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A Poem a Day

February 1, 2019
By Ann Meeks, Adult Librarian, Ralph Ellison Library, Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Short on time and money, we found a quick and inexpensive way to celebrate National Poetry Month: offering patrons a poem to take home every day in the month of April.

We created a large display table with books, DVDs and other materials for all ages, and we displayed free signs from the Poetry Foundation. We also created a sign that read, “Don’t forget to get your poem a day!” 

Among the materials, I placed brightly colored half sheets of paper printed with a different poem every day.

Audience
Adult
Children / Family
Community Members
Older Adults / Seniors
Tweens and Teens
Urban
Popular Topics
Books and Authors
Passive Programming
Budget
$1-50
Advance Planning

I wanted to do something for National Poetry Month, which is in April. I didn’t plan ahead far enough or have a budget to do something more expensive. The previous year we had hosted a talk with an Oklahoma poet laureate, but as the system had “paused” programming to review it, I lacked funds. Plus, the time was short, so I couldn’t really market such a program.

I still wanted to do something, so I took inspiration from a few sources: other libraries using the "poem in your pocket" and emails I get from the Poetry Foundation.

I emailed library staff and asked them to send me their favorite poems. Some did. The only limitations I put were “rated G or PG,” able to fit on a 4-by-7 sheet of paper (although I did use front and back for a couple of long ones), and able to be distributed, either by giving appropriate author credit or because the poem is in the public domain.

Marketing

I sent our local NPR station this message: "In celebration of National Poetry Month in April, get a poem a day! Each day at Ralph Ellison Library in the month of April, you can get a copy of a poem featuring different poets, eras and on various subjects." Fortunately, they read it on the air.

I also had someone from our marketing department put a similar notice on Twitter and the library's website. 

Budget Details

This was an inexpensive program. The main costs were paper/computer ink and staff time in selecting 30 poems. 

Day-of-event Activity

The initial set-up was simply creating the display and having the first poem ready to put out. I always prepared poems a few days in advance, so if I was not available, other staff could put them out. 

I was surprised how popular this program was. I thought only a couple of people would take the poems, so I only printed five of each to start. As the month progressed I noticed that some of the papers were disappearing, and people were coming in specifically to get that day’s poem. I kept an eye on the stack and reprinted more as needed throughout the day.

Program Execution

Picking the poems was a lot of fun. On each poem I included a brief blurb about the poet and the source for the poem. Our library serves a lot of African American patrons, and I wanted to pick poets to celebrate that. I also wanted a variety to appeal to all ages and interests.

I selected classic poems and children’s poems, including Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky and Mother Goose. Since it was April, I picked more poems related to spring and warmer weather. I wasn’t surprised that a Tupac Shakur poem was popular, but so was one called “The Early Bird.”

Initially, I thought I could keep track of the poems just by seeing what I printed, but I realized I needed a master list. That way I could review what we used, so we could have a good mix.

I have found that people are more likely to pick up something bright and colorful, so I used either colored paper or white paper with colorful illustrations.

One of the most exciting aspects of the event was I had two poems from the community — one from a customer who asked if we’d be interested in her haiku (yes) and one award-winning poem from my nephew. I hope to get more patron-submitted poems next spring. We have a poetry group that meets monthly, and I hope to get them to submit some poems. 

Advice

Do it! If you're interested in poetry at all, it will be fun thinking of a poem for the day and researching a little about the poet. You can involve staff and community members who want to share their picks.

If you have any other programs during National Poetry Month, this is a nice add-on, or it can be a stand-alone passive program. It is a good chance to create a display to promote your poetry materials for all ages.

Submitted by lcarlton on Fri, 2019-02-01 09:20

Short Title
A Poem a Day
By Ann Meeks, Adult Librarian, Ralph Ellison Library, Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Short on time and money, we found a quick and inexpensive way to celebrate National Poetry Month: offering patrons a poem to take home every day in the month of April.

We created a large display table with books, DVDs and other materials for all ages, and we displayed free signs from the Poetry Foundation. We also created a sign that read, “Don’t forget to get your poem a day!” 

Among the materials, I placed brightly colored half sheets of paper printed with a different poem every day.

Attachments
poetry_day_flier.pdf
poetry_day_flier_2.pdf
poems_for_poerty_month.pdf
Job Functions
Resources and Program Starters
Program Evaluation
Related Programs
National Poetry Month
Community Poet-Tree
Literary Games
Tags
National Poetry Month
National Poetry Month program
National Poetry Month library program
program ideas for National Poetry Month
poetry
literature
April
public
library
display
passive program
Program Date
2018-04-01
Summary

Short on time and money? Here's a quick, inexpensive way to celebrate National Poetry Month in April.

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