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Nourishing a Community: Mechanicville Farmers Market, Garden & Orchard

Submitted by brussell on Fri, 2017-12-22 00:00

A booth at the Farmers Market

In June 2017, the Mechanicville District Public Library kicked off a community farmers market on the library’s front lawn. Throughout the summer, on Mondays from 4 to 7 p.m., hundreds of people came to stock up on vegetables, pasta, eggs, honey and other goods from local farms.

For a community with a 16.3 percent poverty rate, a market delivering fresh, local goods at affordable prices was a game-changer, and it also gave local farms an opportunity to sell their products.

Podcasting To Preserve: Stories from the Bowen Building

Image text reads: Stories from the Bowen Building: A Podcast on the Peoria State Hospital by Alpha Park Library. An old black and white photograph of the hospital building is the background image.

Mackenzee Grzesiak, reference librarian at Alpha Park Public Library in Illinois, was watching HBO’s "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" when she connected her work on the library’s podcast to the episode’s coverage of America’s current mental health crisis.

Tags
podcast
oral history
podcasting
local history
humanities
NEH
American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries
grant
humanities program
programming
program
local
community engagement

Small Business Saturday® Kids’ Movie and Craft

Submitted by sostman on Wed, 2017-09-20 14:22

kids watching a movie with popcorn

Working with our local high school honor society and student council, we provided two hours of childcare to enable parents to shop locally without their children on Small Business Saturday. Relying on volunteers helped us carry out an event on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, when staffing can be tricky.

We showed the newly released-to-DVD movie "Finding Dory" with popcorn and hot chocolate followed by a craft: “countdown to Christmas” paper chains.

Shop Small® Lakeview

Submitted by sostman on Wed, 2017-09-20 13:33

Show Love and #ShopSmall at Tamarack District Library

As a Neighborhood Champion for Small Business Saturday®, Tamarack District Library organized a scavenger hunt showcasing local businesses and incorporating Shop Small® swag.

The event was held in collaboration with 19 small businesses, including restaurants, retail shops, an artist studio and a grocery store. Participants had a week to visit the businesses, pick up a Small Business Saturday card that the library created for them, and return to the library to collect a prize.

Everything Jersey 2016

Submitted by cbarbus on Fri, 2017-03-31 00:00

Everything Jersey 2016 event series logo

We created the yearlong Everything Jersey 2016 series to inform our community about New Jersey history, food, entertainment, wildlife and tourism. We presented a total of 11 programs, tying them to celebration months or other popular program themes while highlighting aspects of our state’s history and culture. This series could be easily adapted in other states.

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