Date:
January 4th 2011
For those of you who don't subscribe to PUBYAC, this
discussion seemed worth sharing. The top is my reply,
followed by the original discussion.
****
Having SRC incentives tie-in to a donation to The Heifer Project would work extremely well with the 2011 SRC International theme. You could either have 5 gal water jugs with a picture on the front of each and have the kids put a stone or make large cutouts of various animals and have kids glue on a cotton ball or colored square of construction paper on the animal they wanted to sponsor. As each animal gets finished, the library would announce that it would be purchased. The Heifer Project catalog has little stories relating to the animals and the children/families who adopt them as well (which could be put on a world map to further emphasize the SRC theme.)
The book "Beatrice's Goat" would make a great tie-in program.
A young girl's dream of attending school in her small Ugandan
village is fulfilled after her family is given an
income-producing goat. Based on a true story about the work of
Project Heifer.
Incidentally I just read in the (excellent) book
that the original Beatrice is now a Masters Student in the
U.S. getting development training to bring back to
Africa. Smith's book also talks about what an amazing job
Heifer Project does in transforming whole villages with the
outward ripple effect -- the family that receives the first
animal has to give the first female to another family and so
on so the effect is greatly multiplied.
****
Having SRC incentives tie-in to a donation to The Heifer Project would work extremely well with the 2011 SRC International theme. You could either have 5 gal water jugs with a picture on the front of each and have the kids put a stone or make large cutouts of various animals and have kids glue on a cotton ball or colored square of construction paper on the animal they wanted to sponsor. As each animal gets finished, the library would announce that it would be purchased. The Heifer Project catalog has little stories relating to the animals and the children/families who adopt them as well (which could be put on a world map to further emphasize the SRC theme.)
The book "Beatrice's Goat" would make a great tie-in program.
| Author | McBrier, Page. |
| Title | Beatrice's goat / by Page McBrier ; illustrated by Lori Lohstoeter. |
| Pub Info | New York, N.Y. : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2000. |
Incidentally I just read in the (excellent) book
| Author | Smith, Wendy. |
| Title | Give a little : how your small donations can transform our world / Wendy Smith. |
| Pub Info | New York, N.Y. : Hyperion, c2009. |
On a related
note, we may put up a big world map this summer and have
trivia questions each week relating to the destination our
"Roaming Readers" will be heading to next...and have a
laminated batch of kids moving from place to place, trailing
a yarn ribbon to show their travels. Each trivia question
would include an iconic visual image, plus three easy
questions relating to the place, a bonus question (something
they might have to research e.g. for Australia "what is a
kangaroo's baby called?" or for Africa "Does a giraffe have
more, less, or the same number of bones in his neck than a
person?") We may also include a list of "read more about
the next place we are going" children's fiction books (and
the call no. for the relevant non-fiction section).
A while ago I asked for suggestions about using charitable donations as a Summer Reading Program incentive. Thanks to all for some excellent ideas! My original request and compiled responses are below:
Our Summer Reading finishers receive the usual stuff: certificate, a free book, plus some coupons donated from local businesses. We'd like to add a piece where their reading triggers something else positive: like a donation to either a charity or project. For example, I remember reading a pubyac post about an SRP where kids could "win" a colored stone by reading, then put that stone in a jar, and the Friends would make a donation to the Heiffer Project based on the number of stones in the jar at the end of the summer.
We have a couple ideas and will make a proposal to our Friends soon, but our proposal will be stronger with some stories about how other libraries have done this successfully. If anyone has done this and can share a few details including how kids and parents responded, please email me. I can compile and share to the list. Thanks!
- Steven Engelfried, Youth Services Librarian
Wilsonville Public Library (OR)
...@wilsonvillelibrary.org">engelfried@wilsonvillelibrary.org
* * * * * * * * * *
That was us:) We gave kids the option of trading any prize for a stone, which gave them something tangible to hold in their hand and then carry over to the jar. The Friends give 10 cents for each stone. Both kids and parents loved it! Some kids, especially older ones, just got stones all summer long.
Ami Jones
Youth Services Librarian
Alamogordo Public Library
Alamogordo, NM
* * * * * * * * * *
Hi, Steven-
I'm forwarding this message that I sent o PUBYAC a few years ago. In the two yers since, we've made our charity the Toys For Tots Literacy Program - it suplies books to kids in the area. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
-----Original Message-----
Hi, Everyone-
I thought I'd share what we tried this summer with Summer Reading Club prizes - it was an experiment that worked out great and may be something others might like to try.
