Libraries are often a cornerstone of communities. Providing more than just books to lend, libraries can give a cool place to spend time in the summer, internet access to those who may not have it at home, access to tutoring, passes to museums, and more. To quote a recent blog post, “a library card is a passport to a world of new opportunities.”
This week is National Library Week in the United States. This annual celebration, championed by the American Library Association, “highlights the valuable role libraries and library professionals play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.”
Libraries can be important community partners to City Connects schools. The City Connects Coordinator serves as the point of contact in the school, making it easier for the wealth of opportunities available at local libraries to reach students, families, and classrooms.
As one Minneapolis librarian explains in this blog post from our archives, “Public libraries are full of resources and services, but reaching every family is difficult. Our City Connects liaison knows the families and is a trusted messenger. I love working with teachers and educators of all kinds, but it’s also really nice to have someone in the school who is the main point of contact, with their eyes on the school and families as a whole. It feels like a truly mutual partnership where each of us is helping the other achieve their goals.”
In the same story from our blog archives, a Minnesota Coordinator talks about how important a library can be in connecting families and students to greater resources.
“Having access to all those free books is great. And the library is also a great resource for families who are looking for extra academic support for their children outside of school,” Maggie Longsdorf said. “Since the pandemic, a lot of students have been trying to catch up, and it has been difficult to find free academic interventions and support.
“But at the library, there’s free tutoring. All you need is a library card. Once you have that, you can go to any of the libraries in the Hennepin County system and get tutoring.”
In the same blog post above, a librarian in Minnesota sums up how access to a library impacts more than just the student.
“A single child using their library card can draw an entire family into the library,” Mary Dubbs, a Youth Services Librarian, said. “Parents soon discover our seed library, job help, technology assistance, or other services they didn’t even know were waiting for them.”
This year’s theme for National Library Week is “Find Your Joy.” One of the integral parts of the City Connects practice is bolstering student’s strengths by providing opportunities to explore their passions and capitalize on their skills.
Sometimes, that means setting up yoga classes for students. Others, it’s providing opportunities with local sports teams.
Often, finding joy in those opportunities can come down to books. In this blog post from our archives, a book drive in Springfield is highlighted. City Connects Program Manager Stephanie Sanabria helped grow a book drive to provide access to books by students in her community, and even helped a City Connects Coordinator set up a lending library in her office, creating another way to engage with students.
“Before we worked with City Connects, getting books to kids was not as efficient and oftentimes the books didn’t stay within the local community,” a community partner said in the post.
Libraries and books can open up worlds of opportunity for students and their families. During National Library Week, we celebrate that impact and continue to help students find their joy where they can.
