COMMUNITY TOOLKIT MARCH 2012
TOOLKIT TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Logo One-Page Overview Handout Book Collection Sign Book Labels Small Large How to Run a Book Fair Sticker Templates Livi s Library is Coming! How To Sponsor a Book Case Bookcase Instructions Sign Commitment Form Video Release Request Form
Thank you for your interest in developing a Livi's Library program in your area! We feel honored to be partnering with the Riley Institute at Furman's Diversity Leaders Initiative grads, through the OneSouthCarolina program, to take Livi's Library statewide and change childrens lives all across South Carolina. We have been incredibly touched by the energy and enthusiasm for this. It is truly becoming a statewide movement, and we are helping so many of South Carolina's children have better access to books of their choice. We hope you will find this toolkit helpful as you bring Livi s Library to the children in your community. Inside, you will find materials for your use including our logo for your use in creating materials, a one-page summary of the Livi's Library story, a sample book bin sign for you to use at book collection sites, templates for you to print out Livi's Library book stickers and book marks, a comprehensive step-by-step document on how to host a book fair that should contain most of the information you need for book gathering and hosting a book fair, plus a bookcase sign for those of you hosting Livi's Library bookcases in your community. These materials can also be found on the Riley Institute website at http://riley.furman.edu/diversity/initiatives/onesouthcarolina/projects. Also included for your reference here in the Toolkit is a Livi s Library Commitment Form for your use in planning with your partners. This form can also be found on the Riley Institute website http://riley.furman.edu/livis-library-commitment-form and will help us trend the growth and impact of Livi s Library across South Carolina! Thank you so much for your support, involvement and for Sharing Livi s Love of Reading with others. Sincerely, Lisa, Bryan and Jory Pettit Susan DeVenny, South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness 803.734.1020 Cathy Stevens, The Richard W. Riley Institute at Furman 864.294.2365 We at the Riley Institute s Diversity Leaders Initiative believe that individuals should be free to express their beliefs, and that all individuals should likewise be respectful of the differences among us. The DLI program, the Riley Institute, and Furman University work inclusively with organizations promoting the common good and are religiously and politically neutral.
about Livi s Library... Livi s Library is a book project designed to share gently used books with children who otherwise could not afford books of their own. If you have gently used books your children have outgrown, please bring them to this drop off site and volunteers of Livi s Library will make sure they are given to children in need. This project is in memory of Mary Olivia Pettit, 9 year old daughter of Bryan and Lisa Pettit, who died March 22, 2009 of viral myocarditis. Livi had a great passion for learning through books. Even more, she had an incredible compassion for all living things and her faith in her Lord was sure. Hopefully this gift of sharing will impact others so they will know God s love and grace as well. Thank you for your blessing and support of this project. If you would like more information about Livi s Library, please contact us at LivisLibrary@yahoo.com
PREPARING FOR A LIVI S LIBRARY BOOK FAIR Congratulations! You have chosen to sponsor a Livi s Library book fair! Your project will allow you to partner with local schools and preschools, bringing free books to children with the added excitement of a fun event at their school. This document is designed to give you some helpful hints for implementing a successful book fair. If you have any questions or want assistance with your community project, please don t hesitate to contact us at LivisLibrary@yahoo.com. FOUR-SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE BOOK FAIR: 1) Determine your core group of Livi s Library volunteers. Determine responsibilities among the group to ensure you have a plan for securing books, selecting schools or preschools, establishing necessary partnerships, soliciting volunteers. Develop your timeline as a team, and involve others who work on literacy efforts in your community. 2) Begin collection of books. Get the word out about your need through church bulletins, service clubs, other newsletters, and establish convenient donation locations and collection boxes. Samples of collection bins and newsletter inserts can be found on the website. (Please use the Livi s Library logo and Olivia s story on your materials to help people connect to the mission.) You will also want to determine a book storage location that is dry and humidity-free to sort and sticker books. 3) Determine your school or preschool of focus for your first book fair! We began our book fairs at the school with the highest percentage of low-income families. 