2025-2026 Program Year Information

Library Outreach to Children

The Library Outreach to Children program provides resources to enhance public library outreach visits, reaching those children who cannot get to their local library and increasing the number of families with access to books in their homes throughout the year. Outreach events may occur anytime during the year; Libraries may typically request books for their outreach efforts between August 15 – June 15 each year (see Note below). 

If you do not have a public library nearby or if your public library cannot serve your school through their outreach efforts, school libraries that want to conduct outreach efforts may apply independently to this program on a case-by-case basis. Schools, please contact Kristina Taylor to discuss your outreach effort and, if approved, a separate school application link will be sent to you for completion. For all other questions, please contact Emily Riggan.

NOTE: This year, the Library Outreach to Children program requests are only open from August 15, 2025 – March 16, 2026 due to building closure for scheduled maintenance. Please submit your requests for late spring and summer outreach events early this year!

Library Outreach to Children Book Request Information:

Program Objectives:

  • To increase access to books in the home of young children, reaching those children and families/caretakers who are unable or unlikely to access resources available at their local public library.
  • To provide information about free library programming and promote library cards to all members of the families/caretakers served.
  • To encourage out-of-school reading time and share affordable ways in which all families/caretakers can encourage this.

Program Requirements:

By applying to this program, participating libraries agree to meet the following requirements –

  • In-person, face-to-face outreach is the main focus of this program. (Exceptions may be made – reach out to Emily to discuss.)
  • The library shall conduct outreach efforts outside of the library walls and outside of regular, in-house library programming, going to where the children who cannot reach their local library already are and targeting the children and families who are currently not able to or are least likely to utilize the public library.
  • The event shall be structured in such a way that children are able to select their own books – it’s important that they are allowed this choice, as opposed to being handed a book at random. Guidance from library staff is always encouraged to help children find the right book for them.
  • The library shall include the sharing of age-appropriate library programming, online access, and library card promotion at their outreach event; this is NOT a general library promotion program.
  • This program shall NOT be used to give children at your outreach event a new book each week or each time you visit (this program is designed to support only one book per child).
  • Books provided through this program shall NOT be distributed via the following non-eligible events: school assembly presentations (ICfL no longer supports this method as it has proven ineffective for lack of parental contact); Dia de los Ninos (unless the Dia event is an outreach event), Idaho Family Reading Week, or any in-house Summer Reading program events.
  • Participating libraries shall submit a final summary report for our outreach event/s no later than 30 days after the outreach event date/s (in the case of an event series, the report will be due 30 days after the last event date). Remembering to submit the summary report is the responsibility of the person who makes the LOC request. The report form can be found on the program website at https://libraries.idaho.gov/outreach/outreach-to-children/. Please mark your own calendar accordingly.

This program is designed to support the following types of library outreach efforts:

  • Outreach at a public event (i.e. Kids Day in the Park)
  • Outreach at a school event (i.e. family literacy night)
  • Outreach at a community partner event (i.e. Community Baby Shower)
  • Outreach at a local Head Start, Early Head Start or other daycare location (parent night)
  • Outreach at a local health clinic for families (partnership)
  • Outreach at a WIC Clinic or other food bank (partnership)
  • Outreach through supporting Library in a Box or Little Library receptacles in various locations (one-time only for this type, not ongoing stocking of these little libraries)

This is not an exhaustive list of eligible outreach events. Your library may be offering another outreach effort that is not listed here and is still eligible.

Library Outreach to Children has the following  limits on book requests:

  • Number of Requests: In previous years, the LOC program limitations were based on total number of outreach requests. This year, to fill as many requests as possible while working with a reduced budget, our limitations will be based on the total number of books requested per library branch within the program year. Each library may request a maximum of 500 total books during this program year, which runs from August 15, 2025 to June 15, 2026. It is up to the requesting library to decide how they would like to do this; i.e. several small events, one large event, etc. If we gain additional program funding later in the year, we will consider increasing these limits. If you have any questions about this new system, please feel free to contact us.
  • Books per Child: This program is meant to provide 1 book per child attending your outreach event and is not meant to provide books to the same children repeatedly. Please consider this limitation when requesting your books.
  • Board Books: max. of 35 board books total – any combo of Eng/Sp/Bilingual
  • World Language Books: We also have a few bilingual books in additional languages (see bilingual request table below). Please request these as needed – just know these are much more limited in quantity and we will do our best to fill your request or communicate with you about it. Due to funding limitations in FY26, we may run out of certain languages.

Program Registration

August 15, 2025 – March 16, 2026

(Apply 3-4 weeks before your event)

Summary Report

Due 30 days after outreach event

(End of year deadline for any outstanding reports: September 15)

Questions?

Primary Contact: Emily Riggan, Youth Services Administrative Assistant

Secondary Contact: Kristina Taylor, Outreach & Community Engagement Consultant

Headshot of Emily Riggan

Emily Riggan

Administrative Assistant 1
Email Emily / 208-639-4171
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Kristina Taylor

Kristina Taylor

Outreach & Community Engagement Consultant
Email Kristina / 208-639-4136
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This program is brought to you by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.