Thinking Outside
the Library
Morgan Sallee

Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library
morgan@libraryinjonesboro.org
• Main branch of the Crowley’s
Ridge Regional Library system
• 7 smaller branches
• Craighead and Poinsett Co.
• Service Population: over 100k

CCJPL
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Summer Outreach
2012:
2013:

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School Year Outreach
2012:
2013:

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57 Programs
1,628 Attendance
474 Programs
7,787 Attendance
61 Programs
3,610 Attendance
285 Programs
11,716 Attendance

Current School Year Daycare Program
50 Centers

89 Monthly Daycare Storytimes
1,420 Kids/Month

CCJPL
• “Books and other library resources should be provided for
the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people
of the community the library serves…”
(ALA Library Bill of Rights)
• Services for infrequent or nonusers & the underserved
• Increase visibility in and engagement with the community
• Create new users/supporters

• Take the library to the patron
• Know YOUR reasons

Why Outreach?
Demographics and needs
Small city surrounded by rural areas
Economic drivers (education, healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture)
Lower than average unemployment rate
Higher than average poverty rate
Significant income and education gaps
Lower than average rankings on NAEP
scores (National Assessment of Educational Progress)
• Lack of positive after-school activities
for K-12 students
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Know your community
• Identify groups with the most pressing need.
Who can benefit most from our services?
• Take the library to our patrons

• Cultivate relationships with local nonprofits,
churches, schools, and other organizations
• Early Literacy efforts
• School-Age Programs (during and after school)
• STEAM-based community engagement (all ages)

What can we do?
CCJPL Children’s Outreach, 2012
• Library Card Sign-up Program
• School Visits (parent nights, author visits, SRC promotion)
• SRC- Traveling Storyteller (57 programs/summer)
• Dr. Seuss’s Birthday
• Back-to-School Fair

Where are you now?
• Potential Partners

• Have realistic goals
• Who, What, Where,
When and Why
• Make a plan

Start Planning
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Schools
Childcare Facilities
Community Organizations
Summer Programs
DHS

Identify Potential
Partners
• Choose Carefully • Focus on Quality

• Staff or Volunteers • Evaluations &
• Provide Training

Who?

Feedback
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Do your research
Know your stuff
Who, what ,where, when, & why
Funding (how much, sources)

• Graphs & numbers
• Know your decision-makers,
what are their goals?

Convincing the
Decision-Makers
Traveling Storyteller Program
Monthly Storytime Visits
Books in a Bag
Year-Round
Reading Program
• Parent Nights
• Early Literacy training
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Daycare Program
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SRC Promotion & Booktalks
Parent Nights/ Family Fairs
Library Card Sign-up
School Visits
Author/Illustrator Visits
Supplemental Collections

School Outreach
• Card Sign-Up
• School Visits
• Author/Artist Visits
• SRC Promotion
& Booktalks
• Crafting @ Lunch
• Book Discussions @ Lunch

Teen Outreach
• Programs
• Training

Branches
• Fairs/Festivals
• Mall/Parks
• Movie Theater
• Nature Center

In The
Community
• Traveling Storyteller Program
• Childcare Facilities (including school-age)
• Branch Libraries

• Off-Site Programs:
Parker Park & Mall
• Significant Expansions

Summer
• Special Programs
• Field Trips/Tours
• Workshops

Invite Them
Costumes
• Everything you do
represents the library
• Be proud of your product

• Volunteers
• Evaluation

Quality Programming
• Volunteers or staff
• Full 30 min storytime
• Stories, songs,
games, &
movement
• Leave crafts &
fingerplay sheets

Traveling Storytellers
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DHS for Child Care Facility Directory

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Set parameters (#s, frequency of visits)

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Contact Centers (availability & limitations)

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Map out your centers

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Assign day/time

(capacity, ages served, contact info)

*Excel Spreadsheet

*Monthly Schedule (W1M, W1T, W1W…)
*Calendars

Starting the Program
Interest Postcards
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ECRR Information

