How Will You ‘Build a Better World’?

The Collaborative Summer Library Program theme for 2017’s summer reading program is ‘Build a Better World’, and for me as a youth services librarian, ‘building a better world’ means getting my community to feel they are making a difference in their own lives and in the lives of others.  This summer, we have the chance to do something really big and truly wonderful.

• Take the book Luis Paints the World. Why not start a public art project created by the children of your neighborhood?
• Consider the book On Meadowview Street and how you can use it to introduce the concept backyard habitats or even a community garden at your library
• Ask your Friends group to help sponsor a Little Free Library that your kids create during a STEM program.  It involves architecture, planning, site planning, sustainability and more!
• Have your kids read about the Biblioburro, then decide how they can bring the joy of reading to children or a community, an assisted living facility or a senior event at the library.  Here’s how I used this concept once: Biblioburro shadow puppet show – a show built by the children of a Hispanic community, then circulated around the county for summer reading performances.
• Introduce hand building with clay, polymer clays and self-hardening clay through Dave the Potter!
• Wine to Water – bring in a non-profit that inspires you to speak about their work, or have the children explore or find one that moves them.  Then commit to help them engage in a project that supports that non-profit’s work.
• Playing for Change – invite libraries and kids around the world to submit a video for a compilation, all singing or playing the same song – maybe on ukulele?  Maybe on instruments they make from recycled or repurposed materials?  See the Land Philharmonic for some amazing ideas!

I hope you will follow your heart, do something you have never tried before, engage your entire community and make them look back on the summer of 2017 and be proud.

*********************************************************************************

Today’s guest blogger is Jonathan Dolce. Jonathan currently works for Lake County Library System, and has been working in Central Florida libraries since 2000.  He took two years out to be a mountaintop farmer in Puerto Rico, then returned to Central Florida libraries. He is now happily the Branch Supervisor at Astor County Library and having a great time.  Jonathan just returned from a five-workshop tour of Central Florida aiding fellow librarians in implementing the 2016 summer reading program.

Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.