The Family Learning Development Worker
at MALANI (Midlothian Adult Literacy and Numeracy Initiative),
Jenny McPherson, and the Senior Librarian at Mayfield Library,
Izi Allen, have worked together over the past three years
to put together programmes of events designed to attract
families.
It was decided that National Tell a Story Day would be
a good day to engage with families in a library setting
and to interact with those who would not normally come forward
for a course or organised group.
Each year the programme for the day has varied in order
to keep it fresh and interesting for the families who come
along. During the first two years, we used professional
storytellers and provided lots of activities for the parents
to do with their children.
This year we organised a Halloween Huddle and fourteen
families attended, with a total of fifty-six children! (Some
crept in on their own as the library was open as usual).
An illustrator supported the families to make up a story
about a witch and a skeleton. The story has since been produced
and is now in the library for everyone to read. Copies have
been made for the local schools to use too.
Each year more families have attended and the feedback
from the sessions has been extremely positive. The families
who come along have, in the main, been our target audience
and many have subsequently joined and continue to use the
library. Many have come along to other groups which have
been run in the area and have started to engage much more
with their children's learning.
For future events we will need to limit the numbers so
that the work is more focused and effective for those attending.
Perhaps in the future tickets will have to be issued or
the event run over more than one day!
It is hoped that National tell A Story Day will become
a regular event at Mayfield Library, as it has proved to
be a successful and effective way of engaging with potential
learners and for encouraging people to come and use their
local library.
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