Mary Ann Nichols YALSA/Dollar General Summer Reading Program Grant 800 Summit Street Kent, OH 44240Dear Ms. Nichols, It is with great excitement that I submit this application for the YALSA/Dollar General Summer Reading Program Grant for an Outstanding 2013 Library Summer Reading Program for Teens. Thank you for considering this application. The Marietta Public Library in the working class town of Marietta, Ohio was founded in 1952. Eight years ago, the community supported a tax levy that allowed for the expansion of our library to twice its original size, adding a whole new level. We have a strong relationship with the community of 9,000 residents, working hard to support one another. As part of our mission statement, we seek “to provide and promote equal access to the services and resources of the library in order to meet the diverse cultural, information, educational and recreational needs of the community.” We are a family oriented community with a large youth population. Our youth element has grown as the community has grown, and so has our need for resources for this vital part of our population. With budgets tightening everywhere, our library has not been exempt from cost cutting measures. But at the same time, the community is seeking low or no-cost educational, cultural and recreational services and resources like never before. For our teen population, we want them to view the library as their first stop to fulfill these needs. We plan to offer a theme based summer reading program called, Books- Passports to Anywhere with prizes for those readers who meet their goals, as well as events planned throughout the summer. The staff at Marietta Public Library want to thank you for making this grant available and are hopeful that you find our proposal for the Books – Passports to Anywhere program worthy of this generous grant. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at 330-441-1234 or e-mail at
[email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Jill Sooy Teen Librarian, Marietta Public Library Statement of Need This summer reading program will be valuable to the Marietta community for two important reasons: Summer Slide prevention With the schools in the community closed for the summer, children and teens are at risk for what has been coined, the “Summer Slide.” According to the authors of a report from the National Summer Learning Association: “A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year…It’s common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer.” We aim to market and promote this program throughout the community to draw as many teens in as we can so that they will see the library as a gathering place, a learning place, and a fun place. Once here, they can choose from our wonderful selection of young adult literature on just about any topic. Teens will be free to set their own (reasonable) goals based on minutes read, not books read. They will be given materials to log their minutes, and will earn a prize based on each of the three levels they will need to get to in order to complete the program. We want to get them hooked on books, not only during the summer, but year round. When they are looking for things to do, we would like reading to be one of the things they consider. Worthwhile Activities While teens always anticipate the start of summer vacation from school, it does not take long before they start looking for ways to occupy their time during those long summer days. The library is the perfect place to bring teens and the rest of the community together for quality programming. Families are looking for ways to stretch every dollar already, so having worthwhile, free activities for teens to take part in will be an asset for both teens and their parents. We are a diverse community having many families with both parents working during the summer and many single parent families looking for opportunities for their children to participate in safe, educational, and fun programs. The Program Our summer reading program will be themed: Books – Passports to Anywhere. Since we are a diverse community, we want our program to show that even if you are unable to physically travel to other parts of the world, a book can take you anywhere in the world, or even out of this world. Teens will be given a map of the world with various mile markers indicated on the map. Three places on the map will be called, “rest and refuel.” When students reach the required number of minutes reading to make it to a “rest and refuel” area, they can bring their map in to the library and claim a prize. The first set of prizes will be items such as a 4 pack of small highlighters, a 2 gig USB stick, or…….. The second set of prizes will be a choice of one of several paperback books, and the third “rest and refuel” stop point will allow teens to choose from, a plastic ipod case, earbuds, or …………(These items will be purchased in bulk at a discount in order to cut down on cost.) The second part of the summer program will be a schedule of travel-related activities for teens. Activities will include: Musical/dance performances from members of an African drum circle from a nearby college, and members from a local competitive Irish dancing team. A book club with books set in other countries. There will be three books total to be read over the summer. Students who participate in the summer reading program do not have to participate in the book club. We will be inviting the individual who runs the study abroad program through the high school to talk to students about opportunities to study in other countries. Travel books from all over the world will be on display will be available to browse. We will have a photo contest where teens can submit their favorite travel photos from anywhere in the world they have travelled. It does not need to be a trip several hours away. Pictures from anywhere outside the county will be eligible. We will have an exploratory foreign language club for students who wish to study another language in high school. In each of the four session, one of four languages will be explored (Spanish, French, Chinese, and German). Students can get a feel for each of the four languages, which may help them decided which one they would like to study in high school. Our final program will be a fiesta! Food, games, friends, and fun will be a part of this “goodbye” to summer. Goals and Objectives Our programs goals have been outlined in our needs statement, but will be reviewed here along with their objectives. Goal 1: To help teens maintain or improve their academic and reading skills over the summer months instead of lose knowledge and skills to the “summer slide.” Objectives: Increase the number of participants in the summer reading program by 15% over last year’s number. Increase the number of teens who complete the program by 10% over last year’s number. Goal 2: To provide