Good Practices
in Library Programming
March 14, 2012
Different Activities for Different
Audiences
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Everyone
Children 12 & under
Youth 12 +
Adults
Families
Women
Men
A Sampling of the Possibilities…
1. Everyone
• Assisting patrons to find the right book:
- Lists of Recommended Books (by age group;
or by subject)
- Advising patrons with book suggestions
- Featuring or
displaying
new books
1. Everyone
• Offering Incentives:
- Provide cookies, fruit or other snacks during
scheduled activities or events
- Supply literacy kits to parents
- Give away backpacks or school supplies to
children who use the library
- Free classes, such as computer classes or
research classes
2. Children 12 & Under
• Story time:
- Reading stories to a group of children
- With or without parental accompaniment
- Engage the children:
use different voices for
different characters; ask
them questions about
the story; sound effects;
show illustrations
- Use a puppet show to
tell a story
2. Children 12 & Under
• Story writing/Book making:
- Have children imagine a story and provide them
with paper and markers to illustrate and write
their own book, with guidance from the librarian
- Children can present the books to other children
afterwards
- Children can perform
plays they write or stories
they read in books
2. Children 12 & Under
• Music events:
- Singing nursery rhymes together
- Inviting a musician to perform for the children
2. Children 12 & Under
• Art
- Have children make illustrations and then put
them on display in
the library
- Craft hour
- Sponsor an art
competition
- Display art books in
library
2. Children 12 & Under
• Outreach to Children
- Have a story reading hour in a local orphanage
- Have story readings in local schools
3. Youth 12 +
• Study Support:
- Homework help seminars
- Tutoring
- Workshops on research,
referencing, writing skills
and other academic skills
3. Youth 12 +
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Reading Promotion:
Youth Book Club
Reading Competition
Book review
competition
- Display photo essay on
a book made by youth
- Poetry reading
4. Adults
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Book Clubs
Everyone in the club reads the same book
The club meets to discuss the book (i.e. monthly)
Members take turns selecting the book
4. Adults
• Job Skills Support:
- Resume writing workshop
- Vacancies information bulletin board in library
- Have an area with brochures
or fliers for training programs
and study opportunities
4. Adults
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Offer Recreational Classes
Learn a foreign language
Kitchen gardening, horticulture
Literacy classes
Writing classes
Nutrition
5. Families
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Activities for Families:
Family story hour
Mom & kid(s) story hour
Family literacy
program