I recently attended a dinner party and was introduced to a new food: quinoa [keen-wah]. This little chenopod is a complete protein and mixed with dried cranberries and a light basil-lemon dressing, it was much easier to eat than it is to spell! Many other delicious foods were present at the dinner, but the unfamiliar quinoa stood out and reminded me how lovely it is to try new things.
Recently, I received an email from a woman explaining that she would be teaching two sessions on the READ CD Box Set during an upcoming conference* called Branch Out. How appropriate that during this conference, whose tagline is Beyond Your Comfort Zone, this woman would be bringing together people from different library branches to share a great way to promote literacy and reach out to your community!
This “branch out” theme would work as a great mechanism to recognize students and patrons that have recently tried new things. Set up a Branch Out week or month where, at the start, people set a goal to explore something new with the help of their library. It could be as basic as delving into a new genre of book. Or more involved like reading up about a different culture’s food then using the library’s resources to find a delicious recipe to whip up at home (I suggest quinoa!). Toward the end of Branch Out, participants could have a show and tell where they report back on their findings and have their picture taken with the library resource that helped them Branch Out. Not only would those READ posters be sure to spark conversation but they would undoubtedly instill a sense of confidence and pride for those who had taken on something new!
*Knowing that the license agreement restricts software installation and use on more than one computer, she requested permission to download 1 poster file to each computer for use during the session only. This is a great solution for those wanting to instruct/workshop with the READ CD. If you have other permissions questions, please don’t hesitate to write an email.