THRIFTY IDEAS FOR
ADULT PROGRAMMING
How to Start or Grow Your Adult Library
Programs Without Breaking the Bank
Katrina Evans, Assistant Director
Columbia County Public Library
Who Am I?
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By day, I’m Katrina Evans, Assistant Director at
Columbia County Public Library for 15+ years
By night, I’m KatrinaEvans, Chef, Laundress,
Homework Checker, Bedtime Story Reader,
Word Game Player, Netflix Viewer, Leisure
Reader, and Would-Be Napper
What About My Library?
Columbia County Public Library, with 2 locations in
Lake City and 1 location in the Town of Fort White, has
been serving Columbia County for over 50 years.
The
Perfect
Storm
Once Upon a Time…
Then:
Now:
Local Authors
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Start with your most local authors: friends,
neighbors, Library patrons from your own
community and from the communities right next
door
Find them by looking in your own collection, talking
to Library staff, asking around your community
(writers’ groups, historical societies, local book
stores, community colleges), and searching the
Internet
When you really start looking, you’ll be amazed by
the pool of local talent that you have available
Benefits of Local Authors
Local authors are local talent. Support
them.
 Local authors draw a local crowd.
 Often, local authors will come to you.
 Local authors are eager to get exposure
for their work.
 Local authors are very often willing to
come for free.
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Regional Authors
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Next, look at authors in your region, those that
are close enough to come to your Library and go
home in the same day
Find them by looking in your own collection,
talking to Library staff, asking around your
region (writers’ groups, historical societies, local
book stores, colleges and universities, other
libraries), and searching the Internet
Regional authors are often very affordable or
even free.
Beyond Local and Regional Authors
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Authors from farther afield are sometimes
willing to come, also. Ask. The worst they can
do is say no, but they might surprise you and say
yes.
Skype! Your patrons can hear and see authors
from anywhere in the world, and the author
never has to leave his or her home. All you need
is a laptop, a webcam, a projector, a Skype
account, and a willing author. If you can make
this work, you’re no longer bound by geography.
Finding Authors
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Look everywhere!
Florida (or Georgia or Alabama) book festivals
 Florida Book Award winners
 Other Libraries’ program calendars
 University Press of Florida, Pineapple Press, and other
publisher catalogs
 McNaughton monthly list
 Books that you happen across
 Newspaper and magazine articles
 Ask the authors that come
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Keep a list or a folder with names
Beyond Author Programs
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Author programs aren’t the only game in town.
Branch out:
 Educational
Programs
 How-To/Demonstration Programs
 Music
Programs
 Dramatic
 Film
Programs
Screenings
No Budget? No Problem!
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Start with local authors
Try local organizations
Ask college/university faculty in your town
Look into state and local government programs
and organizations
Skype programs
Tiny Budget, BIG Schedule
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Start by scheduling free programs
Use your budget to supplement free programs
Add paid programs as your budget allows
Save it for special occasions or use it to fill in your
schedule as needed
OR
Start by spending your budget to book the programs
that are most appealing or the most important
Then fill in the rest of your schedule with free
programs
The Sky’s the Limit
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Schedule whatever programs your larger
budget allows
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Be a good steward
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More programs
Pricier programs
Special programs
Bigger names
Continue to fill in with free programs
Don’t blow your whole budget on one program
Pay more for programs that will draw a bigger crowd
Add extras to make things nicer
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Refreshments
Decorations
Parting Thoughts
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Keep your expectations realistic
Know in advance that this is something that you’re
going to have to grow
 Attendance depends on a lot of different things: interest
in the author/topic, publicity, what else is going on in
town at the same time, the weather, etc.
 The state average for adult program attendance is lower
than you might think, about 15.5 (1,235,650 people in attendance at
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79,639 programs per FY2010 Public Library Statistics, Table 11)
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Don’t expect a winning program without putting
something into it, and don’t be crushed if, after putting a
lot into it, you don’t have as many people as you hoped