DOCUMENT RESUME ED 305 081 IR 052 693 AUTHOR Schneider, Marcia TITLE Book Buddies. Volunteers Bring Stories to San r:ancisco's Hospitalized Children. INSTITUTION San Francisco Public Library, CA. SPONS AGENCY California State Library, Sacramento. PUB DATE Sep 87 NOTE 340p. PUB TYPE Guides - Non-Classroom Use (055) -- Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MFO1 /PC14 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Grants; *Hospitalized Children; Hospital Libraries; *Library Services; *Outreach Programs; *Pediatrics; *Public Libraries; *Reading Aloud to Others; Volunteers ABSTRACT This report describes Book Buddies, a volunteer-based outreach project of the San Francisco Public Library, whose goal is to provide reading services and to promote reading aloud to children and their families in San Francisco hospitals and pediatric clinics. The introduction chronicles the need for such a program; offers background information on the San Francisco Public Library's involvement with hospitals; describes steps taken to set up Book Buddies; and outlines six project objectives. Various facets of the program are then discussed: (1) the implementation of the project; (2) recruitment and training of volunteers to read and tell stories to hospitalized children; (3) the introduction of Dial-a-Story lines in Spanish and Cantonese; (4) the publication of a newsletter as a vehicle of communication among those involved in the project; (5) the evaluation of the program; and (6) the continuation of funding beyond the grant period. Recommendations for setting up similar programs, particularly for other libraries and communities that wish to commit themselves to serving the needs of hospitalized children and their families, conclude the report. The appendixes, which make up the major part of this document, contain sample materials used by the project, including copies of the newsletter, bibliographies, correspondence, forms for evaluating volunteer training, and the "Book Buddies Volunteer Handbook." (CGD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. Vottuuccrs i3ring Storksto stutfrancisco's +tospitcttizat Children by Itetarciev Schneider Book Buddies Project Director-1 4 Mantua ofthe Book suaksprogram of the SanFrancisco Public Lilwary an L.S.C.X.fundat project' October, 1985 September, 1987 Nat Pariltiv Martha Neves Coordinator, Children's services Prtject Assistant- San Francisco Public Library ...., 3 This publication is supported in whole by the U.S.Department of Education, under the provisions of the LibraryServices and Construction Act, Titles I and III, administered inCalifornia by the State Librarian. However, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy ofthe U.S. Department of Education or the California State Library and no official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education orthe California State Library should be inferred. Acknowledgements The Book Buddies program is the resultof the efforts of many institutions andindividuals who contributed to its planning and implementation. I am very grateful to the following people who, through thequality of their caring and commitment, enabled Book Buddiesto meet its objectives: MARTHA NEVES, who gave 150% ofherself to Book Buddies, and who always contributed herhumor, advice, artistic talents, support, and friendshipwhen they were most needed; NEEL PARIKH, Coordinator ofChildren's Services, San Francisco Public Library, whoconceived the idea, wrote the grants, and gave us ongoingencouragement and support; KATHARINE GILMARTIN and DEBBY JEFFREY,Children's Librarians, San Francisco PublicLibrary, and DEBRA MONZACK, Child Life ServicesCoordinator, Children's Hospital of San Francisco, whohelped design and present the training workshops; The BOOK BUDDIES ADVISORY BOARD,which helped develop the program to its fullestpotential, and most especially to ALRIANNE BURTON, Child LifeServices Coordinator, U.C.S.F. Children's Medical Center;DEBRA MONZACK, Child Life Services Coordinator,Children's Hospital of San Francisco; JOAN RAWLS,Director of Volunteer Services, Kaiser Hospital of SanFrancisco; DOUG VENELL, Recreation Therapist, PacificPresbyterian Medical Center; and LEONA HANSEN-NEALEY,Director of Volunteer Services, Universityof California San Francisco; whose enthusiasm ensuredthe success of the program. LINDA GEISTLINGER, RUTH VOSE, KAREYWEHNER, and MARGARET YSTURIZ, Children's Librarians, SanFrancisco Public Library, for their in-service workshoppresentations; GRACE RUTH, Office of Children'sServices, San Francisco Public Library, for her helpfulsuggestions for collection development; JOAN RAWLS and Kaiser Hospital for providingmeeting space and hospitality, and for support of volunteer recognition; JERRY NEIMAN, U.C.S.F. Children's