The Social Library, Volume 25
Libraries featured in this week's edition of our Social Library series are creating and sustaining deep connections with their communities via Facebook. From state senators to school superintendents, and with powerful photos and videos, the library's story is being told by the communities they serve. And one library is providing the opportunity for citizen input on their proposed operating budget through an interactive visualization tool! Thanks to the staff at these libraries for sharing their great work and for providing practical and applicable inspiration to the WebJunction community.
- Oswayo Valley Memorial Library in Pennsylvania invited the new school district superintendent, Dr. Michele S. Hartzell, to visit the library to meet community members and to share a story with younger patrons. What a fantastic way to welcome the superintendent, bring folks to the library, and demonstrate to the school district the library's commitment to lifelong education.
- Meridian Library District in Idaho was featured in the Meridian Press for their new interactive budget tool. "In an effort to meet a strategic goal of improved fiscal transparency, Meridian Library District is pleased to announce the publication of their 2015-2016 Proposed Annual Operating Budget for discussion and citizen input through an interactive visualization tool." Created by Balancing Act, the tool enables the public to view, add comments, and "play" with the proposed budget to see how taking funding from one area would affect other areas of the budget.
- Pioneer Library System, which supports the great work of 42 libraries in New York, shared two videos this past week. First a terrific video created by New York Senator Rich Funke explaining why he supports libraries. And a second featuring Senator Cathy Young announcing, to the community served by the Livonia Public Library, news of a $250,000 grant secured from the State Senate that will help renovate and expand the library.
Multnomah County Library in Oregon shared this wonderful photo of Luciano, a regular Belmont Library patron, and pending asylee from Angola. The post explains how, with months of assistance from Belmont staff, he was able to navigate the tricky process of applying for a replacement Employment Authorization Card. But that's just part of the story! Be sure to read the full story and the many thoughtful community comments here.
- The Campbell County Public Library in Virginia posted congrats and the photo shared by Brenda Henderson, the winner of their "get caught READ handed" challenge. The photo received 177 likes to win the challenge, which encouraged patrons to snap a photo of friends, family, or pets reading a book, and to post it to Facebook, tagging the library and using the #ccplcaughtreadhanded hashtag. The prize for the challenge was a gas gift card!
We look forward to seeking out next week's treasures from those we follow on Facebook AND to hear from more of YOU! If you have innovative and impactful programs going on at your library that you'd like to showcase, let us know at [email protected], or find us on Facebook.
Thanks to all of this week's featured libraries for such outstanding service to your communities!