Home | Services | Services for California Public Libraries | Programming Ideas from California Public Libraries | Libraries Outside

Libraries Outside

Libraries Outside, in partnership with the National Park Service, East Bay Regional Parks District and Alameda Recreation and Parks Department, provided access to materials and information about the benefits of getting outside and exploring the parks that surround the San Francisco Bay Area. Twenty themed backpacks were created for check-out that were filled with information about nearby parks, pocket field guides, and learning activities in which the entire family could participate. Use of social media and a project Blog shared upcoming events and outdoor news, and provided resources such as links for transit, other parks and ideas for families. Additionally, an opportunity for action was created which led participants to explore places they hadn’t been before, connect with others while discovering the natural world, protect and enhance the parks themselves, as well as learn new ways to encourage health and wellness for themselves, their families and their communities.

Purpose: To reintroduce or introduce for the first time to families the parks and outdoor recreation facilities in or nearby their community and the resources to get them there (public transit links, etc.). Backpacks for check-out that include maps, field guides, nature tools and learning activities to engage everyone in the family. Materials are provided in multiple languages whenever available.

Target Audience: Parents and children, families, and caregivers who want to 1) discover and explore the natural world, 2) protect and enhance their parks and themselves, and 3) learn new ways to encourage health and wellness for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Expected Outcomes: People who check out a day pack will become more familiar with the variety of parks that are available in and near their communities and will understand how being outdoors plays in their overall wellbeing. People who attend project presentations or check out day packs will also be more likely to participate in volunteer service days with at least one of the partner parks.

Partnerships: Local, regional, state and federal parks organizations, the Children and Nature Network, and nature conservancies; parks staff and personnel including rangers who will be able to host public presentations, lead walks or other appropriate outdoor activities, and provide print materials at low or no cost.

Budget Considerations

• Staff time
• Backpacks
• Themed content
• Marketing Materials
• Partner presentations

Implementation Steps

• Co-design your project with your community: Identify potential participants, focusing on reaching people not currently visiting the library, and gauge interest in the project. Meet with them to discuss the program. Engage them in envisioning the project, planning how to proceed, what activities will take place, and how community members will be invited and encouraged to attend.
• Identify project partners Introduce yourself to the local community parks department staff and invite them to work with you in reaching new customers through this project. Local parks staff may also be familiar with regional, state and national park personnel with whom you can work. Park services are looking for partnering opportunities, are happy to work with the library, and will provide speakers and outreach without fees. Other potential partners are hospitals, health departments, transit departments, city governments, school districts/PTAs, and childcare providers.

Backpack Content

Libraries Outside created 20 circulating backpacks and 20 sets of field guides, magnifying glasses, and compasses to be included in the circulating backpacks that could be checked out by anyone with an Alameda Free Library card for a period of 3 weeks

Parks partners contributed appx 50 each of maps, Jr. Ranger workbooks, and park guides

Sample titles for backpacks:

• Track Finder by Dorcas Miller
• Constellation Finder by Dorcas Miller
• Western Coastal Birds by James Kavanaugh
• Pacific Coast Tree Finder by Tom Watts
• Pacific Coast Mammals by Ron Russo

Sample titles library circulating collection:

• Moon California Hiking by Tom Stienstra
• Secret Stairs East Bay by Charles Fleming
• Unseen City by Nathanael Johnson
• 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles by Jane Huber
• 101 Great Hikes of the San Francisco Bay Area by Ann Marie Brown
• Best Hikes with Dogs by Jason Fator
• Walkabout: Malibu to Mexico by Tom Courtney

Marketing and Promotion

• Work with Children’s Library Staff to promote within the library to existing users.
• Work with Community Services/Parks Department to publicize in their bulletins.
• Identify community childcare providers, Early Childhood Education organizations, WIC, First5, other family community service providers to reach new families.
• Consider paid Social Media posts to Facebook to promote events. Meetup can be used to organize field trips.
• Print flyers to distribute and post in library.
• A “virtual bulletin board” was created on theAlameda Free Library’s homepage to provide information about upcoming events, resources, booklists, and more for Libraries Outside participants and those interested in the program. It was formatted like a blog with separate pages for physical titles owned by the library, resources for getting outdoors with children, resources for those with limited transportation options and other useful links.

Evaluation

When possible, administer surveys to participants at all presentations, events, and with circulating backpacks to determine value of the library and park resources to the customer.

In-person interviews conducted with field trip participants can provide useful feedback.

Gathering outcomes can determine whether or not the project provided information new to the customer on availability and access to local parks; park restoration and conservation practices learned; healthy lifestyle choices; family activity options; free and/or accessible outdoor recreation near home.

Additional Comments

The Libraries Outside program was helpful in providing information and resources if a participant wanted to get out on their own and providing professional staff (such as rangers and naturalists) who could guide them through a hike or give information about a particular park if they were unsure how to start. The program was accessible to people of varying backgrounds and fitness levels (short walks in Alameda, 1-2 mile easy hikes to see wildflowers, 3-5 mile harder hikes in more wild areas). Participants were generally amazed that the library offered such a program and were excited at the blend of information and activity that was provided. Most participants stated that they had gone to places they’d never been before, because it was less risky when going as part of a group. Because we used meetup.com as a platform, we contacted users who had never been to the physical library. Many of these people are now either regular library users or library event watchers. In either event, they are more aware of the library and its role in their lives.