Episode 6 - Dr Matt Finch - Libraries as places for performance, imagination, and play

Summary: This time we chat with Dr Matt Finch.  Matt is an award-winning British writer and educator who has taught and told stories for people across the age ranges from 4 years old to 40, in locations as diverse as the mountains of Peru, the streets of Brooklyn, Shakespeare’s birthplace and rural New South Wales. Matt is well known within libraries for his work in rural outback Australia and his use of a zombie hoard to engage with teens. We talk with Matt about the role of immersive play and performance in libraries and why this is important for the way we engage with children and teens in our libraries.  We examine some of the challenges to the traditional concepts of what libraries are and in some examples our comfort levels but also how what takes place in libraries needs to have a tie back to knowledge and learning or we risk watering down our value. The mission is to extend and enhance Auckland’s already superlative library offerings for children and young people with creative, challenging, and sustainable activities for the future.