The Randolph County Public Library invited a presenter to give a 30-minute talk about raising chickens and the care and management they need when living in an urban setting. More than 30 people attendees, ranging from millennials to older adults.
Advanced Planning
A couple months before the program, which was in April, I contacted our local cooperative extension to see if they had someone on hand or if they knew of anyone who could teach the class. We tried to accommodate the speaker by asking what he needed to present the program. I also made sure our bigger meeting room was available. (I had a few back-up dates and times if the primary date and time wasn't viable.)
Marketing
We created an in-house poster, quarter-sheet handouts and program bookmarks to market the event. We also submitted the event to a local newspaper and had a press release published. We requested a listing on a local cooperative extension calendar, emailed local gardening clubs, and sent full-sheet fliers advertising the program to gardening and feed and seed stores in the area.
Budgeting
The only money I spent was for printing the posters, handouts and the program bookmarks where I listed all of the programs (adult, teen and children) for the month at our branch library.
Day-of-event Activity
I made sure I had 10 evaluation half-sheets with the name of the program, date and time written on them, in addition to a master copy in case I needed to make more copies — which I definitely needed! The comment cards and pencils were given to attendees so they could remark upon the program and make suggestions for future programs.
I unfolded all the chairs and arranged them in a classroom style. I ensured we had a back-up laptop in case the smart screen didn't work with the presenter's slides. I double-checked the Wi-Fi connection as well.
The event was held at 6:30 p.m., and 32 people attended. The attendees ranged from millennials to older adults. The presenter spoke for 30 minutes about how to raise and care for chickens in an urban setting. Some of the topics included keeping young chickens healthy, how chickens can rid your yard of pests organically, how to deal with animals in the area, molting season, which types of birds to get for eggs or meat and how to limit diseases. He then opened the floor for questions.
Advice
Make sure to contact your local cooperative extension to discuss the best time of year to hold the program. I learned the best time for residents of Piedmont, N.C., to begin raising chickens was in March, which means I was a month late in holding the program.
Supporting Materials
- Feedback (Coming Soon!)
- Programming Librarian Facebook Group
More Programs
TRY Fayetteville Public Library
Audiences:
