Tag Archives: Community

How to Build a Library in a Community Center One Bite at a Time – 1 LEU

rushville public library logo owlJoin director Nicki Kirchoff on a recorded tour of her new library, inside the Love Community Center of Rushville, Indiana. This event will be hosted by Meg Pool from the Indiana State Library, and the tour will showcase the new Rushville Public Library, the Love Community Center’s other services inside the building, and the Love Community Center’s background.  As we navigate the future, Nicki will share why this special opportunity to be part of Rushville’s community center was the best decision for them, and how it has impacted the community they serve.  Come join us, and bring your questions!

Nicki Kirchoff has served twenty years as a public school librarian, serving grades k-12 (15 of those years in the middle school)! Nicki currently serves as director of the Rushville Public Library, with her first day on May 28, 2020.  I’m incredibly lucky to do a job and have a life that 13-year old me would think is so cool. “Libraries? Books? And play outside whenever I’m not with libraries and books? How awesome is that?!” Ever since Nicki became director at Rushville Public Library, she had goals to be county wide. Nicki started talking and meeting about the Community Center, July 1, 2020. What was a long and tedious endeavor, paid off and has become a community hub county wide for Rush County.

Date Recorded: 3/11/2026

Format: Archived YouTube Video

Presenter: Nicki Kirchoff, Director / Rushville Public Library

 

The Teen Engagement Blueprint: Outreach that Works – 1 LEU

This webinar will introduce practical, beginner-friendly steps for building effective teen outreach. Learn how to connect with schools, youth organizations, and community partners to promote library services and create meaningful programs for teens. We’ll cover how to initiate partnerships, identify community needs, and design outreach that meets teens where they are. Attendees will leave with simple strategies and ready-to-use ideas to jump-start or strengthen their teen outreach efforts.  1 hr / 1 LEU

Date Recorded: 4/8/2026

Format: Archived YouTube Video

Presenters:  Ryan Calhoun, Bremen Public Library

Resources:

 

Story and Strategy a Library Con – 1 LEU

Want to bring Library Con to your library? Learn how our library held a full day, system-wide library con across three locations. We’ll share our strategy for working with community partners to offer LARP demonstrations, Dungeons & Dragons and other TTRPGs, cosplay demos and miniature painting, a costume contest, and an outdoor movie night. All of this and more to engage new library patrons while highlighting services, programs and collections.

Date Recorded: 2/11/2026

Format: Archived YouTube Video

Presenters: Caele Pemberton, Head of Marketing and Community Engagement and Ben Rutz, Digital Media Coordinator / Kokomo-Howard County Public Library

 

Working with Community Partners to Bring Adventure to the Library – 1 LEU

board game pieces wizard, archer and ogreLearn how our library works closely with community partners to bring fun adventures to our patrons. By working closely with our local game shop, toy store, comic book store, volunteer GMs, a local brewery (the list could go on and on), we’re able to provide an array of fun events related to gaming, filmmaking and more. These events bring new users to the library who sometimes have never set foot inside before. Find out how we make it work and strategies we suggest to work with partners in your community.

Date Recorded: 1/14/2026

Format: Archived YouTube Video

Presenters: Caele Pemberton, Head of Marketing and Community Engagement and Ben Rutz, Digital Media Coordinator / Kokomo-Howard County Public Library

 

Snapshots of the Past: Indiana’s State Historical Marker Program – 1 LEU

Indiana historical bureau logo historical marker sign state of Indiana outline with stars and torch from the Indiana flag in the backgroundThe Indiana Historical Bureau has worked with communities and organizations on the installation of state historical markers dating back to the 1940s. These markers serve as tangible reminders of the state’s past and help return stories to the physical landscape. In this program, learn about the process and criteria for obtaining a state historical marker, why markers matter, and their continued relevance in today’s digital age, using examples from the collection of over 750 state markers that currently exist.

