Below are the past projects funded through BKLYN Incubator at Brooklyn Public Library. To see the current list of initiatives, click the About tab on the left.
Originally, Pilot projects were launched in rounds, while Replication programs were introduced in cycles. Replication began in 2018 as a way for staff to build on successful past projects, adapt them creatively, and meet evolving community needs. These cycles are listed under the corresponding round for their implementation year.
After Round 10, the four-tier structure used today evolved from the Pilot Projects of Rounds 1 – 7, the Replication cycles from 2018 – 2020, the Planning Labs that emerged from microgrants introduced in Round 5, and the Innovation Fellowship, which is a new addition to Incubator as a whole.
Round 1
- Digging for Black Pride Urban Excavation Program: Recovering Autobiographical Memories
Round 1 • March-May 2016 • Flatbush Library
This program was an in-school, research-based primary resource curriculum that teaches utilizing the visual arts, autobiographical methods and inquiry.
Team Leads: Megan Goins-Diouf, Young Adult Sr. Librarian; Valerie Livingston, Adult Sr. Librarian IA
Community Partner: Weeksville Heritage Center; Youth and Community Development and the Library at Erasmus High School
- Bklyn Mixtape Podcasting Club
Round 1 • May-June 2016 • Central Library
The Info Commons and BRIC hosted a podcasting club for adults to produce publishable audio stories on the podcast, Bklyn Mixtape.
Team Lead: Stephanie Elstro, Sr. Librarian
Community Partner: BRIC
- How Does Your Library Garden Grow?
Round 1 • April-June 2016 • Clinton Hill Library
Clinton Hill’s community garden was a 3 month program in which teens connected with nature, experienced hands-on science, and gained self-confidence.
Team Lead: Meredith Powers, Young Adult Specialist Sr. Librarian
Community Partner: Library Committee at PS/MS 492 Academy of Arts & Letters
- Root Resource
Round 1 • April-August 2016 • New Lots Library
Root Resource assisted new and existing immigrants in East New York, Brooklyn to become licensed childcare providers.
Team Lead: Patricia Moore and Edwin Maxwell, New Lots Librarians
Community Partner: CUNY Provider Training Project; The American Red Cross; Business Outreach Center of Brooklyn; East New York Reads
- Girls Report Now
Round 1 • May-August 2016 • Leonard Library
Taught girls between the ages of 12 and 16 the fundamentals of reporting so that they can document, explore, and engage with the world around them.
Team Lead: Erik Bobilin, Neighborhood Library Supervisor
Community Partner: Katie McDonough from Fusion News
- Future Leaders Career Awareness Series
Round 1 • March-April 2016 • Cypress Hills Library
A 6 session career awareness series for an after-school program of about 50 6-8th graders, comprising 3 guest speakers and 3 librarian-led workshops.
Team Lead: Abby Garnett, Children's Sr. Librarian I
Community Partner: City Year
- Reading the Rhythm
Round 1 • March-June 2016 • DeKalb Library
“Reading the Rhythm” combined a dance program and book discussion to support literacy education and creative self-expression for teens.
Team Lead: Janice Dees, Adult Sr. Librarian I; Theresa Chukwu, Technology Resource Specialist
Community Partner: Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center
- Illuminating Literacy: Using Illuminated Manuscripts to Foster Literacy Skills in Reluctant Readers
Round 1 • July-August 2016 • Flatbush Library
Implemented an illumination book making program that provided engaging literacy learning options for school aged students with low literacy levels.
Team Lead: John Huth, Young Adult Librarian
Community Partner: Morgan Library
Round 2
- Green Leaves: Read'em and Reap
Round 2 • Summer 2016 • Brownsville Library
Literature and technology workshops highlighting Brownsville’s food justice initiatives to cultivate the community’s ownership of its green spaces.
Team Lead: Adwoa Adusei, Adult Services Librarian
- Remix Academy: Learn DJ and Life Skills without Missing a Beat
Round 2 • September-October 2016 • Bedford Library
DJ and music production workshop series that taught entrepreneurial, leadership and life skills to Bed-Stuy teens.
Team Lead: Christina Ferrari, Children's Librarian
Community Partner: Building Beats
- Bushwick Crossroads
Round 2 • May-September 2017 • DeKalb Library
A series of interdisciplinary workshops in art, technology, and activism to amplify and preserve the rich diversity of voices in Bushwick.
