Promoting reading 1
between libraries and preschools) (Widerberg 2008
) reports on experiences gained in the latter project. In the context of these two projects, the idea arose of having specially qualified preschools with a literary profile, where stories and reading literature would form a recurring theme in daily activities. The literary profile preschool aims to give the children daily positive reading experiences. The following criteria apply to preschools with a literary profile – very similar criteria apply for family day care providers with a literary profile: • Teachers select books and reading methods consciously and organise positive reading sessions at the preschool every day. • The preschool’s staff development plan includes each year continuing education in the fields of reading promotion efforts and language development. • The public library’s children’s librarian presents new books each year. • When recruiting new staff, the preschool’s profile is made clear along with the requirements placed on the applicant. New staff receives a thorough grounding in working methods and procedures. • The teachers spread knowledge and stimulate other preschools in the municipality to work consciously with books and reading. • The preschool has a good basic collection of books that is continuously renewed. Books are visible and available to the children. The children’s librarian provides guidance in purchases. • Books and/or stories are always used as part of theme activities. • The preschool collaborates closely with the public library and all the children visit the mobile library/book bus or the public library at least twice per year. • Activities are organised so that the time is made available to plan, implement and evaluate this profile. At each preschool with a literary profile there is a literature representative, who is a preschool teacher responsible for literature. The literature representative is responsible for the literature at the preschool influencing both the social and physical environments. Preschools with a literary profile receive a visit from a book bus once each month, and all the children aged 3 to 6 years select one or more books each. What particularly distinguishes the collaboration between a literary profile preschool from the traditional collaboration between libraries and preschools is that preschools, family day care providers and libraries have an agreed form of collaboration made manifest in the form of a diploma. Compliance with the criteria is checked by a group of representatives from both activities. Every two years, the collaboration is reviewed and assessed. Ann-Katrin Svensson (2013), senior lecturer in education at Borås University has conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the activities of literary profile preschools. This evaluation interviewed librarians, family day care providers, preschool teachers, preschool directors, operations managers and compulsory school teachers about the activities. The children have been monitored using national tests in Year 3 of school and some children from the same school year were also interviewed about their reading habits. The evaluation sought to determine whether or not these activities had increased children’s access to literature, and if so, how this had affected the staff ’s 38