Society for Storytelling

Using Storytellers in Libraries

WHY TELL STORIES IN LIBRARIES?

Libraries are places for informal & formal learning (storytelling supports both). Including storytelling in your programme of events will draw people in. 

Libraries are about stories, stories both factual and fictional about people’s lives, nature, the universe, the past and the future, the possible and the impossible. In comparison to the written word, storytelling is unique in that both the tangible and the intangible can be explored simultaneously.

Stories build bridges between near and far in both space and time, enabling the listener to journey in their mind to a different time and place. Words create images in the minds of the listeners and through imagination and memory can trigger all the senses, providing a rich experience.

Storytelling is a popular event in the children’s section of the library, encouraging pre-school children to use and enjoy the library and providing a lure to older children during school holidays. Schools are often keen to bring classes to the local library to encourage the children to use the library for homework, storytelling presents the library as a place of entertainment as well as of learning.

Storytelling is accessible to a diverse audience, it helps people with a variety of learning disabilities to enjoy and understand the treasures of literature and folklore.

Storytellers are important contributors to sustaining culture, by preserving and perpetuating intangible heritage through the oral tradition. You might use storytelling events to encourage a variety of ethnic groups into the library using storytellers steeped in their culture.

The telling of Stories was important in pre-industrial Britain. There are large collections of stories about characters from history that can inform teaching and enhance local history collections. If allowed to assist with the construction of narratives within the library framework, communities can feel more of a sense of ‘ownership of the collections’.

Stories appeal to a wide age range and some libraries in the West Midlands have had great success in building programmes of adult storytelling in the evenings.

WHAT CAN A STORYTELLER DO FOR A LIBRARY?

Storytelling sessions in Libraries can be used to bring literature to life, focusing attention on special collections or exhibits; creating the atmosphere of a particular period and relating information in ways that are easily remembered.

What is special about storytellers and storytelling?

* Stories and storytelling are universal aspects of human communication - connecting people through time and across cultures
* Storytelling isn’t just for children, storytellers work with all age groups, stories give people a reason to listen and something to remember.
* Storytelling looks at objects and events from a human perspective, making it easier for people to relate to them.
* Storytelling develops awareness of historical and global cultures, the need for inter-generational exchange and its rewards. A storyteller can widen the range of people’s emotional, cultural and moral responses. Stories from a specific culture can be used to provide an insight into that culture.
* Hearing traditional tales can provide the atmosphere of the time and place the stories are set in.
* Traditional tales often provide clues that help us understand the past. Local tales are remembered long after paper records have faded.
* Storytellers frequently research stories or create stories, which can continue to be used by staff long after the event.
* Storytelling encourages a questioning attitude and inspires people to learn.
* A storyteller can teach storytelling skills to library staff to enhance their interactions with the public.
* Some storytellers can provide other types of workshop sessions. Some specialise in reminiscence work encouraging older people to share their memories and provide oral history resources for use with younger visitors.