Date Recorded: 11/5/2025

Format: Archived YouTube Video

Presenter: Casey Pfeiffer, Historical Marker Program Director / Indiana Historical Bureau Division, Indiana State Library

 

Tearing down barriers to accessibility the road to becoming a certified autism center 7-9-2025

image of multi color puzzle pieces of the autism ribbonThe Fort Ben Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library was given the opportunity to become a Certified Autism Center through the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) in 2023 when the branch first opened. Branch Manager, Shelby Peak, and Children’s Librarian, Sarah Tadsen, both disability advocates in their community, will share Fort Ben’s story of pursuing accreditation and the impact this process has had on the branch staff, the local community, and the entire IndyPL system.

Shelby Peak is the Branch Manager of the Fort Ben Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library, the library’s newest branch location which opened to the public in August of 2023. She has been in multiple youth services roles for IndyPL over the last ten years across the system. While working with youth, she noted the challenges with developing sustainable programs and services for patrons with disabilities and sensory sensitivities and realized how it is overlooked in the design and management of programs and services for patrons, staff, and volunteers. Her experience and relationships with the local disability community contributed to her input for the new library during construction. She is a current board member for the Lawrence Advisory Council on Disabilities and helps host their annual Disability Resource Fair at the library.

Sarah Tadsen is a children’s librarian at the Fort Ben Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library. Starting as a shelving page in 2015, she has been in multiple roles at IndyPL during her nearly ten years with the system. Since she discovered the inequities faced by library users with disabilities and the lack of accessible services, she has been an outspoken advocate for accessibility. She is the Communications Chair for the Lawrence Advisory Council on Disabilities and a member of the disability community.

Date Recorded: 7/9/2025

Format: Archived YouTube Video

Presenters: Shelby Peak / Branch Manager and Sarah Tadsen / Children’s Librarian both of Fort Ben Branch of the Indianapolis Public library

 

A Trauma informed care for grieving families – 1 LEU

image of drawing of two sad women embracingObjectives of this webinar are to learn how grief affects children at different developmental stages. The Do’s and Don’ts of trauma informed responses. And how to best support grieving youth and families.

Date Recorded: 6/25/2025

Format: Archived YouTube Video

Presenter: Lindsy Diener-Locke / Ryan’s Place (Goshen, Indiana)

 

Small Adjustments for Big Change – 1 LEU

image of drawn public library buildingHear about the programs that have influenced one library’s community, including diversifying collections, creating spaces for different age groups, implementing food security programs, getting outside of library walls, implementing 24-hour book pickup, and offering take-home crafts, all on a small budget in a small building. You’ll look at how some of the programs were planned and work together as a team to share successful programs and identify other ways to make big changes with small adjustments.

Date Recorded: 5/14/2025

Format: Archived YouTube Video

Presenter: Brenda Hornsby Heindl / Director/Librarian, Liberty Public Library (Liberty, North Carolina)

 

Successful Community Partnerships through Intentional Outreach – 1 LEU

We’re compelled, as librarians, to try and answer to all of our communities’ needs. But with growing demands and tightening budgets, it becomes increasingly challenging to stretch our capacities. Sometimes all we have to be is the connectors! Community Outreach Manager Katie Reineke will discuss ways the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Outreach Department has leveraged successful community partnerships by connecting subject experts to their residents. She will also share clever tools EVPL Outreach has applied to continuously expand its reach with the same staff and budget for 3 years. 1 hr / 1 LEU

Date Recorded: 9/4/2025

Format: Archived YouTube Video

Presenter:  Katie Reineke, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library

Resources:

  • This Google Folder contains the following documents:
    • Outreach Partner Form template
    • Outreach Form Questions document
    • EVPL Outreach Events Calendar spreadsheet with column headings
    • Community Touchpoint Map instructions
    • Touchpoint Companion spreadsheet with column headings
  • Learn more about Book and Cook program

Adult Programming Made Easy (Part 2) – 1 LEU

Need more adult programming ideas? Lacey Klemm has got you! She has gathered 12 more programming ideas, complete with instructions, for your library to use. These programs are adaptable to any budget.

Date Recorded: 8/13/2025

Format: Archived YouTube Video

Presenters:  Lacey Klemm, East Chicago Public Library

Resources: