Greetings from Ignacio Community Library! Ignacio, CO
The staff of the Ignacio Community Library know how to have fun. According to Director Marcia Vining, the creation of the library’s prototype has been “a blast,” particularly for staff member Ron Schermacher. Ron has taken the idea of the prototype and “run with it,” says Vining. Using foam board and other materials that the library had on hand, he created prototypes (complete with tables and chairs cut to scale!) for a multi-functional space designed to meet the community’s needs and act as a complement to the library’s existing makerspace. Meeting the needs of the teens in the community is particularly important to the Ignacio Community Library staff. Since the teen center in the community closed, ICL has become “the only game in town” when it comes to teens in the community. The staff is looking forward to creating a media lab space that will be used not only by teens, but library patrons of all ages to learn and explore new technology in a fun and flexible environment.
The 15 small and rural libraries participating in the Small Libraries Create Smart Spaces project are hard at work transforming their chosen spaces into ones that incorporate active learning and meet the needs of their communities. To share their progress, we have imagined postcards that participants might be sending to their communities. Take a look at the great projects taking shape!
Small Libraries Create Smart Spaces
Fifteen small U.S. public libraries were selected to participate in the Small Libraries Create Smart Spaces project. The selected libraries are:
Caledonia Public Library, Caledonia, Minnesota
Cornwall Public Library, Cornwall, New York
Glenns Ferry Public Library, Glenns Ferry, Idaho
Greenwich Free Library, Greenwich, New York
Honey Grove Library & Learning Center, Honey Grove, Texas
Hot Springs Library, Hot Springs, North Carolina
Ignacio Community Library, Ignacio, Colorado
James Kennedy Public Library, Dyersville, Iowa
Madison Public Library, Madison, South Dakota
Norelius Community Library, Denison, Iowa
Punxsutawney Memorial Library, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Ronan Library District, Ronan, Montana
Town Creek Public Library, Town Creek, Alabama
Tucker Free Library, Henniker, New Hampshire
Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library, Wilton, New Hampshire
This two-year project is made possible by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and is implemented in partnership by WebJunction and the Association for Rural and Small Libraries.