SUMMER READING @ HPL

STUDY TEAM Kirsten Moffatt Teen Librarian Brantford Public Library Dr. Lynne McKechnie Project Consultant University of Western Ontario Helen Benoit Director, Children and Young Adult Services Hamilton Public Library

IN THIS PRESENTATION Background information on Hamilton, the Hamilton Public Library and its Summer Reading Program Who was involved in the study and how they were involved (methodology) Principal findings as well as additional findings Benefits of conducting this type of study Tips for conducting your own Summer Reading Program study

ABOUT HAMILTON Hamilton is the fourth largest city in Ontario A culturally rich population of approximately 500,000 Recent Social Planning and Research Council report indicates 20% of the population living below the poverty line, this figure includes 25% of all children in Hamilton

ABOUT HPL 24 branch locations and 2 bookmobiles Branches located in urban and rural areas

ABOUT SUMMER READING Summer Reading Program is a core service at HPL Planned and delivered yearly by Youth Services Librarians, Branch staff and Summer Literacy Workers (post secondary students) Read-and-report structure Children must read one book to sign up Participants are rewarded with incentive prizes after reading certain numbers of books

SUMMER READING PROGRAMS STORYBOOK CLUB Parents read with children aged 0 to 6 years and record their progress on their own. SUMMER READERS Children aged 6 to 12 read on their own and report on their books at the library. READING BUDDIES Reluctant readers aged 6 to 12 read with a buddy. TEEN READING CLUB Teens aged 12 to 18 read and fill in ballots to record their progress.

PROGRAM GOALS The Hamilton Public Library’s Summer Reading Program has four main goals: Stimulate and encourage a love of reading in children including those with reading difficulties. Assist interested children in maintaining their reading level over the summer. Improve children’s ability to communicate about literature via oral and written reports. Improve staff knowledge of children’s reading interests.

FUNDING HPL hired 42 summer literacy workers in 2004. Funding for these positions came from a number of sources: Summer Career Placements Summer Job Service Young Canada Works Hamilton Public Library

SUMMER LITERACY WORKERS Summer Literacy Workers are post-secondary students with career interests in library work, teaching, early childhood education and literacy.

SPONSORS Major sponsors for 2004 included: TD Bank The Hamilton Spectator Hamilton Tiger Cats Optimist Clubs

PARTNERS and PRIZES Many incentive prizes for the SRP are provided on an in-kind basis Requests for prizes are made to local and national organizations, i.e. Kiwanis, Canada Post Heritage Club Incentive prizes are given to program participants as they reach specific levels within a club Donations are also used as prizes for programs and contests

PRIZE STRUCTURE # BOOKS CHILDREN’S CLUBS TEEN CLUB 1 Ti-Cat Tickets and TD Passport Ti-Cat Tickets and Spectator Tour 3 Colouring Sheet and McDonalds Coupons 6 TD Poster and Stickers TD Poster and Magazine or Anime Sampler 12 Book or Canvas Book Bag Book and Choice of 2 Food Coupons

GENDER BREAKDOWN AND COMPLETION Of the total participants in 2004, 45% were boys and 55% were girls. Compared to 2003: 793 more boys enrolled in 2004 678 more girls enrolled in 2004 2004 saw an increase of 1,137 readers reaching the six book level. Data also showed that there was an increase in the number of boys reading more than one book.

2004 STATISTICS Storybook Club 3,413 participants – 15.3% increase Summer Readers 5,714 participants – 19.5% increase Reading Buddies 704 participants – 6% increase Teen Reading Club 961 participants – 4.7% increase TOTAL PARTICIPATION 10,792 participants – 15.7% increase

SUPPORTING PROGRAMS 408 supporting programs were offered during the months of July and August. 16,074 young people attended these programs – a 35% increase over 2003. Kick off programs with “Reptile Man” Teen Animé Film Festival Pen Pal Program Library Bingo Crafts

PROMOTION OF SRP School visits Partnership with Boards of Education to produce and distribute a flier to all students HPL promotion - What’s Happening @ HPL - HPL web site - Posters and other print material available in the library Program kick-off events Directed mail outs to parents of preschoolers in partnership with Healthy Babies Healthy Children Repeat ads provided by our local newspaper Outreach and Participation in local Festivals

HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE SUMMER READING PROGRAM? An evaluative study of the program at Hamilton Public Library.

ABOUT THIS STUDY Budget of approximately $15,000 for all associated costs approved by HPL Board Co-op student/recent MLIS grad hired as lead researcher Four months from start to finish Descriptive statistical and qualitative data collected to determine whether the Summer Reading Program is meeting pre-established goals

PURPOSE OF STUDY PRIMARY PURPOSE To determine how successful the Summer Reading Program is in meeting its established goals. SECONDARY PURPOSE To collect information on the effectiveness of particular aspects of the program and on the perceptions of different stakeholder groups vis a vis the Summer Reading Program.

WHO WAS INVOLVED? Storybook Club/Reading Club Participants Teen Reading Club Participants Reading Buddies Participants Parents of Participants (all streams) Educators (Public, Separate and Private Schools) New Canadians (adults and children) Reading Buddies Volunteers Summer Literacy Workers (university students) HPL Branch Managers HPL Staff Involved in SRP

PARTICIPANT NUMBERS SBC/SRC Participants – 260 interviewed TRC Participants – 22 surveyed RB Participants – 46 attended focus groups Parents of Participants – 141 interviewed Educators – 70 surveyed New Canadians – 73 attended focus groups RB Volunteers – 53 attended focus groups SLWs – 26 surveyed HPL Branch Managers – 6 surveyed HPL Branch Staff Involved with SRP – 26 surveyed TOTAL STUDY PARTICIPANTS - 723

DATA COLLECTION METHODS To collect data from members of our targeted stakeholder groups, we used: Personal Interviews Surveys Focus Groups

WHAT DID WE LEARN? Based on the data we collected, it appears that Hamilton Public Library’s Summer Reading Program is very successful in meeting its goals.

GOAL 1 STIMULATE AND ENCOURAGE A LOVE OF READING IN CHILDREN INCLUDING THOSE WITH READING DIFFICULTIES 83.7% of parents interviewed said their children displayed more enthusiasm for reading than before they joined SRP 84.6% of BSC/SRC participants said they liked to read more than before they joined 81.8% of TRC participants said that one of their top two reasons for joining the TRC was that is nurtured their love of reading 89.1% of Reading Buddies participants said they liked to read more since joining the program

GOAL 1 (cont’d) 81.8% of Reading Buddies volunteers reported positive changes in their buddy’s attitude towards books and reading over the course of the program By consensus, 100% of new Canadians agreed that visiting the library and participating in programs like the SRP helped children learn to love reading 85.7% of educators said they believed/had observed that SRP participation improves children’s enthusiasm toward books and reading 91.7% of SLWs said they noticed a positive change in the attitudes of most SRP participants toward books and reading over the course of the summer

TESTIMONIALS “I never used to read hardly at all because I thought it was boring and hard, but now I love it.” Reading Buddies Participant, Central Library “My kid is more excited to read now. He doesn’t just say ‘reading is boring’ like when he first came. He sees that some books are funny or interesting and he actually wants to read them. Reading Buddies Volunteer, Central Library “This program fosters a love of reading that lasts a lifetime.” Participant Parent, Ancaster Branch

GOAL 2 ASSIST INTERESTED CHILDREN IN MAINTAINING THEIR READING LEVEL OVER THE SUMMER 89.4% of parents said they witnessed literacy maintenance or improvement in their children that they attribute to SRP participation 95.5% of TRC participants said that they believe program participation maintains or improves their literacy skills and provides them with an academic advantage over their classmates who do not participate 95.7% of Reading Buddies participants said they believed that participating in the program made them better readers or kept up their skills over the summer

GOAL 2 (cont’d) 83.0% of Reading Buddies volunteers said they had witnessed not only maintenance but perceptible improvement in the skills of the children they worked with By consensus, 100% of new Canadians agreed that visiting the library and attending programs like the SRP is very important to helping children to not only maintain but improve their literacy skills in English 100% of Summer Literacy Workers reported witnessing maintenance or improvement of literacy skills in almost all children who joined the program and continued to participate throughout the summer

TESTIMONIALS “I think the program definitely makes a difference in their skills. My kids always go back to school reading at least as well as they did when they left.” Participant Parent, Barton Branch “This program helped my reading get better. My teacher even noticed!” Reading Buddies Participant, Terryberry Branch “I work with students at different grade levels, so I’ll often see the same ones several years in a row. Every fall, there is a definite difference in skills between those who have read and visited the library over the summer and those who have not.” Educator, Hamilton Wentworth District School Board

ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE Many studies have been conducted throughout Canada and the United States in which standardized test were used to measure student literacy scores before and after SRP participation Results of the majority of these studies (Heyns, Carter, Howes, Robbins and Thompson, Markey, Doleman, etc.) prove that SRP participants show increases in post-test literacy scores while the scores of children who do not read over the summer typically decline

ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE (cont’d) Although this study did not involve a pre-test post-test component, results of other studies are transferable to HPL context because: HPL’s SRP operates according to the same ‘read and report’ style as the programs involved in these studies and is actually more rigorous than most about ensuring that children are actually reading Standardized tests used in studies are frequently ones that have been used in Hamilton schools, eliminating the possibility of area bias

GOAL 3 IMPROVE CHILDREN’S ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE ABOUT LITERATURE VIA ORAL AND WRITTEN REPORTS 90.1% of parents said their children have become more willing/able to communicate about what they read since joining the SRP 73.9% of Reading Buddies participants said that they talk more about what they read as a result of being in the program 88.7% of Reading Buddies volunteers said the children they worked with become more willing/better able to talk about their books over the course of the program

GOAL 3 (cont’d) 77.1% of teachers surveyed said that they believed SRP participation helped children become better able to communicate about what they read By consensus, 100% of new Canadians agreed that library programs including the SRP improve the English communication abilities of ESL children, not only in literature but in general 100% of SLWs said that they observed improvements in the literature-related communication abilities of SRP participants over the course of the summer 71.5% of Branch Managers and 84.7% of library staff said that in their experience, children who participate in the SRP do become better able to communicate about what they are reading

TESTIMONIALS “It’s kind of funny: at first I could hardly get him to talk at all other than reading the words. Now we get into discussions about different characters or what’s happening in the story and sometimes they go on for so long that he forgets to read or we both forget where we were!” Reading Buddies Volunteer, Terryberry Branch “Kids are excited and want to share their reading and this program opens the door to parental encouragement, communication about books and so on.” Participant Parent, Mount Hope Branch “The forms need more lines to write on. Some people like to write a lot!” Teen Reading Club Participant, Central Library

IMPROVE STAFF KNOWLEDGE OF CHILDREN’S GOAL 4 IMPROVE STAFF KNOWLEDGE OF CHILDREN’S READING INTERESTS 66.7% of branch managers surveyed said that their own knowledge of children’s reading interests has been improved significantly by managing a branch in which the SRP is operating. 84.3% said that they believed that SRP involvement has a discernable impact on their staff’s knowledge of children’s reading interests over and above their regular library work 65.4% of full-time youth services staff surveyed said that they thought SRP involvement had a discernable impact on their knowledge of children’s reading interests over and above their regular library work

GOAL 4 (cont’d) 100% of Summer Literacy Workers surveyed said that they thought that SRP involvement has improved their knowledge of children’s literature and reading interests

TESTIMONIALS “Not only this year, but over the past three years (of being a Summer Literacy Worker) my understanding of children’s reading interests has greatly changed and expanded. I now have a greater understanding of what they like and why.” Summer Literacy Worker “I think that I already had a good understanding of children’s reading interests before I began this job, but I have been introduced to many other books and series of books through SRC reporting.”

A FEW OTHER INDICATORS OF PROGRAM SUCCESS Program enrolment has increased steadily over the last five years, with many children returning year after year 97.5% of SRC/SBC participants who had joined the program in previous years said that the quality of the SRP is as good or better now than in previous years 100% of parents interviewed agreed that the program has both educational and recreational benefits for a their children and many mentioned other benefits as well, including improving their confidence and self-esteem and facilitating rich and positive social interactions 98.6% of educators believe that the program is valuable enough that they either do or plan to recommend it to their students

INDICATORS (cont’d) 95.5% of eligible Summer Literacy Workers said that their experience in day-to-day running of the program at the various branches was so positive that they would definitely consider coming back to the job next summer

MORE STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK “This is a wonderful program. It has contributed to the reading skills of our children and truly inspired a love of reading skills in our children and truly inspired a love of reading in our family that I believe will last a lifetime. All our children have done it and the older ones look back on it fondly.” Participant Parent, Terryberry Branch “I love this club and I just want to say to everyone at the library ‘you’re the best!’” TRC Participant, Westdale Branch “The program here is beautiful. It is beautiful. I like it a lot!” New Canadian, Red Hill Branch Here are some more answers we received to qualitative-type questions.

FEEDBACK (cont’d) “I have learned more from this job/experience than any other job or university course I’ve ever taken. Working with a vast array of children, parents and teenagers all at once has been extremely challenging – but also rewarding…I’ve developed some great relationships and made connections with some wonderful people both young and old.” Summer Literacy Worker

OVERALL Based on the responses of participants, there is every reason to believe that HPL’s Summer Reading Program is very successful in meeting the goals it has set for itself and is a very valuable program in the eyes of its stakeholders.

ADDITIONAL FINDINGS While the primary purpose of the study was to evaluate the Summer Reading Program in terms of its success in meeting its goals, there were many other things to be learned from the data collected.

OTHER OFTEN-CITED POSITIVE OUTCOMES OF THE SRP While increasing the amount of reading children do is not an explicit goal of the SRP, this study found that: 81.6% of parents said their children are reading more as a result of participating in the SRP than they would otherwise read over the summer 63.6% of teens also indicated that they read more as a result of TRC participation Likewise, while increasing children’s creativity is not a primary goal of the program, it was found that: 64.5% of parents said that they believe the SRP contribution to the development of their child’s creativity and imagination 54.3% of teachers observed these contributions

NEW CANADIANS’ UNIQUE USES OF THE LIBRARY Many newcomers involved in the study described the library in very unique ways. The library as a safe environment in which adults and children alike can practice their English skills without fear of ridicule. “We all come to the library to work on communication. As we communicate we practise English. It is a friendly place to practise…and we don’t feel embarrassed and people don’t treat you like you’re so different from them.”

UNIQUE USES (cont’d) Library resources as tools to retain their traditional cultures and languages even as they adapt to life in Canada. “We started taking out the language kits for my son. After he saw them, his grandfather also was interested in them. Now, (he and his grandfather) use the kits together to practise English but also read in our own language.”

SRP PARTICIPANTS’ OTHER LIBRARY USES Children in HPL’s SRP/SBC are also using the library for other reasons. Of the 260 children interviewed, 259 reported other uses of the library in addition to SRP related activities. 93.1% take out books or other items 56.2% attend programs year-round 36.9% use library computers 5.0% do homework at the library 7.8% come to the library to meet or hang out with friends 7.8% come to the library for other reasons, including to read quietly and to play with toys

ADVERTISING School visits are the most effective way of advertising the program to children. 54.2% of children in the SBC/SRC and 45.7% in Reading Buddies reported learning about the program this way In-library ads (posters, flyers) are the most effective way of advertising the program to teens and adults. 55.3% of parents reported learning about the program this way 40.9% of TRC participants reported learning about the program this way

INCENTIVES Incentive prizes were felt to be important and were positively regarded by most respondents. 85.8% of parents said that the SRP prizes have a motivating impact on their children when it comes to reading over the summer. In another question, 99.3% said they were satisfied with HPL’s prizes this summer 52.7% of SBC/SRC participants (including 58.0% of boys and 48.2% of girls) said that getting the prizes was their favourite part of being in the SRP 81.8% of teens said the prizes this year were great

INCENTIVES (cont’d) 81.8% of Reading Buddies volunteers said that the prizes were important motivators for the children they worked with 100% of Summer Literacy Workers surveyed said that prizes were motivating for the majority of children at their branch

BENEFITS OF CONDUCTING THIS TYPE OF RESEARCH Ensure that the SRP is meeting the goals of the library has set for it Connect with the community and ensure that the SRP is meeting the needs of its stakeholders Learn about the program and the library itself through the eyes of different patron groups Discover new questions that are worthy of further research Make recommendations to board, sponsors, etc. based on findings

STEPS IN CONDUCTING YOUR OWN SRP STUDY Establish program goals (measurable outcomes) Determine the parameters of your study, i.e. how much time and money can you devote it Determine who you would like to involve in the study – which stakeholder groups – and what your intended data collection methods will be Contact representatives of these stakeholder groups to inform them of the study and request their involvement Determine what procedures may be involved in obtaining permission to involve each group and complete any required paperwork, i.e. ethics approval packages, parental consent forms, etc.

STEPS (cont’d) Compose your data collection instruments Collect your data according to the methods you have selected and offer participants a chance to view the results of the study when it is complete Organize and analyze your data in a way that makes sense for your purposes (significance testing, for example, was not required for the descriptive statistical data in this study) Compose final report(s) for your audience(s) Ensure that copies of relevant reports are forwarded to any parties who helped organize or fund the study and to any participants who indicated interest in viewing the results

CONCLUDING REMARKS This study has shown that the Summer Reading Program at the Hamilton Public Library is effective in meeting its goals.

THANK YOU Any questions?