RAILS has a new tool for libraries to stay connected to the My Library Is... campaign. As part of the campaign, you can subscribe to receive a regular newsletter with links to blog posts, templates, and resources. Anyone who is interested in telling the story of the library and proving the library's value to stakeholders is encouraged to subscribe. This email arrives the first Monday of every month.
The...
For the fifth consecutive summer, my library will serve as a summer meal location to provide free, healthy, boxed meals for children over the summer. We provide this service from the Dundee Library, our main location in East Dundee. The meals are distributed to all kids 18 and under and are paid for by the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), a federally funded program managed by the USDA and operated by the Illinois State Board of Education in conjunction with the Northern Illinois Food Bank, who prepares and delivers the meals.
For the first three years, the rules of the program...
Most people coming into my library have no idea what they are looking for. Many students coming in with their class are required to pick a book for an assignment. Most don't consider themselves readers and struggle to name a book they would recommend to a friend. How do I help these kids find books? Genres! (And lots of questions).
I did book talks at the start of the year and it quickly became clear that students needed some way to browse books. Thinking about the way many websites are set up, it makes sense. We are being trained to browse in a certain way. When I book talked I...
Marketing Plans and More
The Chicago State University library is named after Gwendolyn Brooks, a form faculty member, poet laureate and the first Black person to win a Pulitzer Prize. The mission of GBL is to “provide exemplary information and instructional services to guide learning, teaching, research and discovery for the Chicago State University community.” The library recently completed revising its strategic plan and the next step is to complete a marketing plan. Like many libraries ours is underfunded, under budgeted and, frequently unappreciated. The...
RAILS Executive Director Deirdre Brennan talks with representatives from Gerber/Hart Library & Archives about their journey to create an eight-episode podcast on the personal stories of LGBTQ life and history in Chicago. Watch the interview on RAILS Sparks episode 32.
If you hear the term “marketing,” does your mind jump to Madison Avenue types like Don Draper? Or do you start thinking about what’s on your grocery list? Maybe something in between? Here in Libraryland, the species known as "Ipsum bibliothecarii" (marketing librarian) has only recently evolved. We still don’t know a lot about them, and just when we think we have them figured out, they surprise us.
My official title is “Marketing and Events Coordinator.” A decade ago, that phrase might have been written off as a word salad, but more and more we see libraries devoting anywhere...
Each February our specialized library helps plan the annual Engineering Day event at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. Knowing there are many public libraries in our area that offer STEM resources, we sent out an invite for them to participate along with us.
Due to COVID, this year’s event was online. The Museum created a Virtual Engineering Day website with links to activities from local community groups. The website was promoted to teachers, parents, and the public.
For our part, we created a Peoria-Area Library STEM Resources Guide - a Google Doc showcasing library STEM books...
Four members of the My Library Is… Advisory Team will share their library stories in this panel presentation. Representing school and public libraries, the panelists will discuss how their libraries have engaged their patrons, educated their stakeholders, and expanded the reach and value of the library to their communities. A short Q&A will follow.
Panelists:
This is my first year at a school library. I worked at a public library for 13 years. There were always times that were more stressful and busier than others but moving to a school I have encountered a strange phenomenon that starts in March, and I am told lasts until the end of the school year when everything and everyone starts feeling the push to get things done and ends up stressed. I heard about it before it started and I thought, “that won’t happen to me.” Guess what, it did. I now feel buried both at school and at work in a way I have never experienced before.
So what does...
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...
The My Library Is ... campaign
is a project of the Reaching Across Illinois Library System.