Librarians' 2011 Reading Challenge
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This document promotes the 2011 Librarians' Reading Challenge and provides hashtags and websites related to the challenge and its organizer. It encourages participation in the reading challenge using hashtags like #bookbinge and #readit2011 and provides links to websites with more information on the challenge and its organizer's social media profiles.
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Librarians' 2011 Reading Challenge
- 3. #bookbinge & #readit2011 2011 Librarians’ Reading Challenge
- 17. #readit2011 #suagb #heartreads #specfic #oznzreads #grrlpower #goreads #whodoneit #geekreads #bookbites #egoreads #moreads #summerreads
- 24. http:// readersadvisory.wetpaint.com / http://readit2011.wordpress.com/ http:// www.redbubble.com/people/nswrisg http:// twitter.com / #bookbinge #readit2011 Catherine Johnston - @CatyJ [email_address]
Editor's Notes
- Intro: Thank you Helen for your introduction. As well as being from Coffs Harbour Libraries I am also @CatyJ on Twitter. We’ve just heard from Vassiliki about Twitter for Readers Advisory which leads quite nicely into my chat this morning about #bookbinge and #readit2011 – which as you may note, are both Twitter tags
- First a little background on the Librarians Reading Challenge: For the whole of 2010 we challenged Librarians everywhere to read outside their comfort zone and to share your experiences using the RA wiki & Twitter A whole page was set up on the RA wiki – ordered by individuals and using a table format to record the various months. The challenge was a big hit, so we decided to rejig it a little for 2011 and launch it as #readit2011 – using the RA wiki, Twitter, and the various public library e-lists to promote the event. More on that a little later.
- As part of the Librarians Reading Challenge in 2010 we also launched #bookbinge for the month of April; where we challenged you to read as much as you possibly could during April and to tell us about it too. This wasn’t set up as an endurance reading trial, more to provide a valid excuse to binge out on books and on reading for the whole month. For me, not a lot of housework got done that month, but that was okay – I was reading for a good cause. The feedback from #bookbinge was positive. Not only did membership of the RA wiki increase enormously - with 110 new members since January 2010, 80 of those since the March of that year – but interaction and editing on the wiki also increased. Indeed the Reading Challenge remains one of the largest pages on the wiki, with over 45 librarians sharing their experiences.
- As I mentioned earlier, for 2011 we reworked the Librarians Reading Challenge and came up with #readit2011. This year we challenge you to read a particular theme each month, and to participate in the associated Twitter Reading Group.
- We developed Twitter tags for each months theme and broadened the scope to be more than just a reading challenge for Librarians but to provide a resource for Libraries to use to engage with their communities. #readit2011 is for everyone
- Libraries such as Wingecarribee with their One the Shelf readers blog , Parramatta,……. Wingecarribee Public Library - On the Shelf – http://ontheshelf-wsc.blogspot.com/
- … . as well as the University of Technology Sydney are just some of the libraries who have run with #readit2011, using their blogs, and in-library activities, to engage with their clients. read@utslibrary - http:// read.lib.uts.edu.au /
- The aim of #readit2011 is not only to suggest reading themes, but to inspire discussion about all things reading using Twitter as the primary medium – hence the Twitter Reading Group which not only provides a platform but also provides a venue for an end-of-the-month Tweetup – which for this month is on March 29 th at 8pm. Vassiliki has already mentioned the varied types you find on Twitter and the incredible RA and networking potential that exists there. You’ll find readers, writers, Librarians, actors, politicians, journalists, techno-heads, and inspired individuals.
- Twitter has this amazing base to work from. We decided to use that to push the whole RA element out there – generating conversations and making connections in ways that are otherwise not possible. Twitter provides amazing opportunities to0 engage with authors you mat most likely never meet, but you never know – some of these conversations have led later on to author talks etc. Twitter also enables the development of some amazing networks which may never have occurred otherwise – simply because Twitter is the one place that you both inhabit.
- Now, to further complement #readit2011 we developed not only pages on the RA wiki and a set of tags for Twitter, but also a blog dedicated to this challenge, with blog posts for each month to inspire.
- And so we had “scare up a good book” in January to complement the summer reading challenge and inspire us to read all things Horror ……
- #heartreads in February for all things Romance
- And most recently, #specfic for Fantasy and speculative fiction
- Furthermore, there’s a growing series of Flickr groups with these same themes for you to join and share your pictures of reading, or Ellen’s tea cosies. Which actually brings up the point that even though it’s a “reading challenge” the whole gamut of reading covers more than just books but also includes movies, music, games and the like. I took great delight in using January’s theme as an excuse to play the rather scary game, Alan Wake. Just as Ellen has had fun with turning each of the monthly themes into a tea cosy! It’s all about engagement, conversations, connections, and promotion.
- But what are these monthly themes? Scare up a good book – horror, to complement the summer reading challenge #heartreads – Romance, to celebrate Library Lovers Day, and Valentines Day #specfic – for all things Fantasy & to reflect today’s RA seminar #oznzreads – Australian and New Zealand Reads to reflect Anzac Day & to explore not only Australian and New Zealand authors but also stories set in our 2 lovely countries as well #grrlpower – celebrating women in fiction, women writers, and Mothers Day #goreads – travel #whodoneit – crime, mystery, thrillers #geekreads – science, science fiction, steampunk, etc #bookbites – food #egoreads – biographies #moreads – “men with moustaches” and in support of Movember #summerreads – summer – reading for when it’s hot or ‘hot reading’
- Okay, now back to #bookbinge for 2011 Yes, April – just next month The #readit2011 theme for April is #oznzreads but your bingeing potential or scope is limitless. Mind you, I am looking forward to overdosing on some Australian and New Zealand authors, or stories set here too. I can read anything from Sara Douglass, to peter Carey, from William MacInnes to Sandy Fussell. From fiction to travel guides – it’s limitless. The aim is to actively read and promote reading as much as possible – and of course tweet about it.
- The Ra group acknowledges that not everyone is on Twitter or has access to it from work. Given the growing numbers of public library staff completing the learning 2.0 and 2.1 training we also recognise that it helps having a group that is comfortable on Twitter. Which is why, in part, we created the #readit2011 blog to complement the RA wiki. This blog provides a forum, a space, for those who are not able to tweet to comment and thus remain engaged with the challenge. The RA working group has been very conscious of being inclusive whilst we challenge.
- When the RA group first launched #bookbinge last year we decided to take the idea of promotion one step further. The NSW Reference & Information Services Group created an account with RedBubble – an online space for writers and artists to share, promote, and sell their work. RedBubble sets the minimum price per style or format and the artist then determines their mark-up or profit. NSWRISG has zero mark-up and makes no profit from the sales of any of its items.
- Just as the Librarians Reading Challenge, the Twitter Reading Group, #bookbinge, & #readit2011 seek to promote reading and the discussion of reading, NSWRISG’s RedBubble account provides a complimentary avenue for promotion of RISG events and activities – including this RA seminar, the reference seminar in May, and #rugame, the games and public libraries seminar. Not only can you tweet, blog, add to the wiki, and read, read, read, you can also buy the shirt and wear it with pride!
- There are different styles and colours to choose from – short-sleeved, long-sleeved, girlie, vee-necked or a hoodie. You can also select to have the design printed on the back of the shirt …….
- … .. or on the front. Whatever you want. Varied prices relate to the different shirt styles and again those prices are set by RedBubble, not by nswRISG or the RA group.
- So there you have it - #bookbinge and #readit2011 Get involved, join the discussion, become part of the conversation – the year is still very young.