Tips for Librarians

In addition to participating in the Dear Poet project with students, displaying the National Poetry Month poster, and celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day, there are a number of creative and inexpensive suggestions for bringing poetry into your library during April’s National Poetry Month and throughout the year. We invite librarians all over the country to participate. 

Below are some additional suggestions from Poetry in the Branches (PITB), a multilayered, replicable program model that helps libraries become centers for the discovery of contemporary American poetry. The model seeks to improve public access to poetry through acquisitions, displays, live readings, writing workshops, and other poetry services to adults and young adults: 

Book display
Programs and discussions
Collection development
Outreach
Success stories from past years

PITB was originally developed by Poets House in collaboration with the New York Public Library and the Brooklyn Public Library. 

Book Display

• Displays of poetry books create a visible presence for the art. Frequent display changes and quality graphics engage library users with the collection.
• Always reinforce readings and poetry writing workshops with book displays. This sends the message that programs are a launching pad back into the collection.
• Include poetry in topical displays, both for adults and young adults. Again, this reinforces the idea that poetry is a way to respond to anything and everything in the wide world. For example, a display on the Civil War might include Walt Whitman or Herman Melville’s verse; a display on Black History Month might include contemporary volumes of poetry, anthologies like In Search of Color Everywhere, or individual poems to celebrate the occasion.
  • Chase's Calendar of Events indicates each special holiday and commemorative days (for example, Emily Dickinson’s birthday, Earth Day, etc.) and can be useful in generating display ideas.
• Request a National Poetry Month poster for display.
• Encourage young library visitors to make posters of beloved poems from the collection. This creates material for displays and gives youngsters "inside-out" relationships with the text of the poems.
• Institute a program whereby every library user gets a poem during National Poetry Month this April! Print a different poem for each day in April from Poets.org, and hand them out at the circulation desk.
• Of course, we recommend and encourage you to display poetry titles year-round. 

Programs and Discussions

• Open houses and receptions can create a sense of a living literary community. Host a reception for local poets and keep a running list of their names and addresses. To find out who the poets are in your region, contact one of the following:
  • The Poetry Near You calendar
  • Your local arts council (you can find contact information at the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies website)
  • Writing programs in local universities
  • Local literary organizations
• Host a reading and/or discussion with a local poet, or ask poets from different parts of the country to join a Skype chat with a live library audience.
• Host a Twitter chat with a poet on your library's Twitter feed. Actively promote the event in the library, online, and in other promotional materials.
• Include poetry in book discussion groups. At selected gatherings, use three poems as the text for discussion. Use poetry for book talks, too.
• Sponsor an "open mic" poetry reading. Have library visitors sign up to read for five minutes each. Invite someone from the community to be an emcee.
• Try sponsoring poetry readings that will attract both teens and adults. You might book a more established writer with an emerging poet. Include a question-and-answer period.
• Poetry writing workshops—either for young adults or adults—encourage the growth of a personal poetic voice and, ultimately, foster reading with a writer's awareness. Workshops are best scheduled to meet at the same time each week for at least three sessions with a local poet/facilitator.
• Publish an anthology gathering work from your site's writing workshops. Display and circulate the collection. Host a publication party.
• Create a display of archival materials of your town's (or the nearest city's) poetry history.

Collection Development

• Set an annual goal for your poetry acquisitions and then display your new purchases in April and throughout the year.
• Poetry books in the collection "sell" each other. The collection should include a mix of anthologies and volumes of poetry by a single author.
• Journal publications—such as American Poets magazine—that present the work of living writers are important to include in displays and acquisition priorities.

Outreach

• Begin a poetry lovers' mailing list and faithfully notify subscribers about each event. Send information about events to other libraries and local newspapers.
• Ask poets to help promote their events by reaching out to their friends, fans, and social media followers.
• Make a personal connection with local bookstores. They can help you arrange to get poets who are reading in their stores to do piggy-back visits to your site.

Some Success Stories from Previous Years

The libraries that had the greatest success with National Poetry Month were the ones that invested effort in hosting readings, setting up special poetry displays, organizing contests, and mentioning National Poetry Month in their newsletters and to the local media.

