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

by Alison M.G. Follos

Overview

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, jourbanaling for readers and many more. Also included is an annotated bibliography of great reads. Grades 4-12.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591583561
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/30/2006
Pages:	168
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.35(d)

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 Jourbanal 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.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Jack Gantos
Introduction
Part 1:Why Literature
Why Literature is Important Now
Mass Communication Pile-up
Importance of Literature in School LIbraries
Cooperative Planning
Part 2: Setting-up the Foundations for Literature Programs
Integrating Literature Into the Curriculum
Collection & Adolescent Development: What is "Appropriate?"
Part 3: Programs
Title Trekking: A Reading Incentive Program
Reader's Workshop—Storytime Enchantment for Young Adults
Reader's Workshop & Jourbanaling
Visiting Author Program
Raising Cash (AKA: Budget R Bogus)
YA Literature to Grab Adults
Personal Conclusion:
It Makes a Difference
Index

Editorial Reviews

[F]ollos, an experienced school librarian, calls upon librarians to introduce reading for pleasure to middle school students in a manner that will encourage them to make reading a natural part of their lifelong habits….[w]ould be useful for a librarian interested in creating a new program within a middle school or for students in media studies….Upper-division undergraduates through practitioners.” —Choice

“Follos, a school librarian since 1989, focuses on middle school readers and the real-life resources and demands of reading programs and school library programming. She describes why keeping kids involved in literature is more important than ever, especially in an age of mass communication pile-up. She shows the importance of literature in libraries that double as havens and instruments of time management, cooperative planning with other educators and the administration, setting up the foundations for literature programs, including integrating literature into the curriculum and working with adolescent development. She then gives a number of great ideas, such as title trekking, readers' workshops, story time enhancements and jourbanaling, developing a visiting author program, raising cash, and using young adult literature to help adults.” —Reference & Research Book News

“Sounding the call for school librarians to attack the issue head on, Follo's book both explicates the need and presents the author's own small boarding-school library program (fourth through ninth grade) as a case study for success….Professionals who are serious about revamping their programs to emphasize reading will want this book.” —VOYA

“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.” —Booklist/Professional Reading

“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….[s]ome sound ideas that middle school and young adult librarians will be able to adapt for their curriculums.” —School Library Jourbanal

From the Publisher

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 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal