For me, the Kids Own Australian Literature Awards Inc. website is relevant to the library to encourage reading. The organisation is a non-profit organisation run by volunteers who support children’s literature. Young readers all over New South Wales vote for Australian children’s books that they have enjoyed the most. This is a wonderful site giving young readers a platform to voice their opinions on the books they have loved to read. This program would be a run at minimal cost as, bookmarks are 50 for $15 and stickers 50 for $10, with a joining fee of $100 for four libraries.
From this website, I have learned the library can involve young readers who are members of the library to join in the voting, discuss with their peers and debate their views on good literature. At first, I thought the shortlist would be a collection of books that may not be borrowed, but the 2020 list has many books in our collection. There are 4 categories in the voting picture storybooks, younger readers, older readers and fiction for years 7-9.
This would give the library three groups with children from infants, primary, or high school age. Dividing the groups into classes is an opportunity for children to collaborate with their own age groups (Colston, 2012, p. 3). A teenager would not like to be in the same group as a primary student. Joining this program, children and young people will have an opportunity to develop critical appreciation skills. In partnership with YABBA (VIC), KROC (NT) and COOL (ACT), KOALA seeks to provide children with a voice within the general Australian children’s book industry and contribute to the annual REAL Awards (Reading and Enjoying Australian Literature) a shortlist is created from these states and territories.
Libraries can get creative and set up their own display to encourage voting to generate excitement and create interest. This project allows the children to become involved in the display and promotion activities. The book’s selection criteria must be Australian, published in the last ten years, must not have been a previous winner, must be a specific title note a whole series. Library members nominate their titles and provide the nominations to the KOALA council to use the nominations to create a KOALA shortlist of 40 titles. This is a fun program to engage with young readers, and the results would be rewarding if their nominations were on the shortlist. When the shortlist is announced, another display can be created by the children for voting. This site has all posters, voting slips, stickers, bookmarks and ideas to ensure the program’s success.
References
Colston, V. (2012). Teens go green!: Tops, techniques, tools, and themes for YA programming. Libraries Unlimited.
Kids Own Australian Literature Awards Inc. (n. d.). Join us in 2021. https://seabass-plums-xfb6.squarespace.com/