Readers For Life II - 2008-2011 Toolkit
5. Agreed Priority Actions
5.1 Raising Standards Across Our Schools-
contributing to achieving NI 3, NI 9, NI 117 and NI 163
- Develop cross-over promotions to support young people's transition from reading young people's to adult stock (target; at least one promotion per year per authority- (examples collated by TTR co-ordinator, issues monitored locally)
- Ensure staff remain up to date with digital and social-networking developments to ensure effective communication with young people (use of digital technology to promote reading/ library activities monitored)
- Develop and work on family reading activities, in partnership with appropriate staff, to support learning in schools, (target: all services develop family reading activity in partnership with schools and/or local specialists)
- Improve communication between staff with reader development responsibility across all ages through shared newsletters, networking events and training (target: events attended...)
TTR supports this activity by:
- sharing ideas and good practice through meetings, website, training (measure: no. of meetings, visits to website, courses organised)
- networking and skill-sharing events with FtP NW (events organised, number attending, feedback)
- Developing promotions which can be used across the region with appeal to Young People/Young Adults (measure quality and range of promotions)
- Ensuring writers are invited into libraries with appeal to cross-over audiences (measure attendance at events, age-range monitored locally)
5.2 Improving the quality of life of children, young people, families
at risk and older people- contributing to achieving
NI 3, NI 9, NI 5, NI 110, NI 11, NI 138
- Increase the range and number of community cultural events and activities offered e.g. target: number of readers and writers attending events in libraries increases each year (% target increase agreed ?)
- Increase support for Family Learning by developing reading & informal learning opportunities for parents/carers of children (Target: all library services participate in Family Learning Weeks/Festivals by 2010)
- Reach more hard-to-reach readers. Target at least one event each year at new audiences e.g. young people, in partnership with FtP NW; elderly, housebound, disabled people in partnership with access/ specialist library staff (measure numbers joining libraries/renewing membership)
TTR supports this by:
- Co-ordinating offers of activities/ writers for libraries (through Reading Partners etc) (measure number of events, numbers attending, feedback)
- Co-ordinating marketing and pr for some library events (measure number of co-ordinated tours, attendance, feedback)
- Monitoring and evaluation of regional activities (reports written and delivered to TTR/SCL NW)
5.3 Promoting healthier communities - NI 9, NI 119
Library Services develop provision for people with mild mental health problems, in partnership with health providers (target: collections set up and promoted and/or readers groups established, numbers attending)
TTR supports this by:
- Organising training and awareness sessions (courses organised, numbers attending)
- Building and sustaining partnerships with appropriate organisations e.g. Get Into Reading, PCTs (new contacts made)
5.4 Creating safer and stronger communities-
NI 1, NI 3, NI 5, NI 9, NI 110, NI 138
- Libraries organise inclusive readers' events to promote services as welcoming and safe places ( measure range of events and numbers attending, feedback from those attending)
- Ensure more readers have the opportunity to participate in reading groups (% increase in library-based reading group membership)
- All readers' groups reading some titles representative of diverse cultures to promote tolerance, understanding and inclusivity ( authorities share info about reading group sets purchased)
TTR supports this by:
- Creating booklists and placing on TTR website for ease of reference( lists created & on TTR website)
- Offering networking and training to support reading group improvements ( courses and events organised, feedback)
- Making active interventions (e.g. positive action traineeships) that develop the professional infrastructure in the NW and impact on engagement by attracting new users to libraries
- Continuing to broker and enrich relationships between writers and readers, via training and networking, library events and interactive website forums.
5.5 Promoting the economic vitality of localities through improving
literacy and learning NI 9, NI 163
- All Services support the Skills for Life agenda by purchasing and promoting appropriate stock to SFL tutors (count collections and stock added)
- All library services use Adult 6 Book Challenge, or similar, annually and monitor take-up (numbers participating)
- Develop projects targeting people in work, supporting work-based skills for lifelong learning or reading for pleasure activity (in partnership with TRA/Vital Link) (number of projects, people reached, range & issues of stock used)
TTR supports this by:
- Sharing information about this agenda from newsletters, conferences etc (% increase in targeted services)
- Help to develop regional partnerships supporting this agenda (e.g. BBC, NIACE, TRA) (new contacts made)
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.