Time For A Change Toolkit
RECOMMENDATIONS
We are aware that here in North West England we are in a currently unique and advanced position to move forward co-operatively with reader development. The activities which the co-ordinator is taking forward, described briefly below, could serve as a model for other regions.
Priorities for action so far:
- To strengthen and support the Time To Read partnership through regular meetings and development of a website which all partner authorities contribute to.
- Visits and regular contact with individual Time To Read members and authorities ensure that staff feel part of a larger project
- A training plan to be offered across the region is currently being drawn up and will be delivered during the period Sept 2003 - Sept 2004
- To promote new and contemporary writing, the first Poetry Readers Day aimed at readers' group members across the region was delivered on June 28th. In addition the co-ordinator is assisting with design and delivery of large-scale outdoor events on National Poetry Day in 6 separate authorities as well as drawing up a strategy and securing funding for future reader's days.
- To forge and sustain partnerships with a focus on reading, liaison with outside agencies and business organisations for the benefit of partner authorities such as Libraries NW, Resource, Arts & Business, the NW Cultural Consortium is ongoing. New partners are continually sought in order to develop future joint working.
- In order to develop a regional strategy for reader development some mapping of activity across the region happened early. This is now being updated and a draft strategy will be circulated for consultation before being passed for approval to the region's Chief Library Officers.
- An important area is evaluation of reader development activity, as well as more co-ordinated marketing. New models of evaluation are continually developing within individual authorities. A co-ordinator can monitor these and make recommendations.
- Developing marketing campaigns across a number of authorities can result in economies of scale and enable more effective marketing.
