Adventures in Wonderland
Adventures in Wonderland explored the use of a new Italian model, TwLetteratura, to engage people with reading.
Following a previous pilot in Merthyr Tydfil primary schools, the project looked at integrating the model into the practice of library services. Project activities were based around the text of “Alice in Wonderland”, testing the TwLetteratura techniques to create reading and social networks that better support the education, health and well-being of different user groups.
The project combined old and new technology to reinvent the way people engage with what they are reading, how they share their responses to what they have read – and how they can have fun with it. Activities included adult and family reading groups, art and printmaking workshops, and creative writing sessions.
Run in Blaenau Gwent's public libraries, as well as through outreach services such as Action Learning Centres and home delivery services, Adventures in Wonderland engaged with 74 adults and 96 children throughout summer/autumn 2017.
While reading as a social activity was a new departure for many adults, participants benefited from new insights into plot and characters. For children involved in the summer sessions, the craft workshops proved particularly popular, and their parents reported enjoying the time spent reading with them. The project also demonstrated the potential of the TwLetteratura model to improve participants' confidence, to reduce isolation, and to improve users' technology skills.
The project partners working with the University were:
- Aneurin Leisure, including Blaenau Gwent libraries staff
- Head4Arts
- Associazione Culturale Twitteratura
- Literature Wales