“Doctor Who" Night is an evening where patrons interested in the cult television series can come together and discuss the series while participating in a variety of activities.
Advanced Planning
I start planning at the beginning of the month for this event. First, I need to determine which Doctor from the show I would like to focus on. From there, I decide what kind of craft we will be doing. We've done everything from mini daleks out of styrofoam to red bowties, just like the 11th Doctor wears on the show. The only challenges are finding less labor intensive crafts for the patrons. Websites, such as Pinterest, have been a great jumping-off point.
Marketing
This event is marketed on our website, the quarterly newsletter, a flyer at circulation and I post about it on the library's Twitter. Promoting the event this broadly gives us the opportunity to reach a variety of patrons. This method has been successful for program, especially with drawing in the harder to reach teens.
Budgeting
I spend less than $20 on this program; it's easy to keep a budget with this one. Costs go towards: snacks (popcorn, juice, pretzels) and crafts supplies. For cost cutting, librarians don't need to supply snacks or can modify their crafts to use less expensive materials. I've dug around in our supply closet and found materials that I have used. I would highly recommend doing that every time before you hit the store.
Day-of-event Activity
A few hours before the event, I make an example of the craft for the patrons to see. I also do this to see if I need to make any modifications or need to explain certain steps in more detail. About an hour before the program, I set-up tables and chairs in our meeting room and set out the snacks and craft supplies. After I had figured out a set-up that works, it's been a quick process.
Program Execution
On average we have about eight patrons attend this event, some being regulars and a few being new attendees. We've usually got a mix of teen and adult patrons, which is helping us to meet our goal of bringing in teens. Our regulars tell us they would dearly miss the program if we ever stopped doing it, so feedback has been very positive.
Advice
I recommend modifying this program to fit the needs of your patrons. Librarians can screen episodes, have snacks, do crafts, have patrons dress up--the list is endless! Test out a few ideas and see what grabs your specific "Doctor Who" fans. If they like what is happening, they will keep coming back. "Doctor Who" brings in a dedicated bunch.
Supporting Materials
- Feedback (Coming Soon!)
- Programming Librarian Facebook Group
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