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Texas Reading Club Manual 29
offers on-line tutorials and tips for digital photography at its www.kodak.com. Click on
“Consumer Photography” and select “Taking Great Pictures.”
Public relations and marketing is a cumulative process. It cannot be done just one time. Submit
press releases consistently and regularly. Talk with the media contacts and solicit their support
as co-sponsors of your program. Thank them for past support, even if it was not as much as you
would have liked. Suggest feature stories that highlight your library, your programs, and the
Texas Reading Club. Feature stories to suggest might include any of the following.
• “The Sport of Champions” programs for children and families
• Kick-off parties and special events
• End of summer celebrations
• Multi-cultural programs (bilingual storytimes, programs that celebrate cultural heritage)
• Teen volunteers
• Audio book suggestions for family trips
For more information about publicity, read Marketing the Texas Reading Club, available on the
Texas State Library and Archives Commission web site at www.tsl.state.tx.us.
Cooperation with Schools
One of the most effective methods for increasing participation in the Texas Reading Club is
through partnerships with local schools. The Association for Library Services to Children, a
division of the American Library Association, offers a compilation of ideas and information online
at its School/Public Library Cooperative Programs web site,
www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/forlibrarians/SchoolPLCoopProgs.htm.
Ask school librarians and teachers to encourage students to join the reading program. If
possible, visit the schools and distribute information about the library. Begin planning school
visits as early as possible in order to promote your summer program before the school year ends.
Write a letter to the district superintendent in February. Remind the superintendent that public
libraries and schools are natural allies in education. Specifically request permission to contact
the schools and ask the superintendent to endorse the library's reading program.
As soon as you receive permission to do so, contact the principals or school librarians. Write to
the librarian or teachers to schedule school visits in April and/or May. School visits can be brief
and simple or they can be longer programs, depending on the amount of time and staff available.
At a minimum, let the students know who you are, that the library is planning free summer
programs and activities for them, and that you look forward to seeing them in the library. If time
permits, tell a story, share some jokes, present a puppet show, sing songs, or lead a simple craft
related to the Texas Reading Club theme. Leave bookmarks or flyers for the students to take
home and leave a poster at the school with the dates of your program. The school librarian may
be very happy to display the poster in the library.
Ask teachers, especially kindergarten through second grade teachers, to discuss the importance
of summer reading with parents at the final parent-teacher conference. Teachers have a great
deal of influence with parents and their recommendation will often encourage parents to follow