• Sue - Burwood
• Therese Scott;Ashfield
• Helen Cowen;Bowral
• Ellen Forsyth;SLNSW
• Kathy Maltby;Ryde
• Jenn Martin;Auburn
• Jane Greville;Ryde
• Penelope Norton;West Ryde
• Merilyn Hills;Hornsby
• Virgina;Camden
• Parekh;Burwood

Apologies:

• Vassiliki
• Cathy Johnston; Clarence Regional
• Jo Smith; Lake Macquarie
• Jane Shine; Warringah
• Temutisa Fainuu; Canterbury

Romancing Your Readers

• Poetry Groups - Poets Alive at Liverpool and Christine Pace from Kiama.
• 49 people responded to Survey Monkey survey - very enthusiastic.
• Loved the poets and the demystification of Romance through the Bookshop and Vassiliki's seminars.
• Still looking for suggestions for a genre to be covered for next year's seminar.
• Romance suggestions have been collated and added to the wiki.
• Ryde reported very positive results for 4 very different staff members - variety suited.
• Heart Post It Notes. Good mingling activityduring breaks. Use thick pens for better photography!
• Collection Development aspect/discussion on Romance would have been useful. Lots of fiction collections are crime focus. roof that there is a market for romance.Collaboration possibilities with Collection Development working group? Using cross-over genres?
• Romancing your Readers display following the seminar at Ashfield.
• Use a romance display to boost your borrowing statistics!
• Use your suggestion to purchase form (encourage customers to state their preference for Romance) to prove the audience is there.

3 speakers from English libraries. Manchester Libraries. Tom - Reading Agency. Jane Matheson and June Turner from Essex.

June Turner

Quick reads website for world book day on 6th of March. Focus is now on reading genres and themes, not on author talks. Developing the festival to promote reading and books as an intensive month long program. One approach - nothing in between.

Jane Matheson

Time to Read - Readers Development website. Talked about a Bibliotherapy partnership. Non Fiction or Fiction? Health Information vs Reading Fiction as an alternative to prescribing medication for depression. Relationship to cognitive therapy. Working with local GPs. For example, see: http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/B028DBEB-218A-46E1-8C8F-22DBDC9618D9/0/bop_booklet.pdf. Gladesville partnership with local early childhood health centre. Similar Mental Health partnership at Camden.

Tom

Reading Partnerships between libraries and publishers. Trouble getting people to Readers Days. Perceived distance barrier. Reading Group activity - get publishers to bring new book jackets for comment.

Penguin

Talking about Web 2.0 promotional campaign, including myspace. Are willing to work with libraries.

Shirley Prescot Melbourne

• Readers Advisory vs Reader Development - Fun vs Instruction
• Technical approach to RA in NSW - interested in using Web 2.0 and mash-ups to explore collaborative approaches to talking about reading.

Ellen's presentation on a Google Maps/Reading mash-up

* Mapping and tagging books relevant to an area - based on history, subject, theme, identity of authors. Conceptual links across geography. How to include science fiction and fantasy and create layers of meaning. * * Possibilities for local studies - promoting your local collections. More complicated than just 'what was written here'. * Collaborative approach to building layers of meaning - adding tags. * Linking to YouTube - creating sound bytes/mini reviews. Ultimately a partnership between libraries and readers - but libraries leading it. Looking for Systems Skills to help work out the technical side. Looking for people to help add data. Great if each title was linked to Worldcat - can connect to Libraries Australia - one hit connection. Google books would be a good link to have too. Multilingual? Organic - can start small. People add as they have the need of interest.

Sue Hill from The Big Book Club

Launching in October with the Daily Telegraph in NSW. Coordinate with Books Alive. Organise first time authors for events and promote one author per month. Importance of having a key Newspaper partner in each state. Promote using 75, 000 bookmarks, Useful for more remote libraries. Also, the Little Book Club for kids.

