Getting to Know Your Neighbors
Skokie Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
As part of our summer reading initiative, we created an activity that allowed patrons to share and get to know their neighbors. We crafted ten prompt questions in three languages—English, Spanish, and Urdu—that were displayed in a central part of the library and rotated through them weekly. Patrons were able to attach their handwritten answers to each question over the course of the summer. The questions ranged from “why do you love the library” to “seven words that best describe me,” and each prompt garnered over 100 responses.
Challenge/Opportunity
The COVID-19 pandemic had many people, especially our most vulnerable populations, feeling isolated and disconnected from their community, and we are still experiencing the aftereffects from that time. One of the library’s strategic priorities was to create connectedness and belonging, and we saw summer reading as the perfect opportunity to further that goal, as it is our biggest program.
Like many communities, we have a diversity of patrons—in age, race, and library usage. Our challenge was to create something that provided this diverse group with an opportunity for engagement that worked for all ages and languages; that was easy and fun; and that could be synchronous or not. We used a professional translation service to provide the questions in English, Spanish, and Urdu—the three languages in which we provide the most customer support. By being a passive activity, we allowed patrons to read responses and contribute at their leisure.
Key Elements of Innovation
Using temporary display walls, we erected a structure that was in the theme of summer reading. This structure was situated in a high-traffic area on the library’s first floor, so most patrons would come in contact with it during their library visits. On the three-dimensional display, we mounted 144 clipboards and invited patrons to use colorful cardstock to respond to each week’s question.
Patrons responded in ways that best spoke to them: some drew elaborate pictures to convey their answers, others used poetry, and others simply responded to the question. If the display was full of responses, we allowed patrons to place their answers on top of other responses. We monitored the display throughout the day to determine when it was time to add a new prompt. This temporary display was available from May 30 to August 21, aligning with our summer reading program.
Achieved Outcomes
Patrons of all ages participated in this popular summer-long initiative, and it often became a family activity, with caregivers helping children write their answers or hanging up the child’s drawn responses. A community partner was excited to see Urdu represented, and she offered to help us promote the initiative by filming a short social media video in Urdu.
Patrons weren’t the only ones enjoying the interactive wall; staff participated in prompts on their own time and would discuss prompts and responses with others. In the end, we received over 2,000 responses, and some of our favorite responses include:
“Even after moving away, when I come home to visit, this library still feels like home”
“Soy: generosa, amable, fuerte, cómica, inteligente, linda, poderosa”
