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Expanding library programming with a limited budget can be a challenge, but for many libraries, necessity breeds opportunity. 

In Waupaca, public space is limited, and many new community serving organizations rely on the library for space to reach participants. For Waupaca, partnering with the community Art Hub allowed the Hub space to expand its offerings to larger groups and for the library to offer more varied programming to their public. 

In a library with a small staff where librarians wear programming, reference, shelving, and collection hats already - an engaging arts program without the prep is a win-win. 

Eager to make the most of the partnership, the librarian and arts-hub facilitator would debrief after each session. For many busy librarians, it might sound familiar. 

“How do you think it went?” “I think it went well! Kids had a really good time!” “That’s great, see you next week.” 

But standing in front of the library board for a quarterly report, the richness and community benefit of the Arts Hub partnership wasn’t shining through. It was a well attended program with a community partner, which looks great… but what did kids learn? 

The answer: SO MUCH. 

With curriculum grounded in culturally relevant practices, kids learned traditional chants and the importance of drums in Native Wisconsin culture. They got to take drums in their hands and delight with their caregivers in the joy and repetition of making rhythms.

They formed connections with Ms. Rebecca after repeat visits, and grandparents marveled at how much they were learning too - about the program material, but also about their grandkids. There was also room for improvement. Librarians’ weren’t seeing many tags of multigenerational learning, one of Waupaca’s core programming values. Caregivers often weren’t sure if they should be participating - an outcome greatly impacted by a simple invitation from the facilitator to join in. By suggesting a small change, the instances of intergenerational engagement jumped. 

The debriefs sound much different now, gathered around a device and marveling specifically at what they saw and heard, adding the facilitators own observations and notes. 

With data in the Observation Deck and a reporting template in Canva, librarian Sue Abrahmson said it never had been so easy to compile a board report and to clearly show the outcomes of a budding partnership.