GBP £
USD $
CAD $
COMMUNITY READING FACILITATORS
Community Reading Facilitators
Getting lost in a good read is calming. It distances you from everyday stress and can give you a break from the instant demands of social media. Talking about reading and stories can unite people in ways that allow them to put aside their differences, temporarily escape their problems and meet on common ground in an equal conversation. Our courses will give you the skills and confidence to work with a wide range of people, whether they think of themselves as readers or not.
- 2 courses
- 2 staff levels
- 47 completed
- 20 organisations
- From £25 per place
Preparation for reading work in the community
A personal mentor
The Reading for wellbeing: community-based course pairs you with a mentor who gives detailed feedback and support on your tasks as you complete them.
No library background needed
Learners have come from voluntary organisations, charities, occupational therapy, adult social care ... reading for wellbeing works in any situation.
A toolkit that fits in a pocket
The much lighter option: four parts of about 15 minutes each, read or listened to on a phone. The toolkit is self-contained, with no mentoring.
Beyond the printed book
You will build a flexible collection of resources across formats - one team of learners started an audiobook walking group.
Course or toolkit?
If one member of staff takes the longer Reading for Wellbeing course, they can support a wider staff team or volunteers to use the quick Toolkit.
From the people doing the work
Not coming from a library background it was very useful and good to feel supported and get feedback that I was on the right track. I enjoyed the activities especially using book covers as an ice-breaker and a way in to talk about books.
I found the discussion around genres and types of books helpful. The sections about what judgements you can make from the book cover and how this might relate to individuals and groups was interesting. I am definitely more confident now and have begun the process of increasing my book knowledge.
It has been tailored perfectly to our clients and so carefully considers inclusivity and accessibility.
Questions community teams ask
We're not librarians - is this training for us?
Yes. It is written for people doing reading work in the community, whatever their background. One team who took the course came to it from occupational therapy, teaching and adult social care, and found the support and feedback valuable precisely because they were not from a library background.
Should we buy the course or the toolkit?
The Reading for wellbeing course is the full preparation: two modules with practical tasks and a personal mentor giving detailed feedback. The toolkit is much lighter and self-contained - four 15-minute parts on your phone, with no mentoring - built for volunteers and wider team members. Prices for both are shown above.
Does it fit a social prescribing or wellbeing project?
The course was designed to support workers on exactly this kind of project. It prepares people who use reading to reach those who are grieving, lonely, ill or in distress - including the teams on the project founded by Ann Cleeves across 10 local authorities in the North East of England.
Do learners get a certificate?
Every learner who successfully completes a course receives a Certificate of Achievement, and Opening the Book is recognised by CILIP, the UK Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, as a training provider.
Can a charity or council pay by invoice?
Yes. Single places can be bought by card at checkout with fast access. For multiple places we manage quotes and invoices and you can pay either by electronic bank transfer or by credit card - see how to pay.
An occupational therapist, a teacher and an adult social care worker in Newcastle trained as community reading workers - read how they got on.
Read their story →Training a reading for wellbeing team?
Buy places for your whole team and give everyone the same preparation. We handle quotes, purchase orders and invoices for charities and councils.