Read & win stuff: maximizing teen summer reading participation. Jessy Griffith...

Read & win stuff:maximizing teen summer reading participation.

Jessy Griffith (jessy.griffith@kentonlibrary.org)Teen Librarian

William E Durr (Independence) Branch, Kenton County Public Library

What do you want to talk about? What do you want to know?

There’s an idea that teen librarians need to be “young” or “cool” in teens’ eyes.

I HAD 474 TEENS READ 2848 BOOKS LAST SUMMER.

That’s pretty awesome, right?

building summer reading participation starts in April.

scheduling class visits is like lobster fishing

• sometimes you catch a delicious lobster.

• sometimes you get a boot.• make your traps big &

spread out!

class visit considerations

• when do your schools do testing? • who will let you into their classes?• are you ARENA ROCK or intimate club setting?• what resources can you use to get into classrooms?

your friendly neighborhood teen librarian wants to take you out to dinner!

Hello everyone!As your school year winds down, KCPL’s summer reading contest is getting ready to start!Last year, I visited 711 middle and high school students to tell them about all the great stuff they can win by reading this summer. Just at the Durr (Independent) Branch, we had almost 2000 books read over the summer by your students.This year, I want to break that record! More books, more summer reading, more class visits! So I’m running a raffle contest: for every class I visit, that teacher/media specialist/etc gets one chance to win a $50 gift card to Darden Restaurant Group (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, or Longhorn Steakhouse). The more of your classes I visit, the more chances you have to win! Because I know that after a long school year, what could be nicer than a free and delicious dinner? If you would like to schedule a visit where I come and talk to your students about summer reading, upcoming library programs, and all of the awesome books, magazines, ebooks, music, movies, video games, etc. at the library, please send me an email of when you are available.

what happens at a class visit?• talk about the prizes!• stress how easy it is to enter!• make it as basic as possible!• give out something simple that advertises your SRP!• pass around fun books & magazines!– origami– Ripley’s Believe It or Not– comics– Tiger Beat

who are your patrons?

• do you need a library card to participate in summer reading?

• how are your under-16 patrons getting to the library?

• what grade/age does “teen” start at?• when does it end?

summer reading entry form

• name• school & grade• phone/email• book title• book author• book rating (1-5)• library branch

online summer reading.

• http://www.google.com/google-d-s/createforms.html

• FREE.

building summer reading participation starts with prize selection.

I lied.

what $150 can get you.

when you give it away is important too.

should we give away books as summer reading prizes?

what do your teens want?

• a guaranteed pencil/keychain/etc.– guaranteed until they lose it, that is.

• a chance at an iPod.• How do you find out what they want?

buy-in doesn’t come from money.

• teens want to give you input.

• ask them!• come to my KPLA

presentation!

what do you include?

• program attendance?• books, audio books, ebooks, magazines,

newspapers, short story collections, manga, graphic novels, comics…

• picture books read aloud• fanfiction

what about cheaters?

• still visiting the website/library• karma• my to-do list• the intrinsic laziness of the middle schooler in

summer

how will they know?

• they try to phone but they can’t speak– too shy.

I’m asking you ‘cause you know about these things.

• the prize is your ad.• facebook & pagemodo• bookmarks!• bring a newbie

why I hate sign ups

• these teens read zero books!• simplicity• do you like sign ups? why?

party time? excellent?

libraries where src is a goal and librarians do something “wacky”

Alabaugh challenged her teen readers to sign up for the teen summer reading program at Rocky River Public Library. If more than 200 teens signed up, Alabaugh pledged to dress up in a different pirate costume every day for one week.

However, Alabaugh wasn’t satisfied with just having teens sign up. She wanted to encourage them to read more than last year’s teens. So she again made a pledge: If the teens read more than 1,000 books, she would dye her hair hot pink for a whole month.

http://www.westlifenews.com/2010/09-08/librarian.html