April News from The Reading Agency

We are absolutely delighted that we are part of the Arts Council's new National Portfolio of funded arts organisations. It's been a strange month, because alongside this great news, we're getting a stream of emails from library staff who are losing their jobs - fantastic people we've worked with for years. We are developing some major pieces of work with the Society of Chief Librarians, helping libraries move forward despite the cuts. If you can, join us at the London Book Fair on 12 April to hear more.

New digital developments with SCL March saw two new significant developments in our digital work with the Society of Chief Librarians (SCL).

READING GROUPS CAMPAIGN: On 15 March we launched a new website Reading Groups for Everyone, which marks stage one of our new campaign to double the existing number of library linked reading groups to 20,000 by 2013. Having launched the test site with 19 trailblazing library services, we're now inviting all libraries (and other organisations) to put their reading group details on the website - at the last count we're up to 460! The initiative makes it easier for libraries to continue to develop reading groups and meet public demand. Visit www.readinggroups.org to add your groups. FREE BOOKS: Reading Groups for Everyone is offering reading groups some fantastic activities and resources, by involving our big network of partners. Right now Penguin Classics is giving reading groups the opportunity to read and review The Best of Everything, the 1950s bestseller by Rona Jaffe. See this and other freebies on www.readinggroups.org.

DIGITAL OFFER FROM LIBRARIES: Also in March we ran a digital marketing event for over 40 publishers and many library authorities to develop ideas for the future digital reading offer from libraries. This built on our research into how libraries currently use digital technology to develop audiences for reading. There were lots of fantastic ideas and some big ambitions, which we are currently marshalling into an action plan. We'll post information about how you can get involved on the website shortly. We were very grateful to Public Library Online and OverDrive for sponsoring the event.

Health and reading We are being inundated with queries about the pilot health work we've done with West Midlands' SCL. Together we've created a new health and social care offer from libraries, supported by a toolkit that pulls together the evidence for the impact of libraries' reading and information work on people's health and well being. We are now in the process of rolling this work out nationally. Authorities wishing to work with us to embed the health offer should contact Debbie Hicks for further information.

Summer Reading Challenge We run big shared programmes with libraries to help them make more social impact through reading. Our biggest is the Summer Reading Challenge for 4 to 12 year olds. In such uncertain times, we're really, really pleased that 97% of UK library authorities have signed up to do the Challenge this year. And we're inspired by libraries' determination to continue to reach and encourage young readers in the current climate. We have been working hard to make sure that this year's Circus Stars challenge is a roaring success and will be launching the website www.circus-stars.org.uk on 26 May so that libraries and schools can promote it to children.

Summer Reading Challenge volunteering For the second summer running, we are co-ordinating Summer Reading Challenge volunteering opportunities in a growing number of local libraries around the UK. These are for 16 to 25 year olds, in partnership with v, the national youth volunteering charity, and John Laing Integrated Services. Last summer, over 2,000 young people took part. Read more here Summer Reading Challenge.

Supporting adult literacy

Photo: Alex Rumford

Julian Barnes supports our work AWARD: We were thrilled when Julian Barnes chose to support our work with young offenders through the Six Book Challenge. As winner of the David Cohen Prize for his lifetime's achievement in literature, he got to choose the organisation who should receive the £12,500 Clarissa Luard Award, funded by Arts Council England. Julian's choice will allow us to support 900 young offenders and 100 prison staff over the next two years. JOIN: There's still time for more prisons, libraries, workplaces, further education colleges and community groups to take part in the Six Book Challenge 2011. Plus we're delighted to hear from libraries such as Kent and Staffordshire who are planning to run the scheme alongside the Summer Reading Challenge. Visit the Six Book Challenge website to find out how to join in, plus the latest news from participating organisations, and a series of new case studies from workplaces including Boots, Lancashire Care NHS, the union learning centre at Ashworth Hospital and food manufacturing company R F Brookes in South Wales.

