Using video to socialise the science of family literacy and promote libraries

Abstract

In Queensland (a state of Australia) public libraries are emerging as a key ally in the fight against sliding literacy rates in school children.

First 5 Forever, a $20 million state government funded initiative was established in 2015 to help address a negative literacy trend in school age children by offering families with newborns, toddlers and pre-schoolers vital support and resources. Programming now has the potential to reach 99% of the Queensland population.

The initiative is coordinated by the State Library of Queensland, delivered through public libraries and is provided free to families with children aged zero to five years.

Why libraries? With branches in every community, libraries were recognised as being uniquely placed to directly reach families – a significant strength as Queensland is nearly five times the size of Japan, seven times the size of Great Britain, and two and a half times the size of Texas.

There are more public libraries in Queensland than McDonalds restaurants, so it made sense to harness their strong community presence to reach and impact on families. However, commonsense in the digital age tells us that having extensive physical presence is not everything.

This is why a First 5 Forever statewide marketing strategy was developed – to support a strong network of libraries to expand their reach, promote their role and raise awareness around the importance of early literacy.

The core reasons why families were targeted to engage with First 5 Forever were founded on evidence from...