The development of this course was sponsored by the crime writer Ann Cleeves who believes passionately in the power of reading for pleasure to help our sense of wellbeing. It will help library staff who wish to take on the role of engaging directly with individual readers and groups who are dealing with the tough things in life. It will give you confidence to talk positively to people about their reading lives, including those who don’t read books and those who haven’t read for a long time.   

The course is structured in two modules, each with a practical task at the end.  In Module One you will consider what role reading can play in wellbeing and use some practical approaches to engage readers in conversations about their reading.  You will learn how to listen to different needs and offer reading connections. You will practise talking about reading with people who read and those who don’t think of themselves as readers. In Module Two you will research and build the resources you need, looking across formats to build a flexible capsule collection that will help you promote reading for wellbeing in your library and give you ideas and experience for your future work in the role.

Your Mentor will give detailed feedback and support on your tasks. Their role is to use their experience to stretch your thinking and to help you adapt the course content to your own workplace and your role.