Chatabout HELP TO REACH TARGET: Our Chatabout support network for people who run reading groups for adults with lower levels of literacy and less confident readers has been growing steadily. Visit Chatabout to join in conversations about World Book Night, reading mentoring and Quick Reads among others, and help us reach our target of 400 members by early April.

Supporting adult readers

Waterstone's partnership NEW EVENTS: We are running an exciting new programme of events with Waterstone's and libraries. Our partnership kicks off with ten showcase author events for adults, a children's development day (see below) and family events. Our first joint event took place with Katie Fforde at a rather beautiful Waterstone's in Birmingham. The library organised and promoted the event but it was hosted for the first time in the store. There was a great turnout of 70 library users. Most other events are taking place in April and May starting with a 'Blitz' themed tour with author Juliet Gardner. We will be putting information about the events on Reading Groups for Everyone.

Supporting children and young people

Much of our work is about inspiring young people to read by giving them the lead to shape the library services and reading activities that work for them.

MyVoice ROADSHOWS: Our new MyVoice Roadshows are part of the national MyVoice programme that targets disadvantaged young people. They are reading and writing roadshows for young people aged 11 to 19 and are supported by Arts Council England. From 23 to 30 July they will happen in Weymouth Library; St Helens Central Library; Church Street Library, Westminster; Great Yarmouth Community Library; Sunderland City Library and Arts Centre. The MyVoice Roadshows break new ground. They are programmed and promoted by local creative, young people, who would not normally engage with the arts, or literature. If you are an arts or youth organisation, a creative business or a publisher, we'd love you to get involved. Please visit the website and download the briefs.

Headspace HeadSpace is our project that puts young people at the centre of designing library spaces and running services for other young people to engage them in reading and volunteering.

CELEBRATION: Croydon has opened the first London HeadSpace in Thornton Heath library. We celebrated the first few months of its activities with a showcase evening (and a cake!). Planned by the Headspace young people, their families and friends were treated to an evening highlighting the range of Headspace activities, including Manga Workshops, author events, a Homework Club, and creative reading and writing opportunities.

EVENT: At an inspiring event organised by the young people of HeadSpace High Wycombe and Random House, Teenage Kicks - Reality Bites, young people and librarians met some of the most popular young people's authors - Malorie Blackman, Bali Rai and Jenny Downham. Young people structured the event and decided not to have any readings but instead to have lots of probing questions about how and why writers write. A fascinating evening, modelling a different approach to connecting young people to writers. Read more about HeadSpace.

Arts Nation EVENTS: We are working with the Arts Council's Arts Nation initiative that aims to open up the world of the arts to people who don't normally engage with it. We are running four showcase events. One of them is for families, through our network of Chatterbooks reading groups and with Waterstone's bookstores. On 11 April 50 Chatterbooks children will go with parents and carers to the Mission Theatre Bath to meet authors, take part in activities, buy books and have them signed. For many of the children and families this is a new experience and they've also been involved in designing the invitations and activities.

Look out for…

Us at the London Book Fair Come and join us at the London Book Fair. On 12 April Miranda McKearney is chairing an event on libraries' digital future, Tricia Kings is running a Children's Reading Partners Road Show with publishers, authors and librarians, Sandeep Mahal is talking about 21st Century author tours and Anne Sarrag is part of the BookTrust seminar on publishers working with charities. Entry for librarians and information professionals is £10 - and if you belong to CILIP or the School Library Association it is free. To get this reduced/free entry you must register before 11 April. We have some free places for librarians too - email Tricia Kings for details.

Spotlight NEW TITLES: The Spotlight titles for May to July are out now and you can download the April poster from the website now. You'll also find other suggestions for books children might like based on this month's titles.

Keeping in touch

Brand new facebook page NEWS: Please come and chat to us on facebook! We are really enjoying all the interactions and it's proving a great way of joining up things like our Reading Groups work and publishers' offers. Hope to see you there soon.

For information about all our projects and resources visit the website, follow us on Twitter and tell use what you think at the discussion forum.

Our funding We would like to thank all the people who are supporting our work and helping us to open up the transformative world of reading to more people, including the Museums and Libraries Archives Council and Arts Council England.

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