4) Brainstorm other community partners who might assist you with overall book collection and your first book fair (school or community groups, Sunday School classes, PTAs are great resources). Keep in mind it is usually easier to enroll volunteers once you have a specific book fair date and time. 5) Determine who will contact the school or preschool you have selected (through an existing relationship wherever possible) and set up a preliminary meeting. At your initial school or preschool meeting: Discuss the Livi s Library concept with the principal and whomever he or she involves (we have found working with the school librarian/literacy coach wherever possible works well, and have usually held book fairs in the school library). Determine date, time, and location of book fair: - Book fairs held in school libraries work well, and can be spaced over two consecutive days (each class comes to the book fair as a group, so the number of days depends on the number of classes at your school) - Book fairs can be attached to parent nights or other school events (in this case, we usually set up book fair displays inside the children s classrooms) - Ensure appropriate display tables will be available at the site(s) on the day of the book fair and ask for a list of all classes by grade and teacher name. Determine number of children and grade levels to participate:
- If you have collected enough books, we recommend all children at the school come to the book fair. If you need to limit, work with principal to select entire grades (ie, K-3) so as not to single out children. - It is important to provide enough donated books to cover 2 book selections per student; bring extra books in order to give the students plenty of choices. We usually allow a 30% overage of display books (ex: for a school of 750 students, we brought about 900-1000 books to the book fair). TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE BOOK FAIR: 1) Set a goal for the number of books needed to supply your book fair, and assess your current collection. Identify any plans to increase supply of books to meet your book fair needs. 2) Have books collected and brought to your storage and sorting location. Determine which ones can be used at your book fair and place Livi s Library stickers on each book you will use (stickers are also helpful to cover up messages or property of stickers inside of the donated books). Stickers can be found on our website or in the Tool Kit. - Condition of the books should be gently-used (eg, books you would have on your bookcase) - Books should be age-appropriate for very young ( read to me ), primary, and elementary readers - Donate all books not used, puzzles, and coloring books to another organization (such as Goodwill) 3) If you have boxes available, now is a good time to sort books into categories so you can see where your gaps are. - Board Books - Early Readers - Young Chapter Books - Older Chapter Books and Classics ONE MONTH BEFORE THE BOOK FAIR: 1) Touch base with your school and see if they have any changes or added needs. Confirm the exact number of students who will participate, and number of classes per grade to be served. Be sure you have a list of all the classes by grade and teacher name. Confirm book fair hours, times you can come in to set up, school contact people you should meet with to prepare for the book fair. 2) Develop the book fair schedule with the school librarian or other school liaison. Allow for 15-20 minutes for each class to come to the book fair. It will be easier to group all same-grade classrooms on the same day, whenever possible. (Volunteers will replenish the book fair display between groups of students. Adding new books at the same reading level is easier than removing all K books and putting out 5 th grade chapter books, for example.) You will need to know how many students are in each class, and how many total per grade. 3) Offer to meet with teachers in coming weeks at a staff meeting, or send literature about Livi s Library so the teachers can talk to their students about the upcoming book fair. A Mother s Story CD can be requested and shared at a staff meeting for a quick introduction to Livi s Library. 4) Donated books can be sorted by categories prior to the book fair. Input from the school librarian onsite is helpful as you display books for classes, but the general sorting is best done prior to the book fair. - Board Books - Early Readers - Young Chapter Books
- Older Chapter Books and Classics 5) Determine the number of volunteers needed for the book fair. We had at least 4-5 volunteers on hand for each class entering (about 30 children). The librarian was also present, along with a teacher from the class for crowd control. TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE BOOK FAIR 1) If you have Livi s Library posters or flyers, these can be delivered to the school. Livi s Library volunteers can put them up around the school (this is also a fun job for a student council or other club). Samples of posters can be found on the website or you can pull a group of children together to make their own! The point of the posters is to generate excitement about the upcoming book fair. 2) Print and bring stickers to school for children to wear home the day before the book fair. Livi s Library is Coming Tomorrow! Sticker templates can be found on the website and in your Tool Kit. 3) Confirm the names of volunteers from the school that you will be working with on book fair day. Firm up your other volunteers via email or phone. If you have special guests, be sure they know where to meet you at school. ONE WEEK BEFORE BOOK FAIR: 1) Ask the school if you can have music at your book fair, arrange for boom box or other music if appropriate. Select soothing music, or seasonal music as appropriate. 