September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month, a time to celebrate the contributions libraries make to our communities. Libraries across the country have been hosting special programs and events this month to mark the occasion.
With the nation in recession, Americans are visiting their local public libraries more often and taking advantage of the free services they provide with greater frequency. Libraries across the country are seeing significant increases in patronage compared to previous years. And the recession is showing that the role of public libraries within communities is expanding.
While their core mission remains information, literacy, and public education, today’s libraries act as a new type of town square, a place where people of all ages and backgrounds seek help, connect with others, and get access to the information and services they need. In 2009, 169 million people in the United States visited a public library to find work, apply for college, secure government benefits, learn about critical medical treatments, and enjoy free access to the Internet. A recent study revealed that approximately 40% of library patrons use library computers for career and education needs.
Local governments across the country have leveraged the potential of their public libraries to assist in important strategic initiatives. The Dallas, Texas Public Library partnered with Mayor Tom Leppart to launch Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas in March 2008, which offered classes to help parents and caregivers teach their children six essential pre-reading skills needed to succeed in school: narrative skills, print motivation, vocabulary, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and print awareness.
The Fairfax County, Virginia, Public Library piloted Changing Lives through Literature, an alternative sentencing program aimed at reducing teenage recidivism, in collaboration with the Fairfax County juvenile and domestic relations court services and the Virginia department of corrections. Guided by a facilitator and joined by a court officer, groups of 10 to 15 teen offenders read and discuss novels, short stories, and poems that illustrate themes of friendship, values, choices, and consequences.
In June 2010, the Fayetteville, Arkansas, Public Library became a test bed for new technology in an effort to support local economic development. The purpose of the project was to create solar-generated power to reduce utility bills at the library; position Fayetteville as a leader in sustainability and an incubator for economic development; educate citizens in solar energy; and promote public-private partnerships. The Fayetteville Public Library Solar Test-Bed Project was a partnership between the city of Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas, Arkansas Energy Office, APEI, BP Solar, and others.
The Georgetown County, South Carolina, Library decided to take an active role in preparing the public to survive and recover from inevitable coastal hurricanes. The library teamed up with county and state emergency management personnel to offer traditional public lectures and workshops, as well as disaster game simulations, Web 2.0 communication techniques, oral-history video interviews, digital storytelling, and the creation of a digital collection of historic hurricane photographs.
The Iowa City Public Library partnered with the public works department and others to develop ECO Iowa City, an educational program providing residents with demonstration projects and up-to-date information on sustainability, particularly storm water management, local foods and compost, smart waste disposal, and energy efficiency. ECO Iowa City developed partnerships with other city departments, community groups, local businesses, and city council members.
Miami, Oklahoma, is the center of government for nine Native American tribes. To honor the heritage of their area and facilitate cross-cultural understanding, the city and the Miami Public Library partnered to provide services to this diverse community. Use of technology centered in the library, from computer literacy classes to workshops about federal and state websites for tribal staff, was a key component of the partnership.
The Pendleton, Oregon, Public Library and Police Department formed an innovative partnership, Wired for Safety, that focused on their shared mission to create a safe and productive environment for teens and the community. Using a mix of technology (a citywide wireless network and surveillance equipment) and expanded services (programs for teens and community safety, including self defense, identity theft protection, and Internet safety), Pendleton partnered the strength and security of local law enforcement with the empowering culture of the public library to make the library a comfortable and welcoming community space.
The Rockbridge Regional Library formed a partnership with the City of Buena Vista, Virginia, and the Dabney S. Lancaster Community College to help the region’s unemployed and underemployed residents become more competitive for good paying jobs in the in-coming call center industry. The Training and Call Center provided residents with free, basic, or advanced training in PC usage.
City and library leaders in Santa Ana, California, set their sights on providing young people with the basic tools needed to help them advance academically and economically. The program provided teens with opportunities to assist adults who have limited English proficiency develop language and computing skills. Young adults also worked with children ages 5 to 11 on math and literacy skills.
Local government and library leaders can learn more by downloading the ICMA report, Maximize the Potential of Your Public Library. This free report includes case studies and strategies for developing strategic partnerships between local leaders and public libraries that address community needs.
**Parts of this article were excerpted from Maximize the Potential of Your Public Library, published by ICMA in 2011.