This morning, I heard from a cohort of librarians from Missouri about the annual storytelling festivals that are hosted across the state. Throughout these festivals, a diverse array of storytellers, stories, and workshops make their way into the community for Missouri residents to enjoy.
During this session, two different library systems highlighted the individual festivals that their systems host – the Missouri River Regional Library (MRRL) and the St. Louis County Library (SLCL). The presenters introduced what the storytelling festivals look like in each of their library systems – one larger, urban system and one smaller, rural system. While I expected them to discuss possibly a one-day festival hosted at their library, what I actually heard was a much more inclusive and unique outreach program.
Each system intentionally sends storytellers out into the community, to community centers, schools, detention facilities, and more over a period of two to seven days. The presenters highlighted the many local organizations that they connect with to bring programming to the people, including in areas that may not typically be served by everyday library services. They also showcased ways to make their programs inclusive, such as closed captions and interpreters, and how they include ASL Storytellers in their programming schedule.
Each library system also detailed the budgets that they have for their programs from $10,000 to $60,000. They explained that their goal was to show that the program can be done on a small or large scale. To wrap up, the librarians also shared funding sources like local nonprofits and businesses, as well as larger grants that help to bring the storytelling festival to life each year. Each program discussed in this presentation has been running for over 25 years, which is quite a feat!
Of course, now that you have read about the amazing Missouri festivals, you are inspired to start your own! If you are looking for resources to find storytellers in your own community, check out the National Storytelling Network or storytelling.org to start!
Annaliese Melvin (she/they) is a children’s librarian at a neighborhood library in Washington, D.C. Originally from Pennsylvania, she moved to the DC-area in 2020 to become a special education teacher after graduating with her bachelor’s from Arcadia University. In 2023, she graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and transitioned into the library field. Annaliese currently works to bring more inclusive programming to DC Public Libraries for children of all ages. She is passionate about equity, inclusion, reading, and Philadelphia sports.