Promotion+of+Reading

1.3.2 have a detailed knowledge of how to promote and foster reading
 * Promotion of Reading **

2.1.3 foster an environment where learners are encouraged and empowered to read, view, listen and respond for understanding and enjoyment.

As a librarian one of the core values we should display is the “promotion of the free flow of information and ideas through open access to recorded knowledge, information, and creative works.” (ALIA core values statement, 2002 ,para 4). As a teacher librarian we can equate this to our practice whereby we use our curriculum knowledge, teaching skills and the library environment to promote a love of reading in our students (see ASLA Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians, 2004, p. 2-3)

The site one teacher librarian placed the promotion of reading as a high priority within her library. To this end she created a welcoming space, with current displays, reading promotion schemes and plenty of new resources within the library. Physically the library has several reading and studying areas, with bean bags and couches available for quiet reading. Shelving is easily accessible with picture books / graphic novels, fiction and non-fiction shelved in separate areas.

To encourage readers to interact with the library, the library participates each year in book week and the MS readathon. Competitions are regularly held throughout the year and are either run by the teacher librarian or the library captains. An example of this was the “Design your own Alice in Wonderland book cover” that was devised and run by the library captains during my visit. The winner received an illustrated copy of Alice in Wonderland. To promote reading the teacher librarian sets up a main display each term as well as smaller displays for special events (eg: Easter, Anzac Day or Christmas). She also makes sure new books are displayed at various points around the library for borrowing, before they are shelved. The teacher librarian enticed the more reluctant readers into the library by issuing invitations each week (to two students and a friend of their choice) to come to the library for a hot chocolate. While there, the four lucky students have the library to themselves for the whole of morning tea. The invitations are published in the weekly school newsletter  and sent home to parents, thereby giving the treat a greater level of status.



To encourage all students to read more extensively the teacher librarian runs several different reading challenges each term to cater for the needs of the various year levels which used the library. One challenge ‘Bookopoly’ mimics the game of monopoly, while another complimented a year five unit of work on the first fleet (see below) . Year seven compete for a class party in the RED (Read Every Day) challenge, while year 6 completes their Ribit passports for a special surprise. Another way the Teacher librarian promotes reading is through a book club (see newsletter)  for year 5 students and their parents. By including the parents in this venture, reading is being promoted to students and parents, while the library itself is being promoted to the wider community.

 During library lessons the teacher librarian's goal is to encourage and entice students to read as widely as possible. To achieve this end, genre lessons are conducted twice a term (this involves the teacher librarian promoting a range of genres during the weekly library session for approximately 20min then allowing the students time to browse and read for the remainder of the hour), as well as literacy library lessons which encourage students to listen and respond to a text.

The teacher librarian at site one displays best practice in most of her reading promotion activities. She uses her curriculum knowledge and expertise to engage students with reading, she has also created an environment that encourages students to read widely, listen to and respond to texts. The only criticism I have is that the types of texts available were limited to printed text types. Exploring and sharing online or digital print was not actively encouraged as reading promotion.

Suggested improvements could include extending the book club idea to run book clubs for years six and seven students and their parents. I would also like to include a blog for students to discuss their favourite books and suggest books for other students. It would also be of interest to invest in a few ebooks and ebook players (eg. Kindle / ipad) to see if some of the more reluctant readers would prefer this method of reading over the more traditional print based version.