Brooklyn Public Library Announces Winners of Inaugural Bklyn Incubator Project

Winning Programs, Developed By Librarians and Branch Staff, Will Open to Public This Spring

Charles H. Revson Foundation Awards BPL $322,740 Grant to Scale Up Project

(Brooklyn, NY)—This spring, Clinton Hill students will design and tend their own garden, immigrants in East New York will get help obtaining professional childcare licenses and teens in Bushwick will express themselves through literature and dance thanks to the Bklyn Incubator, a new Brooklyn Public Library initiative that invests in creative programming ideas developed in BPL branches. These programs are among eight funding recipients announced by the Library today.

“Our librarians and staff care deeply about their patrons and are extraordinarily committed to the communities they serve,” said Brooklyn Public Library President and CEO Linda E. Johnson. “The Incubator helps them put their most creative ideas into action and provides the tools they need to serve Brooklynites of diverse backgrounds and interests in new, innovative ways.”

Public feedback submitted through BPL’s Facebook page helped determine which projects were considered for funding by a panel of library professionals. The winning programs are currently in the planning stages and will launch this spring. Each will be produced in partnership with a community organization. The winners are:

  • Bklyn Mixtape Podcasting Club (Central Library): Collects oral histories and adapts written ones for participants to record, edit, and produce as podcasts. A partnership with BRIC.
  • How Does Your Library Garden Grow (Clinton Hill Library): An outdoor gardening program that will build a garden from the ground up: students will design the plot, choose the plants and tend the plots as they sprout. A partnership with PS/MS 492 Academy of Arts & Letters, Library Committee.
  • Future Leaders Career Awareness Series (Cypress Hills Library): Will help teens develop research and soft communication skills while accessing free library resources for personal and professional development. A partnership with the City Year afterschool program at JHS 218.
  • Reading the Rhythm (DeKalb Library): A combination dance program and book discussion group to support literacy education and creative self-expression for local teens. A partnership with Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center.
  • Digging for Black Pride Urban Excavation Program (Flatbush Library): An in-school urban excavation research curriculum that will help students at the Erasmus School document the history of the community. A partnership with Erasmus School and Weeksville Heritage Center.
  • Illuminating Literacy (Flatlands Library): An illuminated book-making program for school-aged students with low literacy levels. A partnership with the Morgan Library.
  • Girls Report Now! (Leonard Library): The program will help girls identify things that are important to them and give them the skills to tell those stories to a wider audience, with guidance from journalist mentors. A partnership with Katie McDonough of Fusion News.
  • Root Resource (New Lots Library):  Will help immigrants become licensed childcare providers while providing librarian-led training for early literacy. A partnership with Daycare Council of NYC.

“The Bklyn Incubator provides staff with the resources we need to host programs that go beyond the wide range of services we already offer in our branches,” said Erik Bobilin, neighborhood library supervisor and coordinator of the Girls Report Now! program. “At Leonard Library, we cannot wait to start helping students explore and share the stories that matter most to them.”

In addition to supporting branch programs, the Incubator trains and mentors staff on how to write proposals and manage projects. BPL’s aim is to develop a model that other libraries can replicate to empower staff and develop more innovative programs at the branch level. BPL will present its experience with the Incubator at the American Library Association’s annual conference in June. The second round of the Bklyn Incubator will begin this spring; the public will be invited to evaluate the new proposals and submit feedback in early summer.

The Library announced that a grant from the Charles H. Revson Foundation in the amount of $322,740 over two years will enable it to dramatically scale up the Incubator. The Revson Foundation’s support will allow BPL to offer more staff training and professional development opportunities, along with enhanced tools to identify community partners and launch effective programs.

“In addition to being centers of opportunity and community for all people, Brooklyn’s public libraries are home to some of our most talented and creative community members,” said Julie Sandorf, president of the Charles H. Revson Foundation. “We’re proud to help library staff do even more to meet the needs of their neighborhoods, and we look forward to the many new programs that will be launched as a result of the Incubator.”

The Revson Foundation joins the Institute of Museum and Library Services in supporting the Incubator. IMLS awarded BPL a $25,000 Sparks Ignition grant with the support of US Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. The grant program encourages libraries to test and evaluate specific innovations in their operations and services.

#          #          #

About Brooklyn Public Library

Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is an independent library system for the 2.5 million residents of Brooklyn. It is the fifth largest library system in the United States with 60 neighborhood libraries located throughout the borough. BPL offers free programs and services for all ages and stages of life, including a large selection of books in more than 30 languages, author talks, literacy programs and public computers. BPL’s eResources, such as eBooks and eVideos, catalog information and free homework help, are available to customers of all ages 24 hours a day at our website: www.bklynlibrary.org.