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program helps the community—and the earth</h2> <p class="article-header__publishing-info"> <span class="publishing-info__byline"> By <a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/authors/maranda-schoppert/">Maranda Schoppert</a>, <a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/authors/sean-riley/">Sean Riley</a> and <a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/authors/amy-k-alapati/">Amy K. Alapati</a> | </span> <span class="publishing-info__date">June 3, 2024</span> </p> </div> <div class="article-container"> <div class="article-body"> <div class="article-body__social-share"><div class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2024/06/03/a-greener-way-to-read/" data-a2a-title="A Greener Way to Read"><a class="a2a_button_facebook" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F06%2F03%2Fa-greener-way-to-read%2F&linkname=A%20Greener%20Way%20to%20Read" title="Facebook" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F06%2F03%2Fa-greener-way-to-read%2F&linkname=A%20Greener%20Way%20to%20Read" title="Twitter" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_email" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F06%2F03%2Fa-greener-way-to-read%2F&linkname=A%20Greener%20Way%20to%20Read" title="Email" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_print" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/print?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F06%2F03%2Fa-greener-way-to-read%2F&linkname=A%20Greener%20Way%20to%20Read" title="Print" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a></div></div> <figure class="post-thumbnail" style="max-width:970px;"><img width="970" height="647" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/spotlight-summer-reading.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" alt="Summer reading program participants at Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries choose brand-new books to take home, courtesy of Friends of the Library, Montgomery County." decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/spotlight-summer-reading.jpg 970w, https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/spotlight-summer-reading-300x200.jpg 300w, https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/spotlight-summer-reading-200x133.jpg 200w, https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/spotlight-summer-reading-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 970px) 100vw, 970px" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Summer reading program participants at Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries choose brand-new books to take home, courtesy of Friends of the Library, Montgomery County. <span class="credit">Photo: Jason Turner/Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries</span></figcaption></figure><p class="lead"><em>Summer reading program prizes are a fun way to spark children’s participation. But those prizes often consist of nonrecyclable plastic items that—once the fun has worn off—end up as trash. Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries recently chose a greener, more community-focused way to get kids excited about books during their summer break.</em></p> <p>When school lets out, children gravitate to public libraries. Meanwhile, libraries strive to help those children maintain or improve their reading and critical-thinking skills throughout those school-free months, often by way of summer reading programs. At Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries (MCPL), we have redesigned our summer reading challenge in hopes of inspiring our young patrons to give back to the community while they socialize, play, and learn.</p> <p>For summer 2022, Cassandra Malik, then MCPL’s early literacy and children’s programming manager, envisioned a summer reading model for ages 0–17 that would align with the county’s climate action plan, which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2027 and 100% by 2035, as well as with the local government’s vision of a greener county, which emphasizes minimizing our footprint by reducing waste.</p> <p>A group of dedicated MCPL children’s librarians reimagined our library system’s summer reading challenge to fulfill two objectives: eliminate small, nonbiodegradable prizes—which end up in the waste stream once discarded—and encourage children to make a tangible, positive impact on the local community by reading books and completing learning activities. As we developed this new model, we discovered that a tangible impact could be made for half the cost of previous years’ plastic prizes, making the program even more valuable to the community.</p> <p>Because the 2022 summer reading theme was “Oceans of Possibilities,” and because MCPL is located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, it naturally made sense to partner with the nonprofit Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). In lieu of plastic prizes like kazoos or rubber duckies, the Friends of the Library, Montgomery County (FOLMC), made donations to CBF on behalf of summer reading program participants. In return, CBF planted trees along waterways to prevent erosion, seeded oysters to restore the bay’s healthy waters, and restored habitats in wildlife areas such as waterways and feeder streams. That year, summer reading challenge registration soared. From 6,593 in 2021, participation rose to 12,958 in 2022—our highest enrollment in almost a decade.</p> <p>The following year’s summer reading challenge, “All Together Now,” built on that success. Once again, as the challenge’s participants read and completed activities, FOLMC donated to local nonprofits: Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center, Friends of Montgomery County Animals, Manna Food Center, and the Montgomery Parks Foundation (MPF).</p> <p>As a result of the program, our community was able to provide 300 families with more than 800 meals, install 460 solar panels in local parks, and help many long-term animal-shelter residents find their forever homes. One child reported proudly that he was reading so that other kids wouldn’t go hungry. Enrollment climbed to 14,128 in response to this theme of kindness, friendship, and unity.</p> <blockquote><p>Our community was able to provide 300 families with more than 800 meals and install 460 solar panels in local parks.</p></blockquote> <p>While some kids have expressed wishes to plant trees, clean up the bay, adopt animals, and cook and deliver meals themselves over the last two years, we want program participation to be equitable and accessible to all patrons, regardless of any limits they might have on their time, transportation, and resources. That’s why we’ve designed the program so that all participating children can complete it, achieve success, and contribute to the community according to the same requirements—reading books and completing simple, at-home, age-appropriate activities.</p> <p>The program’s climbing registration numbers aren’t the only indication of its success. On evaluations, participating families have shared comments such as “Thank you! The program helped to keep [my children] motivated and excited about reading” and “It was a fun activity for the summer! The kids were very proud to accomplish it.”</p> <p>This year’s adventure-themed summer reading challenge will spotlight local historical sites and recreation areas, as MCPL again partners with MPF. The foundation will use the summer reading program donations for three new objectives: preserving, beautifying, and increasing accessibility in the county’s parks.</p> <p>Each year, educating participants about the crucial work of nonprofits is key to helping them understand and take pride in the program’s goal. This education takes place through many methods. Librarians visit school classrooms each spring to promote summer reading, nonprofits host outreach tables at library events, and library branches distribute bookmarks or collector cards containing fun facts about each agency and highlighting the tangible impact children make by participating.</p> <p>In addition to earning donations through reading, kids also receive a new book courtesy of FOLMC; experiential rewards such as tickets to a Major League Baseball game provided by our partner, the Washington Nationals; and a voucher for a free used book from the FOLMC bookstore upon completing the program.</p> <p>Since we’ve revamped our summer reading program, staffers from across our 21 branches have heard from many parents who are grateful for the elimination of small prizes, and who say that their kids truly understand what we are trying to achieve with the new format. As one parent put it, “The kids were inspired to join by the idea that their reading would lead to more money going to good causes in the community.”</p> </div> <div class="article-footer"> <div class="article-footer__byline"><p>AMY K. ALAPATI is head of children’s services at Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries’ (MCPL) Damascus branch. SEAN RILEY is head of children’s services at MCPL’s Noyes Library for Young Children. MARANDA SCHOPPERT is MCPL interim early literacy and children’s programming manager.</p> </div> <div class="article-footer__social-share"> <h4>Share</h4> <div class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2024/06/03/a-greener-way-to-read/" data-a2a-title="A Greener Way to Read"><a class="a2a_button_facebook" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F06%2F03%2Fa-greener-way-to-read%2F&linkname=A%20Greener%20Way%20to%20Read" title="Facebook" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F06%2F03%2Fa-greener-way-to-read%2F&linkname=A%20Greener%20Way%20to%20Read" title="Twitter" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_email" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F06%2F03%2Fa-greener-way-to-read%2F&linkname=A%20Greener%20Way%20to%20Read" title="Email" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_print" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/print?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F06%2F03%2Fa-greener-way-to-read%2F&linkname=A%20Greener%20Way%20to%20Read" title="Print" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a></div> </div> <div class="article-footer__tags"> <h4>Tagged Under</h4><ul><li><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/tag/environment/" rel="tag">environment</a></li><li><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/tag/summer-reading/" rel="tag">summer reading</a></li><li><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/tag/sustainability-in-libraries/" rel="tag">sustainability in libraries</a></li></ul> </div> <div class="article-footer__related-articles"> </div> </div> </div> </article> <p style="color: black; 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The point of this committee was to promote understanding and cooperation between the various branches and departments of the library; to promote productive cooperation between staff, management, and administration; to provide a place for a constructive exchange of ideas; to serve as a channel for staff questions, comments, and concerns; and to help create a community amongst staff.”</p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2024/11/reflecting-on-2-years-of-staff-advisory/" target="_blank">ALSC Blog, Nov. 28</a></p> </div> </li> <li id="post-145912" class="post-145912 latest-links type-latest-links status-publish hentry"> <div class="latest-library-links__timestamp-container"> <span class="link-timestamp">14h</span> </div> <div class="latest-library-links__content-container"> <p class="link-content"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-145913" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/open-letter-150.png" alt="An Open Letter to Our Publishers Authors Against Book Bans" width="150" height="100" />James Folta writes: “<a href="https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com/">Authors Against Book Bans</a> (AABB), a coalition of writers and creative workers who ‘stand united against the deeply unconstitutional movement to limit the freedom to read,’ released an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/authorsagainstbookbans/p/DCzYmKcR8uq">open letter on social media</a> November 25 demanding publishers prepare for the incoming Trump administration. The AABB conducted open forums with authors, and compiled their concerns and demands for the coming years. The letter outlines collective worries about the Trump administration and its threats, and how authors hope the corporations they work with will counter those coming dangers.”</p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://lithub.com/authors-against-book-bans-demand-publishers-prepare-for-2025/" target="_blank">Literary Hub, Nov. 26</a></p> </div> </li> <li id="post-145910" class="post-145910 latest-links type-latest-links status-publish hentry"> <div class="latest-library-links__timestamp-container"> <span class="link-timestamp">17h</span> </div> <div class="latest-library-links__content-container"> <p class="link-content"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-145911" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/reader-150.png" alt="Young woman reading" width="150" height="100" />Rose Horowitch writes: “An alarming phenomenon has sprung up over the past few years: Many students are arriving at college unprepared to read entire books. The problem does not appear to be that ‘kids these days’ are incurious or uninterested in reading. Instead, young people might be responding to a cultural message: Books just aren’t that important. The professors I spoke with didn’t think their students were lazy. They saw that their students’ schedules are crowded with activities that are less about personal development and more relevant to future employment.”</p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/how-gen-z-came-to-see-books-as-a-waste-of-time/ar-AA1uZs5Q?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=1b3f2dc9405949e3bdf49dd25c794937&ei=16" target="_blank">The Atlantic, Nov. 29</a></p> </div> </li> <li id="post-145908" class="post-145908 latest-links type-latest-links status-publish hentry"> <div class="latest-library-links__timestamp-container"> <span class="link-timestamp">1d</span> </div> <div class="latest-library-links__content-container"> <p class="link-content"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-145909" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/metadata-150.png" alt="Metadata illustration" width="150" height="100" />Mia Blixt-Shehan writes: “The ALA Core Metadata Standards Committee has developed a rubric to help information professionals evaluate metadata schemas in order to select one that would best fit the needs of a given project. The first official version of the Metadata Schema Assessment Framework is now available via the <a href="https://alair.ala.org/items/fc007ecb-e1e0-4288-bf11-1e1299b7897c">ALA Institutional Repository</a>. The Committee identified several criteria that can be used to evaluate metadata schemas, and the rubric also contains levels for assessing the extent that a given schema meets each criterion.”</p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://alacorenews.org/2024/11/27/metadata-schema-assessment-framework-now-available/" target="_blank">Core News, Nov. 27</a></p> </div> </li> <li id="post-145906" class="post-145906 latest-links type-latest-links status-publish hentry"> <div class="latest-library-links__timestamp-container"> <span class="link-timestamp">2d</span> </div> <div class="latest-library-links__content-container"> <p class="link-content"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-145907" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ai-flores-150.jpg" alt="Academic Insights by Lorin M. Flores" width="150" height="100" />Lorin M. Flores writes: “The ongoing need to rapidly acquire knowledge and skills related to new technologies and developments in the library field has been a preoccupation of library workers and administrators for years. Keeping current may seem impossible, given time and budget constraints. But microlearning in the form of short online courses, or microcourses, can be an efficient and effective strategy to fulfill professional development needs. Microlearning involves condensing instructional content into bite-sized chunks of information for maximum cognitive impact. Ideally, each course should range from five to 10 minutes to make the information graspable and maximize engagement.”</p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2024/11/01/small-victories/" target="_blank"><i>American Libraries</i> column, Nov./Dec.</a></p> </div> </li> <li id="post-145904" class="post-145904 latest-links type-latest-links status-publish hentry"> <div class="latest-library-links__timestamp-container"> <span class="link-timestamp">2d</span> </div> <div class="latest-library-links__content-container"> <p class="link-content"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-145905" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/newsmaker-harris-150.jpg" alt="Portrait of author Vashti Harrison" width="150" height="100" />Alison Marcotte writes: “Author-illustrator Vashti Harrison made history this year as the first Black woman to win the Caldecott Medal, which has been awarded since 1938, for her picture book <em>Big</em>. It tells the story of a big girl in a world that celebrates small, tracing her journey to self-love and showing the power of words to both hurt and heal. Harrison also received 2024 Coretta Scott King Author and Illustrator Honor awards. <em>American Libraries</em> spoke with Harrison about the response from readers nationwide, life after winning the Caldecott, and how the publishing world can continue to elevate untold stories.”</p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2024/11/01/newsmaker-vashti-harrison/" target="_blank"><i>American Libraries</i> Trend, Nov./Dec.</a></p> </div> </li> <li id="post-145898" class="post-145898 latest-links type-latest-links status-publish hentry"> <div class="latest-library-links__timestamp-container"> <span class="link-timestamp">4d</span> </div> <div class="latest-library-links__content-container"> <p class="link-content"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-145899" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/connection-150.jpg" alt="Wire connections" width="150" height="100" />Jessamyn West writes: “My drop-in time work used to be a lot of teaching basic skills. Then for a time it was teaching people about software, [and then] social media, then mobile phones. Lately the major thing I do is something I call ‘How do I connect this to that?’ Each of these things is not just a ‘read the help pages’ situation because it involves multiple interrelated systems. Understanding how these things work together is the main skill that’s required to help people troubleshoot. Here are a few concepts that are useful.”</p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://www.librarian.net/stax/5610/connecting-this-to-that/" target="_blank">Librarian.net, Nov. 23</a></p> </div> </li> </ul> <a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/latest-links/" id="latest-library-more" class="latest-library-links__container__more-links">View more Latest Library Links</a> </div> </aside><aside id="black-studio-tinymce-3" class="widget col-sidebar__widget_black_studio_tinymce"><h2 class="widgettitle">AL Live</h2> <div class="textwidget"><p><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/al-live/"><img class="al-live-widget-logo alignnone" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/al-live-logo@2x-300x113.png" alt="al-live-logo@2x" width="300" height="113" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/al-live/"><img class="alignleft wp-image-71137 size-medium" 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