Let me start out explaining how our prizes work:
When they meet their first goal (numbers depend on which club they're in - Read-To-Me, Beginning Readers, or chapter books), they get a packet of coupons from area businesses and a prize from our Prize Case (Rhode Island Novelty toys in the 25-75 cent range.) When they reach their second goal, they get one more prize from the Prize Case. After that, for every 3-5 books read they get Fun Stuff prizes - a choice from a variety of novelty toys in the 1-5 cent range. No limit to the number of Fun Stuff prizes they can get over the summer.
This year, to go along with the bug theme, we offered them a choice - after getting their first two big prizes, they could either choose a Fun Stuff prize OR they could put a token in our Bee Jar (a decorated 5-gallon water jug). Each token was worth 5 cents towards the purchase of a beehive through Heifer International. Parents LOVED LOVED LOVED this idea. It gave them a chance to talk to their kids about helping others, and, as one mom said, how many rings and tattoos do you really need?? For the parents who read 100 books to their preschooler over the summer and got multiple prizes each time they came, they would let their child choose one prize and put 4 tokens in the jar.
By the end of the reading club the kids donated 1272 tokens ($63.60), almost enough to buy 2 beehives. We got another $90.95 in (unsolicited) donations from patrons and staff, so in total we could buy 5 beehives through Heifer International. The kids were very proud of themselves and are asking to do it again next year. Yes, at first there were plenty of questions (are they real beehives? why do they need beehives? etc.) but once people understood the idea they were very enthusiastic. Next year maybe we'll try for a different purchase through Heifer, or maybe we'll look for another organization to donate to, but we'll definitely do something to tie in prizes with donations.
Just thought I'd share what turned out to be a very popular experiment!
Kelly Girard
Asst. Head/Children's Dept.
Woodridge Public Library
Woodridge, IL 60517
...@woodridgelibrary.org">kgir...@woodridgelibrary.org
* * * * * * * * * *
Hi Steven,
If you search under "altruistic summer reading libraries" in google you come up with a few that have done this. I also know that the Anchorage Public Library in Anchorage, AK, has done one before. Sue Sommers, youth services librarian, might be able to tell you more about their efforts (...@muni.org">somm...@muni.org).
Good luck!
Barbara Jorgenson
Assistant Community Librarian
Three Creeks Community Library
800-C NE Tenney Rd
Vancouver, WA 98685
360 571-9696
* * * * * * * * * *
We did this one year - every hour of reading earned .25 for the local animal shelter and every book read by an adult also earned .25. I think the readers made about $250. We used the money collected to buy food, treats, bedding, etc. and went on a field trip to the animal shelter to bring the donations. They provided a short talk to the kids and then a tour of the facility. It was very successful! We found a donor to fund this, however, as we felt that it wouldn't be appropriate to donate Friends money - when people donated to the Friends, it was for the library, not for the animal shelter.
Feel free to call me or write for more info.
Elizabeth Rhymer
Library Director
Freedom Public Library
603-539-5176
* * * * * * * * * *
Howdy,
One thing I wanted to do last year but didn't get to, was giving kids a choice of "giving" a book to the library if they completed our game piece. Basically this would entail putting a book plate in a new book (already purchased by library staff that we were already adding to the collection) to the effect of "This book is in honor of Suzy May reading 100 books". I was set to do it but ran out of time making a cool book plate for it. I may try it this year.
Thanks,
Jennifer Knight, Youth Services Librarian Port Angeles Main Library
* * * * * * * * * *
Hello Mr. E. --
Rivershore offers stickers and other incentives with a "giving" theme.
http://www.libraryfun.com/rivershore/Reading_for_a_Cause.html
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Teresa
Rivershore Reading Store
Rock Island IL
* * * * * * * * * *
Hi Steve,
We have partnered with the Humane Society of Nashua, NH for the last 2 summers and it has been a very successful and popular part of our summer reading program. Our Merrimack Friends of the Library Group pledged money which would go to the Humane Society if the participants read for so many hours altogether.
