Alec has extensive experience in children’s books, and children’s reading, along with school libraries, library design and organisation, and performance skills such as storytelling and public speaking.  His advice and consultancy work reflects this experience, and includes:

• An evaluation exercise for Volunteer Reading Help (now ‘Beanstalk’), ending in the writing of a report, ‘Reading Reborn’
• Joint consultancy, with Tricia Kings, for the National Library for the Blind (now part of the RNIB), assessing their services to visually-impaired children
• Production of website text and a full-colour booklet for teachers, for the former Museums and Libraries Authority
• Consultancy work for UK school library services, such as Portsmouth and Wirral
• Consultancy for individual schools, both in the UK (in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Ashton-under-Lyne) and abroad (for example, the British Embassy School in Ankara, Turkey).  Note: Alec only offers advice and consultancy in collaboration with school library services, where these exist.

In addition, Alec has done major consultancy projects with the British Council, including writing its manifesto for reader development, ‘Under the Skin’; articles such as this one on using books with children and teenagers; and a complete re-design of the Young Learners area of the British Council library in Rangoon, Burma.

Contact Alec if you would like to make use of his experience in any advice, consultancy or writing project.