no-cost, safe, educational and fun programming to the community’s teens, especially those who have no parent at home with them during the summer days. Partner with local organizations to bring their services to the library. This benefits the teens by giving them entertainment and learning opportunities, and it benefits the businesses by giving them exposure the many potential customers. Provide at least 6 themed programs throughout the summer. Outcomes The desired outcome is that teens will be encouraged to read throughout the summer months, will create new friendships, will feel a sense of community, and will not only stop the summer slide, but instead start the school year even more knowledgeable and ready to learn than when they left off for summer break. Significance The Search Institute (2007) has released a list of 40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents. These are considered to building blocks of healthy developmental. We wanted to structure our program to meet as many of these external and internal needs as possible. We feel that our program provides support , empowers teens, provides positive roll models, and makes constructive use of time. In addition to these external needs, our program will focus on positive values, show a commitment to learning, and promote social competencies and a positive identity. External Assets Other adult relationships – Young person receives support from three or more nonparent adults. Between staff and volunteers, teens will have the opportunity to meet and interact with volunteers and staff at the library. Caring neighborhood – Young person experiences caring neighbors. The library is a place where they can feel a big part of the community. Community values youth – Young person perceives that adults in the community value youth. Youth as a resource – Young people are given useful roles in the community. Adult role models – Parents and other adults model positive, respectful behavior. Creative activities – Young person spends three or more hours per week in lesson plans. Youth programming – Young person spends three or more hours per week in sports, clubs, or organizations at school or in the community. Internal Assets Achievement motivation – Young person is motivated to do well in school. Reading for pleasure – Young person reads for pleasure three or more hours per week. Cultural competencies – Young person has knowledge of and comfort with people of different cultural/racial / ethnic background. Caring – Young person places high value on helping others. Responsibility – Young person accepts and takes personal responsibility. Cultural Competence – Young person has knowledge of and comfort with people of different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds. Personal Power – Young person feels he or she has control over “things that happen to me.” Positive View of Personal Future – Young person is optimistic about her or his personal future. Evaluation of the Program The evaluation of the program will consist of two parts: 1. Feedback from teen participants E-mail address from teens who sign up for the program will be collected when teens sign up for the program. The e-mail will be used to remind teens of upcoming library events. When the program has been completed, teens will be sent a very brief Survey monkey survey consisting of 5 question that ask for their opinion about the program. Sample questions could include: Did you successfully complete the program? How many total minutes did you read as part of the program? What was your favorite event? Would you participate in a summer reading program at Marrietta Local Library again? Do you have suggestions for ways we can improve the program next year? 2. Data collected by library personnel Statistics will be collected as the teens come in to sign up for the program, and again as they complete their reading goals and turn in their logs. Such information will include: How many participants were in the program? What were the ages of the participant? How many completed the entire program? How many hours of reading time were submitted, including a number for total amount of hours by all teens, and an average per reader? How many events were attended by how many teens? Once all of the data has been compiled, we will be able to see whether or not we met our goal of a 15% increase in total number of participants and our other goal of a 10% in the number of teens who participate in the program. We should be able to tell what worked well and what needs to be improved. A report will be compiled and submitted to the Board of Directors for review. Timeline of Events Jan. 2013 - Contact groups who will be performing at the various events to get them scheduled. Jan 2013 – Have maps(logs) and promotional materials printed Feb. 2013 – Order prizes Feb. 2013 – Order books, both for the library and for incentives Mar. 2013 – Start trying to recruit volunteers who want to help with the teen program Apr. – Begin to advertise the program at the library and at the middle and high schools. Apr. – Contact area supermarkets for a possible donation of snack foods. Apr. – Update social media site to provide information about the program May – Run adds in local paper and community cable channel May – Have a meeting with staff and volunteers to follow up on any questions. Program events May 30 - Summer reading kick of party where teens can begin to start signing up for the program and start reading and tracking their hours on their map. Book club begins. June 1 – Meeting for vacation photo participants. Guidelines and ground rules discussed. June 3 – Exploration - Spanish June 7 - Book club will hold its first meeting and vote on the book to read first. June 12 – Drum circle/dancing performance June 28 – First book club July 8 – Exploration – Chinese July 24 – Second book club discussion July 26 – Exploration - French Aug 8 - Study abroad coordinator to speak on opportunities to study around the world August – 16 – Exploration - German Aug 18 – Third book club discussion Aug 24 – End of summer fiesta Budget The following costs have been identified for the Books – Passports to Anywhere program: Item Printed materials Drummers/performers Study abroad coordinator Vacation photo program assistant Language explorations Materials for photo program Misc. decorations Advertising Misc. photocopying Survey Monkey Snacks and drinks Books for prizes Other prizes Misc. unforeseen expenses Cost $300 Donated time (free) Donated time (free) Donated time (free) Donated time (free) $45 $75 for kick off program and fiesta $75 – cable ad $30 Free online service To be donated by local grocery store $400 ($200 donated by the Friends group to cover half of this cost) $350 $? Other Information Staples.com Local paper does not charge library. Social medial advertising is free Surveymonkey.com Scholastic.com Misc. fund Without funding, this program