50+ Fandom Programs: Planning Festivals and Events for Tweens, Teens, and Adults

by Amy J. Alessio, Katie LaMantia, Emily Vinci

This book of ready-to-go programs and events will help public libraries give fans who are passionate about genres, characters, games, and book series plenty of reasons to return to the library again and again. Fandom programming can require planning across departments, tie-ins to collections and community partnerships, and targeted marketing. But the fun content cooked up by the three best-selling authors in this guide makes it easy to stay organized every step of way, with events broken down into components that streamline planning and facilitates coordination. Adaptable for a wide range of ages, this resource
-covers all the basics of how to host a fandom event, including prep time, length of program, number of patrons, budget, and supplies needed;
-suggests an age range (tweens, teens, millennials, older adults) for each program while also offering ways to tailor it to different groups;
-presents such imaginative and engaging programming ideas as 50 Shades of Hot Books, Old School Video Games, Women in Comics, Creating Steampunk Outfits, Superhero School, and many more;
-provides ideas for perennial fan favorites like Harry Potter, horror stories, and sports; and
-gives tips on how to stay current with what’s popular and ways to incorporate popular activities like cosplay, trivia, and movie-oke;
Filled with projects and ideas that can be used with a variety of fandoms and interests, this programming book will ensure both quick planning and great turnout.

Genres: Nonfiction, Professional Development, Library Science

160 pages, Paperback

Published May 22, 2017

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to have to purchase this book for general reference. It has great ideas for crafts and festivals.

[Gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super helpful in laying out activities and ideas for a variety of geek glory programs

[Stefanie Foard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has great ideas, but I'm super visual, and some photos of the crafts, snacks, etc. would have been nice. I'll definitely be implementing some of these programs in my library though!

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that every teen Specialist needs to get their hands on. I'm dead serious.
It talks about marketing, outreach, ways to do the fan-favorite programs without crossing copyright lines and while making some of the variations on the programs super easy, while still keeping the cool factor there.
They list out the supplies, amount of staff required, prep time and execution time, how to present the concept, etc.

Harry Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek, DC and Marvel Heroes and Villains, Sherlock, Walking Dead, Iron Chef, Dr. Who and more, plus cool stuff like Flashbacks (Tie Dye 60's, Renaissance Festival), making History cool (like Period Tea Parties, or using History to do Steampunk)....and even taking literature genres into programming concepts (Sci-fi, Mysteries, Thrillers, etc.) and incorporating Library based Holidays (like Free Comic Book Day, etc.)
This book, though its not outdated nor do I think THIS one will be for at least another 10 years is an essential one!!!

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an incredible resource for teen librarians!  Let me tell you, this book is FILLED with great ideas and directions.  There are programs for Shadow Hunters, Magic: The Gathering, and more--even some nostalgic programs as well, like Star Trek and the Babysitters' Club.  

As usual, these three authors take great care in divulging just how much time it'll take to prep and enact the program, what needs to be done, and how you might be able to do a cross-over program or market it to a different age group.  This is definitely worth reading if you're working in a public library!

Review cross-listed here!

[Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one to see what kinds of other fandom programming is going on.
I think this one is a great resource. It gives ideas for activities and crafts and what supplies would be needed as well as marketing tips and how to change things up for different age ranges.
There were a lot of cool sounding programs though that ended up just being lectures or people sharing their collections which was a bit disappointing. Besides those, I think all the other programming are things I will consider in the future!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent selection of programs, and good explanation of basic fandom concepts. I was the tiniest bit disappointed in the Star Trek section, it was the smallest of the entire book, but that's a personal quibble from a Trekkie.

[Kris Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

full of programming ideas to get librarian's thinking and creating.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information for potential fan programs at the library. Certainly not comprehensive, but good.

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another quick but a bit informative read from these contributors. Of all the library programming books I read the other day, this probably gave me the most ideas.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite books on programming. It had me taking so many notes and ideas and it even suggested how to adjust the programs for different age groups. Extremely helpful book!

[Hannah Bradshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of my librarian research- loved it and it has so many great ideas!

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for public librarians and school media specialists. Fun programs to create for all ages.

[Lablover · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book, like the author's other book is good, if you have a very large budget. The shopping list for some of the activities is as long as my arm. However, most libraries don't have large budgets. We are counting every nickel and dime and squeezing everything we can out of the money we receive. So, if you have the money to spend, this book is for you. If you don't, I wouldn't bother with this book.

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

For librarians with little programming experience.