The first summer our goal was 1200 hours of reading and the kids read over 2100 hours. The Friends donated $300 to the Humane Society. This past summer our goal was 2500 hours of reading and our participants read for over 4600 hours. The friends donated $450 to the Humane society. It was a win-win for the library and the Humane Society as we had more participants and many more kids reading and the Humane Society was thrilled to receive the donation from the Merrimack Friends of the Library Group. For each hour they read, the children got to put an animal sticker on our Humane Society Building Mural. It was wonderful!
Good Luck!
Pat Flynn
Children's Room Staff
Merrimack Public Library
Merrimack, NH
* * * * * * * * * *
Dear Mr. Engelfried,
For the past couple years, during our Summer Reading Programs, the youth have voted for an endangered animal to “adopt” through the National Wildlife Federation. They receive stickers for reading a certain amount and can use them to vote for their animal of choice. This has been a real hit with the youth.
This was my first summer at the library, and I hoped to do a similar thing with the young adults, only voting to sponsor a project through Heifer International. I’m not sure if it was lack of publicity or what, but I hardly got any response for that. Maybe I’ll try again next year, making sure to raise awareness and talk it up more. Heifer is certainly a worthy cause!
Hope this helps,
Catherine Barnett
Y.A. Librarian
Chillicothe Public Library
430 N Bradley Ave
Chillicothe IL 61523
http://cpldteens.weebly.com/
309-274-2719
* * * * * * * * * *
A while ago I asked for suggestions about using charitable donations as a Summer Reading Program incentive. Thanks to all for some excellent ideas! My original request and compiled responses are below:
Our Summer Reading finishers receive the usual stuff: certificate, a free book, plus some coupons donated from local businesses. We'd like to add a piece where their reading triggers something else positive: like a donation to either a charity or project. For example, I remember reading a pubyac post about an SRP where kids could "win" a colored stone by reading, then put that stone in a jar, and the Friends would make a donation to the Heiffer Project based on the number of stones in the jar at the end of the summer.
We have a couple ideas and will make a proposal to our Friends soon, but our proposal will be stronger with some stories about how other libraries have done this successfully. If anyone has done this and can share a few details including how kids and parents responded, please email me. I can compile and share to the list. Thanks!
- Steven Engelfried, Youth Services Librarian
Wilsonville Public Library (OR)
...@wilsonvillelibrary.org">engelfried@wilsonvillelibrary.org
* * * * * * * * * *
That was us:) We gave kids the option of trading any prize for a stone, which gave them something tangible to hold in their hand and then carry over to the jar. The Friends give 10 cents for each stone. Both kids and parents loved it! Some kids, especially older ones, just got stones all summer long.
Ami Jones
Youth Services Librarian
Alamogordo Public Library
Alamogordo, NM
* * * * * * * * * *
Hi, Steven-
I'm forwarding this message that I sent o PUBYAC a few years ago. In the two yers since, we've made our charity the Toys For Tots Literacy Program - it suplies books to kids in the area. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
-----Original Message-----
Hi, Everyone-
I thought I'd share what we tried this summer with Summer Reading Club prizes - it was an experiment that worked out great and may be something others might like to try.
Let me start out explaining how our prizes work:
When they meet their first goal (numbers depend on which club they're in - Read-To-Me, Beginning Readers, or chapter books), they get a packet of coupons from area businesses and a prize from our Prize Case (Rhode Island Novelty toys in the 25-75 cent range.) When they reach their second goal, they get one more prize from the Prize Case. After that, for every 3-5 books read they get Fun Stuff prizes - a choice from a variety of novelty toys in the 1-5 cent range. No limit to the number of Fun Stuff prizes they can get over the summer.
This year, to go along with the bug theme, we offered them a choice - after getting their first two big prizes, they could either choose a Fun Stuff prize OR they could put a token in our Bee Jar (a decorated 5-gallon water jug). Each token was worth 5 cents towards the purchase of a beehive through Heifer International. Parents LOVED LOVED LOVED this idea. It gave them a chance to talk to their kids about helping others, and, as one mom said, how many rings and tattoos do you really need?? For the parents who read 100 books to their preschooler over the summer and got multiple prizes each time they came, they would let their child choose one prize and put 4 tokens in the jar.
