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

• How to join the new Public Library – Community Partner Coalition
• How to join us in creating Safe Routes to Libraries for all
• A new open-access article on partnerships between the Cooperative Extension system and public libraries
• The release of a new report on food justice and public librarianship
• How to contribute your knowledge on park & library partnerships
• How to join our monthly Birds of a Feather online conversations

This month’s featured image comes from the AARP Community Challenge grant program.

Since 2017, AARP has provided annual awards to support “quick-action” grants that fund local projects that help make communities more livable for people of all ages.

Let’s Move in Libraries has been closely following this funding opportunity, and this we’ve found that from 2017 through 2024 68 public libraries in 31 states benefitted from it. Learn more here.

If you’re interested in applying for this annual funding opportunity, check out this webinar featuring Let’s Move in Libraries founder Noah Lenstra discussing the opportunity.

Every year since the awards began, libraries have been funded, increasing from 1 grant in 2017, to 3 in 2018, 5, in 2019, 4 in 2020, 14 in 2021, 15 in 2022, 13 in 2023, and 13 in 2024. Applications for 2025 are open through March 5, 2025.

Learn more at our AARP Community Challenge webpage, where we keep track of all the ways public libraries across America have benefitted from this annual funding opportunity.

How to join the new Public Library – Community Partner Coalition

We are thrilled to invite you to join a new group focused on accelerating the power of community collaboration.

Join us February 27 at 2 pm Eastern / 11 am Pacific for the launch of the Public Library – Community Partner Coalition.

This expanding network exists to support – through collaboration among members – the development and sustainability of community partnerships involving or led by public libraries.

We invite all interested individuals to join this launch. If you are ready to join the coalition, sign up at this link.

We also invite you to download and share the event flyer.

Our hope is that over time this Coalition will grow to include the following:

• Public library workers
• Public library administrators 
• Faculty, students, and staff in Master’s of LIS programs 
• State Libraries and the U.S. Institute of Museum & Library Services
• State and national library associations 
• Other agencies working with public libraries, including the Network of the National Library of Medicine, SciStarter, etc. 
• Community partners and their national voices – e.g. Parks & Recreation professionals and the National Park & Recreation Association
• Others with expertise on the topic of community partnerships – e.g. the creators of Community Toolbox 
• More stakeholders to be identified in the future, particularly from priority sectors, including education, literacy, lifelong learning, health, recreation, economic and workforce development, community development, and digital inclusion.

Short-term goals include launching the coalition, and creating an online space for aggregating resources used to support this topic.

Medium-term goals include the creation of learning modules, curricula, and examples to inspire action.

Longer-term goals include deeply embedding community partnerships into all public libraries across USA, and beyond.

Spread the word and sign up for the launch event!

Co-Founders

Dr. Noah Lenstra, Associate Professor of Library & Information Science at University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Founder of Let’s Move in Libraries

Dr. Zachary Stier, Adjunct Lecturer at University of Illinois School of Information Sciences; Children’s Librarian, Ericson Public Library; Consultant, Zachary Stier Consulting, LLC

How to join us in creating Safe Routes to Libraries for all

We invite you to make 2025 the year of Safe Routes to Libraries! Join us in a webinar to learn more about this critical topic: How Public Libraries are Advancing Safe Routes Advocacy, Funding, and Programming will be held Thursday, February 6, 2025, 2 p.m.–3 p.m. ET

Join us to hear the latest updates on improving safety and access to public libraries, including an exciting new project with the Urban Libraries Council to develop a Safe Routes to Libraries framework. Speakers from Kansas City, Missouri and Baxter County, Arkansas will share how libraries are playing a critical role in transportation advocacy, infrastructure funding, and advancing the Safe Routes movement.

Featured Speakers:

📚Kori Johnson, Senior Manager, Program and Engagement, Safe Routes Partnership

📚Michael Kelley, Policy Director, BikeWalkKC

📚Jamie Placht, Health and Wellbeing Specialist, Kansas City Public Library

📚Kim Crow Sheaner, Director, Donald W. Reynolds Library System Serving Baxter County, Arkansas

Learn more and register

From 2024-2026, Urban Libraries Council and its national partners are engaged in a research and planning project to explore the feasibility of a national initiative to eliminate barriers to library access. By adapting proven strategies from the Safe Routes to School and the Safe Routes to Parks programs, this initiative strives to help libraries collaborate with local partners to improve walkability, safety, and infrastructure, especially in underserved neighborhoods. The Safe Routes Partnership is thrilled to be working with the ULC on this initiative.

Let’s Move in Libraries is also contributing to this Safe Routes to Libraries project.  Learn more at this 2022 webinar on “From Bikes to Books: Exploring Partnerships Between Safe Routes to School and Public Libraries.”

We are also looking for examples of Safe Routes to Libraries community partnerships. Fill out this very short form telling us how your library promotes or supports Safe Routes to Libraries.

A new open-access article on partnerships between the Cooperative Extension system and public libraries

When attending to community needs, collaboration across community organizations yields outcomes that are dynamic and sustaining. Given the interest in collaboration across organizations, and the desire to understand how these partnerships occur, a new peer-reviewed, open access study sought to explore the collaborative efforts of Extension and public libraries in three states: Kentucky, North Carolina, and Vermont.

Foundational information was gathered regarding programming within this partnership, alignment of efforts, and the experiences of partnering from the perspectives of both Extension and library staff, including successes and challenges. Most considered collaboration an expansion to their reach and determined that results included enhanced engagement through cooperation, sharing of resources, coordination, and integration. Ultimately, collaborations such as those seen with Extension and library personnel produce noteworthy impacts on the community.

Learn more and read the full study at: Lenstra, N., & Deziel, G. (2024). Understanding Extension-Library Partnerships: Results from a Three-State Survey. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 12(3), 12.

The release of a new report on food justice and public librarianship

As part of a journalistic endeavor to cover how libraries increase access and equity through partnerships with parks, Dr. Noah Lenstra is seeking examples of library-park partnerships that are innovative and impactful. If you or your library have done something you consider to be especially powerful, please reach out to us or email Dr. Noah Lenstra. It is anticipated that this Library Journal feature will be published in July 2025, in conjunction with National Parks & Recreation Month.

Share your park partnerships to inspire others!

How to join our monthly Birds of a Feather online conversations