For the Creative Librarian: A Compendium of School Library Program Ideas

Ann Turner is Financial and Budget Manager at the University of British
Columbia Library.

These 29 ideas for school library programmes were originally published as kits by the Manitoba School Library Audio Visual Association. In this book they are arranged to follow the pattern of the school year, beginning with orientation to the library and concluding with a programme to encourage reading for pleasure over the summer holidays. The objective of each programme is stated concisely, and the intended participants for each activity are identified. Most of the activities involve the students, who may be at the elementary, junior high, or senior high level; some require participation by teachers, parents, and other members of the community. In all of them the intention is to promote library awareness, seek support, and encourage students to develop the reading habit. Most of the activities do not require any special resources except time and enthusiasm. They take the form of booktalks, displays, bibliographies, and contests geared to the programme objective. For the school well endowed with audiovisual equipment, there are suggestions for film and videotape productions to be prepared by the teacher-librarian and the students. The lively line drawings that illustrate the collection could easily be adapted for other graphic purposes such as posters, displays, or bookmarks. With this wealth of ideas at hand, the teacher-librarian can prepare long-range plans to make the school library a key element in the educational process.