The Future of the Mount Vernon City Library
The library programs are working towards the future. Here are four mission aligned examples.
Preparing learners:
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A child under 5 who attends library storytime learns in an environment designed with help of The Children’s Council of Skagit County to includes socialization, language comprehension, basic math and tips for following instructions. It is also an environment that encourages caregivers and children to learn together. That’s partly why the 700 children who attended Mount Vernon Library Storytime are more kindergarten ready than their peers.
Quick fact: Caregivers check out 117 per year per child when they regularly attended Storytime (and visit the library 42 times) Yet, the library wants to help more With more space, the library could offer more programming to more and double the library impact to over 1400 kids. |
Creating Vibrant Community Space:
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The simple act of sharing space communities create great things. Over the past year,we created events ranging from live radio broadcasts, to historical lectures, to art classes, to game nights, to carnivals. Our attendance at these events was over 16,000.
Quick fact: The library offered over 735 programs in 2018 and received 146,117 visits (an increase from 2017) Yet the library wants to offer more With new space, the library could host outside groups. Allowing others to offer training, classes, yoga, Thai Chi. The library envisions a exercise space, a community kitchen, and a room that host 200 people right off the 1-5 corridor. By having the facilities to host others the library could increase offerings to over 1500 events and offer more for our community (especially seniors). |
Supporting the Entrepreneurial Spirit of the Valley
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Libraries act as incubators for new business and help workers train. The University of Pennsylvania Research Shows that 10% of the business that libraries were vital in their first months of operation. Establishing business need market research, fast internet, space to work and advisement. All the things the library can provide. We also know that the availability of skilled workers is the number #1 barrier to new business investment. That’s why the library is currently partnering companies like PACCAR and Oculus to create a first of its kind STEM program to get teenagers business ready.
Quick fact: The library project itself is designed to stimulate the economy by adding parking to the downtown corridor. New hotels, restaurants, and companies will be able to utilize existing parking to make building requirements easier. This will act as a catalyst that our economic advisors believe will create 120 jobs in the next five years. Yet the library could do more Understand of Tools and Software often are the greatest barriers to gaining employment. In a new space, we would offer tools like 3D printing and better space to attend training to help increase our business impact. |
Addressing knowledge gaps in our community
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Missing a fundamental skill is never a good thing. Each year the library picks a fundamental skill that our users request and develop a program for libraries all over the country to use. This year we addressing the nutrition gap. Learn to cook and preparing food in the home is linked to better life long health outcomes, greater food security, and better academic success. Yet the families who teach their children to cook and school led programs to learn to cook have decreased. That’s why we partnered with Skagit Valley College, Washington State University, Skagit Regional Health and Hospital, United General District 304, and Nutrition First WA. To build a new type of library nutrition program (funded by a grant from the University of Washington / National Library of Medicine).
Quick fact: Demand for cooking classed for exceeded the library capacity. More than a hundred kids expressed interest in our cooking to date. The library want to more: Every year we want to develop a new “signature program” and we could expand this program. In a new facility with a commercial kitchen, we could teach hundreds of children to cook and significantly impact health for a generation. |
Quick Facts
Serious Stewards
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