By the end of the reading club the kids donated 1272 tokens ($63.60), almost enough to buy 2 beehives. We got another $90.95 in (unsolicited) donations from patrons and staff, so in total we could buy 5 beehives through Heifer International. The kids were very proud of themselves and are asking to do it again next year. Yes, at first there were plenty of questions (are they real beehives? why do they need beehives? etc.) but once people understood the idea they were very enthusiastic. Next year maybe we'll try for a different purchase through Heifer, or maybe we'll look for another organization to donate to, but we'll definitely do something to tie in prizes with donations.
Just thought I'd share what turned out to be a very popular experiment!
Kelly Girard
Asst. Head/Children's Dept.
Woodridge Public Library
Woodridge, IL 60517
...@woodridgelibrary.org">kgir...@woodridgelibrary.org
* * * * * * * * * *
Hi Steven,
If you search under "altruistic summer reading libraries" in google you come up with a few that have done this. I also know that the Anchorage Public Library in Anchorage, AK, has done one before. Sue Sommers, youth services librarian, might be able to tell you more about their efforts (...@muni.org">somm...@muni.org).
Good luck!
Barbara Jorgenson
Assistant Community Librarian
Three Creeks Community Library
800-C NE Tenney Rd
Vancouver, WA 98685
360 571-9696
* * * * * * * * * *
We did this one year - every hour of reading earned .25 for the local animal shelter and every book read by an adult also earned .25. I think the readers made about $250. We used the money collected to buy food, treats, bedding, etc. and went on a field trip to the animal shelter to bring the donations. They provided a short talk to the kids and then a tour of the facility. It was very successful! We found a donor to fund this, however, as we felt that it wouldn't be appropriate to donate Friends money - when people donated to the Friends, it was for the library, not for the animal shelter.
Feel free to call me or write for more info.
Elizabeth Rhymer
Library Director
Freedom Public Library
603-539-5176
* * * * * * * * * *
Howdy,
One thing I wanted to do last year but didn't get to, was giving kids a choice of "giving" a book to the library if they completed our game piece. Basically this would entail putting a book plate in a new book (already purchased by library staff that we were already adding to the collection) to the effect of "This book is in honor of Suzy May reading 100 books". I was set to do it but ran out of time making a cool book plate for it. I may try it this year.
Thanks,
Jennifer Knight, Youth Services Librarian Port Angeles Main Library
* * * * * * * * * *
Hello Mr. E. --
Rivershore offers stickers and other incentives with a "giving" theme.
http://www.libraryfun.com/rivershore/Reading_for_a_Cause.html
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Teresa
Rivershore Reading Store
Rock Island IL
* * * * * * * * * *
Hi Steve,
We have partnered with the Humane Society of Nashua, NH for the last 2 summers and it has been a very successful and popular part of our summer reading program. Our Merrimack Friends of the Library Group pledged money which would go to the Humane Society if the participants read for so many hours altogether.
The first summer our goal was 1200 hours of reading and the kids read over 2100 hours. The Friends donated $300 to the Humane Society. This past summer our goal was 2500 hours of reading and our participants read for over 4600 hours. The friends donated $450 to the Humane society. It was a win-win for the library and the Humane Society as we had more participants and many more kids reading and the Humane Society was thrilled to receive the donation from the Merrimack Friends of the Library Group. For each hour they read, the children got to put an animal sticker on our Humane Society Building Mural. It was wonderful!
Good Luck!
Pat Flynn
Children's Room Staff
Merrimack Public Library
Merrimack, NH
* * * * * * * * * *
Dear Mr. Engelfried,
For the past couple years, during our Summer Reading Programs, the youth have voted for an endangered animal to “adopt” through the National Wildlife Federation. They receive stickers for reading a certain amount and can use them to vote for their animal of choice. This has been a real hit with the youth.
This was my first summer at the library, and I hoped to do a similar thing with the young adults, only voting to sponsor a project through Heifer International. I’m not sure if it was lack of publicity or what, but I hardly got any response for that. Maybe I’ll try again next year, making sure to raise awareness and talk it up more. Heifer is certainly a worthy cause!
Hope this helps,
Catherine Barnett
Y.A. Librarian
Chillicothe Public Library
430 N Bradley Ave
Chillicothe IL 61523
http://cpldteens.weebly.com/
309-274-2719
------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Show quoted text -
Having SRC incentives tie-in to a donation to The Heifer Project would work extremely well with the 2011 SRC International theme. You could either have 5 gal water jugs with a picture on the front of each and have the kids put a stone or make large cutouts of various animals and have kids glue on a cotton ball or colored square of construction paper on the animal they wanted to sponsor. As each animal gets finished, the library would announce that it would be purchased. The Heifer Project catalog has little stories relating to the animals and the children/families who adopt them as well (which could be put on a world map to further emphasize the SRC theme.)
