The Path to Book Joy: Building Regional Capacity
Cleveland Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
Cleveland Public Library created The Path to Book Joy to turn professional development around reading literacy into a regional, cross-institutional learning model. The annual conference brings together CPL frontline staff, educators, school and public librarians, and other youth-serving professionals to build a shared understanding of the Science of Reading and translate research into practical tools for use with children and families. Following the inaugural 2025 conference, CPL extended the learning beyond a single day by equipping every branch with Science of Reading materials and creating a framework for ongoing collaboration and professional learning.
Challenge/Opportunity
Cleveland faces significant literacy and educational inequities. Approximately 17% of Cleveland adults lack a high school diploma, while 38.5% of families with children live in poverty. At the same time, kindergarten-readiness data show continued need for stronger early language and literacy supports.
CPL recognized an opportunity within its own workforce: frontline librarians regularly support children, families, and educators, yet many entered the profession without formal preparation in the increasingly prominent, research-based Science of Reading. CPL also saw an opportunity to strengthen alignment between public library and school-based literacy efforts. Rather than treating professional development as an internal training need, CPL created a regional learning model that connects the professionals surrounding children and gives them a shared literacy framework and practical tools.
Key Elements of Innovation
• Regional professional learning: CPL brings together library staff, school educators and other youth-serving professionals rather than limiting literacy training to its own employees.
• Research-to-practice design: A nationally recognized literacy expert provides the keynote, followed by breakout sessions focused on applying the Science of Reading across age groups and settings.
• System-wide activation: The 2025 conference was paired with branch-level training and Science of Reading learning materials distributed to every CPL branch, allowing staff to immediately incorporate conference learning into programming.
• Cross-sector connection: a shared learning environment for professionals who influence children's literacy in school, library, and community settings.
The innovation is not the conference itself, but the model of using professional development to build capacity across an entire library system while connecting that system to the region's broader literacy network.
Achieved Outcomes
The inaugural 2025 Path to Book Joy demonstrated both demand for and early impact of CPL's regional professional-learning model:
• 190 professionals attended, including 82 CPL staff, 23 PRE4CLE staff, 21 CMSD staff, 13 staff from other library systems, and representatives from the City of Cleveland, Cleveland State University, and other organizations.
• Every CPL branch received Science of Reading learning materials, paired with training, extending the conference from a single professional-development event into system-wide programming capacity.
• CPL and CMSD staff jointly led sessions, strengthening connections between school and public-library literacy efforts.
• Feedback reflected increased shared understanding across age groups and a common goal of strengthening community literacy.
The second annual conference, in October 2026, builds on the 2025 model with more intentional evaluation of how professional learning translates into staff practice and community programming.
