Reading for Life
Reading for Life has grown out of the hugely successful National Year of Reading. So that we can continue to share all the good practice around reading that came out of the National Year of Reading leading agencies in the field have come together to promote the benefits of reading.
Reading for Life promotions
The Sun are about to launch the Great Family Escape promotion which encourages families taking holidays at Haven Holiday Parks to get in to reading. They'll get a pre-holiday reading pack with a free audio book, a reading welcome pack in their chalet, plus reading activities on site run by Haven staff. Families who go and join the public library at the end of their holiday will be entered into a prize draw.
Marmite are launching a major reading promotion at the end of August. It will be a big media campaign linked to 'love it or hate it' and stressing the power and benefits of reading.
The Iceland promotion has now closed - it generated over 100,000 redemptions of vouchers. All these families received the Iceland Horrid Henry booklet with library membership form included.
Follow up SCL survey
We'll be surveying SCL members during August to find the latest information about library led cross cutting reading strategies. We're meeting members of SCL in September to discuss the survey findings and agree next steps in supporting libraries to further this work.
A reminder that SCL and The Reading Agency suggested five things all library services might do following the National Year of Reading.
- Use NYR momentum to establish a cross cutting local authority reading strategy, supported by a high level steering group and co-ordinator
- Renew the push to get library reading work/outcomes featuring in Local Area Agreements. The Reading Agency's new training course 'Making Reading Count' supporting this will be running on 22nd October in Birmingham. For more details see www.readingagency.org.uk
- Use Reading For Life resources, including the new research base and local authority support materials, to target audiences most in need of support(www.readingforlife.org.uk)
- Review use of established national reading programmes like Summer Reading Challenge to reaching priority audiences
- If still requiring proof of address, work with the SCL Executive to agree simpler membership systems, and open the way to universal membership.
Through the Reading for Life website you can find lots of fun reading ideas and events as well as resources for professionals.
We are really delighted to be partnering with The National Literacy Trust to lead this venture. The other organisations who are supporting Reading for Life are:
Arts Council England
Booktrust
The Campaign for Learning
The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education
ContinYou
Department for Children, Schools and Families
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
National Institute of Adult Continuing Education
The National Youth Agency
The Random House Group
Scholastic UK
Volunteer Reading Help
plus local authorities across England.
We are also very fortunate to have the support of commercial partners including Wiseman Dairies, Iceland, Costcutter, Marmite, Walker Books.
At a SCL Executive meeting we reviewed the learning from the National Year of Reading, looked at the emerging 2009 picture and agreed next steps. We wanted to share those conclusions with you and you can download a summary sheet Libraries and Reading - what next?
We will continue to post updates on these pages so keep checking back.