The book "Beatrice's Goat" would make a great tie-in program.
A young girl's dream of attending school in her
small Ugandan village is fulfilled after her family
is given an income-producing goat. Based on a true
story about the work of Project Heifer.
Incidentally I just read in the (excellent) book
that the original Beatrice is now a Masters Student
in the U.S. getting development training to bring
back to Africa. Smith's book also talks about what
an amazing job Heifer Project does in transforming
whole villages with the outward ripple effect -- the
family that receives the first animal has to give
the first female to another family and so on so the
effect is greatly multiplied.
Having SRC incentives tie-in to a donation to The Heifer Project would work extremely well with the 2011 SRC International theme. You could either have 5 gal water jugs with a picture on the front of each and have the kids put a stone or make large cutouts of various animals and have kids glue on a cotton ball or colored square of construction paper on the animal they wanted to sponsor. As each animal gets finished, the library would announce that it would be purchased. The Heifer Project catalog has little stories relating to the animals and the children/families who adopt them as well (which could be put on a world map to further emphasize the SRC theme.)
The book "Beatrice's Goat" would make a great tie-in program.
| Author | McBrier, Page. |
| Title | Beatrice's goat / by Page McBrier ; illustrated by Lori Lohstoeter. |
| Pub Info | New York, N.Y. : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2000. |
Incidentally I just read in the (excellent) book
| Author | Smith, Wendy. |
| Title | Give a little : how your small donations can transform our world / Wendy Smith. |
| Pub Info | New York, N.Y. : Hyperion, c2009. |
On a
related note, we may put up a big world map this
summer and have trivia questions each week
relating to the destination our "Roaming Readers"
will be heading to next...and have a laminated
batch of kids moving from place to place, trailing
a yarn ribbon to show their travels. Each trivia
question would include an iconic visual image,
plus three easy questions relating to the place, a
bonus question (something they might have to
research e.g. for Australia "what is a kangaroo's
baby called?" or for Africa "Does a giraffe have
more, less, or the same number of bones in his
neck than a person?") We may also include a list
of "read more about the next place we are going"
children's fiction books (and the call no. for the
relevant non-fiction section).
- Show quoted text -
|
|
show details 12/29/10 (6 days ago)
|
A while ago I asked for suggestions about using charitable donations as a Summer Reading Program incentive. Thanks to all for some excellent ideas! My original request and compiled responses are below:
Our Summer Reading finishers receive the usual stuff: certificate, a free book, plus some coupons donated from local businesses. We'd like to add a piece where their reading triggers something else positive: like a donation to either a charity or project. For example, I remember reading a pubyac post about an SRP where kids could "win" a colored stone by reading, then put that stone in a jar, and the Friends would make a donation to the Heiffer Project based on the number of stones in the jar at the end of the summer.
We have a couple ideas and will make a proposal to our Friends soon, but our proposal will be stronger with some stories about how other libraries have done this successfully. If anyone has done this and can share a few details including how kids and parents responded, please email me. I can compile and share to the list. Thanks!
- Steven Engelfried, Youth Services Librarian
Wilsonville Public Library (OR)
...@wilsonvillelibrary.org">engelfried@wilsonvillelibrary.
* * * * * * * * * *
That was us:) We gave kids the option of trading any prize for a stone, which gave them something tangible to hold in their hand and then carry over to the jar. The Friends give 10 cents for each stone. Both kids and parents loved it! Some kids, especially older ones, just got stones all summer long.
Ami Jones
Youth Services Librarian
Alamogordo Public Library
Alamogordo, NM
* * * * * * * * * *
Hi, Steven-
I'm forwarding this message that I sent o PUBYAC a few years ago. In the two yers since, we've made our charity the Toys For Tots Literacy Program - it suplies books to kids in the area. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
-----Original Message-----
Hi, Everyone-
I thought I'd share what we tried this summer with Summer Reading Club prizes - it was an experiment that worked out great and may be something others might like to try.