Libraries

• Fran presented on Book Groups and Rosemary Cannon from the Melbourne Writers Festival. The accidental pleasures of having all these authors en-mass. Sydney has the highest attendance rates(but they are more selective in what they attend).
• Rachel Johnston from Vision Australia - new technologies like Daisy.
• Kevin Hennah - Abook tree display - very narrow - one book wide - any library can fit it. www.displaydesign.com.au
• $90 makeover at Bega - stripped everything off the desk that wasn't needed and painted behind the desk. Won't always give big budget solutions. Your books are your commodity. Books should be front and centre.
• Paul Brown - Manakau Libraries - Re-branding Rewarding Reading Training - Bestsellers - The Best Sellers are the staff! Great marketing approach.
• Bernice McSwain - City of Salisbury - Birth to Death plan for reading. Lap-sit Program partnered witha University Early Education program using fourth year students - part of the curriculum.
• Paula Yates talked about Inside a Dog and Close to Home - Summer Reading Program for adults - books about Melbourne and Victoria - for Adults. Vote on your favourite book.
• Shirley - Readers Day at Carlton Library - 5 Authors - Authors Day or Readers Day?
• Shelf talkers - who writes like on bookends - Library Journal article. Choose a Key Author in that shelf area and make a list. Bookends or Wall Ends. Slat walling, partitions. Look at this as part of a signage audit?
• Self-help RA Reference Collections? Current RA suggestion books on display with new books.
• Football goals - display for children who get to choose where they put the book depending on how much they liked it.
• Watch the summer reading program - it is apparently very sports oriented.
• Proposal for an adult summer reading club - proposal to LIANZA and ALIA - tie in with the children - inter-generations. Great for Christmas program. Think about sports oriented promotion over summer for adults - use the Read @ your library bookmark on Sport - use the Good Sports @ your library posters - re-branding for Readers Advisory to tie in with summer reading club - informal, bottom up approach to organising a state-wide promotion. Work with wiki and aliaread etc to spread the word. Goal post idea could work with adults as well as kids. Use local sports people to promote reading. Sports and Reading quotes.

• 1st September - 7th September to tie in with Read @ your library campaign. Choose what day works best for your and tie in with your other events. Same week as Adult Learners Week - tie ins?
• Have suggested some simple ideas (see attached handout and wiki http://readersadvisory.wikifoundry.com/page/Readers+Week+-+September). Ideas are about creating interaction with customers, getting people to think and talk about reading. Please add and expand the lists on the Wiki and if you have expertise in any area, please create a new page for that suggestion and expand the idea - share resources etc.
• Three levels of time/effort needed, but all ideas are simple and effective!
• Great simple idea that utilises learning 2.0 experience - use big huge labs to create motivational reading posters. Great examples from Helen at Bowral.
• Ellen suggested using flickr groups to help us organise our resources that we share on flickr.
• Also attached to these minutes a working planning document. Please note that we are looking for volunteers to help with some of the larger promotional issues. (see details following)

http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2235352,00.html

• Bibliotherapy tie in with reading groups.
• Taking reading groups out into the community - e.g. Men's Shed.
• Coonabarabran reading group for women - to help strengthen the community.
• Getting the partnerships to help engage the right people in the community.
• Getting health professionals to help run such groups. Interesting possibilities. Exploring creative funding opportunities. Might be able to start it with a grant - write a proposal, seek partners and see what happens. Different funding options depending on where you are. Individual opportunities for healing. Giving people the opportunity to change, explore something different from day to day preoccupations - 'give your brain a break'. What are the issues and challenges in your community? What community groups partners can help you? Talk to them about the idea and see what they thing - they may not have thought about this approach or may not have the skills to run it, but may have the contacts/network/funding sources!
• Juno Diaz - 'most writers say they would die if they couldn't write again, but he says he would die if he couldn't read again'.

* flickr photostream, youtube channel etc

• A group YouTube channel and post reviews/book talks etc. David Lee King at Topeka - YouTube channel with book conversations. Could do them in a generic way so that they could be shared. Collaborative YouTube channel. Technical issues? Standard Digital Cameras can do good quality video! Great thing about YouTube is that it doesn't have to be professional. Using a series of still images with sound over the top. RefEx wiki may be able to write up some tips and guidelines. Aim for simple things. Doesn't have to be talking heads. A linked channel can use own branding or make them general for use for other libraries. Podcasting… Sound quality? Experience has been that with the right digital camera - sound quality is fine. Uploading is the more difficult aspect? Let us learn collectively and watch what RefEx is doing. Sharing a learning experience. Get members of the public involved.
• Keep working the Wiki and the blog and flickr groups - collecting images - eg. promotional, displays, shared resources - eg. photos everyone can use - creative commons licensing. Subdividing.

• Sort out agenda and ask Tamworth to chair the meeting. Opportunity to present Readers Day ideas in July - 1 month before Readers Day - deadline for Readers Day planning.
• Agenda for this meeting - report on planning for readers day. ideas inspired for learning 2.0. ideas for shared resources - promoting resources you can access online. Put up draft agenda and invite libraries to add their own agenda items - an email address to contact to add agenda items.

