[yscon] Advice for Making Big SRP Changes

Wed Dec 20 09:22:02 PST 2017

Just to add my voice to the chorus, like many of you, what we do in Connecticut is to provide all libraries with CSLP membership, and - contingent upon their filling out our annual summer reading survey - a manual.

We switched this year to offering ONLY the online manual - and that has met with some unhappiness. I know some libraries have gone and purchased the paper manual instead.

We were late to the statewide summer reading game (we joined CSLP in 2005, the summer of Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds). It has taken a while to get our creative librarians on board with a theme they didn't invent themselves. So we've never developed the Summer Reading stuff that a lot of you have, e.g. I don't offer anything with actual library programming. However, we have a very active listserv where people throw out their ideas for programming, performers, etc.

We DID get our State Department of Education on board so that they echo our theme (they have their own graphics department, so they don't use CSLP graphics<http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2683&q=320322>) and I do annual theme related summer reading lists (K-2 example<http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/ctread/2017_ctread_gradek_2.pdf>). Many schools have adapted those lists as their summer lists - which is a double-edged sword, because the books I put on the list are highly sought after with so many kids in the state looking for them. Alas!

I mentioned your query, Danielle, to our LSTA coordinator (who coincidently lives in Rhode Island :) ) and she gave you kudos for rethinking your goals on this. So we agree you are on a good quest. People don't love change, however, so I think gritting your teeth and doing it is necessary! In the end many people will just forget that you used to offer the programming stuff.

Happy holidays to all!

Linda

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Linda Williams | Children's Services Consultant, Division of Library Development | Linda.Williams at ct.gov<mailto:Linda.Williams at ct.gov> | Office: (860) 704-2207
libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/children<http://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/children> | 786 S. Main St., Middletown, CT 06457 | Phone: (860) 704-2200 | Fax : (860) 704-2228

From: yscon [mailto:yscon-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of Margarida, Danielle (DOA)
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2017 1:33 PM
To: YSCon Listserv (yscon at listsmart.osl.state.or.us)
Subject: [yscon] Advice for Making Big SRP Changes

Hi everyone,
        We currently support our statewide SRP by purchasing manuals, providing vouchers for the purchase of posters and reading logs, and by paying for each library (71 buildings) to have one children's performer and one teen performer. The whole process of selecting, booking, and paying the performers is a very convoluted process involving applications, a showcase, a booking meeting, and lots and lots of paperwork on my end. I've streamlined the process quite a bit over the past two years, but it is very time consuming and I'm doubtful of the impact it has on the summer reading program. Because we only pay $160 per program we do not get a variety of (nor high quality) performers willing to participate. Attendance numbers for these performances has been steadily declining, and every year I field complaints from directors regarding the performers that are selected. (Directors want performers that can draw/accommodate large crowds, but we can't get these types of performers because of the low $160 rate). The Youth Services Advisory Council is responsible for reviewing applications and selecting performers, however I am the middle man dealing with performers, helping libraries/performers book their programs, and maintaining a calendar of all performances throughout the state.
        I would really like to stop providing the performers showcase and paying for performers. It takes a lot of time to coordinate and prevents me from working on other projects that I think would be more meaningful (such as offering more training on summer learning, building more online SRP resources, etc.) And while I don't make the performer selections, it does appear that our agency is promoting a specific group of performers over another - something I'm not very comfortable with. This year I had to deal with an aggressive performer who was not selected, and we had to involve our legal department.
        All of this is to ask - do you have something you do to support SRP that works really well? I have supervisor support to discontinue the performers showcase, but I need to provide something in its place. I'm getting too wrapped up in my own head and would appreciate hearing what's working for you, or if you have experience in making a big change (the showcase is a decades old institution and I'm a bit nervous about the blowback!) I am planning on sending out surveys and holding a forum to gather input from librarians, too.

Thank you!

Also, we may already be getting an online reading program  through our partnership with our state's grade level reading campaign, so I'm looking for something other than providing a service like Wandoo Reader or Beanstack.

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Danielle Margarida, Youth Services Coordinator
Office of Library & Information Services
Rhode Island Department of Administration
One Capitol Hill | Providence, RI  02908-5803

401.574.9309 (voice) | 401.574.9320 (fax) | www.olis.ri.gov<http://www.olis.ri.gov/>

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