Growing library garden programs from @webjunction

Growing Library Garden Programs: Upon hearing news of First Lady Michelle Obama's surprise visit to school and community gardens, we thought it would be a good time to collect together a list of related resources and examples of libraries who are creating gardens and hosting garden programming. Many public libraries are connecting to community partners and transforming spaces to engage patrons of all ages in growing library garden programs. Perhaps the First Lady could visit some of the many library gardens next! Middle Country Public Library's Nature Explorium in Connecticut: Learn all about this innovative garden in a WebJunction webinar, Explore and Discover: Nature-Based Spaces and Activities at your Library Westbank Community Garden at Westbank Libraries in Texas rents out fourteen 8' x 8' organic plots to community members.



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Go and read the above post in Webjunction.  It is a lovely collection of what is happening in the USA in terms of library garden programs.  Library gardens can be useful for so many aspects of library services, and have the potential to connect with:

• readers' advisory (non-fiction and fiction) - connecting plants to reading perhaps through seeing plants which have been read about, or mirroring the growing of plants described in books, or as a way to explore cooking or the environment.
• reference and information - a garden may be the answer to information people are seeking, and instead of the answer being found online or in a print resource, the answer may be in a plant in a garden, or in a method of gardening
• as well as local studies - with the growing of heritage or historic plants

Think about the potential for a library garden in your area.

Changing lives and enriching communities in #yxe - great work by @stoonlibrary

I came across the following headline in Infodocket (go and have a look at the link)

Saskatchewan: Saskatoon Public Library Dedicates Space for Truth and Reconciliation

You can read more about what the Saskatoon Library is doing in reconciliation.

The #Reconciliation Reading Room is now open at Frances Morrison Library! Come have a seat and browse our Indigenous collection. #reconciliationsk #yxe

A photo posted by Saskatoon Public Library (@saskatoonpubliclibrary) on Nov 21, 2016 at 8:52am PST

The description of the library, on their twitter account is "Changing lives and enriching communities in #yxe - Treaty 6 Territory and the homeland of the Métis."   This looks great.  Does your organisation acknowledge the local Indigenous community on your site? 

tracking the building of the Christchurch Central Library thanks to @ChristchurchLib

Christchurch City Library is providing lots of photographs of the construction of their new central library. They are tracking the building (see above) and some of the people involved (see below)


There are lots more photographs to look at, have a look at this album on Flickr.  This is a brilliant way to record this building for local studies, and it is a great way to tell the story of how things are changing for the community.  I wish more libraries would do this kind of public recording and storytelling for their communities. It is exciting to engage with the community in this way.

Library staff as part of the story for local studies

photograph thanks to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

These photographs show some library staff, from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library,  in North Carolina, showing their enthusiasm for their local team.

photograph thanks to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

The have combined a colour themed display, bringing in readers' advisory services

photograph thanks to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

as well as a photograph showing library staff out in a public situation with other fans. These photographs are recording some aspects of the library, potentially for the local studies collection, as well as what the community is doing, again for local studies.  It is also possibly marketing as to shows the library taking part in community events.

Toronto and Kansas City Libraries took a different approach (see this news article for more information) to show their support for local teams.

see

’Tis but a flesh wound! Next game... #TaketheCrown #GoRoyals #bookspinepoetry @torontolibrary @bluejays pic.twitter.com/wg3yqoxApM

— KCMO Public Library (@KCLibrary) October 21, 2015

and

Well played @KCLibrary but we've got a way with words too. 'Til tomorrow! @BlueJays #ComeTOgether #GoJaysGo pic.twitter.com/qED5PFp95t

— TorontoPublicLibrary (@torontolibrary) October 21, 2015

These examples all all show the importance of sport in local studies collections as well as libraries participating in key local events.  Great work by these three libraries in connecting to their communities in creative ways.

Desks at services points, and roving services

This has been an interest of mine for many years because it is about taking the services to the clients.

Library 21C had small desks encouraging staff to rove



Arapahoe Libraries at Koelbel had small desks, also to enable roving

and

They were also making it easy for their clients to find things

At Anythink Brighton service desks are also compact

As are the ones at Anythink Wright Farms

Denver Public Library had signs about roving. They were working with an older, large building and this is one way to inform clients about what is possible, as they staff will not always be visible.

Nice features in spaces for children in libraries: part 2

This continues the earlier post about spaces for children in library.

Phoenix Library has step into reading in Spanish


and English



Cambridge Public Library had gerbils


an amazing ceiling,

meeting rooms

and a fun stairway


Boston Public Library, had lots of spaces for parents and children to sit, off by them selves, or with others

and ways for children to navigate under the shelving. This does mean it is fixed shelving so there are some disadvantages to this.

Fox Library, MA had a children's reuse area for funds, use and to support the library,

lovely signs for children,

Watertown Public Library had an interesting classification of picture books

This is not an exhaustive list.

Fox Library

Foxes feature in the library


There were nice shelf labels

You can see more photographs of the library here.

Cesar Chavez Library

You can see more photographs of the library here.

Watertown Free Public Library

This has a nice cafe run by the friends of the library


They also used interesting categories for the children's collections

You can see some more photographs of the library here.

Tempe Public Library

The library has a lovely cafe, with with some book sales taking place there too


and nice labelling for the service desks

You can see more photographs of the library here.

Burton Barr Central Library

This library has a new makerspace.


There is also a space for business entrepreneurs


You can see more photographs of the library here.

Sedona Public Library

You can see more photographs here.

Harmon Library

This library was hard to photograph as the launch for the summer reading program was taking place and the library was packed.

The outdoor reading space is lovely

There are more photographs of this library.

May Library

Ecollections were promoted in the library


The tech bar was working too
You can see more photographs of this library here.

Sheridan Library

Members of the public can request 3D prints (and these are free). The printer was working on one of these requests


The had a display of staff picks See more photographs here.

Koelbel Library

The blue and white cylinders look like sculptures, but are sound proofing

3D printing choices

You can see more photographs here.

Southglenn Library

This library has a studio, and you can also see the 3D printer (printing requests from the public - this is a free service).

You can also borrow an impressive range of technology
You can see more photographs here.

Castlewood Library

This library has a makerspace, which is staffed for about 4 hours a day.


with a lovely range of tools You can see more photographs here.

Smoky Hill Library

The library has a sound proof studio



and drop in tech demos You can see more photographs here.

Anythink Wright Farms

This has lovely indoor

and outdoor spaces

You can see more photographs here.