PRIME TIME reading program shines spotlight on family literacy
GPLS News, February 2009
The Bonner family (Taylor, Dakota, Logan, Randy, and mom, Shannon) reads together during a Coweta Public Library System PRIME TIME event at its central library in Newnan.
In 2008, Georgia public libraries proved such worthy additions to the national expansion of the PRIME TIME family reading program that the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH), in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, has again selected seven public library systems in Georgia to participate in 2009.
Based on illustrated children's books, PRIME TIME FAMILY READING TIME® is designed to help low-income, low-literate families bond around the act of reading and talking about books. It models and encourages family reading and discussion of humanities topics, and aids parents and children in selecting books and becoming active public library users.
Through a discussion leader and a storyteller, children ages six to 10 years and their parents or guardians hear classic children's stories; engage in reading aloud demonstrations; discuss humanities themes in each book and learn about library resources and services. Younger siblings, ages three to five years, participate in separate pre-reading activities.
Bilingual PRIME TIME programs are offered at many sites. These are specifically tailored for Spanish/English speaking families, with culturally diverse titles provided in both languages, and discussion supported bilingually by trained translators and team members. Each bilingual session also includes a five-minute "library commercial" that allows librarians to introduce families to library resources such as homework aids, ESL and GED materials for parents, books on parenting and health care, and local and international newspapers and magazines.
"PRIME TIME is an incredible program," said Elaine Black, director of Youth Services for Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS). "It brings together families to share meals and stories, and it enables them to have meaningful discussions on universal topics like compassion, happiness, coping and greed."
GPLS directs the partnership with Georgia's participating libraries. In 2008, seven communities held PRIME TIME programs. Angela Margerum coordinated the program for Atlanta-Fulton Public Libraries, Nez Alburquerque for DeKalb County Public Libraries, Barbara Osborne-Harris for the Coweta County Library System, and Patricia Edwards for the Jefferson County Library System. Three additional libraries provided the program in both English and Spanish. Dina Willis and Carrie Zeiger coordinated the bilingual program for Coastal Plain Regional Library, Martha Powers for the Ohoopee Regional Library System and Karen Harris for the Gwinnett County Library System.
"We had a number of activities going on around and with the programming," said Zeiger, who directs the Coastal Plain system. "Each night, a different Mexican restaurant in town donated a meal for the approximately 60 participants. These absolutely fantastic meals gave the families an opportunity to sit together and form new friendships and connections within their community as well as become comfortable with a place they did not know much about -- the library.
"We also held drawings for door prizes donated by various people and community groups, and each night we encouraged everyone to apply for -- and use -- a library card."
By the end of the program, Zeiger said, her staff had registered members from each family present. Families strongly indicated to the Coastal Plain staff that they had enjoyed the program, would continue to use the library regularly and felt more comfortable reading to their children and discussing what they had read than they had before they joined in the PRIME TIME activities.
"It was wonderful for all of us to observe so many families bonding over books this year," Black said. "It is especially gratifying for us at GPLS, because research shows that these PRIME TIME families definitely go on to become regular library users."
In 2009, the Brooks County Library System will join the program, with Amy Plonowski serving as coordinator. PRIME TIME will return to Atlanta-Fulton and Jefferson County and four systems -- Coastal Plain, Coweta, DeKalb and Gwinnett -- will offer the bilingual program. Participating libraries receive grant funding and support materials to present the PRIME TIME series once a week for six weeks.
Funding for PRIME TIME comes from the Georgia Humanities Council and from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Georgia Public Library Service under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.