FINAL PAPER Public Library Programming for Adults

John Rimer LIS 701-02 December 14, 2010

What is meant by Adult Programming in the Public Library; what are its history, purpose, and current state of practice? A perusal of the website of almost any public library will lead to a calendar of events hosted by that library. The Chicago Public Library, for example, has an interactive, searchable calendar that details events hosted at branch libraries throughout the city, including book clubs, author events, classes and workshops, seasonal events, concerts, and many more (Chicago Public Library). But how do these events fit into the broader mission of a public library? One definition of programming, offered by Brett W. Lear, in his book, Adult Programs in the Library, suggests that if libraries are intended to serve the informational, educational, and recreational needs of their communities, programming is a process whereby those needs are met by bringing patrons into contact with the human resources best able to meet those needs (xv). Another purpose of programming, as explained by Barbara J. Brown in her work, Programming for Librarians, is that it may attract people who would never have thought to come into the library to search either printed material or databases for information on a subject (v), suggesting perhaps that non-readers, or people whose preferred way of absorbing information does not depend on print, may be enticed into the den of literacy. Or as John S. Robotham and Lydia LaFleur suggest in their Library Programs: How to Select, Plan and Produce Them, Libraries never enter the consciousness of some people. They are surprised when it is suggested that they try the library for an answer to their questions. So programs are a form of publicity (vii). Reinforcing Browns point of view regarding libraries attracting nonreaders, Robotham and LaFleur suggest that we, as a society, are beginning to realize that people learn in different ways (viii).

So, whether a form of marketing or outreach, another reason for engaging in library programming is simply that such events fill a need within the community for cultural experiences: In many places, little or nothing of a cultural nature is available, or is being offered to the general public and library programs can, if they are well presented, provide a valuable free public service (Robotham and LaFleur, ix). Deborah A. Robertson, in her book, Cultural Programming for Libraries, says that the case for programming is the case for the library itselfthey are uniquely qualified to deliver information and to make sense of it. By selecting, collecting, organizing, preserving, and making available the material effects of culture, librarians make libraries the most viable of venues for cultural programming (2). Such cultural programs have been offered by libraries for well over a century, and have simply become woven into the fabric of library practice: The first examples of library programming in the United States and England began appearing in the late 1800sLibrarians would ask patrons to stop reading and listen to their lectures on what to read and on the use and abuse of fiction. Librarians thankfully moved on from captive-audience lectures to exhibits and displays. The librarian Charles A. Cutter believed that exhibits bring people to the library who might not otherwise attendBy the early 1900s, librarians had also learned that they could tie a display to the books in the library. For example, Native American rugs could be placed on display along with a table full of books about Native Americans(Lear, xiii). In Britain in the 1840s, the financial support for libraries and museums came from the same taxes, and it became common for museums and libraries to share the same space and resources. Museums were commonly supported by art appreciation societies that offered art classes, and so it was only natural that these classes would sometimes be held in the library. By the 1880s, libraries in the United States began following the British example, and offered classes in art, but also modeled programs after the types of events held by various benevolent and social societies of the day, and began hosting classes in child rearing, and many other subjects, as well as concerts and lectures, and serving as host to various festivals (Lear, xiv). 2

By the 1930s and 1940s, libraries had become heavily involved in the adult education movement, and beginning with reading guidance, began emphasizing group work and more formalized programming, such as lectures and book discussions, seeking to mobilize the librarys collections as a means to promote the values of a democratic society (Robertson, 6). By the 1970s, library programming covered an enormous range of activities, including: telling stories to children, showing filmsflying kites, demonstrating karate, teaching people how to repair motorcycles, and doing anything that seems important to any group of people (Robotham and LaFleur, ix). In addition to a more strictly educational mission, the library had accepted the idea of providing people with meaningful leisure activities and opportunities for self-expression (Robertson, 5). Programming has evolved over time to the degree that the modern public library staff for the most part considers programming to be an essential part of its responsibilities (Brown, v). A perusal of some of the practice of library programming as described in the current professional literature would suggest that not only do libraries today consider programming an essential responsibility, but even more so consider it vital to their survival, often integrating it with specific problem-solving tasks, marketing campaigns, library 2.0 practices, and public relations, as part of a holistic strategy towards building public awareness of the library as community partner, responding to the needs of its service population. The sense of urgency that is part of the discussion that surrounds programming seems to stem from the belief that the public is drifting away from traditional library service. Christopher Swopes 2008 Governing article, Revolution in the Stacks, explains that today, the vast majority of information searches begin not at a library reference desk but at an Internet search engine. The troubling fact for libraries is that customers really seem to prefer the latter (34). Swope goes on to mention an

