Libraries Build Community

"...the libraries’ primary purpose and mission, as crafted over the generations by local leaders and users, was to foster the kinds of social harmony that community spaces and stories—shared and experienced—provide." Wayne Wiegand, 2011 Welcome! I'm Valarie. This blog hosts a growing collection of examples of how libraries engage and support their communities. It is a extention of this presentation. Join me and submit an example!

[librariesbuildcommunity]

Two individuals find solace in the public library, escaping the brutal elements of the streets. 

[librariesbuildcommunity]

We recognize today that the focus of excellent library design should be to delight users, not to warehouse objects. This simple guiding principle creates boundless opportunities for architects and librarians to create inspirational centers of learning. In addition to providing shelves of books, libraries today must, at a minimum, provide those catalysts of curiosity that engage the mind and uplift the spirit: natural light, ubiquitous but largely invisible technology and a variety of spaces flexibly designed for independent study or collaboration.

Quoted from How a public library set me free - The Washington Post by Richard Reyes-Gavilan

[statelibrarynsw-familyhistory]

[librariesbuildcommunity]

via statelibrarynsw-familyhistory:

New south Wales Electoral Rolls 1842-2008

Find information about where your ancestors lived, their address and occupation by checking the New South Wales Electoral Rolls at the State Library of New South Wales.  Electoral maps which show boundaries and names of electorates are available as well as a card index to electoral districts from 1859.  These finding aids will help you find the electorate and family name you are searching for.  The State Library has electoral rolls going back to 1842.  These are available on microfiche and microfilm in the Family History centre lower ground 2 (Macquarie Street wing).  Ask the Librarian at the Family History Desk for help in accessing the Electoral Rolls.

The Electoral Rolls are also accessible in the Family History Centre via Ancestry.com (Ancestry Library Edition database) for selected years.  

Need help navigating a subject area?  See our Research Guides for help including searching our Family History resources.

What a great community service, as well as a smart way to be an expert on the community! 

[schoollibraryjournal]

“When people can’t apply for jobs or access government services because they don’t have access from home, public libraries must be there for them,” said Linda Lord, a librarian in Maine. “Where else are they going to go? Police station? Town hall? I don’t think so.”

via schoollibraryjournal

Libraries Seek High-Speed Broadband - NYTimes.com 

[explore-blog]

Libraries tend to become more cozy, relaxing and communicative places. Other than public spaces like museums, they have a certain private character, which makes them a living room for their community.

via explore-blog

CNN debunks the myth that libraries are dying. Complement with this wonderful photographic love letter to public libraries.

[librariesbuildcommunity]

Libraries, such as the Free Newburgh Library, help their communities tell their story through partnerships with other agencies and organizations.  This project was filmed and recorded by a team of Newburgh residents, sponsored by Sound and Story, and funded by the New York State Council on the Arts. 

Check out the Sound and Story Project of the Hudson Valley Facebook page for more info and check out these other articles:

Geek the Library Case Study:  Chelsea District Library Collaborating to Tell Community's Story

IMLS:  Multimedia Story Project Gives Voice to Teens and Extends a Hand to Refugee Community at the Salt Lake County Library

StoryCorps @ your library is designed to help public libraries across the country collect the stories of their communities

Urban Library Council:  Sacramento Public Library Capturing Community Stories

[thehannahmachine]

Waukegan library breaks down barriers with Spanish GED

[librariesbuildcommunity]

via thehannahmachine

In one visit last year to the Waukegan Public Library, Glorida Velez, the mother of a teenage son, learned that the high school equivalency diploma meant better prospects. She quickly enrolled in the library’s Spanish GED preparation course and within six weeks, she had passed all five GED subject exams in addition to a test on the U.S. government. How did she do it?

Personal impact translates to community impact.  It adds up.  <3

*I've had this saved for awhile, but it's still a fabulous story and it's great to be back!  ~Valarie

[ebronics]

LIBRARIES ARE IMPORTANT

[librariesbuildcommunity]

via ebronics:

The Internet provides expanding opportunities for everyone to participate in the information society, but too many individuals face serious barriers to access. Libraries play a critical role in bridging information access gaps for these individuals. Libraries also ensure that the public can find content of interest and learn the necessary skills to use information successfully. -ALA access to electric information

We had the Alaska Library Association conference last week and internet and information access reigned supreme.  I appreciate the work the librarians and information professionals do across Alaska to provide access to information for our communities. 

