[Publib] Summer Reading Club rewards

Fri Apr 18 15:43:08 EDT 2008

When I first started working here in the Children's Department, the head of
the department had stopped offering prizes for the SRP the year before.  By
the time I moved over to the Adult side of things five years later, parents
were STILL asking about where the prizes were-although the kids didn't seem
to care that much.  In addition to reading books, we also stressed library
attendance and programming.  In the 10-12 years since I've been out of the
Children's Department things have changed a little with a new director.
Children now can turn in evidence of participation for a paperback book at
the end of the summer and there is a fun concert in August for all to enjoy.
(We "bribe" preschoolers with hand stamps each visit.  Some kids end up
looking tattooed.)

The people that need to be "bribed" with prizes are the grown-ups who
participate in the Adult Summer Reading program.  They keep telling me "This
is so much fun I'd do it without prizes", but as soon as we do it without
prizes, participation plummets.

Donna Jo Atwood
Reference Librarian
Olathe (KS) Public Library 

My main concern is backlash--after offering it, we are concerned about
disgruntled patrons, and wondered if anyone else had done this and then
stopped, and what the reaction was.

Carolyn Smith Pennington

Children Services Coordinator

  _____  

From: Bookbitch [mailto:Bookbitch at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 6:04 AM
To: Carolyn Pennington; publib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Publib] Summer Reading Club rewards

I haven't had experience with cutting back a library program, but I will
share my philosophy about "bribing" children.  I read this somewhere, sorry
I don't know the source, but it has worked well for me with my own kids and
when I was a manager for Borders, with my employees...

If you don't pay a child for being good, you will have a child who is good
for nothing.

Rewards don't have to be as big as game systems, and yes, even a "hearty
handshake" will be appreciated by a child who has worked hard.  Everyone
likes to be appreciated and have their hard work recognized and rewarded,
even children.  And let's face it, for some children, reading is hard work.

What is not clear to me from your letter is whether you are thinking of
cutting back because of inadequate funding from the Friends, or whether you
are using the sad state of the economy as an excuse because you resent
spending the money on this program.

Stacy Alesi

Library Name *Censored*

Boca Raton, Florida

& MLIS student at USF

I am the BookBitch 
www.bookbitch.com <http://www.bookbitch.com/>  

Enter to win THE WHOLE TRUTH by David Baldacci, ANTIQUES TO DIE FOR by Jane
K. Cleland, LOSING YOU by Nicci French, or 8 signed thrillers!

  _____  

From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of Carolyn Pennington
Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2008 5:47 PM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Publib] Summer Reading Club rewards

We are thinking about NOT awarding prizes for our Summer Reading Club this
year. Local merchants generously give us coupons for ice cream cones, pizza,
kid's meals, etc,, that we hand out after x-amount of time or titles have
been read. At the end of the program we have a drawing for each age group
and award a "grand prize" for each group--in the past it was game systems,
video games, CD players, one year it was even bicycles, in recent years it
has been a gift certificate for a local book store. These items have always
been paid for by the library, or the Friends of the Library.  This year we
are thinking of having a party at the end, complete with cake and ice cream,
perhaps a movie and a hearty handshake, etc.

We all know the economy is not very robust right now, and our Summer reading
Club gets more expensive every year. I have no problem handing out coupons
from merchants, who will benefit from giving them to me to increase their
business, but bribing children to read just seems wrong! Has anyone had any
experience with "cutting back" like this? What was the public reaction? 

Carolyn Smith Pennington

Children Services Coordinator
Burleson Public Library
248 S.W. Johnson Avenue
Burleson TX 76028-4765
817 295-6131 x296
 <http://www.burlesonlibrary.com/> http://www.burlesonlibrary.com

Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est. 

Knowledge is power. - Francis Bacon

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