Let me start out explaining how our prizes work:
When they meet their first goal (numbers depend on which club they're in - Read-To-Me, Beginning Readers, or chapter books), they get a packet of coupons from area businesses and a prize from our Prize Case (Rhode Island Novelty toys in the 25-75 cent range.) When they reach their second goal, they get one more prize from the Prize Case. After that, for every 3-5 books read they get Fun Stuff prizes - a choice from a variety of novelty toys in the 1-5 cent range. No limit to the number of Fun Stuff prizes they can get over the summer.
This year, to go along with the bug theme, we offered them a choice - after getting their first two big prizes, they could either choose a Fun Stuff prize OR they could put a token in our Bee Jar (a decorated 5-gallon water jug). Each token was worth 5 cents towards the purchase of a beehive through Heifer International. Parents LOVED LOVED LOVED this idea. It gave them a chance to talk to their kids about helping others, and, as one mom said, how many rings and tattoos do you really need?? For the parents who read 100 books to their preschooler over the summer and got multiple prizes each time they came, they would let their child choose one prize and put 4 tokens in the jar.
By the end of the reading club the kids donated 1272 tokens ($63.60), almost enough to buy 2 beehives. We got another $90.95 in (unsolicited) donations from patrons and staff, so in total we could buy 5 beehives through Heifer International. The kids were very proud of themselves and are asking to do it again next year. Yes, at first there were plenty of questions (are they real beehives? why do they need beehives? etc.) but once people understood the idea they were very enthusiastic. Next year maybe we'll try for a different purchase through Heifer, or maybe we'll look for another organization to donate to, but we'll definitely do something to tie in prizes with donations.
Just thought I'd share what turned out to be a very popular experiment!
Kelly Girard
Asst. Head/Children's Dept.
Woodridge Public Library
Woodridge, IL 60517
...@woodridgelibrary.org">kgir...@woodridgelibrary.org
* * * * * * * * * *
Hi Steven,
If you search under "altruistic summer reading libraries" in google you come up with a few that have done this. I also know that the Anchorage Public Library in Anchorage, AK, has done one before. Sue Sommers, youth services librarian, might be able to tell you more about their efforts (...@muni.org">somm...@muni.org).
Good luck!
Barbara Jorgenson
Assistant Community Librarian
Three Creeks Community Library
800-C NE Tenney Rd
Vancouver, WA 98685
360 571-9696
* * * * * * * * * *
We did this one year - every hour of reading earned .25 for the local animal shelter and every book read by an adult also earned .25. I think the readers made about $250. We used the money collected to buy food, treats, bedding, etc. and went on a field trip to the animal shelter to bring the donations. They provided a short talk to the kids and then a tour of the facility. It was very successful! We found a donor to fund this, however, as we felt that it wouldn't be appropriate to donate Friends money - when people donated to the Friends, it was for the library, not for the animal shelter.
Feel free to call me or write for more info.
Elizabeth Rhymer
Library Director
Freedom Public Library
603-539-5176
* * * * * * * * * *
Howdy,
One thing I wanted to do last year but didn't get to, was giving kids a choice of "giving" a book to the library if they completed our game piece. Basically this would entail putting a book plate in a new book (already purchased by library staff that we were already adding to the collection) to the effect of "This book is in honor of Suzy May reading 100 books". I was set to do it but ran out of time making a cool book plate for it. I may try it this year.
Thanks,
Jennifer Knight, Youth Services Librarian Port Angeles Main Library
* * * * * * * * * *
Hello Mr. E. --
Rivershore offers stickers and other incentives with a "giving" theme.
http://www.libraryfun.com/
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Teresa
Rivershore Reading Store
Rock Island IL
* * * * * * * * * *
Hi Steve,
We have partnered with the Humane Society of Nashua, NH for the last 2 summers and it has been a very successful and popular part of our summer reading program. Our Merrimack Friends of the Library Group pledged money which would go to the Humane Society if the participants read for so many hours altogether.
The first summer our goal was 1200 hours of reading and the kids read over 2100 hours. The Friends donated $300 to the Humane Society. This past summer our goal was 2500 hours of reading and our participants read for over 4600 hours. The friends donated $450 to the Humane society. It was a win-win for the library and the Humane Society as we had more participants and many more kids reading and the Humane Society was thrilled to receive the donation from the Merrimack Friends of the Library Group. For each hour they read, the children got to put an animal sticker on our Humane Society Building Mural. It was wonderful!