2) Identify who will speak to the children as they arrive at the book fair to explain the event and how it will work. This person (or persons) should meet the children and teachers at the library door and give them directions on how to select their books, check out, receive bookmarks, etc. 3) Be sure you have enough books, bookmarks, and arrange for tablecloths, balloons, or other onsite decorations for the book fair. Confirm who is delivering books to the school and arrange book fair set-up schedules. 4) Be sure every volunteer knows what his/her job is and has details on where to be on book fair day. 5) Determine a day to review the results of the book fair with the school and your core volunteers. Notify everyone of this date and time. Plan for recognition of your volunteers and school leaders. THE DAY OF THE BOOK FAIR: 1) Each table can be covered with a pink or purple Livi s Library table cloth. Display books at close reach for little hands to reach. 2) Set up check out table with book marks and other prizes. Place any additional decorations in the room or at the welcome door (i.e. pink and purple balloons, poster display board of Livi s Library). Set up music, if appropriate. 3) Review the progression of classes and grade levels with your volunteers. Determine how you will replenish books on the tables during the fair between classes. 4) Have the person ready to greet the children and their teachers to explain the book fair and how it will work.
5) After selecting 2 books, each child checks out at the checkout table to receive a hand stamp, a Livi s Library bookmark, and purple safety lollipop. Bookmarks can be found on our website and in your Tool Kit. 6) After each class departs, replenish each table with books. When a new grade level enters, a new set of presorted books can be displayed. 7) At the end of the day, set up for following day (if you are hosting a consecutive days book fair) or pack up all books and supplies. 8) THANK YOUR SCHOOL/PRESCHOOL hosts!! AFTER THE BOOK FAIR: 1) Determine who will write thank you letters. 2) Evaluate your success and PLAN YOUR NEXT BOOK FAIR!!! MATERIALS LIST OR SUPPLIES TO HAVE ON HAND FOR YOUR BOOK FAIR: - Books for each grade level, stickered and sorted (at least 30% more than needed). {Please remember one of the key concepts of Livi s Library is the child s ability to choose their books} - 4-6 tables for book display and one small table for check out - Tablecloths for book display tables - Posters/or signs to advertise Livi s Library is Coming - Stickers to put on the children the day before, announcing Livi s Library is Coming Tomorrow! - Livi s Library bookmarks - Hand stamps, purple safety lollipops - Boom box/music - Decorations for book fair day (i.e. easel with welcome to Livi s Library sign, purple and pink balloons) - Hand sanitizer and paper towels - Boxes to sort and pack books and supplies THANK YOU FOR BRINGING LIVI S LIBRARY TO YOUR COMMUNITY! Sharing Livi s Love of Reading
HOW TO SPONSOR A LIVI S LIBRARY BOOKCASE Congratulations! You have decided to sponsor a Livi s Library bookcase. You have chosen an ongoing Livi s Library project, which can have a lasting effect on the children in your community, offering free books year-round at the site(s) you select. This document is designed to give you some helpful hints for building and implementing your Livi s Library bookcase plan. If you have any questions or want assistance with your community project, please don t hesitate to contact us at LivisLibrary@yahoo.com. INITIAL PLANNING PHASE: 1) Determine your core group of Livi s Library volunteers. Determine responsibilities among the group to ensure you have a plan for collecting and stickering books, selecting bookcase sites, building or refurbishing bookcases, establishing necessary partnerships, soliciting volunteers to stock and replenish the bookcases over time. Develop your timeline as a team, and involve others who work on literacy efforts in your community. 2) Begin collection of books. Get the word out about your need through church bulletins, service clubs, other newsletters, and establish convenient donation locations and collection boxes in your community. Samples of collection bins and newsletter inserts can be found on the website. (Please use the Livi s Library logo and Olivia s story on your materials to help people connect to the mission.) You will also want to determine a book storage location that is dry and humidity-free to sort and sticker books. We recommend you begin book collection well before you start stocking bookcases, so that you will have an ample supply to launch your site, and many hundreds of books to re-stock the bookcase over time. 3) Determine the sites in your community where vulnerable children and families may already visit, and how a literacy corner or bookcase could enhance the services to these children (ie, homeless shelter, food pantry, free medical clinics). Brainstorm other community partners who might assist you with your planning and book collection efforts. Keep in mind your job in hosting a Livi s Library bookcase will involve ongoing book collection and ongoing book replenishment. 4) Determine who will contact the selected site. Set up a meeting to introduce site leaders to Livi s Library. At your initial meeting: Discuss Livi s Library goals with the site leader and other partners (feel free to use any of the published material from the Livi s Library toolkit to explain the project. If the introductory video, A Mother s Story, would be helpful to you, please request a copy via the website). Describe the reason you feel this site works as a host location for your Livi s Library bookcase.
