The Good Enough Librarian

I'd like to argue that the best Summer Reading programs are the ones with the least - little or no sign ups, less steps for finishing, and few prizes. In a time of more and more, I think it pays to do less with more intention and purpose.   We* used to do a program with prizes for every 4 hours of reading, special dates for turning in logs for more prizes, and other bells and whistles. Now the Summer Reading program is almost as simple as it can get. Some happened over time, but the final push to its current form came from closures during the pandemic. Here's the steps we've taken and why. No Sign Ups Patrons can find reading logs at all of our service points (circulation, reference, youth desks). Not only that, any of our library staff can explain how Summer Reading works. We used to have a physical sign up area to collect school data, mostly when we were new to outreach and wanted to track it's effectiveness. Now that our outreach is established, there is no benefit t...

In the library world at least, we tend to define programs as advertised offerings for the public, with a set time and date to participate. And we're good at programs; we plan for them, market them, and staff them.  One of my goals is to push people's understanding of what, why and how we're offering programs. Let's unpack this a bit. WHAT?   Traditional programs might include storytimes for families, STEM workshops for kids, and book groups or lectures for grownups. They are concrete and expected.  This is often the starting point for library programming. Let's look at the calendar, what haven't we offered lately, what worked well. But I'll ask that we table this one and come back to it as our last step. This might feel awkward, but trust me. WHY? What's your goal for offering programming? Are you hoping to build community? Reach an underserved population? Keep your space relevant? This requires some reflection. Your gut probably already knows the answer...