Good Luck!
Pat Flynn
Children's Room Staff
Merrimack Public Library
Merrimack, NH
* * * * * * * * * *
Dear Mr. Engelfried,
For the past couple years, during our Summer Reading Programs, the youth have voted for an endangered animal to “adopt” through the National Wildlife Federation. They receive stickers for reading a certain amount and can use them to vote for their animal of choice. This has been a real hit with the youth.
This was my first summer at the library, and I hoped to do a similar thing with the young adults, only voting to sponsor a project through Heifer International. I’m not sure if it was lack of publicity or what, but I hardly got any response for that. Maybe I’ll try again next year, making sure to raise awareness and talk it up more. Heifer is certainly a worthy cause!
Hope this helps,
Catherine Barnett
Y.A. Librarian
Chillicothe Public Library
430 N Bradley Ave
Chillicothe IL 61523
http://cpldteens.weebly.com/
309-274-2719
* * * * * * * * * *
A while ago I asked for suggestions about using charitable donations as a Summer Reading Program incentive. Thanks to all for some excellent ideas! My original request and compiled responses are below:
Our Summer Reading finishers receive the usual stuff: certificate, a free book, plus some coupons donated from local businesses. We'd like to add a piece where their reading triggers something else positive: like a donation to either a charity or project. For example, I remember reading a pubyac post about an SRP where kids could "win" a colored stone by reading, then put that stone in a jar, and the Friends would make a donation to the Heiffer Project based on the number of stones in the jar at the end of the summer.
We have a couple ideas and will make a proposal to our Friends soon, but our proposal will be stronger with some stories about how other libraries have done this successfully. If anyone has done this and can share a few details including how kids and parents responded, please email me. I can compile and share to the list. Thanks!
- Steven Engelfried, Youth Services Librarian
Wilsonville Public Library (OR)
...@wilsonvillelibrary.org">engelfried@wilsonvillelibrary.
* * * * * * * * * *
That was us:) We gave kids the option of trading any prize for a stone, which gave them something tangible to hold in their hand and then carry over to the jar. The Friends give 10 cents for each stone. Both kids and parents loved it! Some kids, especially older ones, just got stones all summer long.
Ami Jones
Youth Services Librarian
Alamogordo Public Library
Alamogordo, NM
* * * * * * * * * *
Hi, Steven-
I'm forwarding this message that I sent o PUBYAC a few years ago. In the two yers since, we've made our charity the Toys For Tots Literacy Program - it suplies books to kids in the area. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
-----Original Message-----
Hi, Everyone-
I thought I'd share what we tried this summer with Summer Reading Club prizes - it was an experiment that worked out great and may be something others might like to try.
Let me start out explaining how our prizes work:
When they meet their first goal (numbers depend on which club they're in - Read-To-Me, Beginning Readers, or chapter books), they get a packet of coupons from area businesses and a prize from our Prize Case (Rhode Island Novelty toys in the 25-75 cent range.) When they reach their second goal, they get one more prize from the Prize Case. After that, for every 3-5 books read they get Fun Stuff prizes - a choice from a variety of novelty toys in the 1-5 cent range. No limit to the number of Fun Stuff prizes they can get over the summer.
This year, to go along with the bug theme, we offered them a choice - after getting their first two big prizes, they could either choose a Fun Stuff prize OR they could put a token in our Bee Jar (a decorated 5-gallon water jug). Each token was worth 5 cents towards the purchase of a beehive through Heifer International. Parents LOVED LOVED LOVED this idea. It gave them a chance to talk to their kids about helping others, and, as one mom said, how many rings and tattoos do you really need?? For the parents who read 100 books to their preschooler over the summer and got multiple prizes each time they came, they would let their child choose one prize and put 4 tokens in the jar.
By the end of the reading club the kids donated 1272 tokens ($63.60), almost enough to buy 2 beehives. We got another $90.95 in (unsolicited) donations from patrons and staff, so in total we could buy 5 beehives through Heifer International. The kids were very proud of themselves and are asking to do it again next year. Yes, at first there were plenty of questions (are they real beehives? why do they need beehives? etc.) but once people understood the idea they were very enthusiastic. Next year maybe we'll try for a different purchase through Heifer, or maybe we'll look for another organization to donate to, but we'll definitely do something to tie in prizes with donations.