Team Lead: Janice Dees, Adult Sr. Librarian I
Community Partner: Silent Barn
- Tracing Your Roots
Round 2 • September-October 2017 • DeKalb Library
A writing workshop for teens to express their family’s journey to America in prose and poetry and have a public reading.
Team Lead: Tom Brogan, Neighborhood Library Supervisor
Community Partner: EBC High School for Public Service; El Puente Bushwick
Round 3
- KNRC Youth Radio Podcast
Round 3 • October-November 2017 • Canarsie Library
With storyteller and multimedia expert Jamie Courville, Canarsie Library hosted a series of radio podcasting workshops for teenagers to share stories and produce digital audio files through the KNRC Youth Radio Podcast.
Team Lead: Cassie Hickman, Children's Sr. Librarian I
Community Partner: Canarsie High School
- Shine on Me
Round 3 • September-November 2017 • East Flatbush Library
An initiative for homeless adults to consult with social workers and life coaches to get their lives back on track, creating a community that inspires them in a safe space at the library.
Team Lead: Donald Peebles, Adult Librarian
Community Partner: Breaking Ground
- We Hold These Truths
Round 3 • 2017 • Central Library
A documentary-style theater performance—based on the writings of Adult Literacy students—designed to raise awareness of the adult basic education program and give voice to our student population and the issues that matter most to them.
Team Lead: Felice Belle, Literacy Advisor
Community Partner: Narrative 4
- BookMatch Teen
Round 3 • October-December 2017 • Central Library, Crown Heights Library
Teens recommended books to other teens, engaging with the library collection and their peers.
Team Lead: Lisa Goldstein, Youth Wing Division Chief; Josephine Evans, Neighborhood Library Supervisor
Community Partner: Ayanna Coleman
- Brownsville Excerpts: Teen Podcasting
Round 3 • July-September 2017 • Brownsville Library, Stone Avenue Library
Multimedia program that highlighted the library’s activities and life in Brownsville, while also providing broadcasting production skills and a vocal outlet for young adults.
Team Lead: Adwoa Adusei, Adult Sr. Librarian I
Community Partner: Made in Brownsville; Brooklyn Arts Council; Brownsville Community Justice Center
- Library Lab: Wired and Powered
Round 3 • September-November 2017 • East Flatbush Library
Teens learned about electronics by deconstructing and reassembling computers as well as building a set of functional speakers.
Team Lead: Jessica Spears, Young Adult Sr. Librarian I
Community Partner: Beam Center
- TECH 21
Round 3 • June-July 2017 • Clarendon Library
More than just a coding workshop for youth, TECH 21 taught ethical digital citizenship and gave youth the tools to realize their creative aspirations through 21st century web development.
Team Lead: Albert Tablante, Young Adult Specialist Librarian IA
Community Partner: Ramil Lim through CoderDojo NYC
- Documentary Photography Bootcamp
Round 3 • September-November 2017 • New Lots Library, Arlington Library
BPL built on a successful partnership with BRIC, Brooklyn’s leading provider of free arts programs, to deliver a 7-week new media training program for teens, in New Lots & Arlington libraries.
Team Lead: Eke Williams, Technology Training Supervisor; Barbara Holland, Sr. Librarian I
Community Partner: BRIC
Round 4
- Echoes of Our Lives
Round 4 • April-July 2018 • New Lots Learning Center
Echoes of Our Lives was a writing project that encouraged adult writers in our learning centers to participate in a writers workshop in which they wrote and published their work.
Team Lead: Anna Limontas-Salisbury, Young Adult Literacy Program Student Advisor
Community Partner: NY Writers Coalition; Imani House
- Artists in Residence
Round 4 • February-August 2018 • Macon Library, Eastern Parkway Library
Local artists receive studio space and a platform in exchange for community programming at their library branch nearby.
Team Lead: LaMeane Isaac, Neighborhood Library Supervisor; Ellen Weaver, Library Information Supervisor; Mike Fieni, Director of Community Engagement
Community Partner: STooPS
- Brighton Bridges & Coney Island Causeways
Round 4 • March-June 2018 • Brighton Beach Library, Coney Island Library
Staff and our partners received arts-based cultural competency training to better engage library users, cultivate unity, and celebrate the complex diversity of Brighton Beach and Coney Island.
Team Lead: Adriana Mitchell, Neighborhood Library Supervisor; Sharon Tidwell, Library Information Supervisor
Community Partner: APNA; Brighton Beach Neighborhood Association; The Shorefront Y
- Musical Instrument Lending Library
Round 4 • Began May 2018 • Central Library
Patrons with a BPL Library Card are able to check out musical instruments for 8 weeks.
