National Library Week 2021: Welcome to Your Library

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a chance for us to celebrate and support the value libraries bring to communities. The theme for this year’s National Library Week (April 4-10, 2021), “Welcome to Your Library,” promotes the idea that libraries extend far beyond the four walls of a building – and that everyone is welcome to use their services. During the pandemic libraries have been going above and beyond to adapt to our changing world by expanding their resources and continuing to meet the needs of their users. We’ve rounded up some of the ways that Colorado libraries are celebrating, as well as resources to engage your community and their support for the library.

National Library Week in Colorado

The Grand County Library District has a variety of events taking place highlighting their resources and community services. Local sculptor Howard Neville will have his bronze statue of Jack Kerouac (a frequent visitor to the Fraser Valley) at Fraser Valley Library. He’ll provide a presentation on Kerouac as well as the process of creating the sculptor highlighting the library’s gallery space for local artists. Grand County Blue’s Society is sponsoring a virtual concert with Andy Irvine that will highlight the library’s “Check Out the Music” Program. They will also be highlighting their eResources with nightly sessions on learning why and how to use each, featuring Novelist and the Colorado Grants Guide.

Denver Public Library’s Friends Foundation invites patrons to share why they love Denver Public Library using the hashtag #IheartDPLbecause [broken link removed 17-Nov-2021], and to Celebrate Library Workers [broken link removed 17-Nov-2021]. Libraries work because of the hard work, dedication, and expertise of library support staff and librarians! Curious about the secret lives of DPL library staff? Check out this fun video…then thank a library worker!

Summit County Libraries has a number of ways to Celebrate National Library Week during April. Visit the Library Virtually or by Appointment, get a Free Library Card Replacement during April, pay it forward with a Food Drive to support the Family and Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC), and/or find out if you are smarter than a librarian with an Escape Room experience at the South Branch Library.

Vail Public Library, in celebration of National Library Week, will be offering an Amnesty Month from April 4, 2021 through April 30, 2021. This is an effort to recover overdue library materials by offering a “fine free” month. The purpose of the amnesty is to encourage the return of needed library materials and to promote use of the library. The amnesty does not include overdue fines still on record from previously returned materials, nor does it include fines for lost and/or damaged items. While some materials are simply lost, a great many are still in the hands of the patrons who checked them out. The library hopes that their “no questions asked” amnesty period will remove an obstacle to the return of overdue items, including books and DVDs.

Garfield County Public Library District is offering a special lineup of information and events to celebrate National Library Week 2021. Visit GCPLD’s Facebook page on Monday, April 5 to learn how parents and caregivers can use Vroom to get easy, actionable ways to books the brains of young children, and what books were challenged the most across the country in 2020 and join an online book presentation! On April 6, they will present Who’s That I Hear? by local author DJ Hill, and on April 9 they will present Still Crazy by Judy Marshall.

Celebrations during National Library Week

Find more ways to celebrate and encourage your community to support the library! Follow #NationalLibraryWeek on social media to stay up to date throughout the week.

• Monday, April 5: State of America’s Libraries Report released, including Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books of 2020.
  • Share tweetable facts and graphics from the 2021 State of America’s Libraries Report on social media.
  • Craft a display or blog post highlighting copies of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2020, which will be included in the report.
  • Print out the NLW-themed coloring sheet and word search for activity packets or share them on social media.
• Tuesday, April 6: National Library Workers Day, a day for library staff, users, administrators and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers.
  • Encourage patrons to show their appreciation for library staff by nominating someone for the Submit a Star program, which recognizes library employees nationwide for their hard work.
  • Post photos of library staff on social media or in a display using the hashtag #NLWD21.
  • Ask library users to thank their favorite library worker in person or on social media.
• Wednesday, April 7: National Library Outreach Day, a day to celebrate library outreach and the dedicated library professionals who are meeting their patrons where they are.
  • Post National Library Outreach Day graphics on social media.
  • Create a blog post or social media thread showcasing your library’s outreach services and how they keep the community connected to essential resources.Use the hashtag #LibraryOutreachDay.
  • Participate in the Virtual Bookmobile Parade, hosted by the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services.
• Thursday, April 8: Take Action for Libraries Day, a day to rally advocates to support libraries.
  • Ask library users to contact their members of Congress, urging them to support the Build America’s Libraries Act. #BuildLibraries
  • Share Libraries Transform’s advocacy-themed Because statements on social media.
  • Invite elected officials to take a virtual tour of your library and highlight its value to the community.
  • Encourage your patrons to join Booklist‘s Donna Seaman and Dan Rather for a live conversation about his recent book, What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism. Registration is free and open to all, but space is limited, so tell them to sign up now.
  • Remind your community how important it is to #FundLibraries, and urge Congress to support libraries in the FY22 federal budget.
  • Attend A National Library Week Conversation with Dan Rather (6:30pm Central Time), a free event hosted by United for Libraries, Booklist, and the American Library Association.