PUBLIC LIBRARY
Over the past few months we have seen public libraries from all over the world respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with increasingly innovative ways to virtually engage with and support their communities. Here you’ll find a selection of some of the inspirational at-home projects and unique local collections libraries have launched during this time using the BiblioBoard community engagement tools.
As we continue to live through these unprecedented times, LA County Library wants to help its community connect socially while still staying physically apart. Stories and art have always helped us share our experiences, connect with others, and show that we are not alone. LA County Library is inviting patrons to share their stories of what living through this time has been like—including the emotional, funny, and somewhere in between—whether that means you’ve been staying at home, serving as an essential worker, teaching your children, rediscovering yourself, or living in sweatpants.
On March 14, 2020, the Salt Lake City Public Library closed its doors as a precautionary measure to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Staff were asked to work from home and do their best to connect with and support the Salt Lake City community. During this bizarre time, staff found comfort in pursuing creative outlets— from nature photography to collage, protest signs to poetry. This zine is a collection of content created between March 15 and June 15 and celebrates SLCPL’s shared experience of quarantine.
In the spirit of solidarity, creativity, and scholarship, the librarians of Kirkwood Public Library held a short story contest in the style of the best-selling I Survived series. Each book is about a kid who lived through a difficult time in history, and Kirkwood Public wanted to hear stories of how kids in their community adapted to the changes in their lives during quarantine. They could write either a true story about them and their family, or similar to Lauren Tarshis’ books, they could create a fictional character and story based off of the research they did.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting closures is a monumental event in modern history. While in the midst of social distancing, Monroe County Public Library System is asking residents of Monroe County to take a moment to participate in a digital time capsule that will show future generations how the community weathered the pandemic of 2020.
COVID-19 has rapidly impacted our economy, culture, behavior, and values. Broward County Library developed the COVID-19 Project to capture this moment in time for future generations. Residents of Broward County are invited to express and share their COVID-19 experiences using an original work and their choice of media. Journal entries, poems, drawings, music, videos, photos, and more are welcome to be considered for this special South Florida archive. All age groups are encouraged to participate in this unique opportunity to help document this extraordinary period in history.
You can explore these, and many other similar collections, at any time in the COVID-19 Community Projects curation on BiblioBoard Library.
Have ideas for your library’s own pandemic project? Get started today by requesting a Custom Submission Page, or signing up for a live Creator & Community Collections training webinar. It only takes a few minutes to take the first step to get unique, local content into your library!
Our Favorite Community Collections of 2020
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