Team Lead: Harold Stern, Sr. Librarian I
Community Partner: Brooklyn Conservatory of MusicThis is an ongoing program at the library. Check out the program's webpage for more information.
- BKLYN Fashion Academy
Round 4 • January-May 2018 • Business and Career Library, Arts and Music Division
BKLYN Fashion Academy is a comprehensive, interactive initiative created to equip aspiring women’s wear designers with the knowledge and tools to produce a collection from sketch to runway.
Team Lead: Lynnsie Augustin, Outreach Specialist
Community Partner: Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator (BF + DA); Mood FabricsThis program is ongoing a the library. Check out the program's webpage for more information.
- League of Readers (LORe)
Round 4 • January-May 2018 • Eastern Parkway Library
The League of Readers was a book club version 2.0 that connected teens to the source materials of popular geek fandoms and met together to discuss, compare, and create their very own fan swag.
Team Lead: Ellen Weaver, Library Information Supervisor
Community Partner: P-Tech High School
- Brooklyn Robotics League
Round 4 • February-June 2018 • Most branches
Provide library staff with the knowledge and resources to lead Lego EV3 workshops while teaching the youth of Brooklyn to be confident, problem-solving members of their community by building robots.
Team Lead: Gail Grant, Technology Training Supervisor; Theresa Chukwu, Technology Training Supervisor
Community Partner: NYC First
- Creating Our Story Together
Round 4 • January-March 2018 • Highlawn Library
Strengthened family literacy skills by designing and facilitating an oral and written storytelling project for school-age children and their families at the Highlawn Library.
Team Lead: Danielle Shapiro, Neighborhood Library Supervisor
Community Partner: Community-Word Project
Replication (Cycle 1)
- Girls Report Now
Cycle 1 • February-May 2018 • DeKalb Library
GRN is a journalism lab taking place after school at the DeKalb branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, for girls ages 12-17 to work with a female journalist to learn and apply the fundamentals of journalism, such as interviews, writing, and pitching news stories. A replication inspired by Girls Report Now!
- BKLYN Outpost Redux
Cycle 1 • February-May 2018 • Central Library, Outreach Services
Developed to offer adult and young adult residents in family shelters the interest of expanding their digital knowledge through storytelling. A replication inspired by the KNRC Youth Radio Podcast.
- Poetry in E Flat
Cycle 1 • February-May 2018 • East Flatbush Library
Poetry in E Flat will develop the poetry of young adults at the East Flatbush Library, and record their work through podcast. It will also broadcast poetry lessons taught by the program’s teaching artist onto the BPL website, in order to make that education accessible. A replication inspired by the KNRC Youth Radio Podcast.
- Who Tells Your Story?
Cycle 1 • February-May 2018 • Outreach Services: Brooklyn College
Who Tells Your Story is a program aimed at increasing BPL’s outreach efforts to older adults; fostering digital literacy and promoting personal ownership of stories they can create. A replication inspired by Girls Report Now!
Round 5
- Jail-Prison Zine Project
Round 5 • April-July 2019 • Outreach Services
Celebrated and empowered creativity.
Team Lead: Diego Sandoval Hernandez, Correctional Services Librarian
Community Partner: Otis Barnum Correctional Complex (OBCC) and Brooklyn Detention Centre (BKDC)
- Jewish Refugees in Shanghai
Round 5 • February-June 2019 • Borough Park Library, Central Library and Kensington Library
Explored the history of Jewish refugees who escaped to Shanghai during World War II.
Team Lead: Frank Xu, Manager of Languages and Literature; Lina Ding, Neighborhood Library Supervisor
Community Partner: The Amud Aish Memorial Museum in Brooklyn
- Hospital Storytelling Flatbush Extension
Round 5 • April-July 2019 • Inclusive Services
Library in a Hospital: leveraging available resources to pilot services required from the library with a view towards a hospital branch/location.
Team Lead: Andre Powe, Coordinator of Hospital Storytelling
Community Partner: Kings County Hospital
- Library in Transit (L.I.T.)
Round 5 • February-November 2019 • East Flatbush Library
A pop-up library keeping communities connected.
Team Lead: Larissa Larrier, Neighborhood Library Supervisor
Community Partner: Brookdale Hospital
- Brooklyn Cookmobile
Round 5 • April-October 2019 • Brighton Beach Library, Central Library and New Lots Library
Teaching teens essential skills in cooking and food literacy with a mobile kitchen at the Library.
