Reading for Life
The National Year of Reading achieved great success in Knowsley through the combined efforts of various services and partners. Those involved included; the Directorate of Children's and Family Services, the Library Service, Family and Community Education, Primary Care Trust, Arts Unit, Knowsley Community College, Youth Service, Children's Centres, and individual Head Teachers and Councillors, and we have continued to build on these partnerships, some long established and some newly formed, to promote reading to everyone in Knowsley.
One particular result of the year's success was the appointment of a Family Reading Matters Coordinator to support an authority wide strategic approach to supporting literacy in the home. This post will be funded by DCSF and managed nationally by the National Literacy Trust as part of a pilot project. We are particularly proud that Knowsley was chosen as one of only four local authorities nationwide to take part in this pilot.
Another first for Knowsley was the opportunity to work with Sarah Maclennan as a Reader in Residence. Based in Halewood Library, Sarah worked in the library and the wider community to promote reading, our Reading Challenges, and helped customers to find new authors and genres to read. During the winter Sarah has been working with emergent readers, and she will shortly undertake some Reader Development work in Huyton Library following its reorganisation.
As part of the family reading focus our theme this year has been storytelling, and during our 'Around Knowsley in 80 Reads' event, storytellers visited various venues including Acorn Farm in Kirkby, and the National Wildflower Centre in Huyton.
For our annual Creative Writing Competition would-be authors have been asked to write a bedtime story or modern nursery rhyme. Curtis Watt, a rap artist and performance poet will judge the entries, and an awards ceremony will take place on World Book Day, March 4th, 2010.
Numbers
Are we getting the message across?
Yes, but there is still work to be done.
1006 people took part in our adult, teenage and children's Summer Reading Challenges
Over the summer 138,825 books were borrowed from Knowsley Libraries
1571 people listened to a storyteller, wrote a poem or came to a reading event.
Reading for Life 2010
Where next?
Reading for Life 2009 has continued the passion for reading that was ignited in 2008 with the National Year of Reading. The momentum will continue in 2010 when "Around Knowsley in 80 Reads" will be hitting the road again. This is now becoming an annual event, and hopefully will go from strength to strength.
Dates for 2010
- January: The Six Book Challenge will be launched to encourage emergent readers to read for pleasure.
- February: Telling Tales Programme launches
- March: World Book Day
- May: Adult Learner's Week
- June: Bookstart Day
- July-Sept: The Summer Reading Challenges
- October: Around Knowsley in 80 Reads, National Poetry Day, Children's Book Week
For more information on Knowsley libraries visit
www.knowsley.gov.uk/leisure/libraries or contact:
Sue Stone
Page Moss Library
Stockbridge Lane
Page Moss
L36 3SA
tel: 0151 443 5001
email: sue.stone@knowsley.gov.uk
