Readers For Life 3 Toolkit
2. Background
Time To Read has existed as a formal network since before the first National Year of Reading in 1998 and has supported a co-ordinator since October 2002. The post has recently been renewed on a part-time basis until March 2013, which in these times of recession is testimony to the value placed on continuing partnership. 21 authorities (of 23 in the region) remain committed to the Time To Read partnership.
2.2 Readers For Life 2 (2008-11)
Readers For Life 2 was structured around some of the then priority areas for Local Government:
- Raising standards across our schools
- Improving the quality of life of children, young people, families at risk and older people
- Promoting healthier communities by targeting key local services
- Creating safer and stronger communities
- Transforming our local environment
- Promoting the economic vitality of localities
With the change of government in 2010 these are no longer current and libraries are no longer asked to report on National Performance Indicators, other than NI 9 which measures use of libraries.
Readers For Life 2 was monitored regularly with local practitioners completing questionnaires and reporting in detail on a range of activities. A final summary report of Readers For Life 2 has already been circulated and is available.
2.3 Headline Achievements of Readers For Life 2:
- Practitioners remain active within Time To Read
- Strong growth in delivery of family-focused activities
- Demonstrable increase in use of digital networking to promote reading
- Growth in audience numbers attending literature and reading activities
- Steady growth in demand for reading groups
At the current time many authorities are restructuring and there is a marked trend in staff assuming a greater range of responsibilities. This makes some added value activities harder to deliver, however there is still strong willingness to participate in TTR which continues to focus on work with adults, as well as addressing areas of overlapping work with young people and families.
2.4 Through its Readers For Life Strategy, Time To Read remains concerned with:
- Promoting services to potential users
- Advocacy for library services in general and reading in particular
- Bringing readers together in groups and at events to counter social isolation and foster reading as a shared experience
- Providing material and support for emergent readers with basic skills needs
- Encouraging wider reading through promotions and use of websites
- Ensuring excellent quality stocks through widening awareness of minority interest titles, new authors, classics, small-press materials as well as best sellers
- Display of stock to encourage borrowing and browsing
- Developing, training and enabling staff to engage creatively with users and potential users of the service
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.