Reviving Reading: School Library Programming, Author Visits and Books that Rock! - Softcover

Follos, Alison M.G.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 159158356X ISBN 13: 9781591583561

Publisher: Libraries Unlimited, 2006

Synopsis

Drawing on her long experience as a school librarian, the author uses this middle school library programming book to help you promote free voluntary reading through innovative workshops, staff training, collection development, and collaborative curricular planning. Her goal: to revive the enthusiasm for reading that is often lost by the middle school years. Her recommendation: creative library literacy programming designed to pique flagging interest in reading for pleasure. Chapters focus on how to use the school's calendar and curriculum to get the time needed for the focused program as well as ways to manipulate budgets, get grants and other monies to build a strong literature-oriented program and collection. One chapter focuses entirely on how to get faculty to become readers of YA and children's literature in order to become models for their students. Other programs discussed are author visits, book fairs, whole school reading programs, journaling for readers and many more. Also included is an annotated bibliography of great reads. Grades 4-12.

About this title

About the Author

Alison M. G. Follos has been the librarian at North Country School in Lake Placid, New York since 1989. She has worked as the private librarian for an entrepreneur and written feature articles for regional and national publications. She is a contributing book reviewer for School Library Journal and has published numerous articles on school library programming. Alison has served on her town's public library board, the Lake Placid School Board, and the Franklin-Essex-Hamilton School Library Systems Council of New York. She lives on the AuSable River in the Adirondack Mountains of New York with her husband and their dog.

Reviews

An accomplished librarian shares techniques she has used to make reading a priority at her small, private boarding school. The strongest portion of the book deals with specific long-term projects that she has implemented, including a reading-incentive program called Title Trekking, a Reader's Workshop, and a program to encourage faculty to read young adult literature. Follos also gives a thorough discussion of how to host visiting authors. The chapter on fundraising does not cover new ground, focusing on book fairs, parent donations, and grant writing. Some useful booklists on a variety of topics of interest to middle school students are included. In Part I, Follos strings together statistics and quotes to make the case that reading is declining and that librarians must reverse the trend. In a few instances, complete sentences and statistics are repeated within a span of 10 pages. The occasional typo and cumbersome word choice distract readers. Nevertheless, Follos, who is unfailingly enthusiastic, does provide some sound ideas that middle school and young adult librarians will be able to adapt for their curriculums.–Marcia Kochel, Olson Middle School, Bloomington, MN
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Award-winning children's author Jack Gantos wrote the introduction to this idea-packed manual on innovative literacy programs for elementary-, middle-, and high-school students. Reflecting on his own less-than-successful attempts at connecting with student audiences, he endorses the practical tips garnered during the author's 17 years of experience as a school librarian. Three sections address why, how, and what needs to be done to instill lifelong reading habits in children and young adults. The first chapters offer arguments on why school librarians must be tireless and devoted promoters of reading and literature; the next address how to build alluring and enticing collections; and the final chapters provide detailed descriptions and instructions for schoolwide activities, author visits, incentive programs, curriculum tie-ins, and book fairs. This realistic and reasonable guide is recommended for school and public library professional collections and will also serve as effective supplemental text for library-school course work. Kathleen McBroom
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 159158356X
• ISBN 13: 9781591583561
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 168