• Teton County Library (Jackson, WY) The library held a variety of celebrations honoring National Poetry Month. Patrons wrote poems on paper leaves to decorate their Poet-tree. Teens could participate in a poetry contest for a cash prize. Local poets read aloud in an open-mic format for the traditional Moose Readings. The traveling troupe Poetry Alive! presented poetry as theater.

• Bethlehem Public Library (Bethlehem, CT) Children wrote poetry incorporating the numbers one to one hundred and decorated invitations with numbers to honor the library's centennial year. A poetry reading-party was held and poems were gathered into a volume to become part of the library's book collection.

• Blue Hill Public Library (Blue Hill, ME) The library had a program based on the "Poets In Person" radio series, which they dubbed "Poets Out Loud." Their second annual Favorite Poem Reading was held April 26. In addition, the filing cabinets around the children's area were decorated with magnetic poetry.

• Boston Public Library, South End Branch (Boston, MA) Their own Favorite Poem Project had community members reading through poems encompassing all portions of the program. Previous successful years of NPM promotion through displays, readings, and videos encouraged many people to attend the Favorite Poem Project festivities.

• Public Library for Union County (Lewisburg, PA) The library set up a Poetry Wall and a Poet-tree with leaves provided so patrons could write their own poetry. For children, a Haiku workshop proved popular, as did the poetry storytime for preschoolers. The library also offered a poetry reading, which was well attended.

• Iowa City Public Library (Iowa City, IA) The library held several activities for NPM. A graduate student from the University of Iowa taught a two-week poetry course for adults. They also offered a workshop for children. Poets from the university's creative writing program read original works at Poetry For Lunch. The library invited staff and community members to read a favorite or original poem. Poems from previous years' workshops were placed on placards on city buses for passengers to enjoy.

• Oconee County Library (Watkinsville, GA) Patrons posted their poetry on a Poetry Wall, sometimes adding illustrations. The library showed films such as The Bitter Berry: The Life of Byron Herbert Reece. The festivities culminated with a poetry slam and open-mic readings. Winners received a poetry book, ribbon, and gift certificate from area bookstores.

• The Friends of Minneapolis Public Library (Minneapolis, MN) The popular and critical response to the library's Favorite Poem Group Poetry Reading has been so positive that they are making it an annual event. In 2000, participants included the mayor of Minneapolis, best-selling novelist Judith Guest, arts advocate Joan Mondale, Supreme Court Justice Alan Page, and several other local TV and radio personalities.

• Osterlin Library (Northwestern Michigan College) The library tied a "zero response time" book of poetry to every computer workstation so students would have something to read while they waited.

• Bethlehem Public Library (Delmar, NY) The library offered a number of workshops for National Poetry Month. "What We Know" poetry writing workshops were funded by Poets & Writers. A local certified poetry therapist taught a poetry therapy workshop. Nationally known poet June Jordan held an informal seminar. In addition, the library set up a display of poetry in the building.

• Medford Public Library (Medford, MA) The library hosted Medford Poets Live!, an evening of readings by local poets. Due to its success, next year a poetry discussion group will be added to the festivities. A poetry book display was featured through the month of May and attendance in a children's poetry writing workshop tripled.

• Edgecombe County Memorial Library (Tarbaro, NC) The library held a "Poetry on the Lawn" event on their front lawn. Teachers brought their classes over to hear a local poet read, and some read their own works. In addition, the event attracted many passersby curious about the proceedings. A lively discussion followed.

• Brooklyn Public Library (Brooklyn, NY) Twelve branches of the library sponsored a five-week poetry writing and reading program, Writing With Rhythm, for young adults. They published and distributed a poetry anthology to local schools and other library branches. Due to the growing interest in poetry during National Poetry Month, the library also offered a "Poets Coffeehouse" series in the Central Library.

• Prairie Trails Public Library (Burbank, IL) For the second year, the library held an "Animal Pupp-o-etry" show where animal puppets read animal poems for younger children and they held a poetry party for older kids. The library's monthly writing club also focused on poetry. Librarians found that the poetry shelf in their youth section was three-quarters empty throughout the month of April.