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Services for you, brochures

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Books in a Bag list

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My business card

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Storyteller’s Background Check

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Thank you letter and gift

Welcome Kit & Gifts
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Daycare’s curriculum

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Make your own themes

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Monthly (weekly in summer)

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Variety is YOUR friend 

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Have back-up books,
stories, songs, and games

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Be sensitive about holidays

Themes
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Introduction

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Opening Song (consistent)

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Books

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Storytelling

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Flannelboard Stories/Counting

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Songs (traditional and new)

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Movement (favorites and new)

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Fingerplays

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Counting, Colors, Letters, Sorting

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Games (Books, flannelboard, etc.)

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Leave craft and fingerplay sheet

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Closing song (consistent)

Storytime Components
Know your Audience
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Books, variety

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Flannelboard

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Puppets

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Props

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Classics

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Have kids help

Tell Stories
Fingerplay Sheets
Music/Movement
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Matching Game

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Guess Who- Books

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Sorting

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Rhyming

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Colors, Numbers

Games
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Logo goes on everything
Leave instructions w/ a picture or a sample
Provide everything but the basics
Volunteers
Age appropriate, avoid choking hazards

Crafts/Experiments
Pinterest is your friend
www.pinterest.com/morgansallee/
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Introduce Yourself

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Posters

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Bookmarks, promotional material

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Parent Nights

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Put your logo on everything

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Library Vehicle

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Uniform

Market the Library
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Staff burnout
Cancellations and Rescheduling
Someone Forgets
Lack of Communication
Holidays/Themes
Variety of ages
Illness
Background Checks, fingerprints
Know any rules or policies

Potential Issues
Schedule
Contact info
Maps
Notes
Place to record
stats and notes
• Mileage Log
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The Binder
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Storyteller Evaluation

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Postage

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Feedback from
Storytellers

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How are we doing?

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Changes

Evaluations & Review
The Reward
Morgan Sallee
morgan@libraryinjonesboro.org
http://www.slideshare.net/morgansallee

Contact

Thinking Outside the Library: Children's Outreach

Editor's Notes

  • #4 Morgan: 51 storytimes/month, morningsAlmost 900 kids on roster/monthStacie: 12 ST; 240 kids/monthVivi: 23 ST; 250 kids/monthMargo: 3 ST; 30 kids/month
  • #12 How many kids are in daycaresIn-house numbers were decreasing as more families were having both parents work.Number of kids in daycare was increasing, especially for the summer.How many kids can we affect? If we have two more traveling storytellers in the summer our summer outreach numbers will increase from 1000 to 6000 over the six week period. We would be able to program at most childcare centers in the county. Keep stats, the Friends are excited to see and hear your stories:Mother goose, kids started chiming in, 4 yr old got upset because he didn’t know it, workers said, we need to put books outWe asked for two extra storytellers and got them for the summer.
  • #13 Books in a Bag, Concept Bags, and Daycare rotating collection and year round reading program.
  • #16 Caraway population: 1200½ day to see all the students and personally invite them. Handed out invitations.Food, minute to win it, craftsstorytime
  • #19 Barry Lyga in SeptemberPrivate school that doesn’t have a library, library instructionDaycare trainingDaycares to storytimes
  • #28 Mitten Matching game-Count pairs and individual mittens-Count mittens. Lucky if we could get any matches-Focus on colorsHow you tell a story might be different, length, detail, etc.Adapt to ages
  • #35 Leave something new each time.Promote at parent night, children and adult servicesBookmarks- come in for a small prize
  • #36 Sept.-Apr., off last week on most monthsJune-July (6 weeks)Variety in materialsDon’t overdo itStart slowShare the loveIt isn’t for everyone, you want happy staff who like outreachBe flexible, my schedule is very tight so it can cause problems. Be organized. Have make up days (W1W)Ice StormsSomeone Forgets, call aheadGive them their scheduleOffice doesn’t tell teachers, give them a calendarHave a back up person, always have your schedule accessibleVery specific requestsNot doing crafts