PrairieCat PUG Days: Beyond the Books: Community Assistance Programs at Your Library

Thursday, Sep 23, 2021 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am
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About This Event

Program Description

Hear how member libraries are meeting their communities' needs in creative ways. 

  • Woodstock Public Library will share how to plan and implement a community-supported Little Free Pantry in your library. The Woodstock PL food pantry began in February 2020 and grew in scope as the pandemic increased the community's need for food assistance. In addition to a food pantry, the Woodstock Public Library offers a cold weather clothing exchange to help families stay warm in winter. 
  • Rock Island Public Library will share how their community assistance programs such as a Community Comforts Drive help support their patrons in need. 
  • Cordova District Library will share how to collaborate with other organizations to help meet community needs. Cordova District Library partners with Cordova Township to provide senior lunches, American Legion to host a Veteran’s Lunch, and Scholastic Literacy and River Cities Rotary to provide books for Story Time families.

60 Minute Session   |   Session will be recorded and available by October 1, 2021. 

Learning Objectives

At the end of this session, participants will

  • Know how to plan and implement similar community assistance programs in their library.  
  • Know how to collaborate with community partners to make your community assistance programs sustainable and successful.

Location(s)

Zoom

See event details.

Online
Presenter
Martha Hansen
Woodstock Public Library | Assistant Director

Martha Hansen joined the Woodstock Public Library in 1989. 

Presenter
Karrah Kuykendall
Rock Island Public Library | Reference Librarian
Presenter
Chalyn Fornero-Green
Cordova District Library | Community Engagement Manager

Chalyn has been living her dream for the past 3 ½ years working at the Cordova District Library. It is the library she grew up in and her parents still live across the street. The Cordova Library has a population of 1.000 people. Since the library is in a small, rural town, working with the community is a high priority for the library. The Cordova Library has strengthened relationships within the community with innovative programming. Chalyn is currently working on her MLIS at University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign.

Presenter
Karen Lonergan
Cordova District Library | Director

Karen Lonergan is the Director of the Cordova District Library. She began her professional life as a teacher, took a detour through the business world and ultimately landed happily in a library. She is proud of the Cordova Library staff and their willingness to collaborate, innovate and give almost any idea a whirl. Karen is lucky to work 577 steps from her front door with a fun, willing and dedicated staff in a rural community that supports and values its library.