• How libraries can promote safe outdoor experiences during Winter
• A request to share your experiences working to make our streets safer for all people
• An award opportunity from the US National Association of Counties (NACo)
• Let’s Move in Libraries advisory board member featured on Health.Gov

Help with Complete Streets Research

You are invited to take part in a research study being conducted by Smart Growth America in partnership with the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University. Take the survey here.

According to recently published research from the University of Madison, “Libraries are well positioned to act as urban planning advocates and facilitators to ensure that the pathways are as safe and inclusive as the destination itself.”

The American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities featured libraries doing this work in the “Case Study: Red Hook (N.Y.) Public Library: One Small Win Creates Huge Ripples of Change” focused on how a library and “the community worked together by fixing the town’s stoplight.”

Maybe you’ve hosted your town’s Department of Transportation for a community conversation on a Complete Streets Master Plan? Maybe you’ve worked with partners to install new amenities like Bike Fix-It Stations or sheltered bike racks at your library, using a participatory design framework to do so? Maybe you’ve worked with partners to design new public art that transforms the experience of being a pedestrian or a bicyclist (examples from libraries in Oregon and New York).

Making our streets safer for all people requires efforts on multiple fronts. Changing road designs can create safe space for people to walk, bike, drive, ride transit, and move actively using assistive devices. But this alone may not always be enough to eliminate crashes. Engaging road users through outreach and education is an important step for safety and helps to ensure all voices are heard in the planning process. Outreach can mean anything from collecting input during the planning process of a new design or educating drivers on how to safely share the road.

The purpose of the research is to collect information about effective and notable Complete Streets outreach, educational, and engagement activities. As part of this effort, researchers would also like to know the challenges you face and even the methods you have tried that have not worked well. Your responses, both your successes and failures, can be great learning opportunities for communities around the country.

Please submit your response by December 15, 2020.

Take the survey here.

Let’s Move in Libraries Advisory Board Member featured on Health.Gov

We’re thrilled to share that our Advisory Board member Austin Persinger, Director of the Summers County Public Library in Hinton, West Virginia, was recently featured on Health.Gov, the official webpage of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, for his innovative partnership with Active Southern West Virginia.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Partnering with Libraries for Greater Reach

Active SWV has also reached out to local libraries to meet kids where they are. For example, they provided a no-touch obstacle course kit to the bookmobile program at Summers County Public Library in Hinton, West Virginia. Now, when kids come to access books and free Wi-Fi, they can also get their daily dose of physical activity.

Seiler says they’re also planning to partner with libraries across the state for a 6-week movement challenge. Libraries can participate by displaying campaign materials, posting on social media, and encouraging patrons to get active and track their progress through a free online platform. Library teams can then compete to log the most activity within 6 weeks.

“Libraries are really strong partners because they’re viewed as a reliable source of media,” Seiler says.”

Read the full story at Southern West Virginia Blends In-Person and Virtual Activities for Move Your Way Community Campaign.

Way to go, Austin! Have your innovative services been featured in local, state, or national media? We’d love to hear from you. Share your story to inspire others!