OCLC survey that says that two out of three Americans, when they think of libraries, think of books, which is problematic in the long term, given the proliferation of big-box bookstores with their coffee bars and comfortable reading spaces, and the emergence of cheap, convenient electronic books, all of which would seem to conspire against the future role of the traditional library as the general publics main source for information-seeking and procurement of reading material (34). The response from some libraries, says Swope, is to steal the idea from retailers of the third spacean atmosphere where people will want to spend a lot of their timeits a community-center modeland it demands a focus on social programming, readings and events, as well as partnerships with arts and theater groups and other community organizations (35). But how, in practice, do libraries go about generating all this program content, particularly when budgets are already strained by the ongoing recession? Rebecca Hill in her 2008 article Adult Cultural Programming in Small Town Libraries appearing in Indiana Libraries offers a basic template for programming that seems to encapsulate much of the current thinking, stating that to be successful in adult programming, a librarian must consider the following four elements: funding, program planning, collaboration and partnerships, and program marketing and publicity (7). Hill surveyed small libraries in Indiana, and found that many had to find creative ways to keep adult programs free or limited to the cost of materials, and over half of program presentations utilized presenters who donated their time to the library, often soliciting merchants, organizations, and individuals for months prior to the scheduled dates of program slots (7). Hill notes that grant writing for programming is vital to its funding, and librarians regularly turn to entities like the Indiana Arts Commission for support. Often, grants are available in support of specific topics or themes, and so libraries shape programs around those

themes in order to draw from those funds. For example, the National Endowment for the Arts has offered grants to support F. Scott Fitzgerald programming (Thompson, 10). Many examples of similarly targeted funding resources can be found on the websites of the American Library Association and Public Library Association, along with detailed advice on how to apply for those grants (American Library Association; Public Library Association). In other cases, libraries may draw from pools of subsidized presenters, such as those offered by the Illinois Humanities Council Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, which may provide a source of program content at little or no cost to the library (Illinois Humanities Council). Library Journal recently reported that public libraries are drawing from $16 million in grant awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, which is funding 286 different humanities-themed projects, including bilingual reading and discussion programs, and programs exploring classical literature, and providing money to pay for hosting traveling exhibitions such as Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War (Library Journal). Seemingly, with a little imagination and some creative grantwriting, public libraries have a lot of resources to draw from that would allow them to supplement low cost month-to-month programming with more expensive special events offered on a periodic basis. Returning to Hills template for successful adult programming, the second element, program planning, requires careful consideration that in todays society adults are busier than they have ever been, and must not only make programming convenient, by allowing for electronic registration or waiving required registration altogether in some cases, but programming librarians must also become acutely aware of the interests of their patrons through surveys and program evaluations, and observe reading trends and program around that information (8). One measure to encourage busy parents to attend library programming, is to

experiment with intergenerational programming. Hill mentions a music program presented by the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble and a Civil War reenactment program that both drew intergenerational crowds to Indiana libraries. Some libraries are folding digital practices into their program planning, which could represent a means to add programming for adults who feel they are too busy to come into the library. Online Book Clubs: Bridges Between Old and New Literacies Practices, an article by Cassandra Scharber in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy makes the case for online book clubs (433). Although Scharber is specifically making the case for libraries meeting teens online, where they are already engaged in an active digital culture, in order to encourage voluntary book reading, it is not difficult to imagine that a similar practice could easily be adapted towards adults who may already be using online social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter, but feel they are too busy to participate in events at the library. Such online book clubs could draw adults into programs that seem less formally structured than groups that meet at the physical library, although perhaps once certain online relationships have been formed between librarians and patrons, the internet discussion participants might be tempted to attend functions at the library proper, particularly if the online groups are exploring themes that connect to specific programming events. Hills third element of programming success, collaboration and partnerships, is a recurring topic in much of the literature discussing programming. Hill writes that local partnerships and collaborationsprovide valuable support for adult programmingand are considered valuable relationships in meeting the librarys overall mission, providing a costeffective means of building stronger connections between libraries and their communities (8). According to Sherry Lynn, author of The Librarians Guide to Partnerships, advocates that

librarians become visible and active in their communities, learning how to approach pooling resources with private sector and nonprofit organizations, how to find common ground with other tax-supported institutions, and how to successfully leverage their existing affiliations to increase citizen use and support of the library (ix). Or, as the website ProgammingLibrarian.org puts it, Public libraries are in a unique position to act as a catalyst for innovative community development initiatives. Proactively reaching out to our community stakeholders enables us to improve services and leverage limited resources to build better communities. Some examples of partnerships that public libraries might pursue in generating programming, include nonprofits such as environmental groups, academic institutions such as community colleges, and neighboring libraries and library systems to serve as partners in presenting author tours, and local art galleries, as Hilary Munro suggests in her 2007 Pacific Northwest Library Association Quarterly article, entitled Something for Everyone: A Mid Sized Librarys Experience with Programming for Babies to Seniors (20). Chantal Walvoord, in a 2008 article entitled Go Local When Planning Adult and Family Programs appearing in the Texas Library Journal, suggests that there may be all manner of partnerships just waiting to be tapped into, citing, for example, Master Gardeners, who are required to complete a certain number of volunteer hours in order to maintain their non-profit status, or representatives from local businesses who might like to partner with libraries for promotional reasons (60). The fourth and final component of the programming template, marketing and promotion, according to Hill, must be more creative and take into account that todays adult relies heavily on technology to schedule daily living activities, and libraries must take advantage of tools like online newsletters and blogs to promote their programs (9). Munro suggests taking advantage of

freebie outlets such as local radio, newspapers, columns, community event calendars, and oldfashioned posters (22). Partnerships can play a role in marketing and promotion as well, as explained by Mary Hulbert Stein, in her 2009 article Working Together with Community Groups to Provide Big-Time Programming for Adults, appearing in Louisiana Libraries, allowing library programming to piggyback onto their partners programs by planning or rebranding their events to go along with the librarys, allowing for cross-marketing in partners publications and taking advantage of preexisting networks, including local chambers of commerce, to distribute promotional materials, find volunteer labor, and even reach potential attendees (13-14). Steins article presents an interesting case study of a successful programming event featuring Ray Bradburys novel Fahrenheit 451, that was featured in the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, in Louisiana, but was executed with various partners that allowed the program to assume a much larger scale than would have been possible for a single library, or even a library system, acting on its own, and incorporated many of the ideas listed above about how to stage programming. For this series, known as The Big Read: One Book/One Community, affiliated with the national The Big Read campaign created by the National Endowment for the Arts, Louisiana Public Broadcasting taped a conversation with Ray Bradbury during a Kick-Off event that was subsequently aired several times; Coca Cola provided refreshments; the local Parks Commission provided the venue for the Kick-Off; volunteers from local schools assisted with event hosting and distribution of promotional materials; LSU English students created a blog to discuss the theme of the book; LSUs School of Library and Information Science, Manship School of Journalism, Law School, and Reilly Center for Media and Public Policy worked together to provide additional panel discussions and venues, and on-campus promotion (14).

Local media at every level promoted the series and city government officials distributed materials; even local bookstores got in on the act and posted flyers and sent e-mail announcements related to the program (14). The community of Baton Rouge was mobilized behind this project in a way that focused a lot of resources and energy in pursuit of what might have been nothing more than a generic adult book discussion, with minimal turn-out, in some libraries. Interestingly, the East Baton Rouge Parish Library was able to build on partnerships formed during the 2008 Big Read in subsequent years as they continued to explore the possibilities of partnerships, including Historical Associations, churches, art museums, and the Baton Rouge Convention and Visitors Bureau (15). Clearly, the message is that dramatic results can be achieved by libraries, large and small, whose staff can exercise a little imagination and careful planning. Although the example of the East Baton Rouge Big Read is a dramatic one, libraries shouldnt assume that every programming event needs to be on such a grand scale. Sometimes a little creativity can breathe life into much less ambitious undertakings. One such example relates to a librarys experiment with that old staple of public library programming, the Adult Summer Reading program, as described by Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly of the Adult Services Department of the Salem-South Lyon District Library (SSLDL), in Michigan, in their 2008 Public Libraries article, Not Just for the Kids: Promoting Library Services through Adult Summer Reading Programs: SSLDL has created a summer reading program that succeeds not only on a participation basis, but expands the use and interest in library collections, programming, technology, and other services (7). SSLDL chose to adapt a game format to their summer reading, where patrons using a Bingo sheet would get bingo by completing any five tasks in a row, column, or diagonalEach square requires the player to read something from a

