Families in Knowsley Love Libraries
We have been working with children and their parents to encourage them to see books and reading as fun. Each Library has a weekly Words and Pictures session where they have a story and craft-making session and in December even a visit from Father Christmas! Especially trendy little ones go to Rock Tots, which includes music and dancing.
We are tying in our children's activities with the BBC It Only Takes Five Minutes to Read a Story promotion. We have produced an article for the December edition of Knowsley's resident's magazine encouraging mums, dads, nans and granddads to read a bedtime story to their young children. We have also reviewed half a dozen of the best picture books. We will be showcasing children's books at our adult reading groups in December and plugging the Words and Pictures sessions in the local press.
Through a Surestart project, Reading Champions, we have been working with Dads to encourage them to read with their children. The scheme, co-ordinated by North Huyton Sure Start's Family Literacy Co-ordinator, Claire Glenn and Father's Worker, Jason McTigue, began in June 2005 as an initiative to get dads and male carers to make use of the local library and share books with their children. It was launched with a creepy crawly promotion event where male carers could come along to the library with their children and see real live owls, spiders, lizards and snakes. Both Liverpool and Everton Football Clubs donated signed photographs for any dads who signed up for the scheme. A weekly drop in session was then arranged in the library where dads and male carers were able to come in with their children to choose and share books together. The system has proven really successful in the area, where a lot of literacy barriers are evident.
For more information contact:
Sue Stone
Reading Co-ordinator
Stockbridge Library
The Withins
Stockbridge Village
Knowsley
L36 3SA
tel: 0151 443 5001
email: sue.stone.dics@knowsley.gov.uk
Librarians in the North West have pioneered partnership working to encourage new readers into libraries. Time To Read is a partnership of librarians engaged in reader development activity in public library authorities in the North West Region. All 23 public library authorities in the region currently support Time To Read.