Team Lead: Adeeba Afshan Rana, Young Adult Librarian; Johanna Lewis, Outreach Sr. Librarian I
Community Partner: Leon M. Goldstein High School, LYFE @ Jefferson Campus & Maxwell HS, and East New York Farms
- Library of Gamers (LoG)
Round 5 • Spring 2019 • Stone Avenue Library
A series of skill-building video game programs for teens at the library.
Team Lead: Yosenex Orengo, Young Adults Librarian
Community Partner: Brownsville Community Justice Center (BCJC)
Replication (Cycle 2)
- Beyond the Selfie
Cycle 2 • February-May 2019 • Borough Park Library
Teens and young adults ages 14-21 will learn to use digital photography equipment and available technology to develop their photographic skills in a workshop over the course of several weeks. A replication inspired by Documentary Photography Bootcamp.
- Programs Are for Everyone!
Cycle 2 • February-May 2019 • Flatlands Library, Inclusive Services
A two-pronged program that will provide staff training on creating programs for patrons with disabilities and a monthly multi-sensory poetry program for teens with and without disabilities. A replication inspired by Brighton Bridges & Coney Island Causeways and Reading the Rhythm.
- Reading the Rhythm @ Clarendon Library
Cycle 2 • February-May 2019 • Clarendon Library
Reading the Rhythm @ Clarendon Library will be a 4 week literature and dance series for kids in celebration of Women’s History Month to commemorate diverse female authors who defied adversity. A replication inspired by Reading the Rhythm.
- Staff Photography Bootcamp
Cycle 2 • February-May 2019 • Arlington Library
Staff will learn basic digital photography and photo editing in order to conduct photography programs in the branches. A replication inspired by Documentary Photography Bootcamp and Brighton Bridges & Coney Island Causeways.
Round 6
- Hear Me Out
Round 6 • January-November 2020 • Central Library
BPL patrons and staff will learn audio skills in order to amplify the stories of their neighborhoods and themselves.
Team Lead: Virginia Marshall, Podcast Associate
Community Partner: UnionDocs and independent radio-maker Stephanie Foo
- Board Games Exchange Library
Round 6 • January-November 2020 • Central Library, Crown Heights Library
Building communities through the joy of board games.
Team Lead: Jessica Spears, Senior Young Adult Librarian; Ben Perry, Senior Librarian
Community Partner: NYU Game Center, Runaway Parade Games, Victory Pints Board Gaming Meetup, and Prospect Park Board Gaming Meetup
- Hearing Brooklyn
Round 6 • January-November 2020 • Washington Irving Library
Giving voice to a vibrant Brooklyn community facing change and displacement, and empowering youth to help tell its story.
Team Lead: Lee Shaw, Senior Children's Librarian
Community Partner: Mil Mundos Brooklyn, Esmarelda's Restaurant, L'imprimerie Bakery, The Starliner Bar & Venue, El Montañero Restaurant and Bakery
- Using the Power of Storytelling to Inspire Young Writers
Round 6 • January-November 2020 • Sunset Park Library
Using storytelling to improve literacy learning.
Team Lead: Ana Alzugaray, Senior Children's Librarian
Community Partner: Katrina Crum, Alice Rodriques, Tammy Hall, MengXing Lin
- Rekindling from Burnout
Round 6 • January-November 2020 • Bedford Library, Brighton Beach Library, Brownsville Library, Canarsie Library, Cypress Hills Library, Park Slope Library, Red Hook Library
Fostering a culture of wellness and support for library workers through trainings centered on self-care techniques and understanding secondary trauma.
Team Lead: Cassie Hickman, Senior Children's Librarian; Lawrence Fiorelli, Senior Adult Librarian
Community Partner: Vibrant Emotional Health
- S.E.E. Yourself Healthy
Round 6 • January-November 2020 • Crown Heights Library, Macon Library
Shop, Eat, Exercise: Your Health is Your Wealth!
Team Lead: Sharon Palmer, Regional Librarian; Janelle Welch, Supervising Librarian; LaMeane Isaac, Regional Librarian
Community Partner: Wellness for Life
- The Cycle Alliance
Round 6 • January-November 2020 • Central Library
Empowering teens to organize and engage in social activism through a pro-period advocacy campaign.
Team Lead: Rakisha Kearns-White, Senior Young Adult Librarian
Community Partner: Andrea Gonzales, Lily Williams, and the Thinx Inc. GiveRise program
Replication (Cycle 3)
- Community Food Fight!
Cycle 3 • February-May 2020 • Paerdegat Library
Community Food Fight! serves both teens and adults. It is aimed at identifying healthy food choices in the community and promoting an appreciation of home cooking, gardening, and green space. The goal is to empower a healthier community that knows how to access food and food support systems, and to suggest home solutions as one way of living more greenly. This replication was inspired by Incubator Round program, Green Leaves Read'em and Reap.
- Library of Gamers - Highlawn
Cycle 3 • February-May 2020 • Highlawn Library
Highlawn Library's replication of Library of Gamers enhances teen tech time programming by cultivating the team building skills inherent to video game playing. It also serves teens by allocating time and a welcoming space for them in the library where they can engage their peers. This replication was inspired by the original Incubator Round program, Library of Gamers.
- Stone Avenue's League of Readers (LoRE)
Cycle 3 • February-May 2020 • Stone Avenue Library
Stone Avenue's League of Readers creates a space where children of the neighborhood may foster a love for reading, while enjoying graphic novels about topics which are most relevant to them. This program aims to introduce kids to reading as a fun activity, while building literacy and critical thinking skills. The target demographic is kids in grades 5-8. This replication was inspired by the original Incubator Round program, League of Readers (LORe).
- Where Does Your Library Garden Grow
Cycle 3 • February-May 2020 • Stone Avenue Library
Where Does Your Library Garden Grown takes place over 8 weeks in a series of one-hour seminars where patrons will learn the basics of home gardening. Specifically, how to garden in an apartment with limited outdoor and indoor space. Each seminar will center around a learning activity and planting something that patrons can take home. This replication was inspired by the original Incubator Round program, How Does Your Library Garden Grow.
Round 7
- BPL Beauty
Round 7 • Summer 2021 • Central Library
BPL Beauty introduced patrons to the world of beauty. The rise of beauty content on social media, evolving views on beauty inclusion and diversity, an eye towards natural cosmetics, and new job opportunities are fueling the public’s desire for beauty knowledge.
Team Lead: LaCresha Neal, Welcome Services Coordinator
Community Partner: Project Beauty Share/Safe Horizons, Marisa Fazzina, Not Carrie Bradshaw, Stephen Moss, and others.
- We Everywhere: Dialogues of the African Diaspora
Round 7 • Spring and Summer 2021 • Macon Library
A series of programs highlighting distant parts of the African diaspora that are underexamined in U.S. media, education, and conversation.
Team Lead: Sheena Daree Miller, African American Heritage Center Associate
Community Partner: BLM Latter-Day Saints (Melodie Jackson), BLM Hawaii (Kadara Marshall). Reading + Discussion: VT Based Author (Emily Bernard) Germany. | Speakers: BlackBrownBerlin (group of Afro-German activists and artists), Black German Cultural Society Deniz Sertkol (Goethe Institut NYC) Turkey. | Panelists: Zavier Wingham (NYU, Researcher), Ayşe Sezer (Afro-Turk Community Member), Promotion: Ìhsan Çolak (Turkish Cultural Center Brooklyn) Nikki Brown (Photographer and Scholar, University of Kentucky) Ecuador. | Isadora Romero (Ecuadorian photographer who created an Afro-Ecuadorian photo series), Diana Ruggiero (Researcher), Chota Madre (NYC based Afro-Ecuadorean band) Iran. | Collective for Afro-Iranians (group will facilitate multimedia art presentation), Beeta Baghoolizadeh (Bucknell, Researcher) Israeli/Palestine: Don Seeman (Emory, Researcher), Michal Avera Samuel (Community Organizer) China: Abdou Rahim Lema (University of Montreal, Researcher), Franklin Obeng-Odoom (Scholar), Marketus Presswood (Writer), China Institute The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art: Inquiry about ability to share diasporic art virtually/co-promote events
- Drawing and Painting Memories of Home
Round 7 • Spring 2021 • Paerdegat Library and Borough Park Library
Caribbean and Asian artists share memories of their homelands and immigrant experiences through online visual art instruction
Team Lead: Yong-Le Yau, Neighborhood Library Supervisor
Community Partner: Glenwood Senior Center (GSC) Contact Person: Nadine Aspilaire, Director of GSC Collaboration Details: Glenwood Senior Center (GSC)
- A Virtual Library for All
Round 7 • January through December 2021 • Outreach Services
Providing a virtual library experience for incarcerated patrons.
