2019-02-22 SPLAT Curiosity Report: Volume 2, Issue 9
Featured Story
Editor’s Note: Tired of all the snow? Set your mind to summer and get your application in for the Idaho Libraries’ Futures Camp because there’s only one week left!
Reaching Out to Underserved Patrons With Differing Abilities
One of the ways that the Nampa Public Library is serving our community is to look for opportunities to reach patrons that are not able to access the resources of the library in the same way as other members of the community.
Marcia Stillman, one of our Youth Services staff, noticed there were several community agencies that would bring differently abled clients to the library, but the kids and teens were not involving themselves in the library. Their ability to use the library felt restricted and dictated. Marcia designed several different programs to involve these patrons.
The Humpback Whale Storytime is a sensory story time that is geared toward children and includes family participation opportunities. There are changes in lighting as well as the volume of music during this story time. Humpback Whale Story time is focused on activities, and movement. Marcia also keeps the start and stop times flexible and encourages the children and families to come and go as needed. She works sign language into the stories and keeps the room plan as open as possible to allow participants to move freely about the room as they need.
The Club is a group focused on teenagers. During the Club sessions, teens are encouraged to play games, hang out, and interact with each other. Marcia has constructed the Club as a safe space to teach socialization skills such as eye contact, etiquette and discourse. For example, each session the teens select what kind of music they would like to listen to by discussing the options among themselves and coming to a consensus.
Nampa also created the ABLE collection. ABLE stands for: Academic Behavioral Learning Expressions. This collection is focused on both differently abled patrons as well as caregivers. The ABLE collection includes books for all ages, and feature stories with characters of differing abilities. We also include books for caregivers that share tips and strategies to manage behaviors. Braille books are included in this collection. Because this is a special collection, we have been able to customize shelving schemes to make the books as easy to find as possible.
These programs have been very successful. The Nampa Library was able to secure a grant from the Whittenberger Foundation to start the ABLE collection. The library partnered with Target to begin the Sensory Storytime programs. With the help of these partners, the library can better serve members of the community that were not able to fully enjoy the benefits of the library. Marcia’s contact information is stillmanm@cityofnampa.us.
Fail Forward
We’ve all been there. You pour your heart into a program, and no one shows up. You try something new, and you fall on your face. Sound familiar? Fail Forward is the place to share your failures, and give you the opportunity to share what you learned from them. Did you promote your program in a different way after no one showed up? Maybe you took a new approach to the new thing you were excited about? Awesome! Share your story via our online form so others can learn, and realize that failure is often part of the process.
Meeting Facilitation
Running meetings is one of those skills that seems like it should be easier than it is. One difficulty for me is not getting around to completing an agenda, because the meeting will happen even if we don’t have one. However, agendas aren’t just about having a plan for the meeting. Agendas let folks think about the topics, decide what they want to say ahead of time, and prepare for the meeting. It’s an excellent way to allow attendees with varying levels of comfort speaking in groups and in public to engage in the meeting and to share their perspectives. Going forward, I’ve created reminders to send agendas out at least 3 days in advance. I hope this will help attendees feel more comfortable and engaged.
Crush Corner
Is there a library you follow on social media who is always doing new and exciting things? How about a blog you follow that inspires you? What about a new idea, book, or resource that you want to share? Library Crush Corner is a place for those working in Idaho libraries to share what inspires them, and who or what they’re crushing on… in a professional sense. Share your story via our online form so we can publish it in a future issue!
Explorer’s Club
I have recently got a crush on Ada Community Library Victory Branch Explorer’s Club. This is a program designed by Molly Kumar and Jennifer Nelson. These two ladies saw a need at our library and designed this program. The Explorer’s Club is an adult with disabilities program. They are meeting once a month with a group of adults and doing activities with them. They had a ukulele class for them and social activities for them. The word is spreading and they are getting quite a group.
SPLAT explores the ever-evolving library world and supports library folks as they adapt to meet the needs of their communities. Library folk throughout the state of Idaho volunteer to serve on the Special Projects Library Action Team (SPLAT). Learn more about SPLAT at splat.lili.org
SPLAT is brought to you by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and was made possible, in part, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (LS-00-18-0013-18). The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.