I plan to feature some of their work in coming posts, but first, I'm going to take a social media break so I may get down to the business of graduating this semester.

[librariesbuildcommunity]

"Some 36 million American adults are in dire need of literacy services and resources — and libraries help fulfill that need. ProLiteracy, in partnership with the Onondaga County Public Library and the American Library Association Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, is launching a Library Literacy Action Agenda designed to help increase and expand adult literacy services in public libraries across the nation. Why libraries? Because today virtually all public libraries (99.3 percent) provide public access to computers and the Internet, and more than 87 percent of libraries provide formal or informal technology training."

via Invest in libraries; they are windows into digital literacy for adults (Commentary) | syracuse.com by Kevin Morgan

[genqueue]

[librariesbuildcommunity]

via genqueue:

A Second Living Room: the Public Library Zavidovići’s Youth Corner

In Bosnia and Herzegovinia, many students commute from rural communities every day by bus to attend school in town. For young students, this often means long hours waiting for buses with nothing to do.

Located just next to a bus station, the librarians at the Zavidovići Public Library realised that the students waiting for the buses were spending their time unproductively every day after school.

This realisation led to the creation of a space in the local library dedicated to these children, addressing this problem of long hours spent waiting for buses.

Read more»

"Since the beginning of the Youth Corner, the number of visits to the library has increased from 50 people a week to 252, after one year.

Success!

[bibliobecca]

“Yes, you can access the Internet elsewhere, but will the Starbucks’ barista or McDonald’s server help you set up your first e-mail account, submit your first online job application, or evaluate reliable sources of information?”

Lee Moon, assistant director, Three Rivers (GA) Regional Library System.

Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, 2011–2012.

(via bibliobecca)

[thehappysorceress]

[librariesbuildcommunity]

via thehappysorceress:

I feel as though I’m being called home…

Bristol Central Library celebrates its 400th anniversary with an interactive ‘Hive’ installation using robotics and 400 out-of-print books.

Read more about Bristol Central Library's art installation on BBC news.  Honeycomb book hive celebrates library's 400th anniversary

How much does a ticket from Alaska to Bristol, England cost, anyway...

[librariesbuildcommunity]

"The Animal Rescue League of Berks County, P.A., has a program called “Book Buddies” where children volunteer to read to sheltered cats. ...to encourage children to read while simultaneously comforting the cats, according to the website."

Hmmm...I see where we can go with this...  Any libraries out there interested in partnering with their local animal shelter? 

via Kids Read To Sheltered Cats And Everyone’s Heart Collectively Melts on Buzzfeed & the Animal Rescue League of Berks County, PA (Facebook)

[librariesbuildcommunity]

image via Kansas teen uses 3-D printer to make hand for boy - by Mara Rose Williams | KansasCity.com

Check out this video to see how Mason Wilde, aged 17, used a 3D printer at the Johnson County Resource Library MakerSpace to create an articulated prosthetic hand to the delight of a young boy and his mother.

Video by John Sleezer | The Kansas City Star

[librariesbuildcommunity]

via @jkaLibrary

"What?!? Math at the library?? Fantastic! @MrM_Librarian"

Great programming at Morton Grove Public Library, Illinois.  Also, the character for their twitter account, @MrM_Librarian, is clever and playful!

[librariesbuildcommunity]

William Shakespeare probably didn’t have this mind when he imagined his plays being performed. On a cold and dreary evening in Southeast Alaska, library patrons gather to read Shakespeare’s Hamlet. *The catch? They aren’t in the same room:*

Read on to learn more about how the Online With Libraries program (OWL for short) connects more than 100 public libraries in Alaska and how this network is used to offer a variety of clever programs by creative Alaskan librarians.

[librariesbuildcommunity]

Library Supports Survivors of Domestic Abuse

A two part interview by Beyond Access with Holly Case covers the award winning work of the Surrey County Council Libraries in the UK on behalf of domestic abuse survivors.  She speaks of expanding her knowledge and cultivating partnerships beyond the library that does not stop at providing access to information.  Efforts include self-esteem workshops, poetry writing sessions (resulting in two ebooks and an exhibit!), bibliotherapy taster sessions, a reading group, drop in advice sessions and will expand to include work at a prison library. 

What a wonderful demonstration of community awareness, support and action!

How Libraries Can Support Survivors of Domestic Abuse How Libraries Can Support Survivors of Domestic Abuse: Part 2

Standing up to domestic violence: CILIP Libraries Change Lives Winner 2013 announced