At our Summer Reading Kickoff on April 6th, we shared some tips for using different NoveList services to support Summer Reading focused on the Cooperative Summer Library Program (CSLP) theme. We heard from a lot of people in chat and Q&A that they use other summer reading programs and would like tips for using NoveList products to support their efforts.
We are here for you!
Read Beyond the Beaten Path
The iREAD theme is all about camping, nature, adventure, and fun! If you’re looking in NoveList Plus, we’ve got several Recommended Reads Lists to support you on topics like survival and saving the planet. We noted all the people in the chat who use this theme and added the key phrase “Read Beyond the Beaten Path” to those. Like you would with CSLP, simply type read beyond the beaten path to find all of these in one quick search.
Once Upon a Time
Do you like castles? What about princesses, royal scandals, or (like my three-year-old) Frozen on repeat? Then this Canadian Summer Reading theme is for you. If you’re looking in NoveList Plus, we’ve got several Recommended Reads Lists to support you on topics like princess power and magical creatures. We added the key phrase “Once Upon a Time” to those. Like you would with CSLP, simply type once upon a time to find all of these in one quick search.
Creating beautiful templates
If you’re using LibraryAware, the iREAD and TD Summer Reading Club themes and artwork are exclusive to those programs. However, we already have materials that complement the themes such as camping artwork and templates with castles on them. To make them easier to find, we’ve tagged them with iREAD or TD Summer Reading. Type those terms in the search box and some options should come right up. And remember, you can always upload your own images to LibraryAware for use by your library on anything you create.
Building your collection
Part of the beauty of Core Collections is that you can search by a vast array of subject headings and NoveList genres to see what essential and recommended titles are out there. If you’re looking for books to support Once Upon a Time, search for Fairy tale and folklore-inspired fiction, just fairy tales, or folklore, mythical creatures, quests, and more. If you’re looking for materials to support iREAD, a search of camping will give you a great start and you can narrow down from there. Other suggestions would be nature, adventure stories, wildlife, voyages and travels, and survival stories.
Getting the word out
No matter which Summer Reading theme you use, it’s important to get the word out about your collections and services. Make sure you’re signed up for our Collection Promotion Deep-Dive Session on May 19th at 2 pm ET to learn tips and best practices for promoting the breadth and depth of your library’s collection from Angela Hursh. If you need help justifying the $99 expense to your manager, read Angela’s blog post about the course and print off the letter we created to help you make your case.
Jennifer Lohmann is the Director of Sales and Marketing at NoveList. She is currently reading The Good Life Method: Reasoning Through the Big Questions of Happiness, Faith, and Meaning by Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko.
