Turtle Crossing!
Save the Turtles. It's a global hashtag, a social media movement, and a call to action the Elizabeth Harris Library in Unadilla, GA fully supports though their digital Care of Magical Creatures classes being held this summer as part of their Tails and Tales summer program!
Library Manager Rhonda W. Bartlett reported that by working with community leaders in the Unadilla area, the library is helping raise awareness of a local "turtle crossing" area. By alerting drivers to the turtles' habitat and working to get signs posted to encourage drivers to slow down, the library is helping save these wonderful creatures.
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What "Tales" does your library have to tell for 2021? Please send your photos, ideas, and any informative details to Luke Kralik at: luke.kralik@cslpreads.org I would love to share them in our newsletter.
Looking for some ideas for 2021 to use or share? https://www.pinterest.com/cslpreads/
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Qualitative Success Stories
By: Elizabeth Boggs, Assistant Branch Manager, Katherine Tyra Branch Library, Houston, TX
Numbers and data are a ton of fun to process! When we only focus on the numbers, though, we can miss the bigger picture. Does it really matter how many people attended a program, if none of them enjoyed it?
To get a richer idea of a library’s impact, it is beneficial to look at both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data basically consists of measurable numbers. Qualitative data is usually more descriptive; it can be gathered by asking patrons open-ended questions. Without qualitative data, we miss seeing the whole impact of our work.
When numbers are disappointing, we can also turn to qualitative data to demonstrate the value of library services to ourselves and our stakeholders. We know summer 2020 was difficult. But libraries persevered! We want to highlight some of the success stories (there’s that qualitative data tie!) that you shared with us in our 2020 CSLP Annual Survey. All of these stories are direct quotes from libraries just like yours.
“The ‘grab and go’ bags were a huge success with parents reporting that their children would run to the door every Monday to see what was in the bag.”
“We had many parents at the summer feeding sites where we gave out take home kits tell us how much they appreciated our efforts to engage the kids. It really showed how much the library cares about children and keeping them reading throughout the summer.”
“I had many new families participate this year and received many positive comments about my programs ... A girl even brought me a hand made thank you card!”
“While providing curbside service, a child was waving a ‘I love my library flag’ out of his car window.”
“We had a summer program and people participated. This year, that felt like a success!”
Now that you’ve read these success stories from these libraries, remember to record positive experiences about this summer, so you can share your own summer reading successes. How can you share these qualitative data stories with YOUR community?
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Public libraries feed hungry bodies as well as hungry minds during the summer – and throughout the year. The CSLP’s Child and Community Well-Being committee encourages library involvement in activities that support wellness, from summer and afterschool meals, to well-being programming, to support for basic needs, all to help children, teens, and communities stay nourished, active, and healthy when school is out. Resources include the Libraries and Summer Food page on the CSLP website; a Facebook group for news, support, and resource-sharing; and an ongoing series of stories showcasing the experiences of libraries around the country.
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