Hockey Reading Lineup
In 2019, the Association of Slovenian Public Libraries awarded the Maribor Public Library for the Hockey Reading Lineup with the award for the best project of Slovenian public libraries for the introduction of an innovative service for users. The award ceremony took place at the main event of Public Libraries Week on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 in the hall of the Institute of Information Sciences.
Sport and reading have much more in common than meets the eye. Both require concentration, dedication and, above all, personal interest. In 2015, the Maribor Public Library decided to develop a slightly different approach to promoting reading culture among the residents of our area. Young people have been a particular challenge for us, so we wanted to establish a positive attitude towards reading and books through a personal approach, and then to inspire them for both. We wanted to present reading books as a choice rather than an obligation, so the focus was on encouraging reading and integrating books into everyday life. We always want to convince young people that reading is a magical journey and to make them aware of its importance in developing cognitive skills.
Season 2019/2020. Continuation of activities to promote reading and develop reading literacy: in the U13 selection (25 children aged 11-13), in the U15 selection (10 children aged 12-15), in the U17 and U19 selections (20 teenagers aged 15-19).
- For the U13 and U15 selections, the book club method is used. On the bus, as we accompany the children to hockey games, we read books, learn about story structures, enrich our vocabulary, and broaden our general knowledge. The focus is not on talking about what we have read, which is typical of most conventional book clubs, but a read-aloud, which has more positive effects and a greater range of change than silent individual reading.
- We present the following topics to young athletes in the U17 and U19 selections by a literature-based reading: self-respect, self-esteem, anger management, thought processes, internal motivation, self-responsibility, communication (verbal, nonverbal, para verbal), emotional intelligence. Working with young people in the U17 and U19 selections takes place using the book club method, which we adapted to the needs of the participants. In the foreground is not a conversation about what has been read, but a read-aloud and a reading message. The duration of each meeting is 45 minutes. It is included in the regular training program. Coaches are also present at these meetings as needed. Most of the meetings are part of the preparations for the new competition season, i.e. in August and September. During the competition season, these meetings are included in the training program once a week.
- In the U13 selection, children are often accompanied by parents on tours. We make recommendations for reading fiction and non-fiction, which are forwarded to parents by coaches, and the lists of titles are also available on the library and club websites. Instagram has been selected for the social media posts. The lists of literature are published under the slogan #sportajmoinberimo.
