BookTrust Storytime: creating positive library moments for families

Published on: 30 October 2024

Jacqueline Condit has delivered family events at her library for 20 years. Now that BookTrust Storytime is back at more than 2,500 libraries across England, Northern Ireland and Wales, here's her advice for librarians using the programme with families.

Each week, Jacqueline Condit and her team at Glengormley Library host Rhythm and Rhyme sessions for up to 40 children at a time – aged from 12 weeks to four years. What's the key to making these events fun for families, so they keep coming back to the library?

"Just relax into it and don't overthink it," she says. "Let it be led by the children, let them move around. Just enjoy it."

She adds: "As well as reading the story, take time to speak with the parents and carers. New mums need a bit more love, and that bit of reassurance that they're doing the right thing.

"Sometimes there will be a shy mum who comes along, who's maybe never brought her baby to anything before. They might have been up all night and had two hours sleep. We librarians might be the only person she talks to that day. It might be the first time she's out singing nursery rhymes in front of other people.

"We have to remember this is a new norm for some people. It's all about being welcoming and making the person who brings their child into the library feel comfortable."

BookTrust Storytime: boosting positive interactions at the library

Jacqueline and her team have recently been incorporating the BookTrust Storytime programme into their Rhythm and Rhyme sessions, which she says "adds a whole other element" to their library event.

Libraries who take part in BookTrust Storytime are provided with specially shortlisted books for children under five and resources that enable them to create their own interactive, memorable experiences for families that keep them returning to their local libraries.

"The BookTrust Storytime resources mean we're able to offer more for families," says Jacqueline. "This year's books are so colourful, and the illustrations are totally amazing. We make each book the centre of the session, and we'll choose rhymes that go around it.

"So far, with Roarr, children really enjoyed making all the animal noises - we get them to shout them out. Now, they'll pre-empt being able to make the animal noises when they're reading the story, so they'll come to love that book.

Jacqueline adds: "Families also love participating in voting for the BookTrust Storytime prize. It creates a buzz and helps us encourage children to interact during our sessions. I really like using the book chart on the wall. It has pictures of the book covers on, which helps children visualise the book they've enjoyed that day. It creates a positive association with reading."

BookTrust Storytime: making memories for families

"The BookTrust Storytime stickers really give families an incentive to come back to the library," says Jacqueline. "Especially when children are two or three years old, and they're able to vocalise that they want the sticker to put in their little book. It shows them there will be something different happening each time."

She adds: "The BookTrust Storytime sticker book also creates another 'add-on' for parents. They can use it to talk to their children about what they've done. We encourage families to keep it, to write the dates and their child's age on, and put in their memory boxes as a keepsake. It's a positive thing to remember that they took part in something with their child. It really helps us promote the library, too."

Seeing a spike in families borrowing books

"At the end of sessions, some parents ask us how much they need to pay for attending,'" says Jacqueline. "We tell them: 'It's free. The only way to pay us back, is to borrow some books."

"There really is a spike in book borrowing afterwards - we have to get two more members of staff to help out. People may not have been in the library for about ten years, and now they're borrowing books for their family. We know from experience; we keep those people as readers for life."

• Check out BookTrust's Storyteller Hub for tips, activity sheets and inspiration for delivering BookTrust Storytime at your library
• Create a buzz about BookTrust Storytime with our social cards to help promote the event at your library