Ask for help developing the right book collection for the site. Your Livi s Library audience will vary depending on where your bookcase will be housed (ie, preschool, Head Start, medical clinic, food pantry, etc.). Ask the site leader for an approximate total number of visitors per month, and ask him/her to give you a rough idea of the age ranges of children who visit on a regular basis. This information will help you plan your book collection approach accordingly. Plan your initial timeline and determine your implementation team. If the site leaders agree to host a bookcase, brainstorm the next steps together. Ask for a point person at the site, and get suggestions about other partners or volunteers to serve on the planning and implementation team for that site. Set up a time to develop a detailed plan toward the launch of your bookcase! COLLECTING BOOKS: 1) Determine your book collection sites and develop a community outreach plan to gather gently-used books. Your Livi s Library Tool Kit contains an overview of the program that you can use to describe the project to various audiences as you begin your book collection, and a book bin sign for your collection box. We have developed inserts for church and organization newsletters, drawing from this literature. We have found that a focused outreach and collection period (two months at area churches, for example), combined with ongoing collections, works well. 2) Collect books and identify your storage and sorting location. Determine which books can be used in your bookcase and place Livi s Library stickers on each (stickers are also helpful to cover up hand-written title page messages or property of stickers inside of the donated books). Stickers can be found on our website and in the Toolkit. - Condition of the books should be gently-used (eg, books you would have on your own bookcase) - Books should be age-appropriate for very young ( read to me ), primary, and elementary readers - Donate all books not used, puzzles, and coloring books to another organization (such as Goodwill) 3) If you have boxes available, now is a good time to sort books into categories so you can see where your gaps are. - Board Books - Early Readers - Young Chapter Books - Older Chapter Books and Classics PREPARING THE BOOKCASE: 1) Determine the number of bookcases you will need and determine plan to build, donate, or purchase these. Work with your site leaders to ensure the bookcase size will be appropriate for the space you have selected. If you are building a Livi s Library bookcase, plans and materials lists can be found on our website. Think about involving Eagle Scouts, community youth groups, other civic or school communities to build bookcases for you! 2) Your bookcase should be clearly identified as a Livi s Library bookcase, preferably painted white with a Livi s Library logo affixed to the side and top, so as to draw a child s eye. Our bookcase sign (found in the Tool Kit) fits nicely in an 8X10 inch Lucite frame, and invites children to take books. (Look soon for a Livi s Library Journal you can leave on your bookcase for children to sign in!)
