Information Scotland The Journal of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland ISSN 1743-5471 Issue contents | Journal contents | About the online edition of the journal April 2005 Volume 3 (2)

Let me tell you a story

With more than 9000 participants, the first East Renfrewshire Storytelling Festival was declared a great success. Janice Weir reports.

Storytelling for children has always had a relatively high profile in community libraries in East Renfrewshire. As well as regular storytimes in each library, we have had strong links with the Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, frequently employing its storytellers to work at events for children and young people. We have long believed in the value of storytelling as an effective communication tool, a ‘stretcher’ of imaginations and a way to foster a love of stories, both oral and written.

East Renfrewshire’s Scottish Arts Council funded Creative Links Officer is Yvonne Wallace. Back in June, and working in collaboration, we submitted a joint bid from the Education Department and Community and Leisure Department to the Scottish Arts Council’s storytelling funding strand. We could bid for up to £5,000 (and we had promises of match funding from various sources). In June we heard that we had been successful, and feedback from SAC told us that they were impressed by the joined-up working evident in the bid.

We chose National Tell A Story Day as the first day of the festival, which was to take place 29 October - 12 November 2004. A planning group consisted of library staff, the creative links officer, an arts officer and the family learning manager.

We decided to think big. Our target audience would be the whole community - from babies to residents in care homes. Our main aims would be:

• to provide quality storytelling experiences,
• provide storytelling training for library staff and teachersl
• to promote the art of storytelling.
• employ good evaluation techniques no matter how difficult

Planning events in educational establishments was relatively straightforward. The audience was captive, teachers were supportive and storytellers were flexible, but the planning of community events was considerably more problematic...

We decided to try to put storytellers into places that are not normally associated with storytelling, such as sports clubs, supermarkets, the local park - and on a local bus. We had little success with the supermarket and the sports clubs but did have two unusual and very successful events in Rouken Glen Park and on a Barrhead bus. The park event involved telling stories to the walking group who meet their regularly. The ‘storyteller’ was actually our local studies librarian who told stories and legends relating to the park.

The event on the bus involved Michael Kerins jumping on board the Circular bus which travels around Barrhead.

At least one event took place in each of our 24 primary schools, 7 secondary schools and 10 community libraries. Of the events in libraries, some were aimed at pre-fives and their families, some at primary school children and some at adults.

A particularly successful event in a community library was the Murder Mystery Evening. Community drama staff wrote a short murder story which was performed by actors from the community drama group. The mystery had to be solved by interrogating the actors. We felt that this was an excellent way of demonstrating that stories can be told in many different ways and be great fun.

Storytellers from the Scottish Storytelling Centre trained teachers not only in the art of storytelling but also in the techniques to transform their pupils into storytellers. Our idea was that older children would tell stories to younger children which would allow storytelling to permeate throughout a school. Library staff were given skills to enhance the skills they had already honed working with pre-fives and their families.

Following evaluation, we have had only positive comments from participants. We have recently submitted another bid to the SAC. This time the bid has been timed differently. If successful the festival will take place in January next year and will incorporate events linked to Holocaust Memorial Day and Burns Night. We also intend to concentrate on fewer but larger events.

Janice Weir is Learning Services Officer, Cultural Services, East Renfrewshire Council.

The Scottish Storytelling Centre organises training events and workshops for professionals and community members. Contact: 0131 556 2647; scottishstorytellingcentre@uk.uumail.com; www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk

Information Scotland Vol. 3 (2) April 2005

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