• What have we done - focus on promotional activities for all libraries, information exchange, getting people more involved, increasing collaboration between libraries but also with other working groups - eg. multicultural and reference group, encouraging using web based tools in collaborative ways to make it easier to participate and contribute even when located remotely, information sharing, have had 2 seminars plus Nancy Pearl and Overbooked, collaboration between professionals - on wiki and blog etc - increase in authorship.
• Future - still have 4 meetings a year and 1 seminar. Continue to encourage information sharing and exchange - sharing resources - using the wiki as a base foraccessing resources, ideas and strengths - sharing expertise. Expertise is often linked with an individual, not the organisation. Strategic planning for wiki - what is missing - content development - soliciting information,FAQ's, guides to…
• Areas we would like to start addressing'…
• Paragraph about the wiki for email on PLN - promoting
• Readers Advisory Training - gap analysis - some metros and southwest zone.
• Add something to the wiki about Rewarding Reading training - ongoing impact. Ask Sherry if we can put her presentation on the wiki. If you have had the training, don't forget to ask Sherry for updated training notes.
• Creating RA champions in all public libraries. How do you develop RA champions? Place on the wiki for this discussion. How to build passion and commitment. Branding RA work in libraries - highlighting specialists and good customer service - the Manakau idea of Best Sellers.
• Year of Reading.
• Building on Reading Week.
• Seeking Funding.
• Grant guidelines.
• List of possible funding possibilities on Wiki? Highlighting other ministry funding - OZCO, Ministry of the Arts, Flag these on the wiki - key dates to watch.
• Branding for RA NSW?
• Long term strategic ideas and new sections of the wiki.
• Wiki monitors.

The tentative date for NSW Readers Week is Monday 1st September - Sunday 7th September and we propose that if you would like to concentrate your focus on one day during that week, you rename that day [insert the name of your local community's Readers Day.

NSW Readers Advisory Working group is coordinating some event and promotional ideas for Readers Week during September 2008, which will fall during the September @ your library theme: read @ your library.

Readers Days and Readers Week are designed to get people talking about reading. You can use the week or day to raise awareness about reading in your community, get people back into reading or get your customers involved in reading-centred activities.

We have some simple interactive ideas that you might want to try at your library:

Keep It Simple

• Lending Mystery Books
• Post it Note Display: "Why do we Read?" (like at Readers Advisory Seminar, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/25073364@N03/sets/72157604276770043/)
• Reading Tree: Ask customers to vote for their favourite book
• Library Display on Reading
• "I’m reading…" stickers/badges/nametags - Let your staff and customers display what they read proudly.
• Public Acts of Reading – do you have public areas near the library where a lot of people read, set up signs welcoming readers or take photos!
• Check your Library Management System for the top five borrowed books – Create a "did you know…?" promotional message based on the results
• Choose a good reading list from the Wiki and reproduce it for your customers

Step It Up

• Ask readers in your library for permission to photograph them and use the photos for promotional purposes
• Promote and run a Book Chain
• Host a Reading Discussion Group (different from a Book Discussion Group because you discuss Reading, rather than just one book or topic)
• Contact Local Personalities and organise to take photos of them reading their favourite book - use for promotional/motivational purposes
• Run a Reading awareness-raising campaign within Council
• Rebrand existing library programs to particularly promote and encourage Reading – eg Storytime
• Use photographs of staff reading to promote/motivate/encourage reading
• Change the screensavers on your public computers/opacs or promotional display monitors to display some of the above images that you create

Go For It

• Host a reading themed Living Library (Living Books talk about their own reading experiences )
• Map local area reading habits or books written in or about your local area
• Host talks about reading – Genre discussions, "Why we read" etc
• Use Readers Week as an opportunity to launch new programs,(ie Baby Bounce & Rhyme or Literacy Programs )
• Add a reading angle at your local writers festival
• Get your community involved – eg Parkes Annual Reading Day
• Readers Day (within Readers Week) Monday 1st September – 7th September 2008.

Outcomes/Themes

Celebrating reading.

• Getting people talking about reading.
• Getting back to reading.
• Don’t be embarrassed about what you read.

(Daniel Pennac and Quentin Blake’s Rights of the Reader -http://www.walkerbooks.co.uk/assets_walker/dynamic/1158585957437/Rights-of-the-Reader-poster.pdf)

Strategies

• We are encouraging all public library staff to rebrand what you are already doing that month.
• We all already have read @ your library – and can all provide alternatives under the one common brand.
• We suggest a range of activities. You might want to work with your neighbouring libraries on a Readers Week program.
• Think about public activities vs small groups – both are worthwhile!
• Remember, different libraries will have different strategies. Do what works for your community.

Actions

(things we are still trying to make happen – extra volunteers are welcome!).

Links that Council Libraries can embed on their website. What would they link to? Blog (or linked Blogs) for communicating/promoting to the public? A Flickr Page? The @ your library Page?

Graphic Design possibilities

Is there some way we can get 1) a button/banner for people to put on their websites? 2) a small NSW Readers Week poster that libraries can print out, to go with/compliment the read @ your library poster? 3) a read @ your library template for Reading lists.

Web 2.0 possibilities

A Read Poster competition for members of the public using a Flickr Mashup – we would need to identify a good tool/poster generator and write up instructions for the public, plus generate some examples.