As a regular blogger, I’ve written before about Cuyahoga County Public Library’s (CCPL) FamilySpace program, and the ideas generated by the accompanying Family Advisory Committee (FAC). The most recent idea, however, was even more impactful than others as a community event. The South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch Library FAC wanted to have a Paw Patrol-based program, leveraging the interest many of their children have in that world. The dogs’ jobs are a great way to highlight community helpers, and we proceeded with planning the event. Considering that our participants would be between the ages of 2 and 5, the “Pup Rescue Training Camp” would be play-based and developmentally appropriate. Staff leveraged CCPL’s Toy Library and borrowed any toy that fit the pups’ service jobs—fire, police, construction, recycling, and air-water-snow rescue (real water was used in bins!), etc., along with dog-themed toys. Each was set up in its own area (although the toys…
Tag: Community Engagement
Back to School at the Public Library
As September looms on the horizon, schools across the country are preparing to return and many have already begun. While many families and educators are preparing with school supply runs, lunch prep, and more, they may not be aware of the many ways that the library can help them prepare as well. Blogger Maria Trivisonno shared some amazing Back to School Outreach tips in 2022, and I thought what better time to expand upon this list than the present. If you have been wondering how to highlight the library for educators, families, and kids alike, then check out the list below!
Programming with Purpose through Community Engagement
For those looking to program with purpose, the entire process begins and ends with your community. Similarly to how we perform diversity audits on our collections, it’s important to also take a critical eye to the programs and services we offer. As professionals we understand that every community is different and has different needs, and that our offerings ought to be tailored to those needs. It can be easy to go on “auto-pilot” when it comes to programming, especially when we have recurring programs such as LEGO® Clubs or storytimes, however we should remember to look at all programs from time to time to evaluate their effectiveness. Programming with purpose means that ideally every program we offer has some kind of goal for our community behind it. The first two questions I always ask myself when planning programs are: 1. Which population in my community am I serving/who is this…
Serving Underserved Communities: EDI in Action
This year, the Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers Committee transitioned our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) goal. We started with providing authentic resources, then moved to empowering library (and library adjacent) staff to hone, develop, and take action on their advocacy skills. Above all, we’re providing support and different ways to interact with our resources, like presentations, chats, and our monthly blog posts. Over the past 18 months, we developed vibrant toolkits to help connect library communities with resources for different underserved populations.
Saturday kickoff at #ALSC20
We jumped into the morning with a panel discussing “on the ground” experiences from librarians working in communities experiencing trauma. Beth Patin from Syracuse University was a school librarian when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. It was an overwhelming experience for the community; everything in that area was utterly destroyed. Patin was able to start rebuilding her library collection (even with a little computer lab!) inside of a trailer long before the school was rebuilt. The community immediately utilized those services. Anita Montoya from Hennepin County Library works in the area where George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis this year. Their community was rocked with protests, and she said they worked hard to be there for the people. Some buildings were damaged, but she said that the community also tried hard to protect the library, too, because they knew the library was there for them. The library also provided constant…
Librarians Working through Trauma
2020 brought a lot of unexpected changes and challenges to people all over the country. The session on “Children’s Librarianship in Communities Experiencing Trauma” was a great reminder of how libraries are often the hearts of their communities. Anita Montoya and Beth Patin explained how they responded to traumas in their communities that were caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Coronavirus, and the death of George Floyd. Services had to be adapted in a way that still gave their libraries a strong presence. Montoya’s public library expanded its outreach to public outdoor areas, which including bringing information about food availability and children’s books to their patrons. Patin worked with her school to find ways to still engage and educate their students, including setting up a library in a trailer, and borrowing space from another school that was still able to function. Librarians are resilient problem solvers. The stories shared during this…
StoryTown
At Simsbury Public Library, CT we’re good at collaboration. We have an excellent record of building strong partnerships with local businesses, community organizations, schools, and other town departments. In fact, one of our strategic plan goals revolves around outreach, engaging the community beyond the library’s walls and increasing our number of off site library programs. We already have regularly scheduled outreach visits to daycares, pre-schools and schools in our area, and were looking for a new way to engage our youngest patrons, out in the community. StoryTown is a fall series of storytimes around Simsbury, CT designed to do just that. It is an ideal way for patrons to meet us in different locations around town and learn a little more about our community in the process. Each of the six StoryTown programs will take place at a different location including: Peachwave (a local business, and sponsor of our Summer…
The ALSC/Candlewick Press “Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved” Grant is now open!
Is your library reaching out to the underserved children, caregivers and families in your community? Does your library need funding for an innovative idea or expansion to provide a service or program for this population? The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers Committee (LSUCTC) are now accepting online applications for the 2018 Light the Way: Library Outreach to the Underserved grant. This $3,000 grant, made possible by Candlewick Press in honor of Newbery Medalist and Geisel Honoree author Kate DiCamillo, will go to a library conducting exemplary outreach to underserved populations through a new program or an expansion of work already being done. The winning project should be well thought-out, appropriate to the target population, doable, and replicable by other libraries. Each applicant will be judged on the following: Project Information- The outline should include goals, measures of success,…