Guidelines for donating books
The books that you have been judging were generously donated to Speech Pathology Australia by various book publishers. We hope that you will donate them to a worthy Australian organisation.
General guidance for deciding where to donate books
The intention of the Book of the Year Awards is to:
- enhance people’s awareness of the role speech pathologists play in literacy development;
- gradually develop a nationally recognised pool of books that speech pathologists can recommend for the development of oral language; and
- promote Speech Pathology Australia and the Book of the Year
When determining where you donate your books, it is important to consider whether the donation promotes the purpose of the Book of the Year awards (as outlined above).
As a judge you should take into account the following considerations:
- the age range of the books that they have been judging and the potential for children of this age range to access these books in the donated place
- the number of children who will benefit from access to these books in that place
- the potential for the books to be used as teaching, learning and stimulation tools, rather than as ‘waiting room fillers’
- the resources already available to children in that place
- the potential for children who access the donated place to have access to materials like the donated books elsewhere
- the ease with which the organisation to whom you are donating could purchase or access books and resources themselves.
Generally, Speech Pathology Australia would prefer books are donated to:
- charitable organisations
- organisations working primarily for children
- organisations where these books could be used overtly as teaching and learning tools
- organisations that may have limited ability to purchase such resources or who may need to prioritise other purchases over language resources but where books would be of great benefit (e.g., children’s wards in hospitals, where funds mostly go towards medical resources, but where books would benefit children who are missing out on school, etc.)
- organisations working primarily for children who might not otherwise have access to good quality, stimulating resources (e.g., supporting children from low socio-economic areas)
- organisations where the donation of good quality language-based resources has the potential to impact on a child’s life success (e.g., in social justice settings, in refugee-support centres)
- organisations that work with parents to facilitate the development of oral language in the home environment.
Speech Pathology Australia requests that books are not donated to:
- an individual judge’s own collection of resources
- speech pathology departments
- the judge’s own workplace(s)
- locations where the manner in which the books might be used and/or accessed is unclear.
Thus, examples of appropriate recipients for the donation of books might be (this is not an exhaustive list):
- children’s wards in public or private hospitals
- social justice settings
- refugee support programmes
- programmes for disadvantaged or vulnerable families
- parent-support intervention programmes
- childcare centres
- early intervention settings for children at-risk of developing language difficulties
- services for children with specific types of learning difficulties
- smaller libraries.
The procedure for donating books
- When you have finished the judging process, consider where you would like to donate the books you have been reading.
- Approach the organisation you have in mind to donate the books. If they are agreeable, make the necessary arrangements for the donation to take place.
Questions
If you have any questions relating to the Book of the Year please contact us at [email protected].