JULY 2024 NEWSLETTER
The July 2024 newsletter of Let’s Move in Libraries includes:
- A new funding source for StoryWalks
- A podcast episode on the value of library Yoga programs
- A reminder about StoryWalk® Week 2024
- How to join monthly Birds of a Feather online conversations
This month’s featured image is the official logo for the second annual “I Partner With My Public Library Award.”
Nominations opened a month ago, and will close at the end of August, 2024. So far we have received received 17 nominations! Nominations have come in thus far from:
- British Columbia
- California
- Delaware
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- New York
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Oklahoma
- Ontario
- South Carolina
- Virginia
- Washington
Here are some excerpts from the nominations received thus far:
“A local 5013(c) nonprofit has partnered with our library to provide tutoring to at-risk youth within our inner-city neighborhoods. In this past year, about five volunteers have provided more than 100 hours of tutoring at no cost to the student. This has been an incredibly rewarding experience not only for the student, but also the tutor. [The non-profit] has gone above and beyond by providing free snacks and refreshments to students receiving tutoring at the library. It has been remarkable to see how this tutoring program has benefited the students. Their self-confidence has grown immensely. Having them in the library has brought them into a safe space where they can have positive interactions with books and reading.”
“USDA’s new guidelines allowed us to participate in the rural non-congregate Summer Feeding Program which gives free food boxes to every child under 18 years of age in every household. This program is HUGE for our small 2-employee, 800-square-foot library! To participate in the program we needed an area to distribute and store our food boxes. We struggled to find a location to meet our needs and were holding on by a small thread to keep the program in the works when in comes [partner] to save the day! [Partner] offered her newly renovated party rental room for the library to store and to distribute food boxes. Without [partner’s] help and storage space, we would not have been able to participate in the program. Because of [partner] over 300 children have food security this summer. We feel we could never fully express our gratitude for [partner] as one of our biggest supporters, our friend, and our business partner. We are so glad she is in our corner.”
“[Urban] Public Library has partnered with the Needle Exchange for 3 years. Their organization holds expertise in providing services to community members through their harm reduction approach. Their Certified Peer Counselors provide services in multiple libraries offering general support to library patrons and sharing an abundance of resources such as safe injection supplies, naloxone training and distribution, safer sex supplies, and referrals for medication assisted treatment and other medical services. They have gone above and beyond to support us through training all public library frontline staff in the distribution of naloxone, providing Naloxone boxes next to AEDs in all branches with instructions to help patrons, witnessed the library acting as hearing and cooling centers and provided us with a steady supply of socks for patrons, provided advice when the library and community saw new issues affecting their patrons, and peer navigators were able to get multiple patrons into housing. Those are just some examples of how undoubtedly vital and lifesaving this partnership has been for our library patrons and wider community.”
“I would like to nominate the founder of Islamic Art of [name of community for the “I Partner With My Library” award. [Partner] is a long-standing volunteer partner for Public Library among other organizations who regularly supports a number of programs throughout the year, including most recently our multicultural calligraphy event for Asian History Month. She coordinates large scale events at the library including our annual Islamic Art Exhibition, attended by hundreds of customers, and is the nexus for other volunteers and groups to contribute to programming. [Partner] is such a regular contributor to library programming that we often reach out to her to solicit volunteer activities and collaborative efforts, building programming around her talents and enthusiasm. Her significant contributions to the library cannot be underestimated, and she continues to be a positive partner who connects with multiple departments. She forgoes any honorariums and never asks for compensation for her efforts, and she has developed lasting and strong relationships with library staff and customers.”
“I would like to nominate [name redacted] School District for “I Partner with My Public Library” award. Since 2021, School district has been an active partner to support our library and programming. It started with the Student Library Card program and Access hotspot access for students during the pandemic. The school district has always included us with all their school events i.e. back to school nights, vaccination clinics, walk and roll, and school library events to name a few. The school district always helps us promote library programs but including us in their newsletters, webpage, and field trips. Our collaboration over the years has help bring more patrons to the library and help us make sure our services meet our community needs. We appreciate the School District and their support to make sure the library is part of their team.”
Do you work at a public library? Has a community partner made a difference by collaborating with you?
The I Partner With My Public Library Award invites you to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional partners. Each year, up to 10 are honored at an online ceremony held in their honor.
Submitting a nomination is the perfect way to thank your partners, and to celebrate the work you have done together. These annual awards also inspire others to reach out to new partners.
Nominations will be accepted through the end of August 2024. Final decisions will be made on October 15, 2024, with a public awards ceremony occurring in November, 2024. Awardees will be publicly celebrated on the Let’s Move in Libraries webpage. Join us in this endeavor!
Click here to submit a nomination
In addition to submitting a nomination, you can also serve as a reviewer. Reviewers will spend approximately 3-5 hours in September 2024 reviewing nominations and filling out an online form. Learn more, and serve as a reviewer!
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.
To get inspired, check out the 2023 Award Winners and Honorable Mentions at the I Partner with My Public Library webpage. We can’t wait to read your nominations!
Please share this news widely.
A new funding source for StoryWalks
Beginning now, public libraries (and other community organizations!) across America are eligible for up to $3,000 that can be used in support of StoryWalk initiatives.
The non-profit organization ChangeX.org has made available this funding as part of their United States Community Play Fund.
Here is how it works:
- You create a project page on ChangeX.org
- You complete a 30 Day Challenge
- You activate your project
- You share your impact on ChangeX.org
We’re so glad to see that this non-profit has recognized the transformative potential of StoryWalk initiatives, and we can’t wait to see many libraries participate!
We encourage everyone to check out this amazing new resource.
A podcast episode on the value of library Yoga programs
In June 2024, The Library 2.0 Podcast published a new episode on “The Value of In-library Yoga Programs for All Types of Patrons.” On it, Let’s Move in Libraries Advisory Board member Jenn Carson discusses with Dr. Steve Albrecht her experiences developing and delivering Yoga programs in libraries over for a decade.
Jenn Carson is the Director of the public library in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canda. She is the author of Beyond Books: Adult Library Programs for a New Era (Roman & Littlefield, 2022) and Yoga and Meditation at the Library: A Practical Guide for Librarians (Roman & Littlefield, 2019).
Have you come across a new resource you want to share with the Let’s Move in Libraries community? Contact us to have it featured in a future newsletter.
A reminder about StoryWalk® Week 2024
We want to remind you that for the fourth consecutive year we are teaming up with the Association of Bookmobile & Outreach Services (ABOS) for the Fourth Annual StoryWalk® Week celebration!
This year the fun will be November 10-16, 2024.
To participate, all you need to do is a share a photograph of your library’s StoryWalk from the year 2024, along with a brief caption. We’ll be opening up the call for participation in October 2024.
To get ideas and inspiration check out the webpages for
And our StoryWalk resource page.
Let’s get moving outside!
While you wait for StoryWalk Week 2024, we’d like to also invite you to share your StoryWalk stories!
We feature them online and in our newsletters to inspire others.
How to join our monthly Birds of a Feather 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. The next event will be July 17, 2024 at 12 pm Eastern / 9 am Pacific.
Join us for an inspiring, engaging, open and lively conversation.
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!
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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.