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G2S Project Code: 2021-MO-88715
State: Missouri
Fiscal Year: 2021
Grantee
ROLLA PUBLIC LIBRARY

Project Director
Director Name: Rebecca Buckley
Director Phone: 573-364-2604
Director Email: director@rollapubliclibrary.org
General Information
Title: SLP: Rolla Public Library and A Creative Ocean of Possibilities
State Project Code: 2022-LFL1-SLP21-035
Start Date: 02/01/2022
End Date: 08/15/2022
Abstract: We used this monetary grant to fund our 8 week summer program serving all ages (with a family emphasis) in our rural community.  Our efforts were hugely successful as we pivoted back to an all in-person program.  Our reading incentive program was extremely popular with over 600 participants and over 300 completing the full challenge of reading 10 or more books.  Total number of books read was over 10,500!  We had 118 individual educational programs for ages infant through adult with at least 1,500 folks attending.  We hired three paid performers and collaborated with dozens of community and local organizations to provide high quality educational programs on the theme of A Creative Ocean of Possibilities.  The library's summer program was featured in two local news stories with our city paper and the benefit to the community was large.  This year's summer program allowed us to make community connections as well as provide us a way to market our library resources to many new patrons. 
State Goal: Target Library and Information Services
Budget Information
LSTA
MATCH-State
MATCH-Other
Total
$5,390.00
$0.00
$0.00
$5,390.00
Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.
Reading Program (Summer Reading)
Activities
Activity Details
Title: A Creative Ocean of Possibilities at Rolla Public Library
Narrative:
his year, because of generous community donations, we were able to again  offer participants more prizes (including  book prizes) while they read over the summer.  Readers used the Beanstack app to track books but we also offered an ocean-themed game board with stickers.  Readers could collect beads as they hit their reading goals and they also received coupons for free food, drink, etc. in the community as well as small prizes and treats.  They got to pick a free book when they reached the five books read (or 5 literacy activities completed) as well as another free book for every 5 additional books read, with a cap at 5 free books.  In addition, participants who completed the program at 10 book/activities, got to pick another book as well as a frozen treat or candy treat during our Wrap-Up party.

-Regular weekly programs offered (all 8 weeks): 
Mondays - 1 Guided Activity program for Littles (Infant - K), 1 Guided Activity program for Middles (1st-5th), 1 Guided Activity for Pre-teens and Teens (6th-12th) and 1 Guided Activity with Adults (18+)
Tuesdays - 1 Story Time program for Littles (Infant - K) and 1 Story Time program for Middles (1st-5th); 2 groups of developmentally disabled adults for SNAIL time Guided Activity; in-person chess program w/ local professor every other week
Wednesdays - 1 or 2 in-person family events in our courtyard or in the library; Adult Craft Hour in the evening
Thursdays - 1 in-person presentation (paid presenter or community presenter) in our courtyard or library followed by outdoor games
Fridays - 1 regular visit from a local preschool for Story Time and games; Classic Movie Night one Friday a month
Saturdays - Open play w/ courtyard games and Lego Lab

-Specific family programs by week:
Kick-Off Week - Fine Linen Theater
Week 1 CREATURES OF THE DEEP - Learning How to Fish w/ MO Conservation; Tom Sawyer Cane Fishing at Ber Juan Park w/ MO Conservation; Sammy J
Week 2 SCIENCE OF WATER - Rocks, Fossils, and Oceans with Dr. David Borrok (Missouri S&T)
Week 3 OCEAN EXPLORING - Robotics and Legos with Kaleidoscope Discovery Center, Rolla
Week 4 UNDERWATER WORLDS - Modern Day Map Making with USGS; 2 programs from Storyteller Priscilla Howe
Week 5 SEA MACHINES - Water Rescue with the Rolla Fire Department; Mindfulness with Dr. Sarah Lea from Compass Health
Week 6 SHARKS - The Incredible Journey with Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management; First Aid with Phelps Health EMTs
Week 7 BEACHES - Egyptologist with Dr. Kathleen Sheppard (Missouri S&T); Sea Turtles with ROCS
Week 8 ISLANDS IN THE SEA - Missouri Stream Team: Hands on with Aquatic Macroinvertebrates; Dino O'Dell

