Current Awareness Assignment. Name of Activity: Knitting Night! At Antigonish Town & County Library. Date: April 7, 2014

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1 Robin Dennis Current Awareness Assignment Name of Activity: Knitting Night! At Antigonish Town & County Library Date: April 7, 2014 Description/Overview of Activity: The library staff at Antigonish Town & County Library will host a Knitting Night where they will facilitate and assist patrons in completing one of three patterns from Knits for You and Your Home: 30 Blissful Knits to Indulge, Cocoon, Pamper and Detox by Debbie Bliss. Purpose or Rationale of the Activity: This activity is to increase awareness of the new knitting and crochet books that the library has purchased due to a generous $500 anonymous donation. How the Activity Supports the Library s Strategic Plan (Identify Specific Goal or Objective) The library s objective is to be a community hub and to provide materials and events that pertain to patrons general interests (in this case, knitting). By hosting an event of a social and communal nature, they will achieve these goals and bring further attention to a large upcoming acquisition. This event will also raise awareness of the library and services they offer (Kennedy 267). Intended Audience: This event is intended to appeal to patrons of all ages who already enjoy knitting, wish to learn to knit, or would like to try a new pattern in a social setting. This crafting event will also appeal to social crafters who prefer creating items as a group and enjoy sharing with others (Kennedy 266). Planning and Delivery Sequence (activity plan from beginning to end): Materials needed: Awareness poster with the date and time of the event, as well as any supplies that patrons will need to bring A copy of Knits for You and Your Home: 30 Blissful Knits to Indulge, Cocoon, Pamper and Detox by Debbie Bliss A sign to let patrons know where the Knitting Night to being held o Foam board cut into an arrow

2 o o o A hot glue gun Yarn (two colours) A crochet hook Once the foam board is cut into an arrow, use one colour of yarn to wrap around the arrow (secure with hot glue gun as needed) Using a crochet hook, make three long single chain strings, and use the hot glue gun to affix them to the yarn wrapped arrow to spell knitting night When completed, hang the arrow pointing to the direction of the room that the event will be held Completed versions of each pattern (book mark, flower pot cover and pencil case) Flower pots Live or artificial flowers Light refreshments (coffee, hot water, tea bags, donuts see Permissions for further details) o Light refreshments will encourage participation (as well as be lightly refreshing) and provide the library staff an additional opportunity to present the new knitting books and the library s services as a whole (Kennedy 265) A laptop, containing scanned images of the three patterns o It is not feasible for people to share one book while attempting to work from three separate patterns. o Photocopying pages from the book would be infringement of its copyright. o Therefore, the most accessible way to share the patterns with the patrons is to have them scanned and projected onto a screen to accompany the book while it is being passed around. A recent court ruling has deemed scanning of books acceptable use, as they are not being sold or given away ( Court Rules ) A projector and a projection screen Prior to Event: Social media accounts will be updated two weeks prior to the event, notifying followers with plenty of advance warning. This will also allow an online conversation to be established with the following message(cook): o Join us for Knitting Night! Let s celebrate our new knitting books with an evening of knitting, chatting, and most importantly coffee! April 7pm, Antigonish Branch, Library Program Room! Ask your local librarian for more information. All proficiency levels (including new knitters) welcome! Posters will be displayed at library entrances and throughout the building o Displaying cute and creative signs around the library not only serves to make the patrons aware of the up-coming event, they also help capture the attention of a target group that might not traditionally attend a public library knitting night (Auten 271).

3 o As Antigonish is a university town, having university aged patrons attending these events would be a boon to the library s marketing strategy. Not only would this develop a new relationship with these users, they in turn would spread the word of the library s services via word of mouth and via social networking. Volunteering staff and/or Friends of the Library members will make the three patterns in advance of the event in order to be able to facilitate any tricky spots more smoothly Day of Event: Set up the Library Program Room with work tables and chairs, as well as refreshments table Ensure laptop and projection screen are in working order and patterns are scanned Hang arrow sign in a visible place so that patrons can clearly make their way to the Library Program Room Once patrons have all arrived, the library staff member and/or the Friends of the Library volunteers will do a short introduction highlighting the new knitting and crochet collection The physical copy of Knits for You and Your Home: 30 Blissful Knits to Indulge, Cocoon, Pamper and Detox by Debbie Bliss will be passed around so that patrons can familiarize themselves with the patterns The library staff and/or the volunteer will go over what patterns will be completed during the event, and then turn the patrons attention to the projection screen that will show an enlarged version of the pattern (the images will be switched at the request of the patron) (Bliss ) The patrons will have two hours to finish, or get as much of their pattern done as they like To conclude the event, the library staff will once again remind the patrons of the new knitting and crochet books that are available thanks to the generous donation of an anonymous philanthropist, and that patrons are encouraged to borrow one of these books to learn a new skill, try a new project or just have fun. Planning Committee Members and Responsibilities: The committee will be comprised of library staff and members of the Friends of the Library Committee, which will provide an outside perspective with regards to organization and planning (Kennedy). Including members of the Friend of the Library Committee will help spread awareness of the event by word-of-mouth. The committee s participation is warranted and apt since their mandate is to ensure the success of events that promote the library s services and its collection (Kennedy). Participating staff members will need to delegate the following items to ensure a successful delivery: Booking the Library Program Room for three hours on the designated night Preparing the poster and displaying it throughout the library Making the arrow sign and hanging it Knitting the three samples for the event Scanning the three patterns into a laptop

