Youth Initiative

Mission

At Kimball Library, we value the members of our community for their individual interests and passions. We seek to empower youth through youth-adult partnership to develop opportunities for themselves, their peers, and the greater community. 

Methods

Using Asset-Based Community Development principles to inform our practice, we start with the positives of our community, from individuals to businesses. Using the feedback and input of the community, we encourage passionate people to pursue their ideas, uncovering resources and support. 

Outcomes

Our data is a combination of visual input, anecdotes, and written comments. We seek input from all youth community members by participating in classes through the schools and homeschool groups, engaging individuals in 1-1 conversations, attending community events to speak with community members, and using anonymous & written feedback opportunities.

Thanks to the American Libraries Association grant for Accessible Small and Rural Communities, we were able to host more conversations with a variety of community youth. We hired a Youth Community Connector, Eames, who helped to lead conversations and host programs and activities from fall of 2023 into the spring of 2024. 

What many of our Randolph Elementary students loved about our community in 2024: 

If you have not had the opportunity to provide your input, please feel free to do so by completing this survey or emailing [email protected].

Projects & Events

Bike Club is Returning! - May 14th, 2025 - June 11th, 2025 - Wednesdays at 2:45pm
Bring your bike back to the library to participate in our third annual Bike Club Spring series hosted in partnership with Morgan Easton from the Randolph Rec Dept with a special thanks to Ridgeline and The Gear House for their support of our biking youth members. Learn or practice safe riding skills around town and basic bike maintanence skills. Connect with other kids who like to ride! Geared towards grades 5 and up, but younger riders who are confident on a bike are welcome. 

Pokemon Trading Card Days - The first Saturday at 11am and 2nd Tuesday at 3pm of each month
Back by popular request, we will continue to host Pokemon Trading Card Days in the YA room each month. These free form get togethers encourage participation for any Pokemon Card enthusiasts. Please bring your own deck!

Community Fridge and Pantry
As a result of the conversations hosted through the Accessible Small and Rural Communities, Kimball Library now hosts a community fridge and pantry that will be open 24/7 to the community! Located under the awning, this food project is designed to reduce food waste in our community by redistributing food from community members, local organizations, and businesses. Food accessibility will positively impact people with mental health challenges and other disabilities as well as our community at large. Thanks to the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act, food donations are protected when donated in good faith. 

Youth Advisory Board - Paused
The Youth Advisory Board is comprised of teens ages 12+ who support collection development through recommendations, engage in library sustainability initiatives, and help brainstorm and plan library and community programs. 

View more past events here. 

Get Involved

Help us plan future programming for kids, teens, and adults by completing our new survey, or send an email to [email protected].