Just thought I'd share what turned out to be a very popular experiment!
Kelly Girard
Asst. Head/Children's Dept.
Woodridge Public Library
Woodridge, IL 60517
...@woodridgelibrary.org">kgir...@woodridgelibrary.org
* * * * * * * * * *
Hi Steven,
If you search under "altruistic summer reading libraries" in google you come up with a few that have done this. I also know that the Anchorage Public Library in Anchorage, AK, has done one before. Sue Sommers, youth services librarian, might be able to tell you more about their efforts (...@muni.org">somm...@muni.org).
Good luck!
Barbara Jorgenson
Assistant Community Librarian
Three Creeks Community Library
800-C NE Tenney Rd
Vancouver, WA 98685
360 571-9696
* * * * * * * * * *
We did this one year - every hour of reading earned .25 for the local animal shelter and every book read by an adult also earned .25. I think the readers made about $250. We used the money collected to buy food, treats, bedding, etc. and went on a field trip to the animal shelter to bring the donations. They provided a short talk to the kids and then a tour of the facility. It was very successful! We found a donor to fund this, however, as we felt that it wouldn't be appropriate to donate Friends money - when people donated to the Friends, it was for the library, not for the animal shelter.
Feel free to call me or write for more info.
Elizabeth Rhymer
Library Director
Freedom Public Library
603-539-5176
* * * * * * * * * *
Howdy,
One thing I wanted to do last year but didn't get to, was giving kids a choice of "giving" a book to the library if they completed our game piece. Basically this would entail putting a book plate in a new book (already purchased by library staff that we were already adding to the collection) to the effect of "This book is in honor of Suzy May reading 100 books". I was set to do it but ran out of time making a cool book plate for it. I may try it this year.
Thanks,
Jennifer Knight, Youth Services Librarian Port Angeles Main Library
* * * * * * * * * *
Hello Mr. E. --
Rivershore offers stickers and other incentives with a "giving" theme.
http://www.libraryfun.com/
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Teresa
Rivershore Reading Store
Rock Island IL
* * * * * * * * * *
Hi Steve,
We have partnered with the Humane Society of Nashua, NH for the last 2 summers and it has been a very successful and popular part of our summer reading program. Our Merrimack Friends of the Library Group pledged money which would go to the Humane Society if the participants read for so many hours altogether.
The first summer our goal was 1200 hours of reading and the kids read over 2100 hours. The Friends donated $300 to the Humane Society. This past summer our goal was 2500 hours of reading and our participants read for over 4600 hours. The friends donated $450 to the Humane society. It was a win-win for the library and the Humane Society as we had more participants and many more kids reading and the Humane Society was thrilled to receive the donation from the Merrimack Friends of the Library Group. For each hour they read, the children got to put an animal sticker on our Humane Society Building Mural. It was wonderful!
Good Luck!
Pat Flynn
Children's Room Staff
Merrimack Public Library
Merrimack, NH
* * * * * * * * * *
Dear Mr. Engelfried,
For the past couple years, during our Summer Reading Programs, the youth have voted for an endangered animal to “adopt” through the National Wildlife Federation. They receive stickers for reading a certain amount and can use them to vote for their animal of choice. This has been a real hit with the youth.
This was my first summer at the library, and I hoped to do a similar thing with the young adults, only voting to sponsor a project through Heifer International. I’m not sure if it was lack of publicity or what, but I hardly got any response for that. Maybe I’ll try again next year, making sure to raise awareness and talk it up more. Heifer is certainly a worthy cause!
Hope this helps,
Catherine Barnett
Y.A. Librarian
Chillicothe Public Library
430 N Bradley Ave
Chillicothe IL 61523
http://cpldteens.weebly.com/
309-274-2719
The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription:
You are subscribed to [list_name] using exam...@example.com
You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:
http://lists.njstatelib.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/[list]/
If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.
You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:
http://lists.njstatelib.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/[list]
If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:
- This mailing list is a public mailing list - anyone may join or leave, at any time.
- This mailing list is a group discussion list (unmoderated)
-
Start a new thread, email: ...@njstatelib.org
">njy...@njstatelib.org
This mailing list requires approval from the List Owner, before subscriptions are finalized.
NJSL Youth Services Discussion List
Privacy Policy:
-