Storywalks(r) in the Park
Skokie Public Library in partnership with a Skokie Park took 2 copies of a book, and posted the pages of it on stakes in a local park. Kids would read the pages and get exercise at the same time! link
Over 69 communities have or are considering installing a storywalk, I suspect a good number of them are parks libraries partnerships. Idea-Set up a Storywalk so it terminates at a parks Little Free Library.
Getting to Yes
Current parks-libraries partnerships are relatively tenuous and
unsystematic. Traditional institutional self-identities and definitions
compound the effect of other barriers, such as professional protocols,
that isolate staff and keep people within their boxes and individual
funding streams. Too often parks and libraries compete with each other
for funds instead of looking at collaborative ways to solve citywide
issues and encourage development.
. -Libraries of the Future
Sometimes it's enough to just point out to parks and libraries that they can cooperate.
Below is the Brooklyn Heights Library and the adjacent Korean War Veterans Park(right). The park offers few recreation amenities.
The Korean War Veterans Park, is part of a 21 acre greenway redevelopment project in Brooklyn called the Brooklyn Strand. Last year I suggested to WXY the designers of the project to link the library and the Strand by offering recreation equipment loan. In their recommendations they have listed that the Brooklyn Heights Library be linked to the adjacent park and provide programming for it. Hopefully this will result in recreation equipment loan from the library for use in the park.
Sometimes Libraries and Parks figure it out on their Own
Amy Koster who implemneted the Storywalk(R) idea for the Skokie Library said...
We now have a partnership with our county parks department. This Picture Book Walk has truly been a joint effort, with the library and the parks department sharing ideas and tasks. The library procured permission from Little, Brown and Peter Brown to use the book; secured funding for the purchase of the sign post materials; and prepared the book pages for mounting. The parks department provided the location for the 3-month-long event; built the sign posts; and got the word out to media outlets across the metro St. Louis area. We both put in time and resources for a big ribboncutting and kick-off event (more details on that in a future post). As a result, we now have a working partnership. We know how to work together to get things done. The potential in this new relationship is vast. link
Sometimes more of an intervention is necessary
Earlier in this write up, I mentioned Robin Bolewski of the Marcellus Free Library. She told me something to the effect that when she first broached the idea of a Little Free Library in the town park, the parks dept said “No Way”. The library director then brought the idea to “their boss”, the town council who said great idea, lets do it. And as I mentioned before after the Little Free Library was implemented in Marcellus Park, this had "broken the ice" and other cooperation between Marcellus Park and the Marcellus Free Library started to occur.
Below is the Brooklyn Heights Library and the adjacent Korean War Veterans Park(right). The park offers few recreation amenities.
The Korean War Veterans Park, is part of a 21 acre greenway redevelopment project in Brooklyn called the Brooklyn Strand. Last year I suggested to WXY the designers of the project to link the library and the Strand by offering recreation equipment loan. In their recommendations they have listed that the Brooklyn Heights Library be linked to the adjacent park and provide programming for it. Hopefully this will result in recreation equipment loan from the library for use in the park.
Sometimes Libraries and Parks figure it out on their Own
Amy Koster who implemneted the Storywalk(R) idea for the Skokie Library said...
We now have a partnership with our county parks department. This Picture Book Walk has truly been a joint effort, with the library and the parks department sharing ideas and tasks. The library procured permission from Little, Brown and Peter Brown to use the book; secured funding for the purchase of the sign post materials; and prepared the book pages for mounting. The parks department provided the location for the 3-month-long event; built the sign posts; and got the word out to media outlets across the metro St. Louis area. We both put in time and resources for a big ribboncutting and kick-off event (more details on that in a future post). As a result, we now have a working partnership. We know how to work together to get things done. The potential in this new relationship is vast. link
Sometimes more of an intervention is necessary
Earlier in this write up, I mentioned Robin Bolewski of the Marcellus Free Library. She told me something to the effect that when she first broached the idea of a Little Free Library in the town park, the parks dept said “No Way”. The library director then brought the idea to “their boss”, the town council who said great idea, lets do it. And as I mentioned before after the Little Free Library was implemented in Marcellus Park, this had "broken the ice" and other cooperation between Marcellus Park and the Marcellus Free Library started to occur.
