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| Tree image from Pixabay. |
Once in a while, I check my horoscope -- just for fun. This week, I read the following:
A team of biologists unearthed a fascinating discovery in Costa Rica. When the group planted a single tree in pastureland that had no trees, biodiversity increased dramatically. For example, in one area, there were no bird species before the tree and 80 species after the tree. I suspect you can create a similar change in the coming weeks. A small addition, even just one new element, could generate significant benefits. One of those perks might be an increase in the diversity you engage with.
With Covid cases on the decline, I went back to working on site at my hospital library 2 weeks ago -- after 2 years working-from-home during the pandemic, completely focused on the virtual library side. It's been very quiet here in the physical library --- almost like a pastureland with no trees, and no biodiversity, and no one here but me most of the time.
So that got me thinking ...
What if I planted a figurative tree here in the Library, to liven things up? What could that tree be? Couldn't the Library BE that tree? Maybe that's enough to bring people in again?
- An Open House with the new Therapy Dog in Rehab
- A new collection of books focused on diversity, equality, and inclusion
- A simple announcement that we're open and staffed regular hours again
I like the metaphor for how you're approaching this. A place that needs a bit of life. I feel the same way in our space. We've been back 10 months, but the traffic is very different. While some days there is still some hustle and bustle, our physical space is much less busy. It's a bit eerie how quiet it can be. Thinking about it is the first step.
ReplyDeleteHave a fun poll in the form of a physical item and then prop yourself in some high traffic areas if allowed. Make it obnoxiously huge and nothing related to work. Something very simple like: The library wants to know...Coffee or tea? and then let people leave tally marks.
ReplyDeleteI once walked around with a giant (almost as big as me) card for a veteran. I strung battery operated lights around myself and had a toolbox full of decorating supplies. It's amazing how people approached me to see what it was about and then asked me who I was and then discovered the library. Clearly this was pre-pandemic but maybe you can do something more pandemic friendly along these lines with a poll?