National Libraries Day on Saturday 9th February

CILIP (the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) hope that National Libraries Day on Saturday 9th February will be a “culmination of a week’s worth of celebrations in school, college, university, workplace and public libraries across the UK.” http://www.nationallibrariesday.org.uk/  School librarians want to take part in this so are organising a simultaneous storywriting workshop (which we are calling Parallel Universes), and have applied to the Guinness World Records as we believe this hasn’t been done before and we felt that such an undertaking should be recognised!Award winning author, Matt Haig, (who has just been appointed writer in residence at Booktrust http://www.booktrust.org.uk/news-blogs-and-press/ ) has agreed to write the start of a story for us. On Wednesday 6th February, that start will be given to participating students who will then have to write the rest of the story. We are targeting years 5/6 – 9 so that Junior as well as Senior schools can take part and they will have to write a minimum of 250 words between 12 noon and 1pm, although they can write more if they wish to!We are hoping that all the stories will be gathered together afterwards and shared online so that everyone can read them, and see how you can take an idea and develop it in so many different ways. As well as celebrating National Libraries Day, this is a wonderful way to involve the school library in an event that demonstrates how reading and writing can be fun and exciting, which hopefully will raise the profile of the library in school and create media interest thus advocating our profession!If you would like any further information or have any questions, then please contact:Barbara Band, Head of Library & Resorces, The Emmbrook School, Wokingham, Berks. CILIP Vice President. Email: barbara567band@hotmail.com