Taking It to the Schools: Library Card Outreach

Tuesday, April 24, 2018
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Oklahoma Ballroom South

Access to the library and its materials is crucial, but getting children and teens into your library can be difficult—transportation, time and interest can all be barriers. So why not go to where the patrons are? In this panel discussion, 3 librarians who have taken the public library to their community schools will discuss best practices, do’s and don’ts, and practical tips on how to make these outreaches succeed and engage new users in the public library.

Presented by: Gloria Cumpston, Meaghan Hunt, and Jackie Kropp
Sponsored by: Children's and Teen Services Roundtable
Designed for: Public, School libraries
Areas of interest: Outreach, Marketing, Children's services, Teen services

Gloria Cumpston is the Teen Librarian at the Enid Public Library. Her job includes providing programs, YA collection development and outreach to the middle and high schools in Garfield county. Last year, Enid Public Schools purchased Chromebooks for all their students in grades 3-12. The library set up digital accounts for all these students to provide access to the virtual library and data bases.

Meaghan Hunt is an Engagement Manager for the Metropolitan Library System's Del City Library, serving the Oklahoma City area. In 2016, she project managed the system’s ONEcard initiative, a pilot with the Oklahoma City Public Schools District. Prior to serving as a project manager, she was a teen services librarian at the system’s Edmond Library.  Meaghan has experience working in nonprofit grantmaking and in state government, and currently serves as co-chair of the OLA Legislative committee. She is a native New Englander, a minimalist, a freelance editor, and lives in Oklahoma City with her two much-adored cats.

Jackie Kropp is the Programs and Outreach Coordinator for the Western Plains Library System.  Every other summer, she teaches Reader’s Advisory for the University of Oklahoma SLIS. Prior to joining WPLS, she was a Librarian with Pioneer Library System. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with her MLIS and MA in History of Science. An active member of OLA, she has served on the Continuing Education committee for four years, three as chair. She is currently the chair of  ITRT and an active member of PLD.  She is an alumnae of the 2009 OLA Gold class.  She loves books about science (especially those with obscenely long subtitles) almost as much as she loves romance novels.