While books are at the center of any library’s collection, libraries are about so much more!
Can you name 5 Things that the library offers (other than books)?
We’ve been asking this question recently – and it’s fun to see some responses, especially in light of this year’s National Library Week theme: There’s More to the Story. Everyone has a slightly different answer – we’ve been asking our managers, but you might encounter the social media team in a branch sometime soon. You can find some answers in the source magazine and on our website.
Your library card opens a world of possibilities and remains true to our mission of Public Education for All. 5 Things lists have mentioned these and others:
classes and events
language learning
passport services
STEAM and Literacy activity kits
arts and crafts
digital media
DIY tools
Art and photo prints
toys and ukuleles
So, let us know … how do you use the library? What are your favorite 5 Things?
Libraries are full of stories – literally and figuratively. While everyone knows about the stories you can find on our shelves, what about the stories people tell each other when they participate in book discussion groups, children’s classes, panel discussions, author talks, and teen events? Libraries are where we tell our own stories and listen to other people’s stories, where we learn from others and build community.
An instructor at our Savage Branch relayed this story, “(name)’s mom told me how she enjoys when I teach because she gets to learn and practice ASL vocabulary with her daughter. This is important because she has recently been diagnosed as hard-of-hearing, and she may suddenly lose her hearing at any moment. She asked me to help her with a couple of signs, and I was also able to direct her to local organizations, resources, and class opportunities that could help with her ASL journey. We don’t know everyone’s story coming into our classes, but how awesome it is to be the right person at the right time for someone.”
Why do you like coming to the library? What’s your library story?
Look for National Library Week posts over the next five days. We look forward to sharing information with you about the “State of the Library,” the 5 Things campaign, and the exciting possibilities of the new Lakefront Library. As always, Chapter Chats brings you a wide range of reviews, classes and events, and general library news.
Introducing Booker
Howard County Library System’s story now includes a mascot … Booker! Thank you to everyone who helped choose a name from our survey on social media this year. Booker is a saw-whet owl, a species native to Maryland, who brings wisdom and enthusiasm to the library.
Booker looks forward to going on Summer Reading Adventures with children, ages 0-5 and 6-10, this summer. Look for our new mascot on the upcoming issue of source, too.
Those of us who write for Chapter Chats want to connect with you, and want you to connect with the library. Most of the time, we’re going to share with you something new and different to read or watch. We enjoyed those titles so much that we want you to experience them, too. Check out recent popular reviews of the The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman orA Song of Wraith and Ruins by Roseanne Brown. If you’re an audiobook listener, we have you covered as well.
But the library has so much more to offer than books, and we want you to know about those things, too. Here’s a brief list of some blog posts that look at the other ways we’d like to connect with you:
Have you had a chance to visit Central Branch and tour the Undesign the Redline exhibit? It’s only here a little bit longer. Christie Lassen talks all about it in this Interview.
Have you been to Glenwood Branch recently? There’s so much that’s new for you! Visit the Makerspace and see the wonderful new play stations.
Our most liked blog post since Chapter Chats began about two years ago lets you know how to use the library’s subscription services to avoid news paywalls.
Do you like to craft? Or maybe bake? The DIY Center at Elkridge Branch may be able to help. The staff there can also help you with tools to get your yard cleaned up after winter and ready for spring fun.
And, now that it’s actually spring and random snow flurries have finally ended, take a drive to Ellicott City to visit the Enchanted Garden at HCLS Miller Branch.
One of our teen volunteers who frequents the Savage Branch (and writes for the blog) recently discovered that we lend toys. She is entirely on board with this idea.
We are even bringing the library to you with our PopUp Library van, which visits neighborhoods and community events.
So, take this as a reminder and an invitation to stop by frequently and see what’s going on in the blog – and at the Library. We love our library and connecting with you in all the ways we can imagine.
by Katie DiSalvo-Thronson, Community Engagement and Partnership Manager
I believe outreach is for everybody, and it’s a first step towards many good things. Why not do some outreach today, and consider reaching out to the library?
Wait, what?
I’m Katie DiSalvo-Thronson, and I’ve got about 20 years of community engagement experience from girl scout cookie sales, to working for a community school in the Dominican Republic, to community organizing. I’ve seen the power of outreach and steps that can follow, again and again.
Today is also Library Outreach Day. It’s also National Library Week, and this year’s theme is Connect With the Library. In honor of all that, I want to share some inspiration!
I view “outreach” as simply reaching out. It can be as easy as a hello at the mailbox. It is extending a welcome to someone new and inviting them to start being in a relationship with you.
Reaching out helps us live in friendlier, more connected communities. Connecting to people outside of our familiar circles helps us gain new understanding of the world. New relationships and new knowledge mean new possibilities. Reaching out also gives us a chance to share who we are with others.
It’s a step outside of the familiar and predictable. It’s a small, brave thing to do that makes the world a better place.
What is library outreach? Library outreach gives us a chance to share about the library – and we have beautiful spaces, incredible books and other resources, and tremendous free classes and events! Reaching out with that is phenomenal! We are committed to bringing as much as we can to the community. Did you know that we also have a new mobile unit, that provides books, children’s classes, and community engagement all over the county?
