October 2024 NEWSLETTER
The October 2024 newsletter of Let’s Move in Libraries includes:
- The winners of the 2024 I Partner with My Public Library Awards
- A webinar on how to get funding for livable communities
- A webinar on sustaining ecosystems for climate action and learning
- Let’s Talk Libraries with Let’s Move in Libraries founder Noah Lenstra
- Resources from our monthly Birds of a Feather online conversations
This month’s featured image comes from the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS). For the fourth year, Let’s Move in Libraries is partnering with ABOS for the annual StoryWalk Week celebration!!!
This year the fun will be November 10-16, 2024.
Get started with your StoryWalk 2024 submission now! They are due by the end of October.
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 describing the impact this form of outreach has on your library and on your community.
To get ideas and inspiration check out the webpages for
And our StoryWalk resource page.
As you think about StoryWalk ideas, we want to make a plug for the resources of publisher Syncretic Press, who is leading the way forward in bilingual StoryWalk solutions for libraries that want to engage both English and Spanish speakers in StoryWalk installations. Enrique Moras of Syncretic Press shared with us that:
- All their stories are bilingual English-Spanish. There ready-to-go Book Walks are printed in 24 x 18 panels.
- Libraries can use this link to go to the page where they can browse the stories available. They can select the material on which they want the story printed (6mm rigid PVC, 4mm corrugated plastic, 1mm flexible synthetic resin).
- Their Book Walk products can be either purchased or rented. To purchase, they can send us a purchase order or do it directly on the website. If they rent it is only through a purchase order. Story rentals are for 30, 60 or 90 days.
- If libraries don’t have stands or displays, Syncretic Press offer different kinds, including permanent metal stands, semi-permanent treated wood stands and fully portable metal stands. Find more information here.
- As an incentive, if they purchase any story on the website, they can use the discount code LETSMOVE and receive a 10% discount.
Syncretic Press is one of seven vendors we feature on our StoryWalk resource page.
At that webpage, you’ll find all the information you need to get started with this program.
The winners of the 2024 I Partner with My Public Library Awards
Thanks to the amazing work of dozens of volunteer reviewers, we are thrilled to today announce the 2024 “I Partner With My Public Library Awardees.”
During the month of September reviewers evaluated 61 nominations from 32 states, provinces, and territories in two nations (US & Canada)!
This year’s winners are, in alphabetical order — drum roll —
- Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) nominated by Dearborn Public Library, Michigan
- BalletNEXT nominated by Park City Library, Utah
- Edmonton Aboriginal Seniors Association nominated by Edmonton Public Library, Alberta
- Growing High Point nominated by High Point Public Library, North Carolina
- Kylie Schell with Encompass Recreation nominated by members of the North Country Library System in New York
- Leo Nupolu Johnson nominated by Hamilton Public Library, Ontario
- Partners for Health Foundation nominated by Montclair Free Public Library, New Jersey
- Patuxent Research Refuge nominated by the Anne Arundel County Public Library, Maryland
- The GrowHaus nominated by Denver Public Library, Colorado
- University of Delaware’s Partnership for Healthy Communities, HEALTH for All Program (H4A) nominated by New Castle County Libraries, Delaware
- Woods Homes nominated by Calgary Public Library, Alberta
In addition to these Awardees, we also celebrate ten Honorable Mentions:
- Alice Paul Institute Girls Leadership Council nominated by Cherry Hill Public Library, New Jersey
- Challenge House Movement nominated by Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library, Kentucky
- Durham Children’s Aid Society nominated by the public libraries of the Durham, Ontario region
- Edmonton Early Childhood Intervention Program, Alberta Health Services nominated by Edmonton Public Library, Alberta
- Elmwood: An Inspira Health Group Senior Care Facility nominated by Hubbard Public Library, Ohio
- AARP Foundation Georgia volunteers nominated by Fulton County Library System, Georgia
- Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office nominated by Prince William Public Libraries, Virginia
- SummitStone Health Partners nominated by Poudre Libraries, Colorado
- Tacoma Needle Exchange nominated by Tacoma Public Library, Washington
- Gila Valley Arts Council nominated by Safford City-Graham County Library, Arizona
During the month of October, we’ll be adding descriptions of all the Awardees (plus even more Honorable Mentions) to the Let’s Move in Libraries I Partner with My Public Library Award homepage. That information will be shared in the November newsletter.
We also want to invite all interested individuals to a public, online Awards Ceremony to take place Friday, November 8 at 2 pm Eastern / 11 am Pacific. All are welcome!
We want to thank EVERYONE who has worked to make this annual program a success! In particular, huge thanks to those who took the time to put together a nomination and to the individuals who volunteered to review the applications. Thanks to you all!
We’re now in our second year, and look forward to celebrating public library partnerships and partners for years to come!
Finally, if you missed this year’s call to participate, don’t worry! Another call for applications will be coming in June 2025 for that year’s awards.
A webinar on how to get funding for livable communities
The circular red logo for AARP’s Livable Communities. AARP Livable Communities supports the efforts of neighborhoods, towns, cities and rural areas to become great places for people of all ages
Since 2017, over a hundred public libraries across America that have received funding from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)’s Livable Communities Community Challenge Grant.
The grant is part of a “quick-action” program targeted at helping organizations help their communities become more livable in the long term — improving public places with an emphasis on the needs of adults age 50 and over.
Learn more at the program website. Applications in 2025 are expected to open in mid-January.
To get ready for this and other small grants that may help your library become more livable, join Let’s Move in Libraries and EveryLibrary on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, for a “Free Webinar: Small Grants as a Stepping Stone to Funding Library Health in All Policies Projects.”
In addition to talking about this funding opportunity and how public libraries can utilize it, we’ll also talk about scaling up your efforts after receiving small-scale grant funding, with strategies for transitioning from modest grants to more substantial capacity-building funding.
If you’d like to continue your learning after the webinar, we invite you to sign up for a free, virtual workshop that will explore how local leaders can design for people of all ages in urban, suburban and rural communities. This free online event takes place October 16 and 17, from 1-5 pm Eastern each day, and is sponsored by AARP’s Livable Communities. Participants will hear about innovative solutions and best practices to design places that benefit people of all ages and abilities through four key themes: Housing, Transportation, Public Spaces, and Community Engagement. Sign up now!
A webinar on sustaining ecosystems for climate action and learning
On October 24, 2024, OCLC/WebJunction and the Building Resilient Communities projects invites you to join a free webinar on how Sustaining Ecosystems for Climate Learning and Action.
During the past eight years, Let’s Move in Libraries has learned again and again that teamwork makes the dream work, and community collaborations are foundational to successful library programs and initiatives focused on movement, nutrition, food access, and community health.
Join this webinar to learn how public libraries can develop or expand their role in learning and teaching about climate change, climate science, and climate action. We’ll introduce the STEM Learning Ecosystem Model, which can clarify the need for collaboration across various sectors and organizations to drive meaningful action. You’ll then hear from libraries about their experiences, successes, and challenges working in partnership with other sectors to support climate learning and action. Plus, strategies to enrich existing partnerships and pave the way for future collaboration. Don’t miss this opportunity to become a stronger partner in climate education and action.
Presented by:
- Rae Ostman, Research Professor, Arizona State University’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Co-director, Center for Innovation in Informal STEM Learning, and Director, National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Net)
- Vivienne Byrd, STEAM Librarian & Program Lead, Neighborhood Science Initiative, Los Angeles Public Library
- Sarah Weatherby, Library Specialist, East Flagstaff Community Library (AZ)
We hope you can join the webinar! Sign up now.
Let’s Talk Libraries with Let’s Move in Libraries founder Noah Lenstra
During September, Let’s Move in Libraries founder Noah Lenstra sat down with HiveClass and the Let’s Talk Libraries podcast to share the story of Let’s Move in Libraries, and what he’s learned from eight years working with public libraries across North America.
Hiveclass believes that libraries are beacons of learning and can become important catalysts for promoting holistic community health. Through this shared vision, HiveClass connected with Dr. Noah Lenstra, founder of Let’s Move in Libraries, and we discussed our shared passions and missions. Read the full interview!
We also joined Denise Wilson’s Let’s Talk Libraries podcast to discuss the importance of community collaboration and the benefits of being a library dreamer and schemer. Listen to the podcast here. Let’s Talk Libraries! is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Resources from 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. We are taking the month of October off, but we’ll be back in November: Join us November 20, 2024 at 12 pm Eastern / 9 am Pacific 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!
Here are some of the resources shared in our September conversation:
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A consumer health program for teens, tweens, and young adults called Know Your Flow. This program discusses the menstrual cycle, hormones, and reproductive diseases. A lot of free print resources can be found at their website, including resources dealing with your first period, menstruation, and menopause.
- The Urban Libraries Council recently released a Science of Reading Toolkit: Evidence-Based Approaches for Public Libraries. Also check this Literacy & Justice for All Resource.
- Check out the books published by Readers to Eaters!
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An article on an innovative Fall Prevention Nature Walk: Addressing Falls Prevention Across the Lifespan
Join us for an upcoming Birds of a Feather online conversation to share and gain additional resources. The next event will be November 20, 2024 at 12 pm Eastern / 9 am Pacific.
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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.