Top Tips to Enthuse Colleagues
· Communicate with & involve members
· Host a lunch / social activity to entice participation
· Have practical & realistic expectations, be flexible
· Set achievable goals
· Measure success once activity has taken place, gain feedback
· Share responsibility and resources with other libraries within region
· Have energy & passion
· Keep it fun!
· Delegate, ensure you have support, library manager on side
· Ensure your staff are knowledgeable, training if needed
· Sell in the promotions to your staff so they’re also passionate about it
· Be mindful of individual personalities and what your staff are comfortable with
More Holiday Fun Ideas
Ideas to Link in with the Community
Ask local businesses to donate prizes at a summer picnic last week of Jan, in celebration of the end of the Holiday Fun program: create giant millipede during program, with each child contributing pieces. Millipede unveiled at picnic and prizes donated to children who have read the most books. Giant millipede & kids will provide a great photo opportunity. Pre –publicity in primary school newsletters.
Link up with your local school and speak at their assembly to promote Holiday Fun, distribute flyers through parents, Dr’s waiting rooms, hospitals, kinders etc.
Local council and their websites are useful to link up with to promote Holiday Fun & Reading Rulz.
Organise for skating rink vouchers to be stamped when kids attend library so kids can skate for free.
Ideas for Promotional Activities
Organise Holiday rewards & milestones vouchers
Hold a twilight picnic at pool or local park with bedtime story time
Invite grandparents specifically to bring kids to bedtime story sessions
Conduct joint storytime events with neighbouring libraries – for example on Puffing Billy or nearby attractions
More Read Ideas
Ideas to Link in with the Community
Read at local football clubs or invite local football heroes to come to the library to speak & lead story time.
Bring local craft groups into the library and get them involved in creating & reading about craft, craft related books identified & story time.
Host business breakfast at the library on business books. Target specific local businesses such as an accountancy firm or bank.
Link up with health and healing groups and host health & well being classes. Highlight areas within the library focusing on relaxation and recreational activity, such as aromatherapy & alternative healing, yoga etc.
Talk to Ikea, Freedom or…….. to sponsor/set-up a reading lounge at the library. Or, a ‘Reading chair’ in shopping centres, display homes etc.
Link in with local Nurseries/Plantgrowers and promote books on gardening
Bunnings / DIY day @ your library- hold a home maintenance session. Put on a sausage sizzle and have some demos.
Ideas for Promotional Activities
Hold family reading competitions
Create a Food & Wine display to tie in with Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, or an environmental theme for Clean Up Australia Day
Harmony Day – create an orange theme in the library and a book selection
Organise with your local paper a ‘Book Review Segment @ your library.’ Get staff to choose 3 favourite books & send in a brief review on each to the local paper
Offer to host book launches for local authors
Food & Wine Festival link - focus on food & wine, cooking book section, host function with wine tasting and local produce on offer, link with farmer’s markets. Arrange for cooking demos and invite celebrity chefs, or local restaurateur.
My favourite book lists: separate into categories ie. Best books for public transport, best books for specific industries etc.
More Connect (IT) Ideas
Ideas to Link in with the Community
Link in with local solicitors for Law Week, or uni students – and create a Legal book list
Invite local Councillors to a ‘No Diet Day’ – indulgent morning tea to get them involved!
Link in with local IT experts and get them to come and talk, identify IT books/websites, or go to local PC users group and discuss/demo on-line resources
Promote on-line resources to schools
Target local Internet cafes in your area and make up a flier to promote your website that they can put on their notice board
Ideas for Promotional Activities
Make bookmarks to promote various features of your web site
Hold information sessions for particular groups
Hold a Treasure Hunt though your on-line collections
Conduct special internet classes, such as How to connect with family overseas
More Connect (Social) Ideas
Ideas to Link in with the Community
Approach local florist, lingerie, jewellery and or chocolate traders to get them to join in with the Mothers Day – biggest morning tea fundraiser. Kids to make cards at children’s reading group to present to their mothers. Get local bakeries & cafés to sponsor the pastries & tea/coffee.
Invite Nikelodeon (Pay TV) to film Nik takes over your library, or another similar kids TV show
Create an internet email forum to be held on one day where all libraries log on at the same time and talk with kids from other areas. Pen pal style program.
Ideas for Promotional Activities
Harmony Day – Create an event or display with a multicultural theme
Promote library within the community – at local businesses, in café windows, etc
Run a joint promotion with local business on flyers handed out at train stations and in-store, at shopping centres
During Education Week – get your local paper to run ‘best teacher award’ nominated by kids, with the winners chosen by your Councillors and/or Mayor. Host a teacher’s function at the library to announce the winner.
Questions? Contact the Public Libraries Unit, State Library of Victoria
on 8664 7044 or visit www.libraries.vic.gov.au/atyourlibrary