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How Libraries Stretch Their Capabilities to Serve Kids During a Pandemic

Holly Korbey

July 31, 2020 |

KQED |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Summer, which is usually the busiest season for libraries around the United States, brought with it challenges due to the pandemic, but resourceful librarians innovated ways to connect with their most valuable patrons. In Chattanooga, Tennessee librarians recorded what would have been an in-person craft lesson and posted it on their YouTube channel. In St. Louis, Missouri, the public library loaned out Chromebooks and hot spots to families to increase accessibility to virtual programming. While the pandemic poses limitations, librarians are seizing the opportunity to try new things and keep students engaged.

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Why San Francisco's Librarians Make Great Contact Tracers

Emily Nonko

May 28, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Librarians’ skills have proved critical to San Francisco’s pandemic response, in roles ranging from translating to communicating public-health announcements, but especially contact tracing. The city’s largest-ever activation of disaster service workers meant sending librarians to the front lines. The dozens chosen for contact tracing work use a combination of research and people skills, striving to build trust with people reached by phone. Says one librarian, “You have to be agile and willing to lean in. It aligns well with my skills as a librarian."

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Kansas City's WWI Museum is avoiding layoffs by giving employees thousands of pages from its archives to digitize

Alisha Ebrahimji

April 01, 2020 |

CNN |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas

By assigning employees to digitization projects, the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, continues to operate even while day-to-day visitors stay home. To prevent staff from losing their jobs, the Museum has assigned teams to transcribe documents and letters. By shifting their priority, from interacting with visitors to processing collections, the Museum is able to make of its materials accessible to the public and researchers online.

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Bay County librarian using virtual storytime to cheer up families during coronavirus shutdown

Caitlyn French

March 29, 2020 |

MLive.com |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Bay City, Michigan

With schools and libraries closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, a librarian in Bay County, Michigan is turning to hosting a virtual storytime. Although this approach lacks some elements of the in-person storytime, it does offer a sense of routine for children during a time that could otherwise be destabilizing.

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Public Libraries' Latest Offering: Musical Instruments

Julia Hotz

January 14, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Instrument rentals help to address a gap in privilege. The Central Branch of Brooklyn Public Library in New York City is one of several programs in the US and Canada that loan out musical instruments for free. The program in NYC began with the support of a grant from BKLYN Incubator. Similar programs in Philadelphia and Toronto, Canada, loan instruments to members of their community through funding from grant programs.

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Education after the school bell rings: libraries lend help with homework difficulties

Brenna Brown

January 08, 2020 |

The Beacon Today |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, West Palm Beach, Florida

Libraries around West Palm Beach, Florida, have collaborated to offer resources to children who need to work on technology-dependant homework after school, but who don't have access to the Internet or a computer at home. The libraries offer free group-style tutoring with adult supervision and assistance, allowing kids to ask questions and get help with difficult assignments.

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A year after Denver Public Library ended late fees, patrons — and their books — are returning

Elizabeth Hernandez

December 28, 2019 |

The Denver Post |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Eliminating overdue fines at libraries allows low-income patrons to reengage with public resources. The Denver Public Library replaced fines with a lending restriction, meaning that patrons could only check out new items once overdue items had been returned. After doing away with late fees, the Denver Public Library has seen a return of its patrons who had previously stopped using the library’s services.

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Auraria Campus Installs Largest Singular Rooftop Solar Array In Downtown Denver

Dillon Thomas

November 14, 2019 |

KCNC-TV |

Broadcast TV Programs |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Auraria Campus in Denver installed more than 2,100 solar panels on their school’s library, which will save students money and be more sustainable. The campus teamed up with Namaste Solar to build the $1 million solar array, which will reduce campus energy usage by about 2.5 percent annually. While it will take 15 years for the panels to recoup the cost of installation, the life of the project should be about 30 years, so it will also generate additional revenue for the school.

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Books on wheels: When the library comes to the homeless shelter

Harry Bruinius

October 31, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

A bookmobile program in Queens brings stories, computers and wifi to family shelters to help expand access to these vital resources to children and families without a permanent home. The book-filled bus has served over 1,400 children and adults in Queens and offers titles and videos in Spanish as well as free library cards for families.

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A Big Little Idea From Nashville

Deborah Fallows

September 30, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Nashville, Tennessee

In Nashville, the public library system and metropolitan public school district are working together to ensure students have access to all the educational resources they need. To start, every student ID doubles as a library card.

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