15 Día Nuggets: #1 A Día Checklist

If you visit this blog or my web site, you know that April 2011, we’re celebrating Día’s 15th Anniversary. My web team and I were so pleased at comments about our first Díapalooza last April that we’re having a second Díapalooza in 2011. To assist those of you planning Día celebrations at your schools, libraries, etc., we’ve created a Planning Checklist that we hope will be useful whether this is your first or tenth celebration. This list is the first Día Nugget, 15 lists of 15 ideas. We’ll post the Nuggets on this blog periodically and archive them on my site as we do the Día Dynamos. During Díapalooza, we’ll showcase the 15 Día Dynamos, 15 Mora Award winners and the 15 Día Nuggets, etc. Send us your I-días!

PLANNING CHECKLIST FOR DÍA CELEBRATION

Thanks for joining Día’s National Community & sharing bookjoy!

¨      1. September-November  Form diverse partnerships.  Create a Día committee that includes librarians, teachers, parents, local literacy programs, non-profits, and funders.  Also, consider faith communities, university students, media contacts, summer reading club coordinators, bookstores, etc. 

¨      2. Clarify goals and plan your Día event(s) with your committee.  Select dates(s) and form sub-committees such as fundraising, activities/speakers/programs, media & publicity, volunteers, etc.  Design many creative literacy-related activities.

¨      3. Establish your budget, contact possible funders and partners and begin to plan your fundraising events.   Research available grants and file applications.

¨      4. Review your book collections and evaluate for diversity.  Compile a wish list and order what you can.  Explore options for book donations.

¨      5. Finalize locations and reserve rooms.

¨      6. January-March  Finalize program, speakers, performers, class performances, and special guests such as local officials and celebrities.  Prepare speaker/author contracts and make travel arrangements.

¨      7.Outline the publicity and media campaign including available social media outlets, PSAs, etc.   Remember to post your Día events at www.ala.org/dia.

¨      8. Order promotional items, books for giveaways, and craft supplies.   Also, order food and refreshments.

¨      9. Confirm attendance by leaders of the site for the celebration—building directors, principals, etc.  Since a Día goal is to connect with new and familiar families, it’s important for leaders to show their commitment by greeting attendees.  Include a Summer Reading Coordinator to explain when, how and why to sign up. Remind all speakers to multi-generational audiences to be brief.

¨      10. Recruit and train volunteers.  Design evaluations if desired.

¨      11. April 1. Decorate library and other venues for April celebrations. Construct signage, multi-language if appropriate. Design and create book displays.

¨      12. Enjoy your program(s) and document the event(s).

¨      13. Remind attendees that Día is a yearlong family literacy initiative (día por día/day by day) with annual, culminating family celebrations in April.

¨      14. Thank your partners and hold a de-briefing session.

¨      15. Volunteer to present Día programs and share successful ideas locally, regionally, and nationally.

Before beginning your Día planning, familiarize yourself with the many planning materials and resource information on the following websites:

Pat Mora’s site -- http://www.patmora.com/dia.htm
ALSC/Día site -- http://www.ala.org/dia
Texas Día site -- http://www.texasdia.org/toolkit.html
California Día site -- http://www.diacalifornia.org/tool_kit.html
You can also attend regional Día training if provided or organize a training session with the state library youth services coordinator.

GOOD LUCK! Pat Mora

Click here to download a pdf of the Día checklist.