Promoting The Idea 2011
Below are some ideas on how you can promote the Summer Reading Club within your local community. When promoting the program, keep in mind that you want to promote to non-library visitors and people that may not have participated in a Summer Reading Club before as well as to existing library users.
- Library displays – Create a display close to the library entrance or near the Children/Young Adult areas. Make the displays fun and interesting, include the posters and bookmarks as well as items that children and young people can borrow, display the art work, stories and activities that children have created as apart of the program. The website contains different images of the characters that you may want to print out and decorate your display.You could also leave some bookmarks at the counter and hand them out to visitors as the borrow items.
- School visits – Primary and secondary schools are a good place to promote the Summer Reading Club and other public library services. Contact your local schools and ask if you can have an article in the school newsletter or go and speak about the Summer Reading Club at assembly. You could even send them posters and bookmarks to put in their school library. Here are some suggestions when visiting the schools:
- Read a story to make your message more memorable for the younger children or have a display of some of the things available for borrowing at the library that young people might be interested in.
- Tell the assembly or include in your email / letter what activities participants can do in the Summer Reading Club website and at your library, mention the prizes available and how they can register to participate.
- Often schools and teachers are really busy and may find it hard to get back to you, make sure you give them lots of notice before you plan to run your club so that you can organise a time to drop into the school before end of term. A letter for schools is included in the templates. After editing it to include your information, post it out to all the schools in your area. If possible, include a poster and a time table of your events or email them the information along with a digital copy of the poster.
- Local media – Local media are always interested and looking for local stories from the community. Included on the website is a media release that you can customise to distribute to the local newspapers and radio stations. Perhaps you can stage a photo opportunity with a local identity or people dressed up?
- A great idea is to send out a second media release to the local paper shortly after you start running the club. Invite them to write an article and take photos of one of your activities. This can be a great way to promote other activities you have planned and encourage more people to sign up to the club.
- Parents – Advertise the program in venues that parents frequent e.g. child care centres, supermarkets, dentists, doctors’ surgeries and real estate agencies to catch the attention of parents new to the area. Send information to Schools’ Parents groups.
- Community groups – Similar to school visits, you may be able to send information and/or go and talk to local community groups such as Scouts and Guides, sporting clubs, youth groups and church groups.
- Young people – One of the best ways to reach out to young people is through other young people. Talk to the young people who visit your library, if there interested they will tell their friends about the club or may be able to suggest places that young people may see your posters such as a shopping centre or youth space area. Your council’s youth officer will have direct access to young people and may also be able to them pass on information.
- Local Council – Email council staff involved in youth and community development or send information to the staff newsletter about the Summer Reading Club. If your library or council has an email update or newsletter they send to residents, get an article about the Summer Reading Club included in the December and January issue.
- Vacation Care programs – Approach the local vacation care programs and offer to run a session on the website or invite them to weekly activity sessions in the library.