Lead the Way: Libraries at the Heart of Community Engagement

The power of public media is that it has been a catalyst for helping children learn key early learning skills, like math, science and reading, right from their homes, for the past five decades. What if libraries leveraged these research-backed, high-quality, free resources to create dynamic learning experiences that were rooted in play? Dive into this engaging session to discover the transformative power of PBS and how easily you can integrate PBS KIDS content into your learning space. PBS Wisconsin Education library ambassadors, coming from rural and urban libraries, bring their expertise, offering practical insights and a treasure trove of ready-to-use resources to elevate your library programming.

Ready to deepen the impact of your library’s Read program? A community Read is a powerful way to spotlight societal concerns for local viewing with book choice and programming. Learn how you can expand the scope of your library Read by creatively engaging area organizations and building regional partnerships in innovative ways. By examining a model of how a city Read initiated by La Crosse Public Library (WI) evolved to include the surrounding area with La Crosse County Library, others throughout nearby states and, eventually, the Winding Rivers Library System, session participants will gain a unique understanding of ways a Regional Read can leverage the power of the local while furthering an inclusive practice that enlivens localities both rural and urban.

Session participants will engage in creative workshopping activities that help identify potential Read partnerships within and across their communities, as well as timely book topics and programming ideas.

Please leave your preconceptions of a traditional outreach or program at the door. Today, we’ll explore how two library marketing professionals’ craving for slowness spawned a multigenerational, neurodiverse community craft gathering — the Racine Public Library’s Stitch N Bitch — in three stages.

“See yourself as part of your community.” The impulse to position yourself as the “presenter” or “guide” of a program for a separate community artifices a divide between library workers and program attendees. When you position yourself instead as a patron of your own program, and craft an experience with your needs and desires as the spark, your gathering will be more flexible and communal.

“To let it grow, let it be.” The Stitch N Bitch launched with big aspirations but very low structure. Because we moved at our own pace and didn’t immediately fill the space with our own vision, we cultivated with our fellow attendees a neurodiverse, multigenerational crafting space where both library staff and patrons built relationships.

“Sustainable growth is interdependent.” The Racine Public Library’s fiber offerings now include three regular fiber arts programs, a multi-organization communal quilting project, and an overflowing selection of free crafting supplies for visitors. This growth called for more structure so we could protect the work’s joy and flexibility while adding to it in a healthy, sustainable way. We found this structure in new interdependence with local crafters and trusting each other’s feedback to meet our needs by adjusting the pace.

This session will cover the basics of what you need to plan a starter community engagement program, tools and ideas to supplement your program, and the building blocks for how to grow it.

Please bring your fiber crafts with you to stitch along with us as we present for today’s session!

Summer reading programs are a cornerstone of public library services, fostering a love for reading and maintaining community engagement during the warmer months. Arapahoe Libraries, serving over 270,000 residents in the diverse south suburbs of Denver, Colorado, has reimagined our summer reading program to better reflect and serve our changing multicultural community. Our service area includes significant Spanish and Russian-speaking populations, as well as a growing number of immigrants speaking various languages. This session steps you through our journey towards a more inclusive summer reading program, highlighting key initiatives such as offering multilingual materials and community partnerships that can be adapted by other library systems serving diverse communities.

Description coming soon

The Hudson Area Public Library introduced a fresh take on an outdoor scale solar system walk: Sidewalk graphics with QR codes for further exploration and free Augmented Reality (AR) apps to expand the interactive experience. Community connections and partnerships were forged with the park district, city council, a local graphic design firm, local rotary club and regional NASA Solar System Ambassadors in the funding, development, production, instillation and educational outreach to engage the region. The half-mile walk has drawn in communities and businesses that had not previously engaged or worked with the Hudson Area Public Library before. this session will give participants the tools they need to launch their very own Solar System Walk, and will leave with additional resources and links to host unique celestial events!