Storytelling @ the library

©Madelyn Folino

I’m a storyteller who gets hired to present programs in public libraries and I’m a library director who hires storytellers to present programs in my library. As a teller, I want a fair fee for my time and talent, as well as for my guild members when I’m asked to match a teller to a job. As a director, I expect my staff to negotiate with a presenter for a reasonable fee that matches the occasion and fits within their budget line. With this dual vision of storytelling in the library, here are a few observations about working successfully with librarians. And by the way, let’s stipulate that “librarian” means any library worker who plans and conducts programs. 

First, please understand that librarians tell stories, too, and many have long careers and work or have worked at multiple libraries and know hundreds of presenters! At regular professional meetings, after performers’ showcases and through constant email queries, librarians routinely trade information about presenters, especially who’s overpriced, difficult to work with and should be avoided. I could tell you presenter horror stories that have circulated in my library system for decades.

Screw up at one library and it will get around pretty quick. The opposite is true, too: offer a good price for a solid program, be easy to work with and library staff will be glad to recommend you to colleagues. Seems easy, right? But pitfalls include being hard to contact and slow to confirm a price, failing to send in publicity information by a deadline or not providing the information  needed to cut a check, not showing up on time, switching technology requests at the last minute, commenting sourly on the program space or turnout and famously, handing a fractious toddler to the librarian and asking for free child care during the program. I told you there were stories!

Do offer a variety of programs and be willing to customize a program for the venue. Yes, I know Program A and Program B may be what you are offering right now, but libraries in close proximity rarely want the exact same program during the same season. In fact, many of us are quite competitive and want to be the first and only to offer a program in our neck of the woods. It’s a turnoff, not an incentive, to call up and say “You should hire me because I just did this program at the library five miles away and they loved it!” No, thanks – we might be happy to have you, but not with the same program.

Which brings me to doing your research. Libraries vary widely as to their budgets, cultures and patrons. Take the time to find out some facts about the libraries where you want to get hired. Bigger, more urban libraries tend to have bigger budgets, but there are plenty of small libraries in affluent areas that have surprisingly plump program budgets. Libraries supported directly by taxpayers through a yearly vote will have more financial flexibility than libraries whose budgets are part of a municipal government and liable to be cut. Pay attention when you read that a library is receiving a grant, has an active Friends group to fund programs or is honoring a big donor. Be aware of the library’s fiscal year, too. We all have more freedom at the beginning and are looking for bargains at the end. Check out libraries’ websites and follow them on social media to understand what they offer and who makes the decisions.

Investigate the structure of libraries, too. Is the library independent or a branch in a system? I read recently that a storyteller wanted to limit attendance at a virtual program to “patrons of a branch library,” but branches are part of the same legal entity so patrons are free to use whatever location they choose. Serving the public is what public libraries do. We’re not big on telling folks they can’t use the library. Depending on policies and the popularity of a program, we may be limiting attendance to residents of our tax district only, be giving them preference, or be accepting registrations from outside our service area. Understand, too, that we probably can’t tell you ahead of time what attendance will be. Even with advance, online registration, we see that about half of registrants don’t show up and people who aren’t registered do appear without fail. This is the curse of offering “free” programs. Your written contract with us should spell out what happens in case of cancellation due to low or no registration. 

What kind of programs appeal to libraries? You already know all about crafting programs to fit the summer reading program theme. Beyond that, I can tell you that our top programs are food, animals, local history and trains. “Trainiacs” will travel huge distances to listen and talk to other railroad buffs. Librarians also love anniversary and seasonal programs: scary stories in October, Black History in February, Women’s History in March, etc. Locally, our patrons love Irish Night and National Pie Day and demand the same presenters every year. In my area, young librarians of color are now leading us toward offering new programs on social justice. Storytellers could maybe look beyond what stories they like to tell and find out what libraries want now. I’m always surprised at the almost total lack of storytelling programs offered for teens and adults – seems like an area ripe for marketing. I’ve found that personal “true stories” tied to particular locales and eras appeal to adults and seniors and teens are always enamored by swords and sorcery, rebellion and romance. The stories exist. Where are the storytelling programs?

During this pandemic, libraries are as confused as everyone else and we scrambled to move our summer programs to virtual formats. We appreciated presenters who were confident about technology and willing to give a price break for virtual programs, usually $100 less. Problems arose at Library Y though, when a prerecorded program featured welcoming remarks by a librarian from Library X, proving that the presenter had offered the same program without edits. Not good! Don’t do that.

Now that our library is open on a limited basis, we’re cautiously planning outside fall programs for as long as we can, relying on virtual programs in case of bad weather. We are hearing from parents and kids that they’re sick of screen time and looking for safe, social gatherings. We ventured into K-5 outdoor programs this month with limited numbers, masks, hand washing and social distancing required and have had no problems with kids breaking the rules. If anything, they’re pathetically eager to comply and asking for more programs. 

This leads me to believe that as storytellers, if we possibly can and feel comfortable doing so, we should ease into offering in-person programs asap. Of course, the ability to do so will depend on conditions in your area. I’ve been doing backyard campfire or rocking chair porch sessions with my guild members since June and we’ve loved being together, safely six feet apart. 

And some final thoughts on online programs: in addition to temporary safety practices policies, libraries are moving rapidly to adopt social media, recording and virtual program policies. These will impact the programs we do and how we do them and what we expect from presenters. Please keep sending us your info – we have a voracious appetite for presenters and due to spring closures, maybe even a few more dollars on hand than usual. We don’t know what programs will look like going forward, but we’re adapting as fast as we can and it would be encouraging for libraries to hear that our favorite storytellers are doing the same. 

Madelyn Folino is a storyteller and library director in Orange County, NY and a founding mother of the Black Dirt Storytelling Guild, an adult program of the Florida Public Library since 2001. She can be reached at mfolino@rcls.org or (845) 651-7659