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This short video (4’52) focuses on the Imagination Library initiative set up by Rotherham Borough Council. Rotherham was the first place in Europe to adopt the scheme for which children between the ages of 0-5 receive a free book in the post every month for five years.

The video includes interviews with:

1. Alison Lilburn, Project Manager, Imagination Library
2. Roger Stone, Leader, Rotherham Borough Council
3. Deborah Bullivant, Director, Inspire Rotherham
4. Jane Hore, Teacher
5. Parents and children, Rotherham Central Children’s Centre

Transcript

Roger Stone – “It’s absolutely fantastic to be able to get books into children’s homes and to get parents reading to children.

Parent – “I love reading with them – they love reading with me.

Jane Hore – “To get a book free, for many parents, is just such an opportunity.

Parent – “Every book that we do get, we do read, and the children thoroughly enjoy them.

(00:20 – 00:53)

The Imagination Library programme aims to improve literacy among pre school children in the community. The initiative is one of a number employed by Rotherham Borough Council, which is a Beacon Council. The Beacon Scheme was set up in conjunction with the Improvement Development Agency. Beacon status is granted to authorities who demonstrate a clear vision, excellent services and a willingness to innovate within a theme.

Alison Lilburn: (0.53 – 01.21)

“The Imagination Library is a literacy initiative that was started by Dolly Parton in America and it takes the shape of a book gifting scheme. Any child who is under the age of five can register with the scheme and once they’ve done so, they receive a really good quality, age appropriate book once a month, every month until they reach the age of five. The thing that makes it really special is that the book is actually addressed to the child and delivered through their letter box and there is no charge to the family.

(01:21 – 01:29)

The original idea for the Rotherham initiative came from a chance meeting – Rotherham Borough Council Leader Roger Stone takes up the story.

Roget Stone: (01:30 – 01:56)

“I was on a visit to Nashville in Tennessee to speak at the Athena awards, when I met Susan Whitaker who works for the Governor of Tennessee and looks after culture, leisure and sports facilities. She mentioned to me had I heard of the Imagination Library, which I hadn’t. She explained to me it was a scheme that Dolly Parton put on in her own County for all the youngsters from nought to five to receive a free book. I thought it was fantastic, and I actually came back with the intention of ensuring that it would happen in Rotherham.

(01:57 – 02:02)

With the scheme under way, practitioners were starting to see tangible benefits for children and parents alike.

Jane Hore: (02:03 – 02:18)

“The Imagination Library is a great opportunity for parents to spend some quality time with their children – what we want to do is foster that love of books, that magic of books for children so I think it’s a fabulous opportunity for parents to be able do that.

Parent: (02:19 – 02:27)

They love it – you come to your letterbox, you gather your mail and they’ve got a book there. It’s a present and you can sit and read it with them.

(02:28 – 02:33)

Rotherham was the first place in Europe to adopt the scheme but how much does it cost to run?

Roger Stone: (02:34 – 02:48)

The costs of the books, the delivery, is approx just over £2 a month. That’s for the book, the production the delivery and everything else. You’re talking £125 over 5 years – absolutely fantastic.

Alison Lilburn: (02:49 – 03:25)

We’ve been immensely successful, far more so than we had anticipated. We’ve actually registered over 10,000 children since it began. We have 8600 children currently receiving books each month which is 57% of the under 5 population in Rotherham. So that’s fantastic news and it’s all because of the commitment from partners. We have registrars signing children up when they register at birth. We have health visitors, librarians, teachers, children’s centres, family information service, all of them committed to promoting the scheme and that’s meant tremendous success for us.

(03:26 – 03:32)
While the Imagination Library promotes literacy amongst very young children – what about the older kids?

Deborah Bullivant: (03:33 – 04:03)

Inspire Rotherham is a brand new initiative which is a dynamic approach to making sure that literacy is at the forefront of everybody’s minds across Rotherham. It’s got six themes of family engagement, early intervention, reading for pleasure, raising aspiration, leadership and professional development.

We’ve got Yorkshire Forward funding which is fantastic and that’s giving us the opportunity to actually put activities on and put lots of project activities all around the schools and the children’s centres and in people’s homes, to make sure that we can take literacy into their homes.

(04:04 – 04:15)

So with projects like Inspire Rotherham and the Imagination Library proving such a success, the children and parents of Rotherham are set to become pioneers for reading schemes that many believe should be replicated across the country.

Roger Stone:(04:16 – 04:28)
I think anything that puts books into homes for parents to read to children Is fantastic, and if we can do it free for them, that’s even better.