Allegany County Library System

            Seeking new partnerships with public schools, the Allegany County Library System, collaborated with Northeast Elementary School to increase family reading through the use of strolling story hour backpacks.  Because 55 percent of the Northeast Elementary students participate in the Free and Reduced Meals program, this school was identified as having the greatest at-risk target population.

            Employing MP3 players and other digital technology such as podcasts, students with the aid of trained teachers and librarians, were empowered to produce book surveys which included student illustrations, student book reviews and in one case, a student interview of Richard Peck, the author of Here Lies the Librarian.  Forty videos were created by the 5^th grade students which are circulated on ten iPods. 

Baltimore County Public Library

            To identify and meet the needs of their customers, the Baltimore County Public Library LSTA grant, Connecting with our Community, trained librarians in needs assessment and how to initiate positive, proactive relationships in the community.

            After biding and hiring a consultant, a Needs Assessment team was selected.  This team determined that in the Essex branch the target would be young parents and in the Woodlawn branch the target group would be seniors. In order to discover the needs of the target populations, community leader interviews and community focus groups were conducted.   Once the needs were expressed, recommendations were made to the branches regarding products, services and materials.

            Creating a branch profile enabled the branches to make strategic decisions regarding materials selection, program planning, staffing patterns, technologies and facilities planning.  Team members, taking pre- and post- surveys, showed an increase in the mechanics of conducting a needs assessment.

Eastern Shore Regional Library (ESRL)

            “Get Ready for Your Day in Court”, a grant awarded to ESRL, targeted civil litigants who self represent.  Training, marketing, and creation of specialized tenant-landlord information tools were the primary components of the grant.  Collaborating on this grant with the Maryland Legal Assistance Network (MLAN), it was determined that most of the self-represented civil litigation cases involved family law and housing.  Since family law was addressed through other means, the landlord tenant issues were determined to be the primary need. 

Frederick County Public Libraries

            Sustaining a county growth rate of 13 percent, Frederick County Public Libraries recognized the need to expedite the check out and fine assessment process.  POSitive Customer Service through Smart Money Manager facilitated a point of sale system which enabled customers to pay fines while checking out books.  Comprise Technologies’ Smart Money Manager Point of Sale system permitted the librarian, using the check-out PC, to enter all data and offer cash transactions.  With every PC networked with the libraries’ circulation system, a receipt printer produced not only the materials that the customer checks out, but also the financial transactions.

Howard County Library

            Following the guidelines of the previous Cultural Connections 2005 grant, the Cultural Connections II grant funded the creation of a comprehensive plan to address the collection and service needs of the Hispanic/Latino population.

            Results of the needs assessment included an enhancement of the Latino music collection and welcoming signage in six languages greeting visitors to all branches of the library.   Email was periodically sent to participants with pertinent collection and programming information.  Articles were posted in the Washington Hispanic and a weekly subscription was started at five branches.  The library’s summer reading program was translated into Spanish and shared with the community.  At the Miller Branch, the World Language collection was enhanced to include magazines, books and a community bulletin board, targeted to the non-native born population.   

St. Mary’s County Library

            St. Mary’s County Library’s WoW! (Words on Wheels) Library Service provided emergent literacy training to child care providers and in-home monthly story time services. The grant was so successful it continues today as a sustained program.

            Twenty Five Ready at five literacy kits, which contained 15 books, and 60 hands on materials, were distributed to the child care providers. Training sessions included information on the value of stopping to ask a question as the book is read.  Newsletters informed child care providers of upcoming library events.  My First Library Card was distributed to the children in participating child care homes.  Story time from the library was presented in the child care homes with over 90 children receiving services monthly.

            With this training and support from the library and WoW! Staff, child care providers answered final evaluation questions with positive statements concerning the effectiveness of the program.  Noting the importance of early literacy skills, child care providers stated that after the training they now realize the significance of asking questions as the book is being read.

Talbot County Free Library

Poetry in the Branches, an LSTA grant of Talbot County Free Library, was a unique collaboration between the Maryland Humanities Council, Talbot County Free Library, Howard County Library, and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.  Using the model developed by the Poet’s House in New York City, Poetry in the Branches built new audiences for poetry and created a poetry-rich environment for the three libraries.

            Poetry in the Branches’ highlights included a visit from Maryland’s Poet Laureate, Michael Glaser, who presented his work at the three library systems.  A poetry contest was held at the Talbot County Free library.  The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped published, “Our Voices,” a poetry journal featuring 28 poems from  patrons of that library.

            One of the most heartwarming stories came from a young teen poet who had written a work about a friend who died in an accident.  Although she was very scared, the reading went so well that poets in the audience threw pens at her feet – the highest accolade one receives at an open mike poetry reading.