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Completed Projects

LAUNCHPAD'S REACHING PARENTS PROGRAMME

LaunchPad

LaunchPad was formed in 1998, and is a partnership between library and marketing professionals, which works to underline the importance of libraries' work with children and their families. Its partners include the Library Association (LA), the Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) and the Association of Senior Children's and Education Librarians (ASCEL).

Through its main activities of advocacy, research and the development of national promotional programmes and partnerships, LaunchPad offers the commercial world a single point of entry to the complex network of 206 public library authorities.

Reaching Parents

Reaching Parents was an innovative partnership programme designed to support families in developing children's reading. Recognising that changing lifestyles can mean that many parents are often unable to use the library, the programme aimed to take resources out of the library building in order to reach parents in more immediately accessible environments, thus helping them to support the development of their children's reading.

Acting in partnership with the commercial sector, Reaching Parents aimed to reach parents:

· as they shopped, in partnership with ASDA
· at work, with Ford motor company and its Employee Development and Assistance Programme [EDAP]
· at leisure, with Random House publishing house.

CIRT Evaluation

The evaluation of the Reaching Parents initiative focused on the benefits and learning points of the programme and its individual projects to each of the groups involved:

parents
children
families
employers
librarians
commercial companies
local authorities

The evaluation of each individual project also examined the model of LaunchPad as a one-stop library development agency, and assessed its contribution to building and facilitating partnerships.

Publications

  1. Train, B. (2001) ‘Success within reach’, Public Library Journal, 16 (1), 13-14, 16.
  2. Train, B. and Elkin, J. (2001) ‘Evaluation of the Reaching Parents programme’. London, Library Association.
  3. Nankivell, C., Train, B. and Ghelani, T. (2000) ‘The ASDA Big Read: ASDA and libraries working together to bring advice on children’s books and reading to parents across the UK’. London, Library Association.
  4. Nankivell, C., Train, B. and Ghelani, T. (2000) ‘The Kick Off! project evaluation report’. London, Library Association.
  5. Train, B., Nankivell, C. and Ghelani, T. (2000) ‘Ford Dagenham Book Shift: evaluation report’. London, Library Association.
  6. Train, B., Nankivell, C. and Ghelani, T. (2000) ‘Ford Warley evaluation report’. London, Library Association.

Project Team
Briony Train
Clare Nankivell
Tilusha Ghelani