[Michlib-l] Storywalks - Responses

Fri Jul 27 09:21:31 EDT 2018

Good Friday Morning! Here are the responses to my Storywalk(R) inquiry. The original post is at the end. 

Hi Karen, 

We have one in Rochester (Hills PL). We received one last year from the LIb of Mi and decided to make a "permanent" one. Answers below. 

1. Do you have a Storywalk(R) Yes 

2. Is it permanent (meaning: are the signs cemented into the ground rather than removable yard signs)? It is. A local sign shop (called The Sign Shoppe) made and installed the posts. 

3. Is it Braille-enhanced? Yes. We are lucky to have a staff member who reads/writes braille so she does the braille overlays for us. 

4. How often do you change out stories? We change it out monthly. The city did ask that we take down the signs during the winter months because it is along the Paint Creek Trail, and they plow it. They do not want to risk damaging. So it'll be out May through October. 

5. Is it on library property? Yes-it's on the library side along a public trail (if that makes sense!) 

We modeled our signs from those at Capital Area District Library's. If you have any other questions or would like a picture or two, I can send those as well. 

Mary 

Hello Karen, 

Otsego County Library in Gaylord here. 

We have an 18-board StoryWalk located on the wooded trail at our conservation district public gardens, so people 

“read a tale on the trail”. It is not library property, but county property, so sort of the same, and a great partnership. 

There are many varieties of signs on line, so look for something that would suit your walk area. 

Our posts are permanently in the ground, but we take off the boards and store them because of the length of winter Up north. Our boards are cut from white 4x8 PVC boards found at Home Depot. The story pages are laminated and then covered with clear plexiglass, also from HD, caulked around the edges. Lots of initial work, then mostly upkeep and story changing. 

Ideally we want to put out 3 stories (Spring-Summer-Fall, 2 months each) but it depends on the weather. We had 12” snow on April 10 th , so things are behind schedule this year. We just put out the summer tale last week. Thus far most all the tales involve nature somehow. We save them to reuse in a few years. Our books have included: 

In My Backyard –Giogas 

Forest Bright/Forest Night --- Ward 

Over in the Forest --- Berkes 

The Tree that Bear Climbed --- Berkes 

Daylight/Starlight --- Minor (coming soon) 

The Busy Beaver --- Oldland (series of 5; my favorites) 

Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! --- Barner (currently out, Braille stickers will be put on next week…Project from Library of MI) 

The Young Geeks Guide to Getting Outside --- Lori Taylor (MI author who was delighted and came forour Grand opening!) 

I don’t know about other Braille-enhanced stories, as the stickers will be out in the elements of weather and vandalism. We’ll have to see how this one goes. Not too many problems overall, except one post/page was shot up with a BB gun last year and needed to be replaced. 

Our patrons really like it. We have preschool & head start classes nearby who come often in the spring. We make it part of our kids summer reading activities to read the tales. 

Hope this helps. Please feel free to call and talk if you need more information. 

Cathy 

Cathy Campbell 

Youth Services 

Otsego County Library 

1. Yes 

2. No, we used EZ spikes, tough to remove but not permanent. 

3. No 

4. About every 2 weeks in summer is the plan, ours was just installed at the beginning of the month following a year of planning and approvals. 

5. No, in a public park directly behind the library building. 

We have a few pictures and posts on our Facebook page! 

Barbara Gordon, MLS 

Director 

Buchanan District Library 

Karen, 

We had a homemade Storywalk(R) last year, it was so popular that we installed a permanent Storywalk(R) with posts and frames this year. It is on township property right next to the library. The homemade version was not stable, wind and rain would knock down the signs. The permanent signs do not fall over and are available even when the library is closed which is a plus for patrons and librarians. 

We had planned to only have 3 stories from June - August, one a month. Thankfully we had a nice donation from a girl scout group who wanted the money to go towards the Storywalk. With that donation we were able to purchase additional books in order to change the story every 2 to 3 weeks from May-October. 

We would love to begin a Storywalk(R) book exchange with other libraries in TLN who have their own permanent Storywalk(R). Anyone who is interested can contact me and we can try to come up with a plan for sharing stories. Our stories are not Braille-enhanced but I would love to look into that option. 