Medical Centervolunteer, for giving us a sense of the history of the hospital outreach program and of what a Book Buddy should be; The San Francisco Public Library HospitalOutreach Committee members, DOROTHY COAKLEY, INEZ COHEN, JUDITH FARIA, LINDA GEISTLINGER, KATHARINE GILMARTIN, DEBBYJEFFREY, AND RUTH VOSE, who shared theirChildren's Services expertise and perspectives to help visualize the program. MAJOR MARGARET NELSON, Head Pediatric Nurse,Letterman Army Medical Center, who made the work ofthe Book Buddies known to the Association for the Careof Children's Health; ANN E. KIRKLAND, California State LibraryConsultant, who offered us encouragement and wisdom; And all the BOOK BUDDIES who, by their generouscommitment of time, energy, knowledge, professionalism,and dedication to the children, provided the heart ofthe program, and enhanced the well-beingof thousands of hospitalized children, their families, and hospital staff members. Thanks to you all for a wonderful two yearsand a great program. Book Buddies Project Report Table of Contents Acknowledgements Preface I. Introduction 1 A. Statement of Need B. History and Background C. Getting Started D. Project Objectives II. Implementation 10 A. Project Participants 1. Project staff 2. Advisory Board B. S.F.P.L. Contributions C. Hospital Contributions D. Publicity III. The Volunteers 17 A. Recruitment B. Screening and referral D. Communication E. Volunteer recognition F. Evaluations IV. The Training Program 23 V. In-Service Training 26 VI. Spanish and Cantonese Dial-a-Story 29 VII. Newsletter 31 VIII. Conclusion 32 APPENDIXES PREFACE Book Buddies is a volunteer -based outreach project of the San Francisco Public Library to provide reading services and to promote reading aloud to c.nildren and their families in San Francisco hospitals and pediatric clinics. Start-up funds for the project were provided by two consecutive Library Services and Construction Act grants, administered in California by the State Librarian. Between October, 1985 and September, 1987, the project recruited and trained 165 Book Buddies volunteers to read and tell stories to hospitalized children. With an average core group of 60 volunteers at any given point in time, Book Buddies provides personalized reading services to over 5,000 children annually in eight San Francisco hospitals and clinics. The purpose of this report is twofold. It is first of all a history and description of a significant and rewarding project, chronicling the objectives and need for such a program, the steps taken to set up Book Buddies, and the routine operations. Second, the report is intended to act as a guide for replication for other libraries and communities that wish to commit themselves to serving the needs of hospitalized children and their families. INTRODUCTION STATEMENT OF NEED Over 8,000 children are hospitalized annually in San Francisco. Hospital staff members recognize the need for support services for children who have been thrust into an unfamiliar and frightening environment, yet reading materials and opportunities for reading have traditionally been a rare resource. All too often, however, the funds to provide psycho-social services are the first to be cut in a tightening economy. In addition, many children in San Francisco come from immigrant families with limited English-speaking backgrounds or illiterate families. San Francisco hospitals serve children who are physically disabled, indigent, or seriously or terminally ill. Hospitalized children often feel lonely or abandoned, and may have fears of mutilation, loss of love, punishment, and death. Reading and listening to stories is a therapeutic activity which can help children in this environment. While helping children and their families to cope with a very difficult situation, the hospital setting provides an opportunity to introduce children and their families to the joys of reading, children's literature, and library services. To address the need to provide reading services to hospitalized children, the Children's Services Hospital Project (re-named Book Buddies by its volunteer participants) was established in October, 1985. HISTORY AND BACKGROUND The San Francisco Public Library's involvement with hospitals first started in 1979 with a request from the head of pediatrics of San Francisco General Hospital, the city's public health facility, for library services to be brought to the pediatric wards. In response to this request, the Office of Children's Services established a hospital outreach committee. The committee sent questionnaires to hospitals and other institutions in San Francisco which provided medical services to children. Though book carts staffed by volunteers and donated book collections were not uncommon for adults, the