Events

Thursday 9th December, Pearse Street Library, Dublin 2

Programme

10.00am       Registration and coffee

 10.30am       In the Picture, Getting Visual with Picture books for All Ages – Valerie Coghlan

 12.30pm       Lunch

 1.30pm         Eat Your Vegetables: How Not to Encourage Your Child to Read – Oisin McGann

 2.30pm        Rosemary Hetherington – Children’s Reading Guide ‘Going Solo’

 4.00pm        Finish

The Workshops:

10.30am In the Picture: Getting Visual with Picturebooks for All Ages – Valerie Coghlan

What is a picturebook and what makes a picturebook work well will be discussed in the context of picture books for young children to older readers. The work of picture book artists, well-known and less well-known, and from different countries will be considered. The talk will include ideas for working with picture books and young people in the library, and will also suggest opportunities for integration into the school curriculum. There will be opportunities to examine a range of picture books and to consider how librarians can best promote picture books to parents and teachers.

1.30pm Eat Your Vegetables: How Not to Encourage Your Child to Read – Oisin McGann

Every parent wants their child to read; every teacher wants to help make that happen; every librarian wants to provide the means to do it. But kids are becoming increasingly dependent on having their entertainment supplied to them, while at the same time becoming ever more independent when it comes to accessing it, be it through spending their pocket money in shops or finding it on the web. This is having a big effect on how they develop their ability to read, how they view that ability and use it, and their opinions of those who try and steer their development.

This talk will not try and provide any convenient answers, but hopes to give an alternative take on how reading is changing, and ask questions about how we can help it change for the better.

2.30pm Children’s Reading Guide ‘Going Solo’ – Rosemary Hetherington

Help your child to read better – a guide produced by Dublin City Libraries, compiled by Rosemary Hetherington, Children’s Librarian. This guide identifies books for children, at various ages or reading levels. The Guidelines recommendations are made in categories including Developing Readers, Newly Confident readers, Confident readers, Reluctant and less confident readers.  A lot of time and research has gone into producing this guide by Rosemary.

The Speakers:

Valerie Coghlan

Librarian and Lecturer at Church of Ireland College of Education, Dublin. Lectures on children’s literature and school libraries on post-graduate courses at University College Dublin, and at St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Dublin City Universites.  Has contributed articles to many publications and reviews regularly for several journals.

She has presented talks about the importance of picturebooks and visual literacy, both in Ireland and overseas.

Current President of IBBY Ireland. Valerie’s specialties are: Children’s Literature, especially Picture books and Illustrated Texts, Irish Children’s Literature, Multicultural Children’s Literature, School Libraries.

Oisin McGann

An Irish author and illustrator. He writes mainly fantasy novels for children and teenagers and has illustrated many of his own short story books for younger readers. In 2003, his first two books in the Mad Grandad series for younger readers were released by the O’Brien Press of Dublin, followed by his first young adult novel, The Gods and their Machines in 2004. In 2006, a new series, the Forbidden Files was published, for more confident readers. In the same year, Random House’s imprint Doubleday bought the rights to publish his next novel, the futuristic thriller Small-Minded Giants. In May 2007, Small-Minded Giants was recommended by the Education Secretary, Alan Johnson and the School Library Association in the UK on a one-off list of Top 160 Books For Boys.

Rosemary Hetherington

Rosemary Hetherington is a past YLG member and past President of CBI. Over the years she has contributed book reviews to INIS magazine and also Children’s Book Festival Book Fest Guide.  As a librarian she has worked in Dublin City Public Libraries Children’s and School’s Section for over 15 years. She was the recipient of the CBI Award in 2009, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the world of children’s books.

Enquiries to Youth Library Group Secretary: Deirdriu McQuaid, Secretary, Youth Library Group, Monaghan County Library Services, 98 Avenue, Clones, County Monaghan. Phone: (047) 74700 FAX:   (047) 51863 Email:  dmcquaid@monaghancoco.ie