Brenda Dunseth 

We have a "Storybook Trail" in conjunction with our Parks & Rec. It is permanent and on Library/Parks property. We try and change out the story monthly but it is not Braille enhanced. 

Cathy Frost 

We installed a permanent StoryWalk in 2017, and change the stories for spring, summer and fall. My staff did a great job of design/build and it is sturdy and attractive. We’ve had lots of positive feedback; our Chamber of Commerce has it on their list of places to visit in Gaylord. 

Maureen 

Maureen Derenzy, Library Director 

Otsego County Library 

700 S. Otsego Avenue 

Gaylord, MI 49735 

Karen, 

We have a permanent installed storywalk with 20 posts. It is around our library property, to draw people to us. So we do change it out monthly, doing the best we can in the winter. 

We also make it part of our Summer Reading Program so it does get used often especially then. 

I didn't get on the band wagon for the braille, so I can't address that. 

We applied for a grant to several places and received for funding for the project. We only incur charges as we purchase new books to use. 

Unfortunately we don't have a laminating machine in our library (I highly recommend this), so we have to take time and go to a library about 30 minutes away who let's us use their laminator for a fair price. 

Vicki Kouchnerkavich 
Henika District Library (AW) 
Youth Services Supervisor 
149 S. Main St. 
Wayland, MI 49348 

Hi Karen, 

We do have a story walk and have for the past few years. This year we used the Summer Reads book "I Got The Rhythm" one reason was because we received free copies. Ours is not permanent it on the corrugated boards on the metal stands. We also added movement at each page, example "Dance to the next page" Sing the ABS's to the next page" and the patrons love it. I saw the idea at a Conservation District. I think it was the one in Lansing - Ingham county Conservation District. They had permanent stands with the book pages and then an activity: a picture of a frog and "hop to the next page" it was so fun. I hope to do permanent eventually too. Ours is not Braille enhanced. We change our stories yearly and its on our property just on the edge out of the mower, we are surrounded by woods. Good luck. 

Julie Kintner 

Karen, 

We installed one this year. The signs are not permanent in the sense that they can be removed in the winter, but they are very well driven into the ground for use during the warmer months here. 

It is Braille enhanced. We got one of the stories from the Library of Michigan. 

We have not changed it out, but since we have nine branches, I would like to rotate it around to the other libraries in our district. 

It is on the Library’s property in our garden area. 

Lisa 

Lisa Waskin, Director 

Superior District Library 

541 Library Drive 

Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 

Karen M. Smith 
Assistant Branch Librarian - Head of Children's Services 
Livonia Public Library 
32777 Five Mile Road 
Livonia, Michigan 48154 
734-466-2454 
ksmith at livoniapubliclibrary.org 

"Are all librarians this much trouble?" ~Brendan Fraser in The Mummy Returns 

From: "michlib-l" <michlib-l at mcls.org> 
To: "michlib-l" <Michlib-l at mcls.org> 
Sent: Monday, July 23, 2018 12:40:17 PM 
Subject: [Michlib-l] Storywalks 

Hello Fabulous Michigan Librarians! 

We are getting ready to install a permanent Braille-enhanced Storywalk(R) at the Livonia Bennett Civic Center Library and in the interest of accuracy, I was wondering how many other Michigan libraries (especially in the Detroit Metro area) have Storywalks(R). If you do have a Storywalk(R), would be so kind as to answer the following questions? 

Thanks!! 

1. Do you have a Storywalk(R) 
2. Is it permanent (meaning: are the signs cemented into the ground rather than removable yard signs)? 
3. Is it Braille-enhanced? 
4. How often do you change out stories? 
5. Is it on library property? 

Happy Monday! 
Karen 

Karen M. Smith 
Assistant Branch Librarian - Head of Children's Services 
Livonia Public Library 
32777 Five Mile Road 
Livonia, Michigan 48154 
734-466-2454 
ksmith at livoniapubliclibrary.org 

"Are all librarians this much trouble?" ~Brendan Fraser in The Mummy Returns 

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