The Zombie Stack Exchanges That Just Won't Die
What are some unique adult library programs that you have had at your library that were successful in the number of attendees and the patron's experience (educational/entertainment)?
Julie
We recently ran a needle-felting workshop. There were 2 2-hour sessions of 15 people each. Each session filled up at least two weeks ahead of time. There was also a wait list. I had 6 or so patrons congratulate us on such a wonderful program and 3 who weren't able to get in ask if we were going to hold another one soon and if they could get on that list.
I think that fiber arts in general would probably be very well received, too.
Part of the fun of advertising this program was that we displayed samples from the person who ran the workshop. Patrons enjoyed looking at the samples so much that I think next time we might ask participants if they want to be part of a display after the workshop.
My library typically has greatest attendance numbers with history programs, especially those involving local landmarks or military campaigns.
As far as unique programs with high patron-experience scores, craft programs win. For adults only, a series on book arts in which participants created accordion-fold books and sewn pamphlets had consistently high attendance. For a twist on traditional programming, we also tried whole-family craft programs (for adults and children) on papermaking, gyotaku (Japanese fish printing) and garden stepping stones that were very popular. The only downside of the crafting programs has been the large number of staff hours required for planning, set-up & clean-up, but it really does pay off in positive community response.