3 Programs You Love By Cincinnati Library Foundation

Press release from the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County:

April 23, 2020

Do you look forward to signing up for the Library’s Summer Learning program each year? Were you blown away by hearing Mary S. Stern Lecture Series speaker Bryan Stevenson’s talk on mass incarceration and criminal justice reform? Then you may be surprised to learn that these programs wouldn’t be possible without the Library Foundation.

The Library Foundation is a separate nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization from the Library. It partners with the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County and donors to support many of the amazing things the Library provides for and with the community.

April 23 marks Library Giving Day, a part of National Library Week.

“The Library Foundation works day in and day out to provide support for the programs that fill in the gaps in public funding—from new books for kids in Summer Learning to the extra hands that provide assistance to young people during the school year,” said Staci Dennison, the Thomas W. Jones Executive Director of the Library Foundation. “To do this, we rely on philanthropic dollars (gifts and grants). No donation is too big or too small.

“We know there are so many beloved community organizations and non-profits that are in need of your support right now. The Library is no exception. Even if giving this year isn’t a possibility for you and your family, you can always donate in the future when you are able through the Library Foundation website. Or, contribute by taking part in our Quilt for a Cause initiative. There are so many different ways to give and we can’t thank you and your fellow Library community members enough for your ongoing support for our Library.”

Here are just a few of the ways funding from the Library Foundation supports the resources, programs, and events you love the most.

Homework Help

Getting kids to do their homework can be just as challenging as helping them complete it. With private tutors out of reach for so many, the Library’s free Homework Help program is there to help. The program is an integral part of the role the Library plays in promoting learning and literacy to every child.

While the Library may be closed to the public for now, students can still connect to Homework Help by calling the Virtual Information Center or access our free BrainFuse platform that offers live online tutoring and chats with expert helpers, study guides, virtual study group meetings for students, special programs for adult learners, and more.


Summer Learning

For decades, the Library Foundation has played a crucial role in funding and supporting the Library’s efforts to keep kids learning all summer. It’s something kids as well as parents look forward to each year—picking out a brand-new book after signing up, attending performances and programs, and more.

Summer Learning may look a little different this year, but the Library still has every intention of continuing our mission of preventing the summer slide, especially now that many children’s school-year education has been impacted by the challenges of remote learning.

Writer-in-Residence

Since 2014, the Library Foundation’s Writer-in-Residence has served as the Library’s literary ambassador to the community. The goal of the program is to foster engagement between the Library and the community’s writers and readers by providing instruction on the craft of writing, in-person, and, now, online.

This year’s Writer-in-Residence, author and journalist Dani McClain, is hosting the Library podcast “Inside the Writer’s Head”, recording videos, contributing posts for the Library’s blog, and holding live online office hours with a Q&A session, as well as a series of writing workshops.

For more information about all of the work the Library Foundation does to benefit the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County throughout the year, visit the Library Foundation website.

This press release was produced by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. The views expressed here are the author’s own.