Library outreach also gives us a chance to listen and hear you! Did you know that we’ve recently talked to people at a flea market, a rock climbing event, and Howard Community College? That we connect with local civic, business, and cultural groups every day? Did you know that we’d like to connect to and hear from your community group? (we really would!)
But then what?
After we’ve reached out and gotten to know each other, that’s when the magic can happen.
A Native American Heritage Month event with Ani Begay Auld, a local artist and activist, and the Howard County Office of Human Rights and Equity.
Presentations about library resources followed by a craft class with the Howard County Family Child Care Association.
Library-based food distributions by the Indian Cultural Association.
Presenting related Library books at an education session with Community Advocates of Rainbow Youth about how to support trans/non-binary youth.
A collaboration on story walks in the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area with local environmentalists and Howard County Recreation and Parks.
The NAACP’s young men’s group meeting in the Library’s new Equity Resource Center.
A great author event on the history of Muslim cooking with the Muslim Family Center.
A new project lending chromebooks and providing remote English Language Conversation Classes to parents at Deep Run Elementary School.
These are just a few of the ways we are collaborating with community members.
Bring your dreams here. Help your Library System provide the educational opportunities, community connections, culture, and joy that matter to you. Reach out to us, and let’s work on it together.
by Tonya Aikens, President & CEO, Howard County Library System
It’s National Library Week! First observed in 1958, National Library Week is a time to celebrate our nation’s libraries, library staff, and promote library use and support. This year’s theme, Connect With Your Library, promotes libraries as places to connect – to technology, to learning, and, most importantly, to each other.
We invite you to connect with us and your neighbors when you attend a class or event, participate in a book discussion group, visit an exhibit, get a passport, study or conduct research, browse the collection, or simply stop by for a visit.
At Howard County Library System, we are focused on making connections with and between members of our community. We launched our new mobile unit last summer, bringing classes and materials to preschoolers and their families in communities less able to come to our branches.
We reopened the renovated Glenwood Branch in December, and families are now spending hours in our new Builders Barn and interactive play spaces. After school, teens flock to the cozy booths, play games, and record raps in the recording booth at our makerspace.
Over the past year, we also embarked on an equity journey. We formed a Racial Equity Alliance, comprising 20 people representing a broad cross-section of the community, which guides and partners with us in our racial equity work. We launched our Brave Voices, Brave Choices initiative which hosted racial equity training for more than 400 community members, collected more than 600 stories of racism, bias, and discrimination, and convened circles of people seeking to make sense of what they learned and discuss how we should move forward as a community.
In response to requests for a physical space where people can come together to learn more about one another, to learn more about people different than them – whether that’s a different race or culture or belief or gender identity – we created an Equity Resource Center at our Central Branch. This new Center includes space to gather, for exhibits, and for a new 9,000-plus title equity collection.
Libraries serve the entire community and provide opportunities to connect and bring people together across conversation…to hear, listen and understand our differences, to learn how we can make meaning of them, and how we can find and increase common ground.
When we create connections, the fabric of our community is stronger. Libraries are unique places where all people, regardless of background or means, are welcome. Whether you connect with us online or in person, we hope to see you soon.
By Tonya Aikens, President & CEO of Howard County Library System
It’s National Library Week, a time to celebrate libraries! This year’s theme, Welcome to Your Library, is especially fitting as we welcome customers back inside our branches for limited in-person service for the first time since closing last March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While our doors were closed, our libraries were indeed open. Our team pivoted quickly and effectively to assist customers, develop and teach virtual classes, lead virtual book discussion groups, present renowned authors and speakers, coordinate virtual events, make more eBooks and eAudiobooks available, create a COVID portal with community resources, and work on a phased reopening plan – all while adapting to life in a pandemic.
We created new opportunities to connect and engage – changing the Longest Table from a physical to a virtual table, converting the HiTech Carnival to a carnival-in-a-bag experience, transforming Evening in the Stacks into a virtual trip to Italy, adapting the Battle of the Books academic competition to an online space, creating Bundle Bags for people who missed being able to browse the shelves, launching a new blog, adding STEM Activity Kits to our collection, and lending Chromebooks and hotspots to help address the digital divide for those without devices or internet access.
While dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are also addressing the pandemic of racial injustice by integrating equity practices into our internal and external work, launching a Racial Equity Alliance, and supporting community building. Watch for news in coming weeks on our website and social media channels.
Underlying all our work is a commitment to education for everyone in our community. We look forward to launching the On the Road to Kindergarten mobile unit later this summer, enabling us to bring our preschool classes and learning resources to children of families who do not have access to our six branches. By making these classes and services fully accessible, children can take their first steps to become ready for kindergarten.
It’s clear that at Howard County Library System, we offer endless opportunities to transform lives, whether you visit our branches in person or virtually.
We are grateful for our supporters and donors, especially the Friends & Foundation of HCLS, and our customers. Our staff is excited to welcome you back to your library!
CHAPTER CHATS 