Cambridge Public Library Foundation Inc

Programs: The foundation supported several new public programs at the library including 1,000 books before kindergarten, an early literacy program aimed at the parents of children who are ages 0-5. This free program creartes a fun way for children and their families to reach the goal of reading 1,000 books over the course of the child's first five years. Families sign up for the program with a children's librarian at any cambridge public library location and get a free tote bag and book. For each 250 books read, children get another book to take home. Cpl's expert children's librarians help to connect children and families with great books. A total of 230 children registered for the "1,000 books" on its first day. As of june 30, 2018, nearly 2,000 children had signed up for the program. The foundation hosted its first public event, dream big: the future of public libraries. This symposium featured renowned thought leaders. Key themes emerged during the course of the evening: public libraries are the cornerstone of our democracy and an essential place for all to experiment and test new ideas, the best libraries are increasingly connected, networks and digitized and will need to be adaptable to meeting changing, diverse community needs; and the future will include increasing attention to emerging technologies and changing platforms. The foundation launched a new lecture series that will present leading writers of children's books. The first annual margret and h. A. Rey curious george lecture series featured two-time newbery medalist and beloved children's author kate dicamillo. Classics from dicamillo's catalog include because of winn-dixie, the tale of despereaux and most recently, national book award finalist, raymie nightingale. Over 300 children and adults attended this event. The foundation launched the first phase of a new program-creative aging-that focuses on older adults (50 years +). Working with lifetime arts, the foundation hosted staff development sessions to establish a framework for being more responsive to older adults and strengthening the library's role as a center for lifelong learning. Topics covered in these training sessions: the current and future demographics of this population, current best and model programs, addressing ageism and how to work with artists and other arts partners to developing new programs that featue the best of creative aging.