VOLUME

Building a Reading Nation

Join us for VOLUME, a day-long symposium dedicated to creating a stronger reading culture in Australia.

About VOLUME | Program | Speakers | Register Now

Despite its ability to enhance health, knowledge, and wellbeing, support for embedding reading in our daily lives is often overlooked. With national literacy and reading rates declining for children and adults alike, it’s time for urgent action.

By exploring effective approaches to encouraging reading alongside insights into advocacy from other industries, VOLUME will provide a platform to untangle the issues affecting reading engagement.

We’ll look at how we might tell a strong, unified story about the benefits of reading, and consider how we might work with partners and government to create a nation of readers.

We invite you to be part of this free, online program on Thursday 21 September 2023, and help turn up the VOLUME on the value of reading.

Please note: Attendance at the VOLUME symposium can be logged as ALIA-accredited Professional Development.

Registrations are now open! Book your free ticket via Humanitix below, and sign up to our enews for the latest news and updates.

Program

All times Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).

10:00-10:20 – Introduction & Welcome to Country

Our symposium MC, Jess Scully, welcomes attendees to VOLUME and invites proud Wiradjuri and Gadigal woman, Aunty Joan Bell, to deliver a Welcome to Country.

10:20-10:40 – Opening Keynote

Yuwaalaraay author and performer, Nardi Simpson, delivers an inspiring opening keynote about the relationship between reading, storytelling, and place in Australia.

10:40-11:00 – Reading in Australia: Where we are now

Australia Reads representative, Anna Burkey, sets the scene for reading in Australia, and outlines the challenges – and opportunities – we face as a sector.

11:00-12:00 – Roadblocks to reading

National literacy and reading rates are declining, along with the number of adults and children reading for pleasure, but why is this? The reasons are complex and may not be what you would expect.

Panel:

Dr Jan Zwar (Chair) – Faculty Research Manager and book industry researcher, Macquarie Business School
Ben Bowen – CEO, Indigenous Literacy Foundation
Professor Robyn Ewing AM – Co-Director, CREATE Centre
Anita Planchon – Director, Strategy and Engagement, Libraries Tasmania

12:00-12:20 – What works: Innovative engagement

In this series of Lightning Talks, experts share insights into innovative ways to engage with different types of readers of all ages. From immersive digital reading experiences to networks of book clubs, plus research into young readers, we get a glimpse into some of the programs making an impact in Australia.

Lightning Talk presenters:

Naomi Bacon – Director, Tandem Collective
Shay Leighton – Director, Tough Guy Book Club
Dr Bronwyn Reddan – Research Fellow, Pathways to Teenage Reading, Deakin University

12:20-12:50 – Lunch Break

Take a break, escape your screen, then re-join us for the afternoon sessions!

12:50-14:00 – What’s possible: UK Case Studies

By exploring three case study organisations from our sister market in the UK, we look at ‘what’s possible’ when it comes to planning and implementing successful national reading programs. From the research that drives these programs, and the partnerships that support them, explore how these organisations are each delivering diverse reading campaigns across a wide range of audiences.

Case Study speakers:

Philippa Cochrane – Head of Reading Communities, Scottish Book Trust (UK)
Jonathan Douglas – CEO, National Literacy Trust (UK)
Debbie Hicks – Creative Director, The Reading Agency (UK)

14:00-15:00 – Elements of Success

What’s required to mount a successful social change campaign? In this panel discussion, we’ll hear from leading experts from across behavioural science, social innovation, advertising and marketing, for the latest thinking in selling ideas. Come primed with your questions ready for a Q&A session which will explore how these ideas can be applied in getting Australia reading.

Panel:

Jess Scully (Chair) – Author, curator, city-maker
Mark Chenery – Co-Founder & Director, Common Cause
Nithya Solomon – Director, RMIT Health Transformation Lab
Sarah Kneebone – Education Manager, BehaviourWorks Australia

15:00-15:30 – Making change happen

From crafting compelling messages through to effective advocacy, what does it take to create a persuasive campaign and bring others with you? Hear from those who’ve successfully delivered social and behavioural change across a wide range of audiences and outcomes in this series of Lightning Talks.

Lightning Talk presenters:

Kathryn Gledhill-Tucker – Technologist, writer & digital rights activist
Scott Ludlam – Former Greens senator & author
Lizzie O’Shea – Chair, Digital Rights Watch
Kylie Robertson – Co-Founder, Matterworks
Sandeep Varma – Founder & CEO, SAARI Collective

15:30-16:25 – Building a reading nation

A panel of speakers from across the book industry discuss what the future of Australia as a reading nation could look like. What if we had high literacy rates, a flourishing book industry, and a society that widely celebrated reading? How would this affect the social and economic life of Australia? How could we work together to shape this future?

Panel: