Retrofit barn becomes community's library. and community centre.

One of my favourite sentences: "There is potential in a vacant lot."

Great share from @CaraMarvelley about a school placing giveaway bags for students and their families to come and pickup. Easy way to make a very high impact. #IdeasWorthStealing 

The Five Things I Miss About the Library which the author Joshua Kim says (and I heartly agree with -- along with a few minor corrections), are,

1) Student Energy (I would include client energy -- even when we were open for quick browsing and computer use, was missing the buzz since people were very quick in-and-out)

2) Random conversations (This would have to be my number one thing that I miss).

3) Librarians (and other colleagues -- closer than two metres and able to see their enitre faces)

4) Books (and not just objects of possible dread or carriers of some virus)

5) Magical spaces

Best quote from the article: "This project shows how resourceful libraries can be.”

Nice to see an optimistic future is planned for the campus of Johns Hopkins University with "The Village." And why they want to continue on such a path is explained by Leon Rost of BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group:

"Often the greatest ideas and breakthroughs occur away from the desk, when minds have a chance to wander, to play, to riff with others. The new Hopkins Student Center is designed to provoke the sometimes-necessary distractions that complement rigorous academic life - a place for a future generation of Salks, Curies, and Cricks to unlock their next great discovery."

Though mostly aimed at the academic library, there are some good content for public libraries here also, such as:

* Highlighting Heritage: Promoting Collections through Pop-Up Libraries at the Multicultural Center (Kara Flynn and Marianne R. Williams)

* Con-vergence: Bringing Libraries and Popular Culture Conventions Togethere (Sierra Laddusaw, Jeremy Brett)

* Supporting Student Wellness and Success Through the LSU Libraries Relaxation Room
(Randa Morgan) -- something I have shared,

* Idea Lab: Outreach in the Time of a Pandemic
(Dianne Connery, Elizabeth Pierre-Louis, Jason Kuscma, and Claudia Serbanatu) about examples for continuing outreach in this unsettling times.

Good Read!

Science Literacy Week event from Ottawa Public Library @opl_bpo supporting our need to maintain habitats for pollinators. #LibraryIdeasWorthStealing

What a powerful and loving thing to do #LibraryIdeasWorthStealing

Some libraries give out seeds, Missoula MT gives out trees! Definitely a #LibraryIdeaWorthStealing. 

Some great stuff is coming out of Brooklyn Public Library lately. First, Whispering Libraries bringing audio readings and podcasts into their communites. Now, a comfortable and physically distance way to enjoy reading outdoors. Thank you Jane Cowell @janecowell8 for spotting this article.

#LibraryIdeasWorthStealing

The current pandemic has forced all libraries to go online. As we rushed to reconnect with our clients some very good advice about what we need to keep forefront in our minds. 

I was especially struck by their second guideline of Make sure library collections, rooms, and areas become familiar, 

      "If possible record and run virtual library programs in rooms that the program would normally be held in or near a collection babies would normally look through such as board books. Take a moment in the video chat to give a little tour and description of where you are."

The need for comfort and the familiar has often been put aside in the technology. 

And the issue of fatigue in their last guideline "If you notice library usage slipping in this demographic, it is time to do more outreach". Outreach and promotion is always necessary. The "Field of Dreams" ("If you build it they will come") is best left to movies not libraries.

#LibraryIdeasWorthStealing

This research project from the University of Virginia looks at the issue of reliable access to medicine for rural patients and finds local libraries. 

"University of Virginia associate professor of nursing Pamela DeGuzman says that libraries may provide the key for rural patients’ ability to access to telehealth. According to an analysis just published in the Public Health Nursing, DeGuzman found that the vast majority of Virginia libraries had the four components necessary for telemedicine to work well: fixed broadband, computers, technologically savvy staff and private spaces where telehealth visits could take place."

While the study did report that libraries closed during the pandemic, and were not available for any use, it does hint at libraries remaining open at a future time.

"“Pam’s research is a great starting point,” [...] “and while libraries do a lot of things, this definitely fits into our mission. We’re at a baseline, at a beginning point of saying, ‘Hey, we have this crisis; how can we help people get through it?’ This research is really innovative, and I’d like to see it explored more.”

It will be interesting to see how municipalities, state/provincial governments interpret this research to allow libraries and staff to be available during crises like COVID-19.