Programming Without a Net

Successful strategies for programming without a budget

 

Prospecting your community

q       Programming for the sake of programming?

q       Locate community organizations

q       Encounter key individuals

q       Connect for resources and assistance for programs

q       Respond to community needs and requests.

 

 

 

 

Mining for Resources

q       Recruit volunteers and service organizations

q       Put together a resource list

q       Persistence, perseverance, patience

q       Share the program load with other staff.

 

Panning for Ideas

Some websites and catalogs one may actively browse to get ideas:

q       Crayola.com

q       Enchantedlearning.com

q       Martha Stewart’s Living kids section: http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=learn-cat&id=cat240&rsc=SC287206

q       •Oriental Trading

q       Mailbox

q       Chase’s Calendar of Events

q       Heritage month observations

 

Don’t Rely on Rumplestiltskin

Use your real life experiences or those of your colleagues. Very often we design programs ignorant of some cultural values. It is your responsibility to create something that is educational and enlightening. Avoid activities that might promote a stereotype. Promote activities that create dialog and understanding.

q       Some Native Americans protect their stories and they feel that non-Native people should not tell Native stories.

q       Red in some Asian cultures is lucky, but you should not write someone’s name in red ink or paint.

q       Use accents or dialect when it is accurate. You can cross the border very easily into an insulting parody.

 

Spin Straw into Gold

As you gather and collect ideas the process becomes easier.  Sometimes the planning comes so easily that it appears that you are doing some magic. The reality is that you invested lots of planning and preparation. Here are real examples of successful programs:

q        A Lolapalooza of programming

q       Having a Strolling Tea party

q       Kwanzaa programs

q       Avance

q       故事时间 – a story time in Chinese language.

 

 

 

The Treasures of Programming

q       Gain grants to fund future programs.

q       Volunteers may develop into productive staff or paid presenters.

q       Always see that the attendance translates into data that is useful for your parent organization.

q       Your partners and your organization discover benefits.

 

Burn away the dross

Refine your programs with evaluations

q       Outcomes based evaluation – Always evaluate your programs. Get evaluations from your attendees and participants.

q       Learn from the experiences – Change strategies if something did not work.

q       Tweak and streamline your events – Organize what you have learned and keep a file of the event.

q       Pitfalls of programming

 

 

 

 

Wealth of Knowledge Bibliography of Resources

q       Dresser, Norine. Multicultural Manners : New Rules of Etiquette for a Changing Society

 

 

q       Reed, Sally Gardner , Beth Nawlinski, and Alexander Peterson. 1001 + Great Ideas for Libraries and Friends. Friends of Libraries US.

q       Robertson, Deborah A. Cultural Programming for Libraries. ALA 2005

q       Wadham, Tim. Programming with Latino Children's Materials : a How-to-do-it Manual for Librarians.

q       Youngblood, Lisa. No Limits – Read! Young Adult Reading Club and Programming Manual. Texas State Library and Archive Commission, Library Development Division, 2002


Program Planning Sheet:

Program Name:

Date:

Time:

 

Purpose: (Write a goal for this library in quantifiable terms).

 

Note to whom the assignment is delegated and the due date.

Decorations:

 

Publicity

q       Press Relase

o       Newspapers

o       Television

o       Radio

q       Flyers

q       Posters

q       Website

 

Supplies: (Write down all the things you will need for this program)

q       Table ware

q       Art Supplies

q       Tools

q       Furniture


 

Nuggets ofProgramming

Harlem Renaissance poetry Café

Turn your meeting room into a café and invite community poets to read poetry of the Harlem Renaissance. Have cutouts of famous poets “sitting” at the tables. Serve Coffee and have jazz playing softly in the background. Great time to display your poetry books of that era as well as timely biographies.

 

Beach Day @ the Library

This is a fun summer program that foes all day. Advertise your beach day so your customers will come properly attired in shors, sandals, Hawaiian shits, et c. Staff also will dress “beach” with sunglasses, sunscreen and sandals. Play lots of Beach Boy and other surfer music. Mix your display with books about beaches oceans, vacations as well as music CD’s.

 

Pumpkinmania

This is an “everything pumpkin” day. Invite customers to bring pumpkin recipes to exchange –Muffins, cookies, bread, et c. and have perpared some recipes for them to take. Decorate pumpkins and place around the library and of course offer pumpkin pie.


Two Worlds

The child of an immigrant often lives in two worlds. At few other times is this more obvious than at the lunch table.  Share that the uniqueness of our cultures add to our greatness. 

 

Books

Lin, Grace. Ugly Vegetables. +E Lin. A young girl realizes the special vegetable garden that her mother grows is truly a treasure of the neighborhood.

Muth, John .  Stone Soup.  +E Muth. This Chinese adaptation of the popular French folktale is a lesson in sharing and community

Wells, Rosemary. Yoko. +E Wells. When Yoko brings sushi to school, the teacher makes the opportunity to show the students that everyone has something special to share.

Yamate, Sandra. Char-Siu Bao Boy. +E YAMAT. Charlie convinces his classmates that his favorite food is not so unusual.

Wells, Ruth. The Farmer and the Poor God.  +E W.  A foolish farmer learns the power of kindness and grows to richness beyond wealth.

 

Activity

Before the Story time, make a trip to the market where you can find some vegetables used in Asian cuisine.   Share with the children some of the unusual things one might be able to find.

 

Mung beans sprout very quickly.  You can make your own sprouts by putting the beans into a bowl of water and leaving them over night.  The sprouts make a refreshing crunchy snack.   http://www.sproutpeople.com/seed/mung.html

 


Giving Gifts

Generosity is a pillar of many Asian cultures.  Some cultures value the act more than the actual gift.  The Japanese, for example, infer many meanings to a gift.  Some guidelines for gift giving are listed at this website:  http://www.executiveplanet.com/business-culture-in/131910118585.html

 

Books

Shepard, Aaron. The Gifts of Wali Dad. Wali Dad is a humble and simple grass cutter. One day his generosity is rewarded; he is granted over and over again rich and fine gifts of luxury. What is a simple man to do with such finery? In a delightful tale of re-gifting and generosity, the story culminates in a very happy ending.

Sierra, Judy. Gift of the Crocodile.  A Spice Islands Cinderella variant.

Myers, Tim.  The Tanuki’s Gift. A strange animal teaches a man the values of friendship.

 

Craft

The Art of Japanese Gift Wrapping

To the Japanese, wrapping a gift is just as important as giving a gift. Learn how to do Japanese wrapping styles from Martha Stewart’s website.

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=stv140034&dp=false&layout=Print&styleType=martha_tv&site=

 


Something Fishy

The Ocean is at the heart of many Asian and Pacific cultures.  Not only is it a wealth of natural resources, it is the foundation of many legends.  Share with the children an appreciation of the sea through these stories and crafts.

 

Books

Arenson, Roberta. Manu and the Talking Fish . +E ARENS.  A great deluge variant, the Noah’s ark of Indian traditions. A fish gives Manu the warning to rescue all the animals. 

Yackowitz, Caryn. The Jade Stone. The emperor demands a dragon carving of jade, yet the sculptor must be true to what the stone wishes to be. Instead of a dragon of wind and fire the sculptor creates beautiful carp. Now he must face the wrath or the emperor.

San Souci, Robert. The Silver Charm. +398.2 S. A story of the fishing culture of the Ainu people of Japan.  Satsu is warned not to lose his silver charm, yet a terrible ogre takes it from him. A puppy, fox cub, and a mouse help him recover the lost charm.

Climo, Shirley. The Korean Cinderella.  + E CLIMO. This variant has a fish instead of a fairy godmother.

 

Poems

From Cool Melons Turn To Frogs: The Life and Poems of Issa (Kobayashi, Issa. Cool Melons Turn To Frogs: The Life and Poems of Issa. Lee and Low Books. 1998)

Asleep on the ocean

A folding Fan

Shades me from the moon

Crafts

Try the art of Japanese Gyotaku:  http://www.northcoast.com/~fishhelp/edu_f/print.html.

https://www.igfa.org/fishprinting.asp

A trunk from the Sea Center of Texas can be ordered that has rubber fish if you don’t want to use fresh fish. Call Connie Stolte 979-292-0100 ex 24.  You will be responsible for picking up the trunk and returning it.

 

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