Welcome to the November 2019 newsletter of Let’s Move in Libraries. In this edition we launch a new format for our monthly newsletters. Each month we’ll feature a different program idea, and call on YOU to help us build our collective capacity to offer these program in our libraries. We start with StoryWalk(R) programming!

Based on research Let’s Move in Libraries conducted in Spring 2017, over 300 public libraries in the U.S. and Canada have already offered outdoor StoryWalk(R) programs. Even more have joined in since then! Use this webpage to get the information you need to join this international movement to combine literacy, exercise, nature, and family bonding.

We are also teaming up with the American Library Association’s Public Programs Office, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, and the Gail Borden Library in Elgin, Illinois, to offer a free webinar on November 13 on how to get started “Taking a Walk with the Library: StoryWalk®, Walking Book Clubs and More.” Join the 400+ librarians who have already signed up for this continuing education opportunity. We’ve worked very hard on this program, and look forward to seeing you there!

Share your expertise on StoryWalk(R) programming!

Have you done a StoryWalk(R), story stroll, on some twist on the idea of combining stories and walking? Let’s Move in Libraries needs your help to build up this Program Idea. With input from our Advisory Group, we created a short form designed to get input from you about what has worked (and what hasn’t worked) at your library. Your feedback will be incorporated into the StoryWalk(R) program idea webpage in mid-December. Everyone’s input is needed! Let’s build our collective capacity to offer this and other innovative programs. Please take a few minutes to fill out this one page form during the month of November 2019.

Every month, we’ll be featuring a different Program Idea. Is there one you’d like to see featured in a future month? Let us know!

Join our community!

During the October 2019 meetings of our Advisory Groups, we decided to re-launch our online group on Facebook. We invite you to join the 100+ librarians already in the group. This is YOUR SPACE to ask questions, get advice, share successes and challenges, and generally get the support you need to make a difference in your community.

Consider joining us, and if you have a question about StoryWalk(R) programming, go ahead and ask it in this group!

Use the Let’s Move in Libraries logo: A free resource!

Did you know that our logo is completely, 100% free to use? It’s true! You can download it and get started here. If you have any questions, just reach out to us! All that we ask is that you share back how you use the logo: Banners, T-Shirts, Flyers, Decals, Bumper Stickers, Coasters, the sky is the limit!

News from Let’s Move in Libraries partners and supporters

On October 31, 2019, the Princh Library Lounge Podcast series featured Canadian library director (and physical literacy expert) Jenn Carson and Let’s Move in Libraries director Noah Lenstra in Episode 6 of their Library Lounge Podcast Series. Give it a listen! We had a great time talking with this Danish company about innovations related to fitness, physical literacy, and physical activity in North American public libraries.

On November 6, 2019, we teamed up with the Nebraska Library Commission to offer a free continuing education webinar on the topic of “Feeding America: Gardens, Seed Exchanges, Summer Meals, and More!” Food and physical activity are corner-stones of healthy living. Watch the recording to learn how public libraries, particularly small and rural libraries, are working with partners to feed America through supporting the distribution of food, supporting community agriculture, teaching basic nutrition and cooking skills, and even hosting Farmer’s Markets! Healthy eating was a corner-stone former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, and we are thrilled to bring this component of her initiative into Let’s Move in Libraries. Stay tuned for more!

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We’d like to hear, and share, how you move in your library!! Tag us on social media or email news directly through our website. We’d love to hear from you!

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Subscribe to the monthly Let’s Move in Libraries newsletter for monthly editions of success stories, educational opportunities, and food for thought that will deepen the impact of movement-based programs and services in public libraries. 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 physical activity.