Creating Community Fun - Summer Book Picnics

Anne Kissinger, Children's Library Supervisor at the Wauwatosa (WI) Public Library, shared a fun program they developed to make sure books got in the hands of kids (and grown-ups) while the library was closed. She writes:

"We wanted to share one of our programs with you that is seeing success (moving books off our shelves and into the hands of children) and super easy to pull together.  The program was first marketed through our Neighborhood Association's blast, then Facebook."

Here is the info that "Book Hosts" receive:

Wauwatosa Public Library Book Picnic

Your role as host –

Similar to a book mobile, we come with a car(s) full of books and spread across your yard/tables/etc and have your guests arrive within a one-hour time frame to browse and check out books with their Milwaukee County Library cards.  

• Please host the 1 hour (maximum) book picnic in your front or back yard
• The book picnic may not be affiliated with any other social distancing event
• Invite your neighbors while keeping in mind your designated space and social distancing
• If you expect more to attend in relationship to social distancing, we may extend by ½ hour to spread the attendance. 
• If someone wishes to come to the picnic and does not yet own a library card, please refer them to the online self-registration at https://countycat.mcfls.org/selfreg

RSVP to akissinger@wauwatosalibrary.org with #children interested and their ages at least 24 hours before your picnic

As host, please run the picnic however you see fit keeping in mind the purpose of the picnic.  We are happy to have you as a partner in helping us place reading material into the hands of the children and their role models.

Wauwatosa Public Library’s role -

• Wauwatosa Children’s Library will bring titles across different reading interests and levels
• Wauwatosa Adult Library will bring a smaller selection of popular adult titles
• The Children’s Librarian will check-out the books to the patron’s card upon return to the Library asap.
• The Book Picnic may be cancelled at any time at our discretion (e.g. weather)

Guests

• Guests will arrive intermittently and browse the selection
• Once they have their books in hand they fill out a check-out card and hand to a Librarian

Creating Community Fun YSS blog COVID-19 series

• Beep! Beep! Honk if you have Bingo!    9/1/21
• Letters to Guinea Pigs  8/18/21
• Stuffed Animal Fun for Everyone  7/13/21
• Pet Show and Tell  4/17/21
• Campfire Storywalk 3/10/21
• Outdoor Storytimes  1/17/20
• Family Trivia Night  10/7/20
• Flipgard, Fanfare and Friends: River Falls Celebrity Storytime  9/21/20
• Tie Dye Masks  8/24/20
• Summer Book Picnics  7/13/20
• Engaging Kids Outdoors  7/10/20
• Downtown Story Stroll    6/5/20
• Book Cover Double  6/8/20
• Going the Extra Mile 6/15/20 
• Summer Storyteller     6/16/20