MARCH 2026 NEWSLETTER
The March 2026 newsletter of Let’s Move in Libraries includes:
- The continued celebration of the I Partner with My Public Library Awardees
- Join the ConnectWell Food is Medicine Pilot
- Inspiring stories from Georgia, Kansas, and New Hampshire
- How and why to join our monthly Birds of a Feather online conversation
Our featured photos this month continues the celebration of the 2025 I Partner with My Public Library Awards. Among this year’s 10 winners is LivingRoom Community Art Studio, nominated by Oshawa Public Libraries, Ontario, Canada. This partnership includes drop-in art sessions, pop-up residencies, and a Mobile Art Studio that brings arts experiences to neighborhoods. The partnership reduces barriers to arts participation and supports trauma-informed, intergenerational programming.
Impacts include lowered barriers to arts participation, supported mental wellness and social inclusion, and low-barrier entry to creative spaces that attract high attendance and foster connection—especially in priority neighborhoods. Programs help participants build creative confidence and strengthen community ties.
Learn more about this inspiring partnership at the 2025 I Partner with My Public Library Awards webpage.
Does your library do great things with community partners? Get ready to share your story in the Fourth Annual I Partner with My Public Library Awards. The call for nominations opens June 1, 2026.
Also check out the launch of the new “Stories of Partnerships” webpage. Over the last three years, we have received so many amazing nominations, but we’re only able to award 10 partners a year. This new Stories of Partnerships webpage serves to showcase many of the other amazing stories we’ve received over the years. Check back for more stories to be added throughout 2026, and beyond.
Join the ConnectWell Food is Medicine Pilot
We invite public libraries to join a free Food as Medicine Virtual Program focused on Blood Pressure Maintenance. In this 1.5-hour program, ConnectWell will introduce you to the format of ConnectWell’s Food as Medicine Program and deliver the program to you as a participant. Afterwards, you will receive facilitation and marketing materials enabling you to easily deliver the program at your library.
Date and Time of Informational Session: Tuesday March 24, 2026: 11 am PT / 12 pm MT / 1 pm CT / 2 pm ET / 3 pm AT
If you are unable to attend the 1.5-hour session live, you will be sent the program recording and follow-up materials enabling you to deliver it at your library. You can note that on the sign-up form. Click here to register.
You can also reach out directly to Andrea Bloom, Founder & CEO ConnectWell.
Learn more at the Join The ConnectWell Challenge webpage!
Inspiring stories from Georgia, Kansas, and New Hampshire
Our thanks to members of the Let’s Move in Libraries community for sharing with us the following inspiring stories. Contact us to share your story in a future newsletter!
In New Hampshire, Melissa Mannon, Library Director, Kingston Community Library, shared with us that they are currently working to build an outdoor center with ADA accessible walking paths and exercise equipment for older adults so that the library can expand its offerings. She added that “I believe very strongly that movement is important for whole health, and that keeping mind and body strong at the library is desirable!”
She also shared with us some flyers from recent programs, featured here.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, Katie Rees, Fayette County Public Library, wrote an article for Georgia Library Quarterly on the “Let’s Move in Libraries Initiative at the Fayette County Public Library.” The article describes how the library partners with a local organization, The Fitness
Ranch, to offer a mental fitness class for children.
Rees writes in her article: “Library staff and Fitness Ranch founders, Coach Q and Nora Pullen, know how stressful life can be and believe it is important for children to learn how to handle stress in a healthy way when it comes into their lives. The class began with introductions as well as what participants could hope to gain from their attendance. Over the course of the 75-minute class, children would learn how to improve their concentration, boost their confidence, have a stronger mindset, and become more resilient. A strength and conditioning coach as well as a movement therapist, Coach Q was quick to remind the kids that mental fitness is closely tied to physical fitness. He led them through several simple exercises designed to wake up the brain and energize the body. He even gave them homework in the form of a daily assignment since both physical and mental fitne ss are a lifestyle more than a singular event.”
Learn more in the article “Let’s Move in Libraries Initiative at the Fayette County Public Library.”
Finally, LaVoyce Capps, Older Adults Librarian, at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, in Kansas, shared that CBS-affiliate WIBW featured how “Topeka library brings fitness classes for older adults to West Ridge Mall.” In this video, LaVoyce visits Eye on NE Kansas with information about their Geri-Fit classes.
Geri-Fit focuses on rebuilding strength that people naturally lose through the aging process. The class includes resistance training, which is recommended to build muscle and strength.
LaVoyce said the classes started a couple years ago at the library. In 2026, the library partnered with a local shopping mall to begin offering introductory classes once a week at West Ridge Mall. The classes are free and any equipment needed are provided.
LaVoyce added that the partnership has been an amazing success. The Mall opened up a large empty store for the library to use, with a projector and screen and sound system. They even brought in and set up the chairs for the library.
Contact us to share your story in a future newsletter!
How to join our monthly Birds of a Feather online conversations
Want to join a community of public library workers and partners interested in the topics celebrated by Let’s Move in Libraries?
Have a burning question you’d like to ask other librarians?
Join us in our monthly Birds of a Feather conversation series.
Beginning in February 2023, we host a monthly one-hour Birds of a Feather online conversation. Join us March 18, 2026 at 12 pm Eastern / 9 am Pacific for the next installment in this series of inspiring, engaging, open and lively conversations.
What is a Birds of a Feather conversation? It’s an opportunity for individuals with shared interests to gather together (birds of a feather flock together) to share resources, inspire one another, and generally build community.
These events are never recorded so that all participants can share freely. Join us!
Here are some of the resources shared during our February conversation:
Best Food Education Podcast: The Charlie Cart Podcast – Discover why The Charlie Cart Podcast is the Best Food Education Podcast, exploring the benefits of teaching about local food and cooking skills.
Serving Up MyPlate Kit: A Yummy Curriculum, Level 1 | Publications.USA.gov
Teacher guides/lesson plans for kids health programs
Good360 – For over 40 years, Good360 has transformed surplus into sustainable support for communities facing disaster, hardship, or urgent need.
AARP Senior Planet trainers Initiative for older adults to learn about technology and stay safe online
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Subscribe to the Let’s Move in Libraries newsletter for monthly editions of success stories, educational opportunities, and food for thought that will deepen the impact of HEAL (Healthy Eating & Active Living) programs and services in public libraries. Also follow the project on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter to stay up-to-date. The Let’s Move in Libraries project focuses on how public libraries create opportunities for individuals of all ages and abilities to engage in healthy activities.