  Bookstart
and Beyond
YLG SW training day, 23 May 2001.
Bookstart has been eagerly set up in library
authorities throughout the length and breadth of the country.
But how do we take forward and develop the project through activities
and events to encourage early use of libraries by parents and
carers and young children? This practical course aimed to give
delegates ideas to continue the excellent work already being done.
Rosemary Clark
National Schemes and Partnership Co-ordinator, Booktrust.
Rosemary introduced her session by talking about other international
book gifting schemes to put Bookstart into perspective. The Bookstart
scheme is the only scheme in the world to be run on a national
level. In 1992 there were 300 Bookstart babies in the UK. By 2000
there were 675,000. One of the reasons that Bookstart has worked
so well is that it is a partnership between health visitors, Booktrust,
libraries and parents. Rosemary went on to talk about the current
situation regarding funding. Sainsburys gave £6m to fund the scheme
until December 200. They have also given £500,000 for the first
quarter of 2001 to keep the scheme going. The government has given
£250,000 for administrative costs and a partnership of smaller
sponsors was put together to fund the packs in quarter 2. By then
Booktrust expected to be able to announce a new commercial sponsor.
However this sponsor had to pull out of the agreement leaving
Booktrust again looking for sponsors to keep the scheme going
until the government funding from the DCMS comes online in 2004.
This means that we may see some changes to the pack in terms of
content and the bag itself. However Rosemary remains optimistic
and encouraged us all to keep actively promoting the scheme at
all local levels from parents, to steering groups and to press
officers. She finished with reminding us that Bookstart is the
foundation stone for a life long learning strategy.
Read and Recommend Scheme
Susan Doyle Lewisham Libraries.
The Read and Recommend scheme was set up to give parents and
carers an opportunity to ‘shape’ their library service
in keeping with Best Value, by being involved in stock selection.
Approval collections are supplied from Peters Library Services,
consisting of books and tapes suitable for children under five
years. Approximately 50-60 items are usually supplied. Read and
Recommend approval events are held approximately every six weeks
at three of the eleven lending libraries in the Borough. They
are often held after under fives storytime. Books are displayed
on tables or racks for individuals to look at on their own during
the session. Parents and carers and their children choose titles
they wish the library service to buy for their local library and
fill in a review sheet with the title, author, branch and the
child’s first name who has chosen it. When the new titles
are supplied to the library, a sticker is put on the front cover
of the book to indicate that the child has selected that particular
title. Attendance is very mixed in spite of advertising in the
libraries using posters and flyers. Wider publicity and creative
ways of promoting this event is being considered. The library
is also looking into structuring the sessions more and showing
books to the whole group to create more discussion and sharing
of opinion.
Ian Dodds: Clapping and tapping, wriggling
and jiggling
When we returned to our seats after lunch, we
found a pair of maracas or a small tambourine on our seats, which
was a big hint that we weren’t going to be allowed to have
a quiet doze. Sure enough, Ian briefly explained how he started
Baby Bounce and Rhyme in Bromley to fill the gap in provision
for Early Years, and then soon had us joining in with rhymes,
singing and shaking our instruments, and generally getting into
the spirit of the thing.
 He
then talked us through part of a video of a Bounce and Rhyme session
in action, with approximately 60 mums and babies in a very large
circle. He has everyone on chairs, which is easiest for balancing
the babies on laps, and always starts with Humpty Dumpty and finishes
with a quieter rhyme about opening and closing hands, and reckons
he gets through a total of 17 rhymes on average, introducing a
new one every alternate week. (He welcomes rhymes from other cultures
when a mother is willing to teach the group). Ian himself has
a doll called Molly on his knee as substitute baby to illustrate
the actions of the rhymes. At the end of each session, Ian brings
out a big box of books, and, although we were amused to see one
toddler trying to get INTO the box, families were evidently sharing
books together, chatting about their favourites to other families,
and generally continuing the fun for a little longer.
Does it work? Ian told us about a little star
called Heather whose first word was "Maracas", and a
Mum who has had to work out an alternative route around the library
when she wants to go shopping, as her little one screams with
excitement when he recognises the library. There can be no doubt
that everyone has a wonderful time, and the babies are developing
pre-reading skills, getting used to anticipation (he gets them
to "wait for it" ...before a good bit!) and enjoying
language, even if they don’t realise it.
Ian left us buzzing with excitement and enthusiasm!
He did run through a checklist of needs, of which the most difficult
is staffing. Not only does a member of staff have to be willing
to perform, but plans have to be made for when that person is
on holiday, or, for whatever reason, not there. If we can work
on the practicalities, Portsmouth is definitely in for a dose
of Bouncing and Rhyming, and I’m really looking forward to
hearing Ian again at the Bookstart Regional Conference, so that
I can learn a few more really good rhymes…
Diana Simons Family Library Link Librarian,
Portsmouth
Liz Weighell Hampshire
Robert Cotterill Swindon
More YLG News
Meet the Commitee On being
an Eastern Branch Rep!
Libraries and Learning
London and SE training day
Yorkshire and Humber YLG
Chair's Report
UmbrelLA6 YLG Rep's
report
Read On – Write Away!
Carol Taylor
Banquet of Reading
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