September is here, school bells are ringing, public youth services librarians are wrapping up their Summer Reading programs and the ambitious may have already begun brainstorming for next summer’s program. As you evaluate and plan for your programs, think about the benefits of involving community partners in reaching your goals. Summer Reading is not just a program, for my library it’s also our biggest public awareness campaign. One of the goals I had for our 2022 Summer Reading Program was to increase community partner involvement through a couple avenues, business sponsorships and outreach. For 2022, local businesses sponsored the Summer Reading Program by donating prizes, off-site programming spaces, and food for various events. The reciprocal benefits of engaging with community partners are invaluable in library success. Our sponsors enable us to provide more engaging programming through funds and in-kind donations, and in return we provide them placements on our promotional…
Tag: community partnerships
Local Firefighters Light a Spark at the Library
If you work in the children’s area of the library, you are probably well aware of the popularity of firefighters and fire trucks with our smallest patrons. Why not partner with your local fire department to bring a special program to your library? My library in Brooklyn, NY has been collaborating for several years with our local firehouse as part of an event called “Read Across Brooklyn.” This event takes place each year in early March, coinciding with Read Across America. During our version of the celebration, each of our library branches read the same book on the same day, and many choose to invite a guest reader from the community. We have had great luck by inviting a guest reader from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) to come and read to the Pre-K classes from one of our local elementary schools. In fact, it has been so…
Interview with Author Julie K. Rubini
In her latest work for young readers, Missing Millie Benson, author Julie K. Rubini discusses the influence of Nancy Drew’s most prolific author. Rubini also describes her family’s efforts to celebrate children’s books through Claire’s Day, in honor of Rubini’s late daughter. Recently, Ohio University Press sent a free Advance Review Copy of Missing Millie Benson to me in preparation for this blog interview. Please share about your background as a writer of children’s books. How have public libraries and reading impacted your professional and personal life? I have loved both reading and writing since I was a child. As I lived out in the country, the Lucas County Public Library’s bookmobile was my gateway to worlds beyond my backyard. I would fill my bike’s basket up from the mobile collection every week. Reading encouraged my writing in a variety of forms, from essays, to short stories, newsletters, and eventually…