DIY at the Library

Library crafts may go hand-in-hand with children's librarians and story time but that doesn't mean that they should get to have all the fun! Library crafts aren't just for kids!

If your library already has a book club, take a page from the children's librarian and find a simple craft that coordinates with the book.  Try offering knitting or sewing classes - there may even be someone at a local craft store who may be willing to teach them.  If your library has helpful books and patterns make sure your patrons know that those resources are there.  If there are other potentially unknown crafting/DIY materials available, advertise them:

No fooling - you can now check out cake pans! Full story: http://t.co/krocd7ULzg http://t.co/I6wz76QtUz
— Rock Island Library (@RILibrary) March 21, 2014

There are plenty of tutorials on Pinterest for holiday crafts.  Offer a chance for parents to get ready  by making fun and festive decorations.  Create a facebook page or some other way for the community to suggest ideas for a crafting night held at the library.

Fun events like craft nights could be a way for a library to attract people who may not like to read and may not be inclined to use the library.  When librarian Linda Davis began an teen/adult craft program, the total attendance at the end of the year was 450 people!

Genealogy

One of the best ways that a library can draw in members of the community is by offering resources and tips for genealogical research.  According to Ancestry.com, 87% of Americans are interested in learning about their genealogies. The popularity of television shows where celebrities learn about their ancestors such as Finding your Roots and Who do you think you are? show that not only are people interested in where they came from but that the idea is popular enough that production companies can make a profit by showing footage of strangers' genealogical results.

Source: http://www.skipease.com/blog/genealogy/family-tree/

The Detroit Public Library offers tips on ways to get started and other resources to aid researchers who don't know where to start or have gotten stumped.  The Mitchell Research Center in Hillsdale, Michigan keeps local history records, obituaries, city directories, and other useful records for researchers as well as offers classes on how to get started and how to use the physical resources that they collect.

There are online resources such as Ancestry.com that make it easy for people to search from home and to access non-local materials but libraries can still offer classes and advertise the materials that they do carry.  It's very possible that people want to learn about their family trees but just don't know where to get started.  Friendly and capable librarians can help point them in the right direction.

Bibliocycle

What do you get when you combine books, a bike, and a librarian?  The answer is Bibliocycle, a unique partnership between Boston Public Library and Boston Bike created to promote "healthy minds and bodies" to Bostonians.  This outreach program was launched during the summer of 2014 in effort to take the library to the streets and to encourage physical activity.

Librarians rode bikes with a book trailer in tow to farmers markets, fairs, and community events. Patrons were able to check out books, sign up for a library card, and see demonstrations of Boston Public libraries digital resources. This partnership enabled librarians to go into the community to expose people to some of the resources that BPL offers; as well as to encourage visitation to one of the many brick and mortar branches.  In addition representatives from Boston Bikes provided biking and healthy living tips.

For more information on this partnership between Boston Public Library and Boston Bikes go to http://www.bpl.org/press/2014/07/10/bibliocycle-rolls-outsuccessfully/ .

References

Boston Public Library. (2014.) Bibliocycle. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://www.bpl.org/press/2014/07/10/bibliocycle-rolls-outsuccessfully/

Pine River Library: A Library Built by the Community

The Pine River Library was selected as the Library Journal's Best Small Library of 2014.  The library serves just under 9,000 people in the community of Bayfield, CO.  The library staff has developed many unique ways to meet the needs of their community.

Through partnerships with a local firm called Southwest Ag,  BP, and dozens of volunteers, the library was able to build a 17,000 square foot outdoor space featuring a community garden, greenhouse, fruit orchard, and five outdoor learning areas.  The library offers classes in cooking, canning, and preserving the food people grow.

Another focus of the library is technology.  The PRL has a technology-lending program which allows patrons to borrow laptops, ereaders, GPS devices, tablets, MP3 players, and video cameras.  There are 50 devices total with a circulation of more than 1,000 annually. Through this program, library patrons are able to try devices before they buy them, and it allows the PRL to increase the circulation of its digital materials. There are a number of technology classes offered through the library.

The local school district, the Bayfield School District, has monthly late start days in grades K-5 for teacher development.  During those late start days, the librarians go to the school and provide a story time for the students while the teachers are in training.

The library offers many programs, including exercise classes, free movies (Bayfield has no movie theater), movies on an outdoor screen, a free babysitter training course offered through the American Red Cross, and a focus on programming for teens, including a monthly event with music, games, and activities for teens in grades 6-12.  The library is open 62 hours a week spread over all seven days.

It is clear that the Pine River Library serves as a hub of its rural community.  I feel this is important for any library, but especially a rural library in a community which does not have as many resources and opportunities as a more populous area.  The library staff are willing to move outside the walls of the library to reach out to community members and find out what they need and how the library may best meet those needs through community partnerships.

Meet the Contributors: Nakenya

My name is Nakenya. I am a first year Masters of Library and Information 
Student at Wayne State University.  I want to work as a children/youth service librarian in an urban library. I am also interested in digital preservation. I enjoy introducing children to different opportunities through literature and hands on projects. On this blog, I will explore the various aspects of Community Partnerships in Library and Information Science.   

Meet the Contributers:Megan

Hello!  I am Megan and I am a first semester student in the Masters in Library and Information Science  program at Wayne State University.  I plan to become a children's librarian once I finish my degree. I enjoy working with children and watching them learn new things.  I also do not believe I will ever grow out of children's books!

For the blog, I am looking forward to exploring creative partnerships between rural libraries and their communities.  I am especially interested in how rural libraries meet the needs of their younger patrons.

Archive Sleepover

It's not often that I wish I could go back to middle school but this week I've often found myself thinking that very thought.  On Monday, the US National Archives posted this tweet:

Got a young explorer who dreams of a night at the museum? Sign up for our next #ArchivesSleepover, OCT 18! http://t.co/M8iQwHER13.
— US National Archives (@USNatArchives) September 29, 2014

The included link has information about their upcoming Sleepover at the National Archives for children ages 8-12.

The opening line on the informational page asks, "Have you even wondered what happens in a museum after the building closes and the lights go out?" which draws on the popular Night at the Museum series where a security guard at the Smithsonian gets to see the exhibits come to life when the doors close the night.

The sleepover promises to give participants an evening where they can explore and play games and learn about "mysterious shipwrecks, the wild West, and the rugged Arctic" as well as have access to many of the records housed in the building.

An event like this can draw in kids that are beginning to be interested in history and learning about the past. Actors dressed as historical figures are there to answer questions and games and songs make learning fun. Getting to spend the night next to documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights could make learning about them in class more relatable.  Experts agree that children learn best when they are actively involved in the experience.

This is an idea that a local library or historical society could easily implement. Even if children can't snuggle with anything quite as remarkable as the actual Declaration of Independence, you can host an event that teaches them about local history or focuses on a specific author or genre. Making the resources available and appealing to children shows them that knowledge can be fun!

Meet the contributors: Julia

My name is Julia and I am a current student at Wayne State University.  My goal is to get my Masters of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Archival Administration.  I am still in the beginning of my program but when I graduate I hope to get a job in a Special Collections library.  I worked in Special Collections at my undergrad so I am especially interested in academic archives but I may broaden my perspective a bit over the next two years.

Like Megan, Maeve, and Nakenya, I will be exploring Creative Community Partnerships within the library system.  I will try to focus my posts on archives and Special Collections but as I research I just might find some other fun tidbits!