What's new

Boys into books

This national initiative is funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and managed by Library Services. The objectives are:

• Greater engagement by young people with books and reading by encouraging reading for enjoyment
• Improved literacy skills, especially amongst boys and children from less advantaged backgrounds
• Increased library usage by children and young people and indirectly the extended family
• Enhanced partnership working between library services and education providers to underpin reading for purpose and pleasure.

The basic provision is for the library service to ensure each maintained school receives a loan collection of 20 books. We will be adding value to the initiative for schools that subscribe to Plymouth Schools Library Service in the following way:

• May 2008 - free delivery of the first loan collection to each school
• May 2008 - library staff training day focusing on reader development work with boys and partnership work with local schools
• June 2008 - series of Reader Development workshops held in local community libraries for school staff - no charge will be made for these
• October 2008 - March 2010. PSLS will provide an additional 20 titles of special interest to boys in each of the three scheduled exchanges. In this way the initial collection is constantly updated
• Summer 2008 - PSLS advisers will offer Marjon teacher training students a special reader development workshop
• Summer/Autumn 2008 - The Public Library Service will be focusing on extending partnership working with local schools

For Plymouth schools who do not subscribe to us a loan of 20 books will be available from your local community library. The library will contact you when the books are available for collection and will provide you with details of the loan period at that time.

We look forward to working with you to raise the profile of reading for enjoyment in the city.

Getting the blokes on board

This new National Literacy Trust magazine, aimed at professionals who work with parents, contains lots of ideas for getting fathers and male carers reading with their children. More details at the National Literacy Trust website.

Please note that this publication is not aimed at dads themselves, but at staff who work with them, or would like to.

National Year of Reading

Plymouth Library Services now has a National Year of Reading page giving information on local activities and links to other reading sites.

For continued advice regarding reading development, bookweek planning etc in your school please contact the Plymouth Schools Library Service advisors, contact details can be found on our specific enquiries page.

Write away

The Write Away website is a non-profit making, advertising free website for teachers, librarians and other educationists with a particular interest in children's books and writing.

The site features up to date reviews, author interviews, online reading group and forum, free downloadable reading guides, writing starters provided by children's writers, news and features.