The Library's Strategic Initiatives Director Shelli Dronsfield attended the ConnectEd Library Challenge: Answering the Call Tuesday, Jan. 19 in Washington, D.C. Dronsfield was part of a group of more than 100 elected officials, school leaders, and library executives from across the country who discussed ways to get library cards into the hands of more students.
The Library is one of 30 communities that have participated in the ConnectEd Challenge—a national challenge issued to schools and public libraries to strengthen student learning by improving access to digital content and public libraries. Since committing to the initiative in September, the Library has given a new Library card to more than 10,000 students in Hamilton County. Now, 98 percent of students in the county have a Library card, an increase of 6 percent in just five months.
The Library attributes its success to a partnership with school superintendents who made sure kindergartners and older students had a Library card. The Library distributed Child-Only and Teen-Only cards at area schools and visited every public school district’s kindergarten to sign kindergartners up for a Library card. To fill in the remaining 2 percent gap of students without a Library card, the Library is reaching out to private and parochial school leaders.
“Libraries and schools must work together to ensure the success of our students. Bridging the gap not only improves a student’s chance to excel but also supports the initiatives of the Library’s strategic plan. It’s a win-win situation for the community,” said Dronsfield.
For more information about the Library’s participation in the ConnectEd Challenge, e-mail Shelli Dronsfield at Shelli.Dronsfield@chpl.org or call 513-369-4420.
