Evolutionary and revolutionary
What are your evolutionary and revolutionary ideas?
An evolutionary idea is something that could start out small but possibly grow into a revolution. What are your evolutionary and revolutionary ideas? For example, at Anythink, going fine free was an idea brought up by one of our children's guides as a great feature for summer programming - give kids a "fresh start" if they participate in SRP. From that came the revolutionary idea of going fine-free, not just for kids one summer, but as a district, for everyone.
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My idea is pretty simple; make the website have the availability to manage my checked out items from home, work etc. we can go to a branch and log on to renew a book; why not have that ability from anywhere? If I receive the notice in my email that an item is due and I haven't quite finished it yet I want to renew. The best part is the capability already exists for self service you just need to attach it to the user profile and enable!
This may be too radical in this age, but what about the idea of reviving one of the following:
1. Renaissance-style group reading aloud. I've found that even high school students can come to find this deeply rewarding and enjoyable play, on their own time with their friends.
2. Story time (not just for kids) to showcase the life experiences and insights of members of older generations. The opportunity to sit and talk in a quiet room with someone of very different experiences and world views can be invaluable. Books never talk back, after all.
3. Something equivalent to #2 but virtual, a sort of "peer network" where for example someone interested in woodworking or apiculture could communicate with a local resident who works in carpentry or bee-keeping, or where a student studying the Vietnam War could discuss it with a veteran.
These ideas would work in the interest of preserving narratives, educating and enriching our lives through human connections.
I used to attend adult story time at the Aspen Public Library and it was absolutely great. I love this idea.
Love this idea! It has a very StoryCorps feel to it.
Last year we created a children's garden on the grounds of our library with the help of the Illinois Extension of Master Gardeners through the University of Illinois. It has been a great hit. We were able to have programs for the kids to help plant flowers and vegetables and then when they grew, they were able to come and take some home. We also had story times for the children centered around gardening and the outdoors. It was exciting to see children learning about where food comes from and I look forward to the spring for another fun growing season. I recommend checking around local universities to see if any of them would be willing to help plan the garden.
What kid doesn't like Gummy Worms? How about Vermiculture with the Extension Service as a library program? This could work for both kids and adults alike. In addition, it is year round! What a great opportunity for free compost for your community garden!
But I would really like to take this one step further. How about Farm-to-Table Dinners as a library fund-raising event using produce from the community garden? Has anyone done that? I'd love to here from you.
We did a vermiculture program here last summer that was great. Kids and adults went home with worms to start their own composts. With the upcoming community gardens, this will be a perfect one to bring back again.
I also LOVE the idea of the Farm-to-Table dinners. The community gardens are really for community members, so the library itself won't be tending or harvesting as of yet. What we'll provide is supplemental programs like the vermiculture one you mentioned, cooking classes, and classes on nutrition and sustainability. We haven't worked out all the details yet, but that's definitely in the plan.
Last year we hosted our first foundation fundraising event, Sparkopolis. One of our main criteria when we were looking for caterers was that all the food served - as much as was possible - was local and organic. Some of the veggies served were straight from the chef's garden that he grew specifically for the event. Even the liquors served were all from Colorado distilleries and breweries. But it will be very fun if we get to a point where we can contribute from our own gardens as well!
What an incredible experience for those kids. Anythink is partnering with Denver Urban Gardens to provide community garden space at our renovated Commerce City and Perl Mack libraries beginning this spring. The community will be responsible for tending the garden, but we're excited about the opportunity to provide programming for kids and adults on gardening, nutrition, cooking, etc., to supplement the garden program. The more we can get kids to think about food in a different way -- and the outdoors -- the stronger our communities will be.
I would love to see libraries offer some extended one-on-one service. I see a lot of patrons, particularly ones having to re-enter the workforce again, get frustrated when they have to fill out electronic applications. Or there someone who really wants to find out more about their family and doesn't know where to start. Or how about those adult students who haven't done research in over a decade, or never have?
I would happily volunteer an half hour or hour of my time (or more) each day to provide a patron with more intensive one-on-one help. Whether it's helping them on the internet, teaching them how to use databases, showing them how to do research, or just a specific in-depth question that the patron is interested in.
I have found that if I spend a few extra minutes with someone, they discover that librarians really are there to help them, and they return more often, and ask more questions. Dedicated users often spread the word to new users, and I am always excited to see new faces!
The library I work at offers this one-on-one assistance you describe called Book-A-Librarian. The idea is great, however, we found it difficult to sustain with the number of requests flowing in and insufficient number of staff to carry out this service. In addition, we saw many requests/appointments cancelled by patrons unable to come in. Instead, we are looking at traditional classroom style computer instruction to meet the demand and reduce staff time by providing these classes. This could be seen as the opposite of what Anythink is.
Anythink has inspired me. Great job to all who have contributed to what has now become the Anythink Library. Thanks!
I don't see the classroom-style instruction as the opposite of Anythink. We still offer computer classes in our labs. What we're trying to do is supplement those necessary basic computer classes with those that teach some of the same skills but in a different way. For instance, teaching folks about sites like Snapfish for the holidays or social networking sites like Goodreads provides them with tools on how to navigate websites and the Internet. Of course, our tech classes are still evolving as we continue to assess the needs of the communities we serve.
From what I have read about Anythink, I imagined one-to-one assistance for every service/program. I was unaware that your libraries have labs for computer instruction. Sessions on Spanfish and Goodreads seem like fun to teach and learn! I must schedule a tour of your library soon. Thanks, Stacie.
Yes, please come visit! Just like many other libraries, we don't have the staffing to offer that one-on-one assistance as much as we'd like. What we try to do is look at our resources and how we might use them in a new way. Maybe that's having open lab sessions where people can come in and ask a variety of questions. Or scheduling an hour where people can come in and ask staff about e-books. I think the important thing is to know that you don't always have to do things the way it's always been done, just because it's always been done that way. You can come up with some cool ideas using the same resources by looking at things a little differently. These might not be the best examples of that, but that's the approach we try to take on a lot of things.
I'm wondering what people think of an evolution towards the outdoors.
It seems like many libraries concern themselves with the information that is housed within their walls. Exterior programs from community gardens, to bug hunts are great ways to encourage activity, community and hands on fun.
The evolution could be a small community & staff volunteer garden. It would be a lot of hard work, but if it caught on, and staff was able to replace their hours with volunteer garden curators, perhaps it would indicate the makings of a district gardening revolution.
Has anyone tried? How have you broken out from under the lights and into the sunshine?
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