The July 2025 newsletter of Let’s Move in Libraries includes:

• A call for nominations for the I Partner with My Public Library Awards
• A celebration of the 2025 public libraries that one AARP Livable Community Grants
• How and why to join our monthly Birds of a Feather online conversation

Our main story this month is on the I Partner with My Public Library initiative.

Do you work at a public library? Has a community partner made a difference by collaborating with you?

Submitting a nomination for the I Partner with My Public Library Award is the perfect way to thank your partners, and to celebrate the work you have done together.

These annual awards also inspire new partnerships.

Nominations will be accepted through the end of August 2025. At that point, a team of volunteer reviewers will score the nominations, and those rated the highest will be notified by October 15, 2025, with a public awards ceremony occurring in November, 2025. Awardees will be publicly celebrated on the Let’s Move in Libraries webpage in perpetuity, alongside winners from 2023 and 2024. Join us in this endeavor!

The call for nominations opened on June 1, 2025, and since then we have already received nominations from Arizona, Ohio, New Hampshire, British Columbia, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. Here are excerpts from some the nominations already received:

• “The partnership between the Health Department and the public library has created a strong foundation for community well-being by combining health resources with accessible public spaces. Together, we have partnered to offer handwashing lessons for storytime kids, an anonymous Narcan box, and staff training in first aid and mental health—ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all. This collaboration also promotes vital health programs, such as mammogram screenings and free immunizations, helping to reach more community members in need. The impact is clear: healthier, more informed, and better-connected individuals and families.”
• “[Thanks to the partnership] we have connected a number of patrons with diverse backgrounds and languages — often newcomers to Canada  — by getting them outdoors with a shared universal experience. There is no sales pitch, it’s just a free course in birdwatching. We have had whole Non-English speaking families come down, others have used it as date night, still others have come solo and connected with new community members through birding.”
• “This partnership has allowed the library to offer a music and movement program that typically costs parents/caregivers $250 (or more) for free! With their support, we have been able for the last several years to bring the program to local preschools/schools.”
• “[This partnership] has provided art activities, speakers on different topics such as elder law, medicare and insurance information and mental health support, and brought in a Community Drumming Circle, by far the most popular program that we have had over the last three years. Their Caregiver Cafe’s are filling a need in our community that continues to grow as the community ages. We have also made sure that [the partner organization’s] meetings can take place at the library before the library officially opens so that the caregivers have some privacy.”
• “What began as a one-time collaboration quickly grew into an ongoing partnership. Thanks to [partner’s] passion and generosity, we now offer Bike Rodeos annually at all four of our Public Library locations. In 2024 the public library along with [partner] have hosted 5 Bike Rodeo’s, 200 children and their caregivers, and given out 180 bike helmets.”

Submit your nomination by clicking here, or learn more at the the I Partner with My Public Library webpage.

In addition to submitting a nomination, you can also serve as a reviewer. Reviewers will spend approximately 3-5 hours in September 2025 reviewing nominations and filling out an online form. You can submit a nomination and serve as a reviewer: We’ll make sure you don’t review your own nomination! You do not need to work in a public library to serve as a reviewer.

We can’t wait to read your nominations, and reach out with questions at any point!

Please share this news widely.

2025 AARP Livable Communities Award Winners Announced

Since its debut in 2017, the AARP Community Challenge has invested $24.3 million in 2,100 livability projects, with a focus on meeting the needs of adults age 50 or older, in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C. In June 2025, AARP announced the 383 projects funded in the 2025 Challenge. Public libraries are once again well represented among the winners. In 2025, 15 public libraries in 13 states won grants for everything from aging-in-place expos to digital literacy to disaster preparedness to seed libraries to the creation of new outdoor spaces. Get inspired by the 2025 winners and then go to the Community Challenge webpage to get ready for the 2026 Challenge: Nominations will open in early 2026.

Connecticut

• Simsbury: Town of Simsbury — Simsbury will host an Aging-in-Place Expo at the public library. The expo will feature local building community members, health district officials, and a mobile smart home.

Georgia

• Nicholson: Harold S. Swindle Public Library — This project will digitize photos and information about veterans for sharing with future generations. The digital display will be shown on a television screen in the library, making it accessible for everyone to enjoy.

Mississippi

• Woodville: Wilkinson County Library System — This project will equip a rural public library with automatic doors and an access ramp, enhancing accessibility and safety for all residents, especially those age 50 and over.

New Jersey

• Denville: Denville Public Library — This project will offer in-person and virtual disaster pre-planning training sessions. Participants will receive emergency supply checklists and 72-hour survival backpack kits.

Ohio

• Arcanum: Arcanum Public Library — This project will feature the creation of a gazebo offering free 24/7 high-speed internet. This space will bridge the digital divide, providing access to online resources, telehealth services, and more, benefiting individuals age 50 and over.

Rhode Island

• Providence: Community Libraries of Providence — This project will install handrails along the concrete ramp and stairs at Knight Memorial Library, enhancing safety and accessibility for older adults and individuals using canes, walkers, or wheelchairs.

Virginia

• Chesapeake: Friends of the Chesapeake Public Library — This project will feature three hurricane preparedness sessions for senior living facilities. Displays with sample go-kits and checklists in English and Spanish will be set up in seven libraries.

Texas

• Pottsboro: Pottsboro Library — This project will enhance the library’s Digital Navigator Program, which offers personalized tech support to help older adults gain skills for telehealth, online safety and staying connected.

West Virginia

• Buckhannon: Upshur County Public Library — This project will provide digital literacy training, broadband access, and equipment to older adults. Upshur County Public Library will expand at-home broadband and offer digital skills courses.

Washington

• Langley: Whidbey Veterans Resource Center — This project will conduct three train-the-trainer events and six public sessions. The focus will be on disaster preparedness, first aid, and disaster pre-planning at community centers, libraries, and senior centers.

Wisconsin

• Darlington: Johnson Public Library — This project will create a Seed Library to promote seed saving, distribution, and sustainability. It will offer educational programs, starter seeds, and community events, benefiting people of all ages.

• Ladysmith: Rusk County Community Library Foundation — This project will replace outdated handicap door openers to ensure safe and independent access for all patrons. It will enhance accessibility, comply with ADA standards, and encourage engagement.

Go to the AARP Livable Communities webpage to learn more about this important work and how you can get involved in it!