-Summary of Kick-Off Party with Fine Linen Theatre: Our kick-off (preregistration week) featured an event with song, games, prizes and more.  Fine Linen Theatre came costumed as pirates, mermaids and more!
-Summary of virtual Guided Activities for Littles and Middles: Each week we invited a group of kids to come for an activity.  Some examples of activities included: Treasure Map Hunt; experiments with water and sand; Resin Atlantis; Island snack-making;Shark Bait popcorn-making; Sensory Beach; Sensory Walk Treasure Map.  These followed weekly ocean-related themes.  
-Summary of virtual Guided Activities for Tweens/Teens: Each week we invited a group of tweens/teens to come to the library for an activity. Some examples of activities included: ocean slime-making;felt octopus- making, island-themed snacks and punch-making, bean mosaic art, etc.  These followed the weekly Ocean theme.  
-Summary of virtual Guided Activities for Adults: Each week we invited a group of adults to come to the library for an activity. Some examples of activities included: sea shell picture frames., shark-cuterie board snacks, sand art, etc.  These followed the weekly Ocean theme. 
-Summary of SNAIL activity - We had two groups of developmentally disabled adults come weekly for an activity. This was a mix of story/video/song along with a hands-on craft or activity for the group. Examples of activities included: Message in a Bottle; Oceans of Fun Trivia; Release the Kraken!; The Whale Rider, etc.
-Summary of Story Times for Littles and Middles: Each week we had groups of kids come for a themed story time in the library, followed by a craft.  Some examples of Story Time crafts included: mermaid tail-making, spyglass-making, clothespin sharks, edible aquarium, treasure box-making,etc. These followed weekly ocean themes. We had two special Story Times - one for kick-off week and one conducted by Headstart.
-Summary of our Chess program w/ Selden Trimble: A local retired professor and chess master offered to teach chess every other Tuesday during our summer program. 
-Summary of in-person family presentations in our courtyard or library: We invited paid performers or community presenters weekly to address topics on a theme to interested families and individuals.  Families were encouraged to check out books to participate in our reading incentive program. Some of these were instructional and some were educational.
-Summary of our weekly Adult Craft Hour: Adults were encouraged to come drink coffee, socialize and work on their own crafts or crafts from our library left-overs.
-Summary of in-person presentation: We invited paid performers or community presenters weekly to address topics on a theme to interested families and individuals. Some of these were instructional and some were educational.
-Summary of weekly outdoor games:  Every Thursday and Saturday afternoon in our courtyard/children's wing, we set out giant board games, including giant chess, Connect 4, Chutes and Ladders, etc. (literacy/numeracy/critical thinking emphasis). 
-Summary of weekly preschool visit:  Every week we had an hour-long visit from the Missouri S&T Child Development Center.  They enjoyed a story time and time with our giant games, library puppets, scavenger hunts, etc.
-Summary of monthly Classic Movie Night: Every second Friday we hosted a classic movie for interested individuals and families.  We offered snacks and an option for discussion.  These movies were allowed through our library's Swank license and included titles such as Clash of the Titans, Harvey and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
-Summary of our Wrap-Up Party - To celebrate a successful summer program, we had balloon animals, snacks, games, prizes and more!
We did many types of programs this summer and all helped us meet our goals of encouraging literacy and learning, and increasing library usage and engagement in our community. Our reading incentive program was even more popular this year - the brag tags/beads were a hit w/ the little ones through elementary age.  Kids were actively excited about reading! All programs had a focus of learning, literacy, science and fun, and our in-person activities were well-attended.  Collaborating w/ our community for presenters and donators was successful again and our paid presenters did great.  


Intent: Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Other
Format: Physical
Other: Many programs and events to encourage learning and reading during the summer months.


Quantity


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: Yes
Name: ROLLA PUBLIC LIBRARY
Address: 900 PINE ST
City: ROLLA
State: MO
Zip: 65401
Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
Our program numbers overall were up - pretty drastically in the reading incentive program. I feel like this year our summer program got more attention than it has in a long while. We had over 500 new card registrations over the summer months too. Post-COVID, our patrons were ready to return to in-person events and the prize incentives were a big draw for the reading incentive program. We had more patrons consistently using Beanstack than ever and more families and groups seemed to use our library space for playing/socializing after the events as well. The games purchased with a prior grant were well-used.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
It was a very busy and successful program! With every summer, our reach and notoriety in the community spreads. Having so many community collaborations is a big part of this. The community donors for prizes this year was a great thing to see as well. It makes us feel like our summer programs are particularly valued and relevant. These funds, as in the past, have helped us serve, educate and make connections with our patrons and community. We plan on continuing to apply for this grant in future and modifying our programs after debriefing and speaking with all stakeholders (including the kiddos).
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
We will continue to hold a Summer Program every year. I feel like we leveled up yet again this year in regards to prizes and presentations. We were able to get more adult participation this year and will continue to improve our offerings to them in future. We will continue to do everything we can to enrich our community with a vibrant Summer Program and will continue to build upon our successes and make changes where we failed or performed poorly; we debrief several times during the months following the program. The interest from our friends at Choices for People has returned post-Covid and we look forward to future collaborations with them every summer.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
No
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:
Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative
Project Tags: Summer Reading, SRP, Summer