In Brighton & Hove we currently have 2 adjacent sections in our main libraries with one branded RaW and the other branded Essential Skills. We have small Essential Skills collections including some RaW titles in our community libraries. The RaW section comprises the easy reading fiction and non fiction titles from RaW, Quick Reads, 6 Book Challenge ie easily accessible books with no graded reading levels on them. Our Essential Skills collection includes graded easy readers + books on grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation & numeracy. We already had a ‘Quick Picks’ section consisting of new popular titles – many with media tie-ins, so couldn’t really use ‘Quick Reads’ branding. We had hoped that RaW would get a lot more airplay, so that it would be easily recognisable to people like the previous Gremlins campaign, but unfortunately this didn’t turn out to be the case. We are now considering amalgamating both sections under the Essential Skills banner, because the RaW section hasn’t been too well utilised.

 

Tutors in B&H have not been in favour of a subtle approach to the branding as they are of the opinion that it makes it more difficult for learners to access the material. Local learning providers also have their own collections of material for learners including the RaW titles, so learners are accessing the materials outside of the library. We have done a lot of introduction to the library sessions for Skills for Life and ESOL students highlighting the collections, study space etc which are always well received. The Essential Skills collection is used a lot by short stay foreign students.

 

 

 

As pioneers of Quick Reads before the brand went national, Essex libraries worked closely with Adult Community Learning and Skills for Life tutors to develop criteria for identifying Quick Reads and mapping links to the literacy curriculum. Essex still have a separate collection of Quick Reads in each library, and are soon to review how we display and promote these. We’ve also developed mini QR collections that can be loaned to Children’s centres to promote and use with parents they are working with. Sets of individual QR titles are also loaned to Skills for Life or ESOL tutors to use as readers with their class, in addition to the ‘tutor ticket’ which enables borrowing of any individual books or audio material for use in classes.

 

We also have beginner readers, which we call ‘Fresh Start’. We’re in the process of revising and refreshing these collections with new stock.

 

There is a dilemma and debate on how to display Fresh Start. Tutors report that students feel self-conscious about borrowing from a ‘special’ collection, but the books need to be easily found (they may be reluctant to ask). Quick Reads overcome this by branding as a mainstream read for people who don’t have time for a full-length novel. What approaches has anyone used for any of this material?

Ideas gratefully received.

 

 

 

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