4 Ordering and delivering the refreshments Setting up the Library Program Room on the day of the event Setting up the refreshments table on the day of the event Bringing extra materials if patrons forget their own, or wish to drop in o Comprised of extra knitting needles and extra yarn in various colours Being on site on the day of the event to assist with patrons, answering their questions and helping when a stitch is dropped Library staff/friends of the Library members to break down the tables and chairs and clear away the refreshments after the allotted two hours are up Budget: The budget for this event should not run over $ based on the following breakdown (costing estimated for approximately 35 participants): Items Details Total Refreshments (coffee, tea, doughnuts, cookies) Tim Horton s Take Ten x2 = $24.80 $77.90* (HST of 15% included) ( HST ) 2 dozen assorted doughnuts = $ dozen assorted cookies = $ box of tea bags (Earl Grey) = $5.00 Materials Flower pots = 2 for $1.00 ~$24.75 (HST included) Foam board for arrow sign = $3.00 Yarn for samples = ~$15.00 Fake flowers = $2.50 Emergency reserves If patrons do not bring their own yarn and/or needles, yet still wish to participate, extras should be on hand, which would amount to an approximate amount of $30.00 (4 pairs of size 6 needles, 3 pairs of size 3 needles, 4 skeins of yarn in various colours) ~$30.00 (HST included) Total: $ * Paper napkins, paper cups, stir sticks, milk, cream, sugar and sweeter are all included in this price

5 Permissions: - Media release: to be signed by patrons who participate in the event allow their picture to appear on the library website. The Library staff might like to post pictures of patrons knitting together as a marketing tool. - Communications: a copy of the communication (event outline) plan will have been established well in advance to assist the staff members executing the event, and will provide them with a framework (Dodington 35) o By disseminating the material to all participating staff and volunteers, organizers will be kept on task and will be prepared to answer any questions about the event that the participants might have - Health and safety: a basic First Aid kit should be on hand, as patrons will be handling scissors and potentially sharp knitting needles - Facilities: a room of sufficient size must be booked to ensure proper space is available for a three hour period (30 minutes for set up, two hours for the event, 30 minutes for clean-up). All events at the Antigonish Town & County Library are held in the Library Program Room ( Antigonish Branch Location ) - Refreshments: Coffee, tea, assorted doughnuts, and cookies will be brought in from Tim Horton s. Signs will be made and placed around the refreshments, advertising them as they May Contain Nuts for patrons with allergies. Wrap-Up and Thank-You Notes: Library staff that participate in this event will be able to add Event Planning Skills to their résumé. Volunteers from the Friends of the Library Committee will receive a thank you note for their generosity, patience, and participation. Evaluation: The success of this event will be assessed by the number of patrons that participate and the number of subsequent loans of the new additions to the 746 section (textile arts).

6 Works Cited Antigonish Branch Location. Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library. Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library. N.d. Web 3 Apr Auten, Beth et al. Using NLM Exhibits And Events To Engage Library Users And Reach The Community. Medical Reference Services Quaterly 32.3 (2013): Library & Information Science Source. Web. 3 Apr Cook, Sue and Constance Wiebrands. Keeping Up: Strategic us of Online Social Networks for Librarian Current Awareness. VALA 15 th Biennial Conference and Exhibition, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Web. 31 Mar Court Rules that Google Can Continue Scanning Copyrighted Books Under Fair Use. Fair Copyright. N.p. 13 Nov Web. 3 Apr Dodington, Anne. Herding Cats: PR-Friendly Library Events with Kids. Feliciter 58.5 (2012): Library & Information Science Source. Web. 1 Apr HST. Nova Scotia Finance and Treasury Board. Province of Nova Scotia. 14 Aug Web. 3 Apr Kennedy, Joy C. How to Plan a Special Event to Promote the Library. Journal of Hospital Librarianship 11.3 (2011): Library & Information Science Source. Web. 31 Mar 2014.

7 Sample Poster to promote awareness of the up-coming event Join us! We are having a Knitting Night in the Library to celebrate our new knitting books! Join us on Monday, April 7 th at 7:00 pm in the library program room to explore a few patterns from the new Debbie Bliss book, Knits for You and Your Home: 30 Blissful Knits to Indulge, Cocoon, Pamper and Detox! We will be trying three different patterns, one for each level of knitters! Bookmarks (beginner); you will need Size 3 needles 1 skein sport weight yarn Any leftover yarn from other projects for weaving Flowerpot Covers (intermediate); you will need Size 6 needles 1 skein worsted weight yarn Pencil Case (advanced); you will need Size 6 needles 2 skeins worsted weight yarn in contrasting colours An 8 zipper Light refreshments and helpful encouragement will be provided by the Library Staff. Please feel free to talk to any staff member for more information. Brought to you by the Antigonish Town & County Library

8 Completed arrow sign Completed samples of the patterns

9 The final product