will not be able to take place. We have been able to secure some donations to cut down on our costs, however, prizes, books, printing and advertisements will add up to nearly $1000. Summer is an ideal time to attract teens to the library. It is our hope that once they start coming, they will keep coming throughout the school year, having learned more about the resources, programming, technology, and other materials offered at the library. If award this $1000 grant, the budget outlined above will provide the resources we need to attract this important group of patrons to our library. Assignment of Responsibilities Contact drum circle group for scheduling – Teen librarian Contact study abroad coordinator – Teen librarian Contact foreign language exploration program individuals – Teen librarian Contact vacation photo program assistant – Teen librarian Order maps/promo materials – Teen librarian Summer reading kick off program – Teen librarian, library assistant, volunteers Order books – Library assistant Order prizes – Library assistant Place adds in paper/cable – Library assistant Update social media sites – Library assistant Pick up snacks/drinks from grocery store – Library assistant Participate in book clubs – Teen librarian, library assistant (volunteers welcome too) Decorations – volunteers Copying – volunteers Program set-up / tear down – volunteers End up summer fiesta – Teen librarian, library assistant, volunteers Marketing One of the materials we will use to market the program will be bookmarks that look like a passport on the outside, and will have space for teen to log the books they have read and the country that the book was set in. Just as a real passport becomes a log of where an individual has traveled, this “passport” can be a log that teens have “traveled to” during the summer. For teens who do most of their reading on ereaders, there will be information provided about Librarything.com as a means to track their summer reading progress. We will have a short tutorial on using LibraryThing on our website. Annotated Bibliography These are some books that can be used in a display. A large map can be used to pinpoint the setting of the books. Teens can add to the map as they read these and other books from other locations around the world. Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins- Burma Chiko and Tu Reh are two boys on the opposite side of a brutal conflict that neither one really understands. They have been raised to think the way they do. But when they meet under precarious circumstances, they start to learn about the people on the “other side” of the conflict. In order to survive, they have to depend on one another. This forges a bond between them and breaks down the ways they have been raised to think. It’s a coming-of – age story with lots of emotion and big issues. Beneath My Mother’s Feet by Amjed Qamar – Pakistan Life can change in the blink of an eye for young Pakistani girls. After her father is injured, Nazia has to leave her school, her friends, and her life that she knew. She is now slated to marry and is forced to help her mother clean houses in a wealthy part of Karachi. This is not at all how she thought her life would end up. But Nazia becomes sick and tired of decision about her life being made for her, and decides to forge her own path. Spud by John Van de Ruit– South Africa John is a 13 year old who attends a prestigious boarding school in South Africa. This book chronicles his first year there and all of the things that go on right under the noses of unsuspecting adults. Funny at moments, sad at others, the book offers a lot of entertainment as the reader sees boarding school life through the eyes of an adolescent boy. Duchessina by Carolyn Meyer– Italy Though Catherine grows up in a palace in Italy, her life is less than ideal. She spends most of her childhood locked away in a convent. Eventually, she is free to leave the convent, but learns she is married to the Prince of France, Henry II at the ripe old age of fourteen. Teens interested in historical fiction will find a lot to like about this one. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – France Anna’s father forces her to attend a boarding school in Paris during her senior year of high school. She is less then thrilled until she meets a tall handsome boy that immediately catches her eye. The problem is, while attracted to each other, they both have other individuals in their lives. Maybe a good friendship is enough for them, but on the other hand, maybe not. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak- Germany Set in Germany in the 1930s and 40s, Liesel does what she need to do to stay a live during this rugged time in history. She steals her first book at age 9, when she can not yet read, but soon learns to do so and begins to share her books with others who need them as much as she does. Narrated by Death, this book will likely be enjoyed by older teens who can appreciate more complicated phrases and story lines. Peak by Roland Smith – Nepal Peak Marcello is sent away to live with his long lost father in the Himalayas. While Peak has a love for climbing like his father, he learns that the real reason his father has taken a renewed interest in him is that he wants 14 year old Peak to become the youngest ever to scale Mount Everest. This book will take the reader as close to the summit as most of us will ever get. Blood Ninja by Nick Lake – Japan Caught up between rival lords controlling Japan in the 16th century, Taro starts to learn about the his past and about ninja history. He has already been the witness to his father’s murder and the taken away by a mysterious ninja who bites him and turns him into a vampire. This is no battle between Edward and Jacob however. These battles will likely appeal to guys who like action, blood, and weapons. Trash by Andy Mulligan – Phillipines Two teens and a younger boy spend their childhood searching through dumps to find anything that might be of value. But one day, one of the teens finds a bag at the dump that contains something that leads the three on a journey to uncover truth and corruption, changing their live forever. The Uninvited by Tim Wynne Jones - Canada Mimi just wants to get away to a cabin in Canada that is owned by her father. Her first year of college did not go as expected, and she is ready to escape for awhile. When she arrives, she finds someone she has never met before, and this person apparently has never heard of her father. He blames her for strange occurrences that have been happening on the property at first. But they soon discover they need to work together to find out what is really going on. References: Search Institute (2007). 4 0 Developmental Assets for Adolescents for Teens. Search Institute. Retrieved Apr. 28, 2013 from http://www.search-institute.org/content/40developmental-assets-adolescents-ages-12-18