3) Confirm the person at the site with whom you or your Livi s Library volunteer should communicate to plan the placement of the bookcase, coordinate book drops, etc. This person can stay in contact with you when the supply of books is getting low, and can also take note of particular types of books that children are enjoying. LAUNCHING YOUR BOOK CASE: 1) Often a bookcase is simply placed in a prominent, common area and no formal launch is planned. In cases where your site wants to coordinate a bookcase launch, we ve seen these work nicely tied to other literacy or family reading events. Other organizations place formal notice of a Livi s Library bookcase in their newsletter, on a lobby poster, or in a flyer home. This is completely up to you. 2) If a formal launch is planned, please use whatever outreach the site feels would be appropriate to reach families. We do ask that you please use the Livi s Library logo and the following description in any written flyer or literature to your community: Livi's Library was begun in memory of Mary Olivia Pettit, 9 year-old daughter of Bryan and Lisa Pettit of Lancaster, SC, who died March 22, 2009 of viral myocarditis. Olivia had a great passion for reading, a deep faith in her Lord, and a desire to help others in need. Livi's Library strives to continue that gift by sharing books with children in need. AFTER LAUNCHING YOUR BOOKCASE: 1) Thank your site formally for their willingness to serve as a Livi s Library site and stop by to check on the use of the bookcase. Be sure to track how many books you provide each month, and take note of the types of books chosen by the children. (Remember, a key component of Livi s Library is letting children choose their own books!) 2) Schedule a time every month to visit the site and replenish the books. Ask site leaders for any input on future book needs, or other literacy initiatives where Livi s Library might assist. 3) Monitor your supply of refill books and plan more collections accordingly! Have fun and watch the results. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING LIVI S LIBRARY TO YOUR COMMUNITY! Sharing Livi s Love of Reading
Livi s Library Bookcase Please come enjoy the books in this bookcase. If you find a book you would like to take home and keep, please do! You do not need to return it. It will be a gift from Livi s Library to you! Enjoy! Livi s Library is in memory of Mary Olivia Pettit, 9 year old daughter of Bryan & Lisa Pettit who died March 22, 2009 of viral myocarditis. Livi had a great passion for books. Even more, she had an incredible compassion for all living things and her faith in her Lord was sure. Hopefully this gift of sharing will impact others so they will know God s love and grace as well.
A project led by DLI graduates as part of OneSC Livi s Library Commitment Form Name of Person/Organization: Contact information: Location: Date: Please describe your approach/plan for gathering books/implementing a book fair or a community bookcase project: Partner organizations to be involved and contact information: Participating schools in either book collection or book fair (please also provide contact information for the school): Places you will gather books: Places you will put bookshelves: Plan for bookshelf maintenance: Plan to gather metrics*: Contact person for gathering metrics*:
About: Livi's Library was begun in memory of Mary Olivia Pettit, 9 year-old daughter of Bryan and Lisa Pettit (Lancaster, SC) who died March 22, 2009 of viral myocarditis. Olivia had a great passion for reading and a desire to help others in need. Livi's Library strives to continue that gift by sharing books with children in need. In implementing Livi s Library, we pledge to commit to the organization s ideals of encouraging literacy through choice, and demonstrating the art of caring through sharing books. Signature/Initials Sharing Livi s Love of Reading Attachment: Livi s Library Metrics
Important Information to Gather and Metrics for Livi s Library Important, Identifying Information to Gather Name/level/location of schools hosting book fairs Names of volunteers and how they found out about Livi s Library Names of groups/volunteers building bookcases Locations/programs supported with bookcases Names of other local/state literacy initiatives supported/partnered with Names of other groups that take on Livi s Library as an initiative Metrics to Gather Number of schools hosting book fairs Number of volunteers Number of book cases built Number of bookcases placed, location and program supported Approximate number of books distributed through bookcases Approximate number of books collected and distributed by Livi's Library area teams For more information on OneSouthCarolina visit: riley.furman.edu/diversity/initiatives/onesouthcarolina
Video Request and Commitment Form Name/contact information of requestor Date/location/ audience for A Mother s Story Approximate number of attendants expected A Mother s Story* is a short video that introduces communities to Livi s Library, a project begun in memory of Mary Olivia Pettit, 9 year-old daughter of Bryan and Lisa Pettit of Lancaster, SC, who died March 22, 2009 of viral myocarditis. Olivia had a great passion for reading and a desire to help others in need. Livi's Library strives to continue that gift by sharing books with children in need. *Please note that the family sincerely wishes for the video to be shown only to the requested audience due to privacy concerns. We wish to honor their request. If the intended audience is changed or another is added, please contact us at LivisLibrary@yahoo.com. In sharing this Livi s Library video, we pledge to honor the family's desire to share the video with the intended audience noted above, and to use its content to bring books to children in need in our community. Signature/Initials