particular genre, attend a library program, or use a library computer, check out a DVD, read a magazine, download an audiobook, etc., in order to promote aspects of the library with which the patrons may be unfamiliar, and to encourage nonreaders and non-library users to be successful in the program as well (7). Promoting various library services and encouraging adults to expand their knowledge of the library in such a playful way, has injected an element of fun into what some adults had perceived as an activity outside their comfort zone, and encourages adult literacy in a somewhat sneaky but ultimately well-received way, at least at SSLDL (9). Adult Programming can take many forms, but the lessons of some of the more successful undertakings seem to indicate that creativity is the common factor for programs large and small, and that special attention to funding, program planning, collaboration and partnerships, and program marketing and publicity, will reap rewards that can affect specific goals of the library, such as drawing attention to certain services or collections, encouraging literacy, and perhaps most importantly, forging relationships that will strengthen the perception of the library as vital to the cultural and economic well-being of the communitya point of view that can only add to the meaningful longevity of the venerable institution, the Public Library.

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REFERENCES

American Library Association. Public Programs Office. http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/ppo/resources/writinggrant.cfm (accessed December 12, 2010). Brown, Barbara. 1992. Programming for Librarians. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. Chicago Public Library. Events and Programs. http://www.chipublib.org/events/ (accessed December 12, 2010). Hibner, Holly and Kelly, Mary. 2008. Not Just for the Kids: Promoting Library Services through Adult Summer Reading Programs. Public Libraries 47, no. 4 (July/August): 7-9. Hill, Rebecca. 2008. Adult Cultural Programming in Small Town Libraries. Indiana Libraries 27, no. 1: 7-9. Illinois Humanities Council. IHC Road Scholars Speakers Bureau. http://www.prairie.org/programs/road-scholars-speakers-bureau/bios/162 (accessed December 12, 2010). Lear, Brett W. 2008. Adult Programs in the Library. Chicago: American Library Association. Lynn, Sherry. 1999. The Librarians Guide to Partnerships. Fort Atkinson, WI: Highsmith Press. Munro, Hilary. 2007. Something for Everyone: A Mid Sized Librarys Experience with Programming for Babies to Seniors. Pacific Northwest Library Association Quarterly 72, no. 1 (Fall): 20-22. Oder, Norman. 2010. NEH Grants Funds for Library Exhibitions, Programs, Digitization. Library Journal, March 31. http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/communitymanaginglibraries/884306273/neh_grants_funds_for_library.html.csp (accessed December 12, 2010). Public Library Association. PLA Awards and Grants. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/pla/plaawards/index.cfm (accessed December 12, 2010). Robertson, Deborah A. 2005. Cultural Programming for Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association. Robotham, John S. and LaFleur, Lydia. 1976. Library Programs: How to Select, Plan and Produce Them. Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press.

Scharber, Cassandra. Online Book Clubs: Bridges Between Old and New Literacies Practices. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 52, no. 5 (February): 433-437. Stein, Mary Hulbert. 2009. Working Together with Community Groups to Provide Big-Time Programming for Adults. Louisiana Libraries 72, no. 1 (Summer): 13-19. Swope, Christoper. 2008. Revolution in the Stacks. Governing 21, no. 9 (June): 32-36. Thompson, Jane. 2006. No Excuses for Not Offering Adult Book Clubs at the Library. Arkansas Libraries 63, no. 2 (Summer): 10-11. Walvoord, Chantal. 2008. Go Local When Planning Adult and Family Programs. Texas Library Journal 84, no. 2 (Summer): 60-61.