community engagement

“Learning is a treasure that follows its owner everywhere.” — Chinese Proverb

That wasn’t quite the tagline for our Welcome Back to the Library campaign last fall, but we did offer a chance to win McDonald’s and Target gift cards!

As the summer of 2021 approached, Warrenville Library was starting to plan for a fall return to pre-pandemic hours and services. We were hopeful about resuming in-person programming, returning seating and tables to our public spaces, opening study rooms and offering our usual amenities.

Thanks to all who filled out the recent My Library Is... survey!

In November 2021, RAILS conducted four separate surveys targeted at our four library types (academic, public, school, and specialized) to measure awareness of the My Library Is... campaign and to determine what changes to the website/campaign could help libraries more effectively demonstrate their value to different stakeholders, justify the need for continued or increased library funding, and more. 

The Exhibitions

The Vespasian Warner Public Library District in Clinton has been looking forward to this month (January of 2022) for almost two years. The library was selected by Illinois Humanities to be one of six host sites for Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, a travelling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibition is on display now through February 5, 2022 and admission is free and open to the public.

Pandemic Programming – Baby Goats, Churros, and Pumpkins

Are you looking for a new way to gather input and spark ideas in your community? Try a community conversation.

The Vespasian Warner Public Library District in Clinton held a community conversation in August thanks to grant funding from Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Focus on Small and Rural Libraries, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).

Do you need help demonstrating the value of your library to different stakeholders? Want to know what to say to justify the need for continued/increased library funding or staffing? Would you like to attract new library users? Want advice on how to promote the library’s role in identifying fake news or why libraries are needed more than ever in the internet age?
 

The fall season may seem like an odd time to think about gardening, but it is the perfect time of year to start a Seed Library.  

Listening to the radio recently, I was reminded that this week is the semi-annual fundraising drive for my local public radio station.