THINKING INSIDE THE BOX:

Portable Programs for Public Libraries

Lindsay Schluter, Youth Services Librarian

Sophie Walker, Teen Services Librarian Winnipeg Public Library

Family Literacy Fun Day Kits (FLFD)

Teen Programs in a Box (TPIB)

WPL’s Portable Programming

o What are “portable programs?”o Overview of FLFD o Results of the program at WPL o Customizing the concept:

• Funding• Station Planning• Training• Promotion

o Impact on the community

Outline

Ideas and instructions for programs are planned centrally

Supplies purchased in advance and packed in durable plastic totes

Staff book programs with central coordinators and receive program kit via library’s delivery system

What are Portable Programs?

Minimize costs Supplies can be ordered in bulk Materials are re-used

Maximize staff time Program created once, and used over

and over again

Benefits

Family Literacy Fun Day

at Winnipeg Public Library

What is Family Literacy?

Family literacy refers to the many different ways that families can work and play together while developing reading and writing skills. It is a way of improving literacy while having fun as a family.

Family Literacy Fun Day

19 Family Literacy Fun Days!1048 Participants!

By the Numbers….

Average number of participants per branch: 41

o High End: 225 participants at Louis Riel Libraryo Low End: 19 participants at St. Vital Library

Response From the Public

When is the next one?

We Loved it! All the activities

had elements of fun and

learning!

We had a wonderful time!

This was our first time

coming to the library!

A great time for family bonding!

Response from Staff

I think it is a great idea and look

forward to hosting another

one.

I would love to see more ‘portable

programs’ such as this.

This is a great program and I can see it becoming

more popular after every event as people become

more familiar with it.

We realize now that the

program can be a success via drop in. There is always the uncertainty of numbers when

there is no registration.

It’s 100% Portable!

This is a program that is designed to maximize the re-usability of program materials, and minimize the staff time spent planning and preparing!

Family Literacy Fun Day Kit

port-a-ble : moveable, convenient, handy, compact, wieldy

Funding

o Community Foundations Toronto Community Foundation

o Government Organizations Ontario Trillium Foundation Canada Post

o Non-Profit Organizations ABC Life Literacy Canada Kiwanis Clubs Rotary Clubs United Way of Canada Raise-a-Reader

o Businesses Indigo Books, Music & More

Station Planning

o Public Libraries Winnipeg Public Library London Public Library Toronto Public Library

o Non-Profit Organizations North West Territories Literacy Council National Adult Literacy Database ABC Life Literacy Canada

o Early Childhood Education SuppliersWintergreen

Scholar’s Choice

Invest in quality totes!

Training

Family Literacy Fundamentals • What is Family Literacy? • Why is it important to foster Family Literacy skills?

Logistics of Family Literacy Fun Day

• Scheduling• Staffing • Set-up• Advertising

Train all staff on safety procedures!

Promotion

Newsletter, 25%

Staff , 24%Website, 16%

Poster, 14%

Media, 8% School, 4%

Friend, 9%

How Did You Hear About Family

Literacy Fun Day?

Portable Programs Rock!

The possibilities are endless!

Teen Programs in a Box!

TPIB Project: History

Based on SDCL TPIB project, 2007 Simple concept: everything in the box!

Consumable supplies Tools Instructions Recommended books for display Booked by branches Sent via delivery or courier to location

Kit Example: Bookmaking

Our Project

Started in 2008 Team of 4 librarians, 2 “research

assistants” Passionate about teen programming, or

at least giving teens something to do Knew it would be a challenge to get

everyone on board Needed funding; no wiggle room in

children’s and adult programming budgets

Grant Application

Funded by Jack Montgomery Community Outreach Grant, offered by Library Board

Failed on first application, needed to rewrite and resubmit before funding was awarded

Liked the level of detail and research that went into our proposal: Detailed budget with itemized lists of

supplies and with estimated costs Statistics

Statistics

Teen usage of libraries at WPL:

Customizing TPIB to WPL

Our project: Funded by grant $5000 Budget:

$3000 for kit contents $1500 for promotional materials $300 for packing/shipping $200 for resupply

1-year timeline

So many kit ideas…

…so what do you choose? Customizing the TPIB Concept for

WPL: Looked at examples of other libraries Looked at old wish list of programs Looked at our skill sets, built list of

“doable” programs

Customizing TPIB for WPL

“And why is this a LIBRARY program?” Fun for fun’s sake is not quite enough Must be related to our library’s

collection and overall mission Repeat the mantra: the purpose of the

program is the collection Helps in persuading administration,

staff

Value Proposition

Source: Library Journal, 10/1/2009, Vol. 134 Issue 16, p. 27

Teen Programming Value Proposition

Our Value Proposition

Criteria: Popularity with teen audience Ease of repetition/cost of re-supply Staff effort needed to run programs Lack of similar programming in

catchment area Tie-in to Library collections Tie-in to Library’s overall mission

Assembling the kits

Purchasing and assembling wasn’t easy Strategies:

Pilot programs to ascertain volume• Budget may need revision • New supplies that need to be added

Good suppliers, maximize trips• Local wholesalers• Retail stores (Michaels, Walmart, Home

Depot)• Dollar stores (Dollarama)

WPL’s TPIB Kits

Wii Gaming (2 kits) Duct Tape crafts Mini dolls/Fabric crafts Sock Puppets Bookmaking, card-

making & scrapbooking

Board Games

Dungeons & Dragons CD Clocks Bags & Bows Wandmaking

workshop Collage Art workshop Jewelry-making Zombie Makeup

Contents

Guide Patterns,

instructions & samples

List of books for booktalking and display

Posters, Display Boards and Handouts

Staff Buy-in and Participation

Staff buy-in has been positive Wanted to see 100% increase in teen

programming across system from 2009 to 2010 Offerings increased from 10 programs

at 5 locations to 27 programs at 14 locations over the same time period

Staff have been eager to book kits, even asking months in advance

Part-time staff are getting involved

Troubleshooting Promotion

Difficult to combat the “If You Host It, They Will Come” mentality among staff Word-of-mouth marketing remains the

most essential tool for branch programs Staff need to be engaged in program or

it can fail Display posters, samples at talking

points Circ counters, ref desks—wherever staff

regularly engage teens Try, try again

Marketing

$1500 of TPIB budget was set aside for promotional materials

Half spent on Teen Summer Reading promotions, remainder used to create lasting posters for schools and libraries

Advertised events on WPL teen Facebook page, YouTube

Sharing?

Teen kits don’t have to be just for teens Tools can be re-purposed for adult

programming, tween events Outreach programs in schools, remote

locations Teachers, community groups interested? Share the wealth (of knowledge, at least) Make guides, instructions available

Programming is hard, time consuming Addresses challenges that staff face:

need for specialized training time to design, assemble and promote

the program cost of the materials

Box programs provide branch staff with everything they need to provide self-directed, high-interest programs

Conclusion: Why In A Box?

Minimization of costs Supplies can be ordered in bulk Expensive items not duplicated

Maximization of staff time Initial creation takes time Cost associated with time decreases

with each repetition of same program Ease of use

Benefits

Lindsay Schluterlschluter@winnipeg.ca

Sophie Walkersophiewalker@winnipeg.ca

wpl.winnipeg.cawpl-teens.winnipeg.cafacebook.com/wpl.teens

Thanks for Listening!!