In February, McHenry County Youth Librarians encouraged residents to get out and discover the wealth of resources available in county libraries. To celebrate Library Lovers Month, the McHenry County Library Lover’s Expedition began February 1 and was open to all residents of the county and surrounding areas. A library card was not required to participate. Despite cold temperatures and occasional snow, 700 participants from 20 libraries in McHenry County and beyond joined the fun with 235 completing the Expedition by visiting all 11 participating libraries.
Every library in McHenry County offers materials to check out, but their offerings are not limited to books and movies. “We were hoping people would venture out and explore more of McHenry County,” said Seanine Brady, Youth Librarian at the Crystal Lake Public Library. “Obviously, we love libraries, but we wanted everyone else to realize how many amazing things you can do at each library. We also wanted to get the message out that most library cards can be used at any public library in Illinois to get a variety of materials, based on each library’s circulation policies.” Visitors participating in the Library Lovers Expedition could play skee ball, complete scavenger hunts, browse a 100-year-old butterfly collection, say hello to library cats or fish, and so much more at participating libraries. “Though most people want to stay home during the winter, we hoped that the idea of visiting Nemo and his friends, playing the piano, or picking up some STEM kits would entice individuals and families to brave the cold month of February. There are plenty of great activities at all of the libraries for all ages,” said Kate Tripp, Head of Youth Services, Woodstock Public Library.
Participants registered at any of the 11 participating libraries where they received a passport listing the libraries to visit, a lanyard and a button unique to that library. Libraries could be visited in any order. At each library, participants presented their passport to receive another button, collecting a total of 11 unique buttons. Upon completing the Expedition, participants were entered into a drawing to win one of 11 baskets containing $50 in gift cards from local McHenry County businesses. Participating libraries included Algonquin Public Library, Cary Area Public Library, Crystal Lake Public Library, Harvard Diggins Library, Huntley Area Public Library, Johnsburg Public Library, Marengo Union Library District, Nippersink Public Library, River East Public Library, Wauconda Area Public Library, and Woodstock Public Library. The program ended February 28. Gift basket winners were notified a few days later.
Staff heard lots of positive feedback from participants, including one enthusiastic young couple who exclaimed to Norma Hacke at the Wauconda library, “Some people bar hop, we library hop!”. Another Expeditioner reflected, “I really enjoyed visiting all of the libraries and talking to staff. Everyone is so friendly and they are all so proud of their library.”
An added benefit to the program was the opportunity for staff among the participating libraries to get to know each other better. Everyone added something to the project, whether it was creating a spreadsheet to log participant visits or creating forms for capturing data or offering suggestions of potential roadblocks and solutions. Each team members contributed to make the project a success.
The Library Lovers Expedition opened the door to cooperative efforts among McHenry County libraries and the projects won’t stop there. County youth librarians are discussing ideas for future projects to promote literacy and libraries.
Today's guest blog post is by Karen Sutera, Director, Harvard Diggins Library
