8 simple steps to engage your library users in EU Code Week. Guidelines prepared by Code Week Ambassadors in cooperation with Public Libraries 2020 (PL2020)

1. 15-23October2016
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8 simple steps to engage your library users
in EU Code Week
http://codeweek.eu/resources/
Toolkit for Librarians
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info@codeweek.eu
publiclibraries@readingandwriting.eu

2. 15-23October2016
What’s in it for your library?
1. Be ahead of the curve – coding is rapidly becoming
part of the basic skills set necessary for the EU job
market
2. Respond to demand - in every community there are
people that want to learn coding and other digital
making
1. Advocate for libraries – help to put libraries in the
spotlight as major digital skills providers in EU
communities
2. Be part of a Europe-wide coding movement – pin
your library on the European coding map and make
your library’s activities visible to wider audiences

3. 15-23October2016
Is coding for everyone?
What is coding?
Coding is like a recipe: a set of instructions that your computer
understands. Coding is what creates computer programmes,
applications, websites, games and more. See why the creators of
Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter and others think that coding is a language
we all need to understand.
• Even little kids can play coding games – it is fun, simple and
logical, and provide them with basic principles of coding to
develop in the future
• You don’t need a computer to learn to code – there are
plenty of coding activities on and offline that can adapt to
your infrastructure, audience and resources
• Anyone can lead a coding activity– you do not need to be a
tech expert to lead a coding class – simple games and tutorials
can be managed by volunteers

4. 15-23October2016
1 Take the initiative and organise a Code Week event in your library
3 Set a date
4 Choose the theme and the activity
2 Choose the right place
5 Add your event to the map of Europe Code Week events
6 Manage your event
7 Fill in the feedback form and get your certificate of recognition
Competition time! Share your event with Public Libraries 2020 and win!8

5. 15-23October2016
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Take the initiative
Organise a Code Week event in your library
It is up to you to organise a Code Week event! Pools of resources
to choose from can be found @Europe Code Week!
You can tailor the event to your needs and to your target group,
exploiting the many examples and resources available online.
For instance, you can organise a hands-on coding experience,
invite an expert to show how they use code in their work, invite
students or kids who know programming to teach you and others,
do a tutorial, watch a video, or plan the coding activities for the
rest of the year.
Code Week is entirely made by people like you!
The success of your event depends only on your motivation and
engagement.

6. 15-23October2016
2 Choose the right place
If you have a computer room, use it, but you can also go without
it. People can bring their own laptops or you can code off-line! You
and your library are the only essential elements for making a Code
Week event. The room is not.
It is possible to organise coding events without an internet
connection and even without a computer. So feel free to choose
the venue which is more comfortable and accessible to your
users.
Coding can be done even outside with paper and pencil, or chalk.

7. 15-23October2016
3 Set up a date
Schedule your event soon!
Try to choose a date between 15 and 23 of October – which is
the official Code Week - but if it’s not possible, feel free to
choose another day…
Schedule your event at a time that is good for the participants.
If you want to involve young people – organise your event after
school hours or during the weekend. If you want to involve
parents – you may want to schedule your event in the evening or
during the weekend. If you want to involve people who don't work
and elderly – you probably have more options during daytime.

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Choose the theme and the activity
You can invent your own method, but you don’t need to be original.
There are great formats and resources that you can re-use. Your
Code Week event could even become a regular coding club!
If you have never organised a coding activity, this page is for
you. You don’t need to be an expert. If coding is new for you, your
curiosity will motivate and engage your users and you will discover
with them how fun it could be.
•Do you have an internet connection?
Start from playful and intuitive online resources which provide
simple video tutorials: Hour of code, Scratch, ScratchJr
• Do you have computers without internet?
There are very good off-line tools: Scratch offline
•If you have no computer…
Invite someone to share his/her experience or just use paper:
Cody-Roby
The Code Week website (http://codeweek.eu/) has loads of
resources in different languages that you can explore.
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9. 15-23October2016
Add your event to the Europe Code Week map
Be proud of your event and add it to the Europe Code Week map
together with thousands of other events taking place worldwide.
1.Go to http://events.codeweek.eu/
2.Click ADD (http://events.codeweek.eu/add/)
1.Sign in with your account… (next slide for step 4)
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4.Fill in the form with information about your event and submit.
IMPORTANT: libraries have been given a special hashtag that
should be included along with the details of your event in the
description box #LibrariesCodeEU
#LibrariesCodeEU

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6 Manage your event
If you have previous experience with coding events you probably
don’t need any advice.
If you have no coding experience you can work with your
participants and partners to learn with them and from them.
What really matters for the success of a Code Week event are
engagement, curiosity, and fun.
Don’t forget to count the number of participants and - if
authorised - take pictures and videos to be used for
storytelling.

12. 15-23October2016
7 Fill in the feedback form
and receive your certificate of recognition
Right after Code Week you will get an automated message in
your mail box.
The message will provide a link to a feedback form where you can
report the number of participants at your event.
Upon submission of the feedback form, an official certificate of
recognition will be generated for you.
Print it out
and share the
satisfaction of
having contributed to
Europe Code Week 2016!

13. 15-23October2016
Take part in Public Libraries 2020
competition
COMPETITION TIME!
Public Libraries 2020 is a project initiative that advocates for
public libraries at EU level. They want to see how great your
Code Week EU event was! Send a picture or a short video along
with a few lines of description that captures what your library
did during Code Week EU. Do this by:
•Sharing on Facebook and tagging @pl2020 or posting straight to
our page www.facebook.com/pl2020
•Sharing on Twitter and mentioning @LibrariesEU
•Send us an email to publiclibraries@readingandwriting.eu and we
will share on our social media
The most creative entries will win a Makey-Makey kit
delivered to your library by your country’s Code Week
ambassador or a Member of the European Parliament!
Full details of the competition can be found on the PL2020 website.
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Links
Main web site http://codeweek.eu/
Events map http://events.codeweek.eu/
News http://blog.codeweek.eu/
Ambassadors http://events.codeweek.eu/ambassadors/
Resources http://codeweek.eu/resources/
Public Libraries 2020 http://www.publiclibraries2020.eu/
Twitter: @CodeWeekEU #CodeEU
Facebook: codeEU

15. 15-23October2016
1 Take the initiative and organize a Code Week event in your library
It is up to you and this is the best contribution you can provide to Europe Code Week.
The success of the event depends only on your motivation and engagement.
3 Pick a date and schedule the event
Try to pick up a date between 15 and 23 of October.
If possible, organize the event after school hours to include young people.
4 Choose the theme and the activity
Feel free to invent your own method, but you don’t need to be original. There are
many great resources that you can re-use. You don’t need to be an expert.
If coding is new for you, your curiosity will motivate your pupils.
2 Choose the right place
If you have a computer room available use it, but if you feel that it’is complicated,
go without it. What really matters are people, not rooms!
5 Add your event to the map of Code Week
Name your event and add it to the map of Code Week events.
Raise curiosity and expectation.
6 Manage your event
If you have no coding experience take the part of your users and learn with and from them.
Don’t forget to count the number of participants and, if authorized, take pictures and videos
to be used for storytelling.
7 Fill in the feedback form and get your certificate of recognition
Right after Code Week you will be asked to report on the number of participants.
A certificate of recognition will be automatically generated for you.
Guidelines for librarians http://codeweek.eu/resources
Competition time! Share your event with Public Libraries 2020 and win!8