Partners for the Future: Public Libraries and Local - LibraryWorks.com

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21st Century Literacy Skills Calgary Public Library Chief Executive Officer Gerry Meek says libraries are “easy instruments of mass instruction cleverly described as a leisure service.” Their role in offering 21st century literacy skills, beginning with early childhood reading, is vital to the long-term economic vitality of communities. Literacy skills are closely tied to the library’s role in workforce development, nurturing small businesses, encouraging health and wellness, increasing environmental awareness, and surviving tough economic times. Among the literacy skills offered in today’s public libraries are reading, digital/ technology, economic, financial, health, consumer, business, and environmental. Early Literacy According to the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, quality early learning experiences for children from birth to age five pay long-term dividends, including school and employment success, stronger 12 Urban Libraries Council families, and reduced crime. Every $1 invested in increasing early childhood education yields $7 in long-term social and economic benefits. iii “Today’s public library is a switching station—a broad, diverse, virtual resource where people go not to get something, but to be connected to the world in a different way.” Ginnie Cooper Chief Librarian, District of Columbia Public Library Libraries have stepped up to meet the need for early literacy programs by retooling their children’s reading programs to meet developmental standards and making deeper investments in early literacy training. The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County reinvented its approach to serving children by training librarians in early childhood development skills and engaging parents and caregivers in programs to create successful young readers. Today, children from as young as one month old through age five participate in the library’s story time programs. Local elected leaders have also increased their personal commitment to early childhood programs to promote economic vitality. For example, seven New Jersey cities joined with the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families and the New Jersey State League of Municipalities to launch mayor’s book clubs designed to promote school readiness for children under age five. The book clubs—led personally by the mayors— bring together key community resources, including public libraries, to provide activities for parents, caregivers, and young readers to promote early literacy. Partners for the Future
Sustained Reading Public libraries are also leading the way in keeping kids focused on reading even when school is out. Research shows that children who do not read during the summer lose six to eight weeks of what they learned the previous year in school. By the end of fifth grade, students who did not read during the summer were behind their peers by an average of two years. iv Interest in library vacation reading programs has exploded in recent years as libraries create dynamic summer-long events, sometimes in partnership with private companies, to sustain reading progress. In Georgia, the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries’ summer reading program has grown from 2,500 participants in 2001 to more than 25,000 in 2010, thanks largely to corporate support from Columbus-based insurance company Aflac. As part of its civic outreach, Aflac provides financial support for dynamic events that keep young readers involved throughout the summer and generous prizes for meeting summer reading goals Chattahoochee Valley Libraries’ Partners for the Future Director Claudya Muller says Aflac’s support came from a shared commitment to reading and education and a desire on Aflac’s part to fund a program that could reach a large number of children in a significant way. The summer reading program is part of a long-term goal among local governments in the region to reduce soaring high school dropout rates and break the multi-generational cycle of poverty in the region. “The economic future of our region lies in these children getting an education,” Muller says. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean launched a public library-school district partnership to maximize reading resources in high schools and support classroom success. Limitless Libraries will eventually make the libraries’ 1.5 million items available in all high schools through delivery to their school library. In Nashville, improving schools and making Nashville a more livable city are Mayor Karl Dean’s top priorities. “The Nashville Public Library plays a critical role in achieving these goals,” Mayor Dean says. “Nashville has a world-class public library system. Through this partnership I believe we can create world-class libraries in our schools,” Dean says. High school students will also have access to 400 school-selected electronic books and access to Athena, an online database of Middle Tennessee academic library collections. Community Reading Public libraries also support economic sustainability by linking community reading efforts to local sustainability goals and supporting mayors’ efforts to promote reading as a community value. The Hamilton Public Library in Ontario, Canada, used three books—one for adults, one for school-age children, and “Nashville has a worldclass public library system. Through this partnership I believe we can create worldclass libraries in our schools” Karl Dean Mayor, Nashville, Tennessee 13 Urban Libraries Council
Page 1 and 2: Partners for the Future: Public Lib
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Executive Summary
Page 5 and 6: The research is built around the
Page 7 and 8: “Community sustainability is a ph
Page 9 and 10: coordinate actions; leveraging fede
Page 11 and 12: the library executive director part
Page 13: 2Economic Prosperity — Making Cit
Page 17 and 18: jobs. In a one-month period, 10 per
Page 19 and 20: community portal—MyHamilton.ca
Page 21 and 22: • Engaging the community in suppo
Page 23 and 24: environmental sustainability goals
Page 25 and 26: Social Equity: Ensuring Equal 4Acce
Page 27 and 28: etween literacy and crime. Research
Page 29 and 30: esources, and focus on the positive
Page 31 and 32: from community partners to develop
Page 33 and 34: Leverage library capacities to supp
Page 35 and 36: Acknowledgements The Urban Librarie

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