2017 Timeline

October

Notify John Jorgensen of intent to participate in Wyoming Reads by October 1, 2016

Select Venue (and inclement weather alternatives)
Confirm date(s)
Designate a single point of contact for your county/district (if different from previous years, please notify John Jorgensen of the change)
Contact School Partners (consider private and home-schoolers, too)
Assemble list of schools, teachers, and students
Reserve buses for transporting students to-and-from venue
Wyoming State Library orders sample sets and arranges for delivery to participating schools

November

Receive set of six (6) sample books
Work with Schools to:
- Finalize list of participating schools, teachers and students (by teacher)
- Prepare book orders for submission
  - Teachers work with students to make each student’s book selection
  - Area Coordinator compiles all classes’ selections and submits to Wyoming Reads
  - Order forms may be downloaded from the website
Arrange lunches
Decide who will print the blank bookplates and distribution bag identification tags
Continue to identify financial support for local “extras” and “special aspects”
Check the website for newsletters and other advice
Begin identifying Civic Support (Commission, Town Councils, possible celebrity readers)
Contact local service clubs (Rotary, Kiwanis, etc.) regarding interest
Begin to identify financial support for local “extras” and “special aspects”
Check the website for newsletters and other advice

January

Email completed book order forms to Cathy Carson at cathy.carson@hilltopnationalbank.com no later than Friday, January 27, 2017

February

Identify Celebrity Readers; How many will be needed?
Arrange equipment to show “The Good Queen Sue” video
Library Cards – Print all materials and assemble packets going to each 1^st grade teacher with card applications, letters, etc. For planning purposes, it takes about 8 Boy Scouts working together for 4 hours to assemble 850 packets.
Check the website for newsletters and other advice

March

Develop other items to put in book bags (e.g., local tickets, gift certificates, summer reading program information)
Check the website for newsletters and other advice
Develop draft press releases (see samples) to send to media agencies in your county
Library Cards – Distribute packets to teachers; teachers send application envelopes home with students; envelopes are returned to the teacher who then forwards to the public librarian. See: Library Card Sample Milestones for more details

April

Send invitations/reminders to celebrity readers
Identify group guides (typically 3 groups, with 2 guides per group)
Library Cards – Librarians prepare library cards and place in packets that will be added to book bags on “stuffing day”
Late April – “Bag Stuffing Day” – bookplates are added to books and all materials placed in bags; bags have student’s name, teacher and school on a label; completed bags for each classroom are kept together in a box
Double-check arrangements for buses, street closures (as appropriate)

May

The 2017 Wyoming Reads Celebration will be held May 16, 2017

Release press releases 1-2 weeks in advance
Double-check all aspects of the event; make last-minute corrections/changes
On the big day
- Set up session areas (video, lunch, reading areas, for example)
- Organize balloons, greeters, orientation for guests (if applicable)
- Double-check everything: Have books arrived? Have lunches arrived?
  - Students write “thank you” notes (as appropriate)

Late May-June