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You may be thinking, “Summer Reading Club is still months away–we still have plenty of time!” But it will be here before you know it.   And, with the economy as it is and library budgets continuing to predict devastating shortfalls and cuts, how do we conduct a successful Summer Reading Club without or with little money?

I have to say that I am from a rural community library that doesn’t get funding for teen programming, so my motto for Summer Reading Club is “Beg, Borrow, and Plead.”  It may sound harsh, but the reality is this: we need to provide summer activities for teens regardless if we have money or not; they deserve to have opportunities at an organization that cares.  Here are some tips for operating Summer Reading Club on a shoestring:

Tip #1: Start early. It is really important to start trying to get help as soon as possible.  Begin by sending letters requesting donations from every community club, organization, and business. It is essential to do this now because as budgets get worse, the reins will tighten more.  Because most of these requests are addressed on a first come, first served basis, it is necessary to get your voice heard now. For businesses, even donating coupons are helpful, but you will find that the major corporations have special outreach offices that might be willing to do more.

Tip #2: Contact your Friends group if you have one. Surprisingly, many Friends groups do not receive too many requests for assistance.  For a successful request, you should always be prepared to give a presentation stating all the facts and benefits of the Summer Reading Program, as well as a breakdown as to how the funds would be spent.

Tip #3: Be able to sell yourself! No one knows your program better than you and your teens.  Everyone involved should be advocates for your program.  Talk about it with your neighbors, your community council, your schools, and your politicians.  Get some press in the local papers about it.  Start tooting your horn now so everyone can see what it is all about.

Tip #4: Have your elevator speech ready. Imagine if you were in an elevator and had only a minute, two at max, to convince someone to support your teen summer programs.  You need to have your speech ready to deliver and be confident in your message. Facts should be at the tip of your tongue about your attendance numbers and how your teens benefit from Summer Reading Club.  Start with something catchy, but don’t waste time on too much story-telling.  Most people just want the facts, and they want them in a split second.

Tip #5: Get your teens to help out. Many teens have special skills or abilities that they might be willing to share or lend to help create a successful Summer Reading Club. Talk to your teens; chances are they have some ideas.

Tip #6: Talk to your community. With our Summer Reading Club, I have different experts pertinent to the summer’s theme come in and present fascinating topics.  And, they are willing to do it for free.  Don’t be afraid to ask; so many are willing to help out if they know it is for teens.  For example, with the “Make Waves” slogan, you could set up a volunteer opportunities fair with organizations coming in to explain how teens can volunteer their time.  You could have the president of a local college activist organization talk about how true advocacy works. Or, you could go with the literal water transla

How do you continue to add new materials to the collection when your budget is slashed? Or when, as happened to a friend in a neighboring town, the board says, “What do you need new books for? You already have a bunch…” Even with zero budget, there are some strategies that you can use to put new materials into your collection. Here’s how:

BE STRATEGIC

Assess your current collection. What do you have? What do you need? When is the last time you weeded? What are you going for? Quality? Popularity? Curriculum support? Leisure reading? All of the above? Hone your focus by determining the needs of local population. Poll the teens, talk to your local colleagues, and decide which way your collection leans.

Prioritize your budget. Know exactly what you are spending your money on, and break down what percent you are spending on new, retrospective and replacement materials by genre and Dewey decimal number. Compare your percentages to your circulation figures. Are you buying items that the community wants? That western might have won an award, but do kids in your town read westerns? Assure bang for your buck by looking at turnover rate in addition to circulation statistics, and by employing meaningful participation: have your teens help you read reviews and make purchasing decisions. Add incentive by putting the books they select on hold, so the teen that orders it gets to check it out first.

Spend thriftily. Consider waiting for paperback editions. I used to keep a file of titles that weren’t 5 star reviews, or that sounded good, but might be sleepers, for lower priority ordering.

Take advantage of networks! Talk to other YA librarians in your local network to do some resource sharing for series, especially graphic novels and audio books – have each library commit to an author or series, and then circulate items between libraries.

Shop around for discounts. Library jobbers have deep discounts on many materials, but if your spending is flexible, check local booksellers for remaindered titles. Register for accounts with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders (they often email coupons). Shop secondhand stores for replacement or retrospective titles.

SOLICIT FREE MATERIALS

Review, review, review. Looking back at a previous YA services report, I see that in FY ‘02, I read and reviewed 75 YA & children’s books and added them to my library’s collections, saving the library approximately $1200 in materials. It was all thanks to the NMRLS Youth Services Book Review Group. Sound impossible? It’s a little more than a book a week. Some were short.

My library’s regional office had established a book review group, with the youth service consultant establishing rapport with publishers, requesting titles, and sending copies of reviews back for the authors. You don’t need the backing of a consortium to start your own. Train participants in how to write good reviews, decide on a meeting schedule and location, and away you go.

You can also start your own book review blog, or ask to join someone else’s – School Library Journal recently profiled ten children’s literature blogs. Once you start reviewing, you can request review copies from publi

Libraries and library systems across the country face budget cuts over the next year, forcing them to cut back hours, programs, services, the amount of materials ordered and even the number of staff. Because librarians are a dedicated bunch and really want to continue providing the best possible  service this can create a lot of stress in the workplace. Today we explore some basic tips for dealing with stress in the workplace as we get through these difficult financial times.

1. Health and Wellness. It may seem simple, but keeping in the best health possible can do worlds of wonder. Maintaining a good diet that you enjoy will keep your strength and attitude up. Exercise, at least a little every week, has never been more important than now. Not only does it keep you in better shape, exercise releases endorphins that help reduce your daily stress.  And, of course, get plenty of sleep every night. Be sure to explore Wellness options through your place of employment or your health care provider—-you may be surprised by what’s available to you for little or no cost.

2. Recognize your limitations. With cuts in staffing, many librarians might be faced with greater amounts of work than before. But consistently working longer than normal hours will cause severe burnout. It’s best to prioritize your duties by deciding what is most vital at your library. Focus on these aspects first and keep in mind that’s ok if you can’t do it all.

3. Be your own voice. Feeling powerless is probably one of the most stressful feelings of all. By keeping informed and acting as an advocate for what you feel is important in your job you’ll stay active and play a part in keeping things running. No, you probably won’t get everything you feel you want or need, but you stand a better chance at getting some of it if you voice your needs.

4. Throw a party at work. This may seem ridiculous on the surface but it’s a great way to release tension with your coworkers. You get your mind off your troubles, even if only for a little while, and can return to work re-energized. If a full party is not an option consider something as simple as ordering in some food or organizing a pot-luck for lunch time. You can even organize small games, from a lunch-time card game to scavenger hunts in the branch.

6. Give special awards. Hand out a certificate, a button or a cute toy to people for work well done. A little appreciation between coworkers can go a long way towards keeping spirits up and reducing stress.

7. Organize or participate in dialogues. Meeting with your colleagues and talking over the problems can help share your stress and might even lead to solutions and strategies you wouldn’t have considered on your own. Many librarians have unions or employee associations they can rely on for just this kind of situation; those that don’t should consider getting together informally.

8. Look outside your organization for support. Whether it’s a formal organization like ALA or YALSA or something more informal like a meetup between local librarians in your area, it’s important to seek out opportunities like these. It’s sometimes helpful to talk through things with an outsider—plus you never know what wisdom their perspective might bring.

9. Finally, remember why you chose to be a librarian. Renew your appreciation for the work you do and t

With budgets being frozen and cut, it can be hard to find the money to host a traditional author visit. Here are six tips to connect with authors – virtually and in person – for little to no money.

1. Piggyback: When you book an author, you don’t just have speaker fees. You also need to pay for travel, lodging, and other expenses. One way to cut costs is to piggy back on book tours. When Jeff Kinney came to our local Border’s, one of our elementary librarians contacted his publisher who put her in touch with his agent. She was able  to schedule a school visit between his other engagements. While this visit was not exactly cheap, it was cheaper than it might have been.

2. Buy Local: Another way to avoid travel fees is to book a local author. YALSA has a wiki which lists YA authors by state. Local authors may be more willing to work with your budget constraints since it is a way for them to support their community.

3. Skype: Author Kate Messner wrote about Skype visits with authors recently for SLJ. As she points out, many authors will do a Skype visit for free as long as the participants have read the book.

4. Let Teens Ask the Questions: At my library, I have started a blog to provide a forum for teens to interview authors. Another way to facilitate interviews is via podcasts. Check out the ones by the librarians at the Mount Kisco Public Library for good examples. How do you get interview subjects? Ask them. Most author websites list their contact information. For the AuthorView blog, so far I’ve made two interview requests. One said he was too busy. Another, Sarah Ockler, gladly agreed, and you can read her interview online now.

5. Promote Author Sites: Individual authors offer opportunities for readers to connect to them via their websites. The most involved site I know of is Nerdfighters, a community started by John Green and his brother Hank. Community members chat, share pictures and videos, and blog. The content ranges far beyond Green’s work, but does have a literary focus. Other authors, such as Maureen Johnson, Melissa Walker, and Justine Larbalestier have lively blogs which encourage comments and participation from teens through contests, advice columns and more. Link to these blogs and communities on your library site.

6. Take Advantage of Author Group Offers: Authors are joining together in groups to reach out to readers, including teachers and librarians. The Class of 2K9 has a program called Authors2Go. They plan on offering the program through the end of this school year. You’ll get a signed copy of the book, plus the opportunity to interact with an author online or in person. The Class of 2K10 plans to offer a similar program in the coming year.

There are six tips to get you started. What would you add to the list?