Team Lead: Diego Sandoval Hernandez, Correctional Services Librarian
Community Partner: Department of Corrections
- The Hero's Journey
Round 7 • March through June 2021 • Walt Whitman Library and Brower Park Library
Become the hero of your own story. This program focused on empowering teens and building their leadership, communication, and life skills while helping them reach their own goals.
Team Lead: Bayleigh Janusik, Library Information Supervisor
Community Partner: Claire Glubiak and Noah LaPook of En Garde Arts, Roohi Choudhry, Youth Advocacy Corps
- Cooking, Crocheting and Coping
Round 7 • Spring 2021 • Central Library
Tap Into Your Creativity to Build Resilience
Team Lead: Sharon Palmer, Regional Librarian
Community Partner: City Harvest
- Buckets & Broadcasting
Round 7 • February through August 2021 • New Lots Library
Teens learned media skills, and produce a virtual basketball talk-show.
Team Lead: Giovanni Griffiths, Technology Resource Specialist
Community Partner: Fort Greene Sports
Round 8
- The Big Question: Inspiring Curiosity through Literacy and Exploration
Round 8 • 2022 • Adams Street and Walt Whitman Libraries
Children and caregivers will dig into literacy through exploration of a Big Question in this six-week program. Experts will present interactive workshops designed to answer some of life’s biggest questions and children can take home books about what they learned to build their home libraries.
Team Leads: Kat Savage, Neighborhood Library Supervisor; Tyler Hixson, Senior YA Librarian
Community Partner: Brooklyn Book Bodega
- Cultural Codex for Kids
Round 8 • 2022 • Sunset Park Library
Designed to promote equity and inclusivity in the fields of science, engineering technology, and math fields, participants will enjoy STEM projects that trace back to our ancestors, re-inventing ancient inventions to strengthen students’ sense of identity and empowering them to be problem solvers.
Team Lead: Roxana Benavides, Neighborhood Library Supervisor
Community Partner: Sunset Spark Inc.
- A Journey to Parenthood: An Educational Series for Parents and Advocates Before, During, and After Pregnancy
Round 8 • 2022 • Washington Irving, Crown Heights, New Lots Libraries and BPL Outreach Services
This workshop series will support families trying to conceive, facing fertility journeys and loss, experiencing pregnancy, preparing for birthing, and transitioning from hospital to home with resources and support from an experienced team of perinatal educators.
Team Lead: Louisa Lebwohl, Children's Librarian
Community Partner: Birdsong Brooklyn
- Libraries Bring Us Together
Round 8 • 2022 • Cortelyou Library
To amplify and include the voices of the diverse, multilingual communities with the Cortelyou Library and surrounding neighborhoods, the team will create five events, each highlighting one of the prominent cultures in the community (Mexican, Haitian, Bangladeshi, Nepali, Pakistani) featuring music, bilingual storytime, food, and art-making.
Team Lead: Kathy Gerber, Children's Librarian
Community Partner: Laurie Davidson
- Mapping Our Worlds: Where We Stand
Round 8 • 2022 • Carroll Gardens and Cypress Hills Library
A six-week program for teens to build creativity and community through artistic map-making. Designed to address the teen mental health crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the program will help to bolster teens’ sense of connection and belonging, giving them life-long tools for compassionately relating to self and others.
Team Leads: Sarah Eagan, Children's Librarian; Meghan Ditomasso, Children's Librarian
Community Partner: Stingray Arts Collective
- Rewriting Rikers: The Re/Creation Collective Workshop
Round 8 • 2022 • BPL’s Jail and Prison Services
The Re/Creation Collective Workshop amplifies the voices of those striving to survive incarceration on Rikers Island. Incarcerated neighbors will be connected with a larger community of justice affected writers and artists to help hone their craft and reshape their narratives.
Team Lead: Diego Sandoval-Hernandez, Supervising Librarian
Community Partner: Re/Creation Collective
- Repair Hub
Round 8 • 2022 • Greenpoint Library's Environmental Education Center
The program will create a space where the community can learn and share repair skills, access tools, and explore more sustainable relationships with our belongings.
Team Leads: Acacia Thompson, Environmental Justice Coordinator; Rebecca Cowley, Senior Librarian
Community Partner: Repair Shop
- Sew Brooklyn
Round 8 • 2022 • Mill Basin Library
The program will offer sewing machines, free materials, and free workshops for patrons interested in learning to sew by hand and/or machine. Designed for patrons to learn an invaluable skill without burdensome costs, to engage in a creative activity, and to build community together.
Team Lead: Damla Bek, Library Information Supervisor
Community Partner: FABSCRAP
- Untold Stories: I Ask, You Tell
Round 8 • 2022 • Brooklyn Heights Library
Queer (LGBTQ+) veterans and teens will share their own powerful stories through a free workshop series in which they will learn interviewing, writing, and performance skills. The workshop will culminate in a public sharing of their self-created poetry and spoken word, fostering empathy and building community. The program is designed so that voices silenced for so long, will be silent no longer.
Team Leads: Claire Cramer, Adult Librarian; Rachel Tiemann, Supervising Librarian
Community Partners: Poetic Theater Productions; Veteran Voices Program
Round 9
- AniTOMO Convention & Fandom Inventions with BPL!
Round 9 • July 2023 • New Lots Library
This program used manga literature and anime content to connect teens and young adults with unique styles of programming around manga and anime content.
Team Leads: Giovanni Griffiths, Technology Resource Specialist
Community Partner: PaleFO Cinema
- ANYONE / ANYWHERE Public Photography Initiative
Round 9 • April-October 2023 • Williamsburgh Library
This project’s goal was to build community through creating images of shared human experiences. Patrons were provided access to camera equipment, taught how to take photos, and welcomed anyone from anywhere to submit photos to a community photography exhibition.
Team Lead: Catherine Skrzypek, Supervising Librarian II
Community Partner: Anyone / Anywhere
- ARTmobile @ BPL
Round 9 • April-October 2023 • Central Library
ARTmobile met communities' expressed desire for access to art aimed to foster cultural pride and empowerment. ARTmobile connected communities to BPL resources offering art workshops, mentorship and professional opportunities to local artists. Their model developed a sustainable, community-centered artists residency providing underserved neighborhoods with art making opportunities.
Team Lead: Robert Weinstein, Library Satellite Coordinator
Community Partner: Residency Unlimited (Voices of Multiplicity)
- Brownsville Blackout
Round 9 • April-September 2023 • Brownsville Library
Brownsville Blackout was a workshop series aimed at engaging tweens and teens of Brownsville, Brooklyn, in productive and creative initiatives. The workshops explored experimentation with blackout poetry, erasure poetry, collage, and digital art; using a variety of materials including old books, magazines, computers, and hand-held scanners. Participants compiled their completed works into a collaborative zine
Team Lead: Sara Pena, Children’s Librarian
Community Partner: Lana C. Marilyn
- Common(s) Knowledge
Round 9 • January-October 2023 • Central Library
This program, aimed at BPL staff, created an installation that reimagined the icons at the front gates of Central Library as signposts and displays to engage and inform the public. The final design and the specific focus of the information offered through the installation was determined through community workshops.
Team Lead: June Reich, Senior Librarian
Community Partner: oopsa (Office of Open Practice Studio/Agency)
- Cortelyou Handmade
Round 9 • May-August 2023 • Cortelyou Library
This program taught patrons how to embroider using different methods such as carbon transfers, fabric printing, and free hand. Cortelyou Handmade shared embroidery as a tool to de-stress, encouraged patrons to be in the moment and even sparked interest entrepreneurship.
Team Lead: Kathy Gerber, Children's Sr. Librarian IA ; Chered Spann, Assistant Branch Manager
Community Partner: Casa De Tacha Embroidery
- Flex Into UX
Round 9 • July-October 2023 • Central Library
Flex Into UX offered underrepresented Brooklynites the opportunity to try a tech training program that provided career services related to employment, educational advancement and raised awareness of free tech training programs. This program contributed to the reduction of some socioeconomic barriers to pursuing education that develops industry-relevant knowledge and skills.
Team Lead: Mark Daly, Career Services Supervisor – Sr. Librarian II
Community Partner: Kingsborough Community College - Center for Economic and Workforce Development
- Red Hook Improv
Round 9 • July-August 2023 • Red Hook Library
Red Hook Improv hosted improv comedy workshops, centered on devising original work and performance. Their process focused on facilitating a safe space for theatrical exploration, particularly for teens without regular access to arts programming. This program will created a consistent, reliable structure where teens developed their theatrical and comedic voice.
Team Lead: Joyce Kowpak, Supervising Librarian II
Community Partner: Lumina Theatre Company
- Student Dream Money Matters
Round 9 • October-November 2023 • Flatbush Library
Money Matters was a 10 session bootcamp designed to help young adults become smart, intentional and successful in managing their money. The sessions covered the following topics: financial health & goals, starting a business as a student, savings 101, applying for scholarships, budgeting basics, making your first stock market investments, and building a personalized financial plan.
Team Lead: Amanda Baker, Senior Librarian
Community Partner: Student Dream
- The Four Pillars of Culture: Literacy Program
Round 9 • July 2023 • Paerdegat Library
This program held four interactive workshops created to inspire children to take joy in reading through read-alongs and hands-on activities. The Four Pillars of Culture Literacy Program occurred over four-weeks in July. Each week covered a cultural pillar (Food, Dance, Entrepreneurship and History) a book on the topic was read and a hands-on activity occurred after each read-along.
Team Lead: Herbert Fair, Supervising Librarian I
Community Partner: Covenant Keepers Ministries
Round 10
- The BPL Zine Box: Collection & Toolkit
Round 10 • 2024 • Windsor Terrace Library
The BPL Zine Box is a collection of zines and a workshop toolbox for use by library staff. Activated to engage a multi-generational public, our project will have an impact by making our libraries sites not only for patrons to read materials, but to create them as well.
Team Lead: Emma Karin Erikkson, Senior YA Librarian
Community Partner: Booklyn, Inc.
- Brooklyn Tales: Your Story in Action!
Round 10 • 2024 • Adams Street Library
This exciting collaboration between NYNF and Adams St will develop and share trainings and toolkits on how to run collaborative workshops for young tweens/teens in the community who want to learn how to tell stories through simple theatre exercises and writing prompts.
Team Lead: Mariaelena Garcia, Assistant Branch Manager
Community Partner: New York Neo-Futurists
- DevL.I.T. 🔥 (Developing Literacy in Technology)
Round 10 • 2024 • East Flatbush and Flatbush Libraries
Through workshops, we will expose participants to physical computing concepts to explore themes of hardware, software, game design, and accessibility while fabricating a full-size arcade console for use by library patrons. Additionally, we will curate tech kits that can be used by staff to explore computer science principles with students.
Team Lead: Dylan-Todd Wilder, YA Librarian; Matthew Hawkins, YA Senior Librarian
Community Partner: Zero Day Camp/ Makers Making Change
- East FlatbushINC Community Business Hub
Round 10 • 2024 • Rugby Library
East FlatbushINC cultivates community wealth and solidarity by empowering local business owners and entrepreneurs through shared resources, wellness-based guidance and collaboration. Our commitment lies in transforming the collective vision of East Flatbush into a thriving business ecosystem, fostering sustainable growth and communal well-being for a robust future for all.
Team Lead: Stefanie Sinn, Branch Manager
Community Partner: Brooklyn Level Up
- L.E.N.S. Method Photo Workshops
Round 10 • 2024 • Park Slope Library
The L.E.N.S Method is a series of workshops exploring the five pillars of emotional resilience through creative photography. This will teach people to use an accessible creative outlet, digital photography using a smartphone, to practice these five concepts. Deliverables will include photo prints and an exhibit.
Team Lead: Stephanie Brueckel, Supervising Librarian; Laura Blake-McCormack, Assistant Branch Manager
Community Partner: Carey Kirkella
- Memories Matter
Round 10 • 2024 • Center for Brooklyn History
A pop-up history museum on and in East New York that will be informed by items and artifacts from CBH's collections as well as community-created content that is produced in a series of 3 community history workshops that lead up to the pop-up's opening.
Team Lead: Dominique Jean-Louis, Historian; Laura Michael, Operations & Administration Manager
Community Partner: East New York Community Land Trust
- Places We Gather
Round 10 • 2024 • Mill Basin Library
Places We Gather is an audio tour showcasing stories of community care, activism, and resistance. The tour will engage library communities throughout the production process and animate lived histories. We will develop supporting, educational materials to facilitate library programming. The project will foster civic participation and digital literacy through storytelling.
Team Lead: Ali Post, Adult Librarian
Community Partner: Interference Archive
- Rootwork
Round 10 • 2024 • Brower Park Library
The Crown Heights CARE Collective will offer a series of workshops that demonstrates how to build community institutions of care, for the people and by the people. By offering Crown Heights residents more options for taking community care into their hands, we hope to help this community protect and deepen its roots.
Team Lead: Thomas Angelo, Library Information Supervisor
Community Partner: Crown Heights CARE Collective
BKLYN Incubator is supported by generous funding provided by The Charles H. Revson Foundation and Robin K. and Jay L. Lewis. For more information, contact incubator@bklynlibrary.org.