What is a Storywalk©? It is a book that has been disassembled, laminated and presented page by page to promote reading and exercise on a trail, bike path, or in store windows. The StoryWalk© Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk© is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
You can find more information here about StoryWalk©. Let's Move in Libraries also has a great information...
RAILS Member Engagement Manager Dan Bostrom speaks with Katey Moore, Marketing Coordinator, Bourbonnais Public Library about their approach to video marketing.
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This unprecedented year has been rough on us all. As the Assistant Director of a small public library developing and implementing dynamic children’s programming was at the forefront of brainstorms throughout my workweek. Pre-pandemic, my library staffed by five was akin to offering three-five programs a week for our community’s youth. I loved the challenge of finding new ways to engage my community’s youth in order to foster a lifelong life of learning and literacy. But as COVID-19 spread, so did the inundation of mobile classrooms, Zoom programs, and the unwelcomed increase of screen time...
Keeping students engaged with the library during the pandemic has been challenging. Over the past year as the building was closed or offered reduced hours, we haven’t been able to serve as the traditional third place where students can visit after school, gather to study, or meet for programs. However, our digital presence has remained constant and we have been able to meet many students where they are – at home.
Throughout this academic year, our library has continued having a dedicated core group of students who have participated in Teen Advisory Board meetings via Zoom. In many...
In 2020, the Illinois Community of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) faced a new challenge: how to make members feel engaged and connected to their association and fellow members when in-person events were no longer an option. As president-elect, I was responsible for the bulk of our programming. Our most-loved events were all cancelled, including an in-person symposium, regional dine-arounds, and library tours.
Like many other organizations, we pivoted to exclusively virtual events. We ceased the opportunity to work with other SLA communities in the Midwest to hold the first...
Deepening community connections in a pandemic is no easy task, so it was a win-win when Rock Island Public Library found an opportunity to help digitally under-served Rock Island-Milan School District #41 students connect to remote and blended learning, and also increase their access to digital books.
In addition to city WiFi, Rock Island Public Library (RIPL) locations also host the District’s homework hotspots, known as ROCKfi (Reaching Our Community’s Kids with fidelity.) Hotspots are located at RIPL’s Downtown and Southwest Library buildings, and more recently, onboard the...
When we have a message we want to share with the public, we turn to our list of what I like to think of as tools, and decide which will best help us get the word out. Depending on the message, we use a combination (or all!) of these tools: social media posts, print and electronic newsletter blurbs, flyers, bookmarks, press releases, blogs, etc. But what I think is the most important tool is probably the one that’s been around the longest… actual word of mouth.
What I mean by this is an in-person, verbal invitation to attend a library program, use a service, check out a book, or...
During the pandemic we built a small accessory building next to our library to house our new smart lockers. The idea expanded to include more 24 hour service features such as an air printer/copier/scanner and 15 internet station. This gave people who did not have a computer and could not come in to the library a chance to help themselves. With 24 hour cameras, temperature control and very open design people are able to use us 24/7. We call this place The Drop. Staff and public are all very pleased with this safe way to help people around the clock and during the pandemic it allowed us a...
Lake Forest Library and Lake Bluff Public Library are proud to present their joint nonfiction reading program called Read Between the Ravines. This Two Communities, One Nonfiction Book program brings together Lake Forest and Lake Bluff with the purpose of enhancing nonfiction literacy and inspiring discussion around real-world issues.
Read Between the Ravines started in 2019 as Deep Freeze Read. In 2019, a group of library staff and administration at both Lake Forest and Lake Bluff libraries selected The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan from a list of titles suggested...
The My Library Is ... campaign
is a project of the Reaching Across Illinois Library System.