Ironically, I was just talking to the librarian and librarian assistant at my fomer employer last week about how libraries should have a program that teaches gardening and creating homemade dishes. People often eat fast food because it is convenient although it is unhealthy and expensive. Although the initial investment in creating a…Read more

This is a wonderful idea for a library to add to its services. I especially like how the garden is year round because it gives patrons the opportunity to come in at any time to learn about gardening. Also, helping people learn how to cook is great because these are important skills to have.

I have to admit that I get excited every time I hear or read the word ‘makerspace’ because I associate it with fun and creativity, which is why they exist! Ron Harris does make a wonderful point that your presentation is unique because the main demographic you are targeting is the military community rather than the general public. I…Read more

Your innovation strategy and roadmap is amazing! I like how you are using social media as a way to draw teen groups in while allowing the teens some autonomy over the content that is posted on the channel. Teens know what other teens like and having teens create content that they know will interest other teens is a great way to draw…Read more

I love your idea of creating limited edition bookmarks because I will tell you from experience, anything limited edition will draw a crowd. Recently my library system introduced limited edition library cards designed by a famous artist and the lines to get the cards were long. We ran out of cards within four days, and I know other…Read more

With the current political climate we are in, your inspiration report is a perfect addition to all libraries, especially in areas where there is either a huge migrant community or areas where there are a lot of former migrant children live.

Thank you so much! My goal is to present an idea that would improve library services for patrons, especially those who physically cannot come in-person to ask for help.

The inspiration for this presentation stemmed from the phone calls I would recieve from older patrons when I was working for this library system, who needed help either navigating the internet or the library website itself. They could not come in-person for help because they had no method of transportation and I would spend a lot…Read more

Thank you so much for the comment! I personally think that live chats between librarians and patrons should exsist in all libraries. This type of service makes the library look better in the eyes of their users because users will see that the library is trying to reach out to them. Patrons definately notice when libraries are…Read more

I love your idea of a hybrid book club as it gives busy patrons the opportunity to participate in the program from home, work, etc. I could see this book club expanding to a podcast format with users being able to join via phone call or even over Zoom!

I agree that libraries play an important role in sharing and keeping knowledge for everybody. When libraries host programs, it brings people from different backgrounds in one room and for a moment, what each person’s job, socioeconomic status, political and religious beliefs becomes completely irrelevant. Patrons (crafters) will often…Read more

Over the years, I have noticed an increase in the utilzation of library services, especially book circulation. The attitude went from ‘gross I would not want to check out books used by other people’ to ‘books are too expensive, I am going to the library to read it for free’. The more people utilize libraries, the stronger the libraries…Read more

I agree that not having access to information is a form of censorship and that libraries should always strive to preserve stories, books, and manuscripts to ensure that future generations have equal access to those sources. It is understandable that many libraries cannot do that because of the lack of funding and knowledge on…Read more

I always get excited when different library systems partner with each other and other organizations for the purpose of educating the public. Library systems should not attempt to compete with one another. When I enter different libraries it always bothers me when the clerk tells me that this library system is better than the other…Read more

Learning new things means making new mistakes. It does not matter so long as you learn from your mistakes and do the best you can to avoid doing the same thing again. Of course, crafting is excluded because it does require a lot of mistakes to occur before you understand how to craft like an expert!

Regardless of where we are or at, we are always learning something new. The concept of learning everywhere is so intriguing because it makes you realize that almost everything you do is learning. You are always learning something new everyday.

When I was younger, I did not utilize public libraries as often as I do now, mostly because my elementary school and middle school library had all the books I needed for my age. I would go to the public library to register for the summer reading challenge or log on to the computer to play a PC game from the Magic School Bus series.…Read more

Thank you so much for your response. I was introduced to this software in my Archives and Manuscripts class and it was so fun. I created a timeline of the Walt Disney Animation Studios. Here’s the link in case you are intrested:…Read more

I love the idea of bringing picture books to a book club. I feel like many people assume picture books to be only books which is inaccurate. Comic books are picture books and even some biographies can be picture books. Most programs in my area are mostly catered towards older adults and I think it is fair considering the fact that…Read more

I do think that a lot of people now associate storytelling with picking up a book and reading a story about something or someone. The Human Library Program challenges that assumption by having a person become the book. Having volunteers tell their story in front of the reader rather than having the reader read a book about them is…Read more

When I was reading about the concept of hygge, it reminded me of when one of the libraries near me had an Alice in Wonderland themed tea party. Besides getting to sip tea out of porcelin tea cups and eating snacks, patrons got to decorate a glass mirror with little figurines from the book. Although I was unable to attend because of…Read more

Teens are smart and they instantly know whether an organization or institution is invested in their success. With libraries, its almost the same. Teens can easily sense when libraries and library administration care for them through the programs that are hosted in the library as well as the effort they put in to make teens feel…Read more

I agree with the fact that teens tend to get forgetten in the library. I personally believe that the reason why it is hard to create programs for teens is because the intrests of teens differ from person to person. Therefore, attracting teens requires librarians to become creative and find events that caters to the interests and needs…Read more

The topic of inclusion is a very complicated in the LIS field because there are so many ways to define it. In a lot of lbrary systems near me, I notice that they have months that are dedicated to celebrating a specific community’s language and culture. At the same time, this can make other communities feel like the library is not…Read more

I really liked how you approached the topic of censorship of books in public libraries. In my opinion, if libraries removed every single book that recieved a complaint, we would have empty shelves. I think it is important for libraries to carry a variety of books that contain different topics, especially ones deemed to be…Read more

I agree with all the points you bring up. We must provide equitable services to all individuals that enter the library, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomical background. In the two public library systems that I have worked at, we always had homeless people come in and utilize the library’s facilities and services.…Read more

One of the things that bothers me about U.S. libraries is that although there is no talking in the library, the library facilities usually lack enough individual spaces for people to talk. The evolution of modern technology has made remote working possible and libraries need to find ways to accomodate for that. When I attended CSUN,…Read more

At my library, they only have in-person free tutoring sessions during the summer and as much as I think that it is a great service, I do wish they would provide that service during the school year. As for the donated books, my resolution would be a mini-library for the community. In my city, many nieghborhoods encourage people to…Read more

One of the things that bother me is the lack of funding for public libraries. I dislike it when political figures state that libraries are a waste of taxpayer dollars and they do not make any major contributions to the community. I have worked in two library systems and I have had multiple encounters with people who tell me that when…Read more

When I worked at that branch, the locker kiosks were very popular because it was accessible and patrons did not have to wait for the library to open to get their books. I will say that the only issue we had was patrons leaving books they did not want in the lockers, which meant that the books would be checked out to them and patrons…Read more