How can bookshops give back to their local communities through targeted programs and initiatives?
We spoke with Sophie Reid, from Fullers Bookshop in Hobart, about the aims, successes and challenges of their community Literacy Program.
What is the Fullers Literacy Program?
The aim of Fullers Literacy Program is first and foremost to encourage a love of books, reading and bookshops in children. By doing this we hope to both improve literacy in Tasmania and secondly, to ensure a future generation of book lovers to support our bookshop and the broader industry. Since beginning the program last August we have hosted over 60 classes, from over 30 different schools and given away around 1300 books, to the value of about $22,000. Tim Jarvis, the owner and director of Fullers, has made the commitment to give away $100 000 worth of books directly into the hands of children over a five-year period. We have no external funding for this program – it is entirely self-funded.
In order to start the program, we hosted two information nights for teachers at the café in our shop. We did this by cold calling primary schools in the greater Hobart area and speaking/emailing relevant educators directly (literacy leaders, librarians and any teachers who were particularly interested). These were free events held in the evening with wine and nibbles provided to entice tired, over-worked teachers to attend. As well as telling them about what Fullers were planning to do, we also had speakers from 26Ten (a local literacy group) and Story Dogs attend to share information about their respective programs and resources. We felt fairly confident that once the word got out that we were giving away free books to children, we would not have any trouble finding interested schools and this has indeed proved to be the case. One staff member then has the job of scheduling and coordinating the bookings from schools. Teachers can contact the store through our general email, calling or emailing the program coordinator directly.
We started the program last August as we were keen to take advantage of the growing interest in, and publicity for Book Week. We hosted three schools on three consecutive days that week, some of whom came in costumes, and it was a hoot! We solicited publicity for the program through the local newspaper and news channel, both of whom were very keen to run something. Unsurprisingly, once these had run, we were inundated with schools wishing to take part.
How does it work?
The program is aimed at primary schools and is essentially run like a school library session. The class arrives and are seated on the mat in our children’s area. After they are greeted, we engage in a brief discussion about their favourite authors and the books that they like and are looking forward to finding. A story is then read and there might be a brief discussion in regards to that. The children are then taken through an explanation of how the children’s section is organised. It is the largest and most complicated section of our store and this naturally leads to discussion and questions about fiction and non-fiction, new books, hardbacks/paperbacks, classics, popularity, age groupings and other things. The children are then given about 30-40 minutes to find one book each book valued at up to $20 rrp. We do not place any restrictions on where children are allowed to look (within the children’s section) and actively encourage as much browsing as time allows. If upper primary students select something from the young adult section this will prompt a three-way discussion with them, their teacher, and the excursion coordinator about the suitability of the book.
There is a great deal of research that supports the importance of human autonomy across a huge range of areas. Reading is no different. Apparently 89% of children (aged 6–17) agree that their favourite books are the ones they have picked out themselves (from the Australia Reads website). Unfortunately, even if a child is lucky enough to have a parent who loves and encourages reading, the complexity of parent/child relationships can occasionally sabotage the book choosing process. Adults who love reading themselves may be so keen for children to choose the “right” kind of book, that they hamper decision making and squash a child’s interest. Our program seeks to redress this issue as well as giving books to children who might otherwise not have access at all.
Children who fall into the first of these categories might come from any background, which is why we chose not to place any restrictions on the schools who apply to attend the excursions, leaving it open to rich and poor alike. However, it is children who fall into the second category who perhaps provide our greatest challenge. While some teachers from schools in disadvantaged areas are aware of the excursions, they generally face larger hurdles in bringing their students. The most obvious of these is transport, as bus hire has increased to a prohibitive level for many schools. Geographically, we are located in the centre of Hobart, which means that we are furthest away from many of the most poorly resourced government schools. We are in the process of investigating options in an attempt to address this obstacle. Other challenges have been relatively minimal. We initially offered hot chocolates as part of the excursion, and while this was successful for the most part we eventually abandoned it, deciding that logistical issues with our café, occasional spills and the odd burnt mouth outweighed the benefits. Schoolbags was another small bump that had to be ironed out. While we are lucky to have a generously sized and positioned children’s section, and can find space for schoolbags at a pinch, it is easier to flag this with teachers ahead of time as they can usually be left on the bus.
Why is it effective?
In regards to the efficacy of the program, given our overall goal is both broad and a long term one, it may yet be too early to tell. The self-funded nature of the program also means we are not being asked to track any metrics, which would obviously be beneficial if time and resources allowed. Certainly, the anecdotal evidence we have from teachers, parents and children, suggests that we are on the right track. Many schools have sent thank yous in the form of student made cards and letters, and teachers who have attended have gushed with praise, so we have certainly succeeded in creating an extraordinary amount of goodwill, which should never be taken for granted.
Find out more: https://www.fullersbookshop.com.au/about/fullers-literacy/
Photo credit: Eldon Jenkin from Albuera Street Primary Schoot, Hobart