Associate
Chippewa River District Library System
Mt. Pleasant, MI
We do two assemblies K-3 and 4-6. In the assemblies we do a couple
ofparticipation poems, two interactive stories, one selecting students
to
actout roles as we tell the story, and one selecting teachers to play
roles aswe tell the story. Then we talk brielfy about the summer
reading
program.P.s. We also send out a half sheet flier announcing the summer
readingprogram to every student in our district. The school district
approves anddistributes them through the schools.Renee AustinChildren's
LibrarianNapa City-County Library
Hey! We go into the schools every year for summer reading and it's one
ofmy favorite things to do. We always do a huge assembly K-5th, often
theawards assembly. We do a skit or play that we've adapted to our
theme, orwritten our own, and then enlist the teachers to play the
parts.
We alwayshave wacky costumes and crazy lines and the kids LOVE to see
their teachersacting silly! At first (8-9 years ago) the teachers were
reluctant, butthey've really jumped on board and get into it! After
the skit, we justtalk up the program and that's about it! We also do
up
a little flyer andthe school stuffs them in the last grade card for us.
It's fun, and itreally gets me excited and ready to jump in!Have fun
and Good Luck!!
>From my personal experience, I've found that a funny skit or
interactivegame (a couple of years back when I last did SRP school
visits, we did
atakeoff on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.") can be very successful
inhelping the kids remember the salient details.After doing our schpiel
and presenting all the basic facts, we testedtheir knowledge with our
game.For example:For the reading club, you need to read:a) no booksb) a
million booksc) five books (or whatever the appropriate number is)This
summer, you should reada) the dictionaryb) your sister's diaryc) books
you like at your reading levelThe kids really liked the humor and it
helped them to remember thedetails like dates, etc. from our
presentation.Andrea Johnsonajohnson@cooklib.orgCook
Memorial Public
LibraryLibertyville, IL
I have to admit that I am not creative at all. I did do the all school
assembly for a while but found it very
unsatifactory. When you have 10 minutes to talk to 500 kids all
sitting on the gym floor, giggling and hitting their neighbor
I knew I wasn't getting anything across to them. I did not do any kind
of skit with other staff members - we just don't have the staff and
time. Now I talk to all the 4th graders (they are the oldest in the
building) and booktalk about 10 books. Last year I included about 3-4
non-fiction titles at the last minute and let me tell you the boys ate
them
up and the books did check out all summer long. We also have a 5th-6th
building and last spring I booktalked 10 books to them, all 804 of
them!! It was a blast. I love to booktalk and the kids seemed to like
it
too. Hope this helps.
Jeanne
Don't forget to place an article in the PTA newsletter. Even if you
interest the children, you won't get them in your door if their parents
never think to take them. And we all know how many parents there are
out
there who never think to take their kids to the library.
Peg Siebert
Blodgett Library
Fishkill, NY
Cheryl Brown
email: cheryllibrarian@yahoo.com
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Cheryl Brown
email: cheryllibrarian@yahoo.com
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End of PUBYAC Digest, Vol 10, Issue 26
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