Talk Story: Past Grant Winners

P.S. 90 The Magnet School for Environmental Science and Community Wellness School Library, located on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, will invite teen and expert poets of the New York City ghazal community to present a professional development session for staff on ghazals and mushairas. At a September open house event for parents and guardians, the school library and invited Pakistani poets will engage students and their adults in brief poetic reading and writing exercises centered around ghazals and the Pakistani tradition of painting poems on trucks. In addition, they will showcase their new Pakistani-centric collection of books and will have a story nook, in which adults can tell or read stories to children in Urdu, Punjabi, English or the language of their choice. The goal of the Autumn Mushaira is to highlight a rich and enduring literary tradition of a cultural and linguistic community that figures prominently in the P.S. 90, Coney Island and South Brooklyn communities. This project echoes the Talk Story mission by affirming students’ and families’ Pakistani and Urdu-speaking identities through an interactive and engaging literary arts program designed to appeal to, educate and entertain the entire school community. Autumn Mushaira invites intergenerational conversation, storytelling and writing and offers numerous inroads for engagement with Urdu and Pakistani literary traditions.

Hopkinton Public Library, located in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, will host an all-ages Kathak Indian Dance Workshop to support and engage their growing South Asian and multigenerational communities. This year, their summer reading theme focuses on literacy through relaxation, movement, and play for the whole family. The workshop will bring in members of Hopkinton’s diverse community to learn dance from a professional dancer and storyteller who will share her dance and story traditions with their community. They will support this program with culturally informed crafts for the different ages, as well as incorporating stories into their ongoing “Diversity Reads Book Club”, allowing neighbors to share and exchange their own lived experiences. Additionally, they will follow up with book and media displays about Indian culture, cooking, and traditions, as well as crafting kits which encourage exploring Indian art traditions and techniques. Through programs that help the whole family get up and move with dance and music, supported by print materials across the library’s collection in the form of own-voice narratives, the library hopes to enable the passage of family customs related to movement, music, and storytelling through cultural literacy.

Billings Public Library located in Billings, Montana will have their Teen Librarian and the Children’s department collaborate with Humanities Montana, a local nonprofit, to host a family storytelling event featuring Aspen and Cameron Decker via their “Sqelixʷ ‘Salish’ Storytelling”, centering the practices of reciprocity. BPL aims to provide materials published by the featured presenters, for the collection and to giveaway to community members during the program. The books and materials will be sourced from indigenous-owned business, Birchbark Books. In addition, BPL will produce a “Take and Make” craft activity directly related to the stories, advice, and opinions told by the storytellers to ensure that supplemental activities are respectful, relevant, and culturally competent. Funds will be divided between the Children’s department for a Take and Make craft and “Art Explorers” Tween Art Program and the Teen department for “Book Boxes” which allow teens to take home a book and activity to keep.

W.J. Niederkorn Library, located in Port Washington, Wisconsin will expand their collection to include AIAN books such as: Beadwork Techniques of the Native Americans, Craftwork Techniques of the Native Americans, A Bag Worth a Pony: The Art of the Ojibwe Bandolier Bag, One Bead at a Time, and Dancing for Our Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition in the New Millennium. They will also host a program for families on traditional Anishinaabe Beadwork with Erica Bhatti, citizen of Lac Du Flambeau Ojibwe. Participants in the program will learn two stitching patterns and have the opportunity to learn about the cultural importance of indigenous crafts and regalia through an interactive and enriching experience for people of all ages within their community. The Talk Story grant would allow them to provide materials for the program as well. Through the book collection and family program, they can center the cultural and social importances of AIAN voices, stories, traditions, and crafts in their community.

Auburn Hills Public Library, Michigan – In collaboration with a local Hindu temple, the library plans to expand their world language collection and offer a Diwali cultural program in Fall 2022. Books focusing on Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada will be added to the collection, in preparation for the Diwali (October 24th) program, featuring but not limited to: a Diwali story, brief, a lesson about Diwali and its history and appropriate crafts, activities, and snacks. All will be presented by community members who emigrated to the US and are able to speak about their lived experiences of celebrating Diwali in India.

Benton Middle School Tiger Library, Louisiana – The Tiger Tales Book Club will connect with and feature Mrs. Karen Bean, teacher, librarian, and Filipina/Pacific Islander author, to collaborate with Filipinx students on a weekly basis to co-read books (for reading literacy) and share lived experiences (for oral traditions) to gain knowledge about the cultures presented in young adult books, along with growing students’ ability to honor, elevate, and understand the cultures of others within and outside of the book club.The program will culminate into a Filipinx feast, inviting families to highlight stories the students learned and the activity of sharing stories between generations of family and community members.

Downers Grove Public Library, Illinois – In partnership with the Midwest SOARRING Foundation (MSF) to provide two storytelling events, one for children and families, and one for adults. Both storytelling events will share Native folktales, a discussion about what these stories teach and inform our communities, and a table of Native artifacts. The adult event will feature an in-depth discussion about current lifestyles and issues facing Native communities, as well as an opportunity for patrons to taste authentic Native fry bread. The children/family program will feature a beading craft led by the MSF. These storytelling events will provide opportunities for our patrons to learn about Native culture through oral histories and folklore, presented by Native individuals during Native American Heritage Month. Additionally, the grant will allow the library to add new materials to the library’s collection for patrons to learn more. Native titles that are typically inaccessible for purchase from traditional vendors will be featured in the library’s catalog, which will be easily accessible by all 100-consortium members.

Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, Alabama – While partnering with the Florence Indian Mound and Museum, tribal Chickasaw members will be invited to share their culture and storytelling practices. A Chickasaw story (from the Chickasaw Press) will focus on themes or characters within the story. Young patrons will be invited to create their own stories using the characters or themes they previously learned about. Community members will learn to work together to write and illustrate their ideas. The storytelling event will coincide with Oka Kapassa, “an annual festival held at Tuscumbia’s Spring Park. The Festival practices storytelling, dancing, music, traditional cuisine, crafts, and demonstrations to celebrate the culture and traditions of Native Americans who once thrived in the area.” These programs will connect patrons to nature, history, culture, and music as well as bring awareness of harmful stereotypes and the effects of colonialism to a group of people who may not have this opportunity otherwise. 

Cloquet Public Library, Minnesota – Grant funds will create a Story Stroll and provide free books to the community.

PS 64 Q The Joseph P. Addabbo School, New York – Partnering with the Deshi Senior Center, PS 64 Q – The Joseph P. Addabbo School library seeks to establish an intergenerational “reading buddy” program that intentionally supports students in their proficiency as emerging English-language readers, writers, and speakers. Students will engage in discussion with their Senior buddy about shared experiences and cultural connections, share read-aloud stories, and collaboratively write and illustrate a story together. Talk Story grant funds will be used to purchase bilingual, Bengali-English, books and supplies in support of this program.

Springdale Public Library, Arkansas – Springdale is home to one of the largest Marshallese populations in the contiguous United States. Working with local Marshallese community agencies, the Springdale Public Library will actively seek out and engage elders of the Marshallese Community to share legends and folktales part of the Marshallese oral tradition to contribute to virtual and future in-person Marshallese story time. In addition to supporting program implementation, Talk Story grant funds will also support archiving of co-created Marshallese storytelling content as a special collection within the library.

Window Rock-Fort Defiance Lions Club, Arizona – Grant funds will be used by this virtual book club to engage their community with art, four children’s books, and four chapter books.

No grants awarded in 2020.

Santa Clarita Public Library, Santa Clarita, California

S. Verna Fowler Academic Library/Menominee Public Library, Michigan

Brighton Memorial Public Library, Rochester, New York

Chinese Family Network, Massachusetts

American Indian Health & Family Services in Michigan
Grant funds will be used to support early childhood programming for two age groups, 0-5 and 5-8. The 0-5 age group events will include storytime, crafts and singing. Books written by American Indian authors will be given to the families who attend. The Little Dreamers event, age 5-8, will focus on tradition and history. Books used will address the experiences of residential schools as well as current concerns in the Native community.

Aniak Public Library in Alaska
Building on a successful project last summer, Aniak Public Library will write and publish a series of Aniak Alaska books. These books will reflect the community and the Alaska Native culture. Workshops throughout the summer and fall will culminate in a community event to celebrate the completed books.

Chinese American Citizen’s Alliance in Washington D.C.
Partnering with the DC Public Library and 1882 Foundation, underserved APA youth in the DC area will be participating in a three-month weekly art program geared towards APA identity development. Ten to fifteen middle school-aged youth will be provided multimedia art instructions in various techniques and cultures.

Cranston Public Library in Rhode Island
Partnering with the Center for Southeast Asians, the Cranston Public Library is hosting a series of programs to help children discover the richness of Cambodian culture. Programs will include providing youth with modern technology to bridge the generational gap by conducting interviews with families; recreating jewelry, sculptures, and tools using the library’s 3D printers; and examining the library’s collection of books in Khmer to write letters with the help of a former monk.

Hopi Public Library in Arizona
Coinciding with the Summer Reading Program, the Hopi Story Time project proposes an intergenerational story and activity hour that promotes Hopi language learning. There will be 10 story time events through the Hopitutuqayki Sikisve (The Hopi Bookmobile). Each event will involve a speaker reading from Hopi coyote tales and activities that accompany the story hour will include: taking booklets of coyote stories home; author talks with Anita Poleahla, the writer/author behind Mesa Media; and creating a timeline with events from Hopi history.

Newark Free Library in Delaware
A local poet laureate, educator and arts administrator will lead 10-15 pre-teens and young adults in a parol activity during Filipino American Heritage Month. Oral stories, poems, and personal experiences will be shared.

San Juan College in New Mexico
Partnering with the San Juan College Childhood Family Development Center (CFDC), San Juan College will collaborate with Our Last Chants, a local Navajo indie band, to provide cultural and interactive experiences. The band will visit the children, learning a Navajo song or nursery rhyme. They will also create a CD of Navajo/English nursery rhymes for the CFDC children and families.

South Plainfield Public Library in New Jersey
South Plainfield Public Library will be expanding their current Diwali program by adding several new components garnered from community input and analysis. Programs include dance lessons, henna designs, sampling of Indian food, and rangoli creations. Funds will also go toward purchasing culturally appropriate books for the collection.

Acoma Learning Center, Pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico
The Acoma Learning Center recognizes that the community of Acoma is strongly tied to its cultural practices, beliefