Tips
Decide on your goals and your target audience. It's nice to provide packets to every baby born in your library district, but if that's not possible you may want to target at-risk babies and their parents.
Consider how to distribute the packets and discuss details with the appropriate organization. Possibilities include:
- Hospitals
- County Health Department programs
- Well-Baby Clinics
- Teen pregnancy clinics
- Lamaze classes
- Literacy organizations
- Local obstetrician's offices
Decide what other materials or information you wish to include in your packets to distribute to new parents. Including information such as library hours, locations, and activities that the library sponsors (such as story-telling hours and special programs on parenting) is helpful in introducing new parents to the resources available at the library. Be sure to include book-lists for reading aloud.
The maximum benefit is derived when the packets are personally presented to each new parent. A few minutes of conversation or orientation with the new parent, emphasizing that it is crucial to verbalize and read to the baby in order to activate the learning process, will make her aware of her important role in exposing the baby to books and reading. Remember that 50% of a child's intellectual development occurs between birth and four years of age.
Solicit local co-sponsorship of the program. Books for Babies is a project that is so special you will not find it difficult to involve local groups and businesses to underwrite the costs.
Business sponsors should be given the opportunity to have their names listed in local materials and they should be publicly acknowledged. For instance, Chrysler, Wal-Mart, B. Dalton, McDonald's and Pizza Hut all work with local literacy programs. Consider public utilities, insurance companies, telephone companies, banks, children's stores, toy stores, fast food franchises, newspapers, television, diaper services, hospital auxiliary groups, convenience stores, radio and local cable companies.
Some organizations have formed partnerships with these charitable and service organizations for funding Books for Babies programs throughout the nation: hospital auxiliaries, AAUW, Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary, Mensa, Altrusa, Junior League, PTA, literacy groups, local foundations, General Federation of Women's Clubs, United Way, Telephone Pioneers, Chambers of Commerce, Soroptimist. Combining forces will help with distribution.
Call the organization to obtain the name of the person with whom to make an appointment. Armed with information, personally present the program, show samples and discuss your thoughts for implementation and distribution.
Consider follow-up activities to keep the lines of communication open between the new parents and the resources of the library. Some Friends groups send invitations to special events or coupons to be redeemed at the library.
The Books for Babies Success Stories may give you some ideas for implementing your own program.