All Awards

100 Brilliant Ideas at Work Award: Children’s and Teen Neighborhood Collections

Awarded by the National Association of Counties

Neighborhood Collections are a new way of organizing materials that is more responsive to the way that children and teens look for books. The program began in Henrico County Public Libraries (HCPL) in 2012, when Erin Lovelace, a Children’s Librarian in the county, noticed a need for children’s books to be organized by subject to improve ease of access. The first Neighborhoods were created for children, and the subjects were Dinosaurs, Transportation, and Farms. Each of these Neighborhoods included both fiction and non-fiction titles for preschool to early elementary children. The program was then expanded to encompass teen literature, and teen books were grouped into Neighborhoods based on emotion and mood. After assessing the program, both the Children’s and Teen Neighborhood Collections added to the customer experience and improved circulation of materials.

Library Heritage Wall

Awarded by the National Association of Counties

The Henrico County Public Library (HCPL) opened its new Libbie Mill Area Library in October 2015. The Library wanted to tie in the rich history of the county with its new, modern building. Henrico County is over 400 years old and is rich with history that is unknown to most residents. The new library space provided an opportunity to bring light to this history. The Heritage Wall Interactive project was accomplished by a team consisting of members from HCPL, the Department of General Services, and architectural firms BCWH and Tappe, as well as the Department of Recreation and Parks, working to create the infrastructure and gather historical research. The team worked with Second Story, a firm specializing in experiential video installations, to create an immersive and engaging visual learning experience for patrons that they would not have anywhere else. The Heritage Wall is a museum-quality, visually stunning, and highly informative representation of Henrico County’s rich historical record, situated in an accessible location in a neighborhood library.

Library Nature Study

Awarded by the National Association of Counties

The Nature Study Series at Henrico County Public Library provides environmental education programs that begin in the library, and then explore surrounding outdoor natural areas. The Nature Study Series of programs began at the Libbie Mill Area Library in June 2016, as a partnership between Henrico County Public Libraries and Gumenick Properties, the developer of the placemaking complex that surrounds Libbie Mill Library. Each Nature Study Program blends literature, nature, science, storytelling, exercise, and outdoor adventure in a manner designed to inspire curiosity in Henrico County families and to show off the practical use of the library’s collection. These library programs are unique in their content and format and use the resources found inside and outside of the library. The program has expanded to include three additional libraries. Nature Study Programs are attended by entire families while reaching the intended audience of four- to twelve-year-olds. The Nature Study Series will be offered annually and will continue to expand its reach and scope of natural topics through development of additional programs and offering them at more library locations.

Children’s and Teen Neighborhood Collections

Awarded by the Virginia Public Library Director's Association

Neighborhood Collections are a new way of organizing materials that is more responsive to the way that children and teens look for books. The program began in Henrico County Public Libraries (HCPL) in 2012, when Erin Lovelace, a Children’s Librarian in the county, noticed a need for children’s books to be organized by subject to improve ease of access. The first Neighborhoods were created for children, and the subjects were Dinosaurs, Transportation, and Farms. Each of these Neighborhoods included both fiction and non-fiction titles for preschool to early elementary children. The program was then expanded to encompass teen literature, and teen books were grouped into Neighborhoods based on emotion and mood. After assessing the program, both the Children’s and Teen Neighborhood Collections added to the customer experience and improved circulation of materials.

SuperHero Science

Awarded by the National Association of Counties

During the summer of 2015, Children’s Librarians Rachel Sharpe and Kathleen Harris offered several interactive, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)-based activities for children to explore while visiting the library. Superhero Science was created whereby each activity focused on a certain superhero trait, such as sight, speed, or balance, and incorporated scientific concepts, such as friction, measurement and magnetism. A small table near the children’s desk was designated as the Superhero Science station where the eight activities were displayed on a rotating basis. The activity station was on display for a total of eleven weeks during the summer and quickly became a favorite spot in the children’s section of the library. Each activity station included easy-to-follow directions and a scientific fact sheet. Some of the activity stations allowed children to use new technology such as a digital microscope, while others used everyday materials such as cut-up cardboard squares. All activities encouraged children to use their scientific reasoning skills and promoted informal learning opportunities in the library. By the end of the summer, parents reported feeling more comfortable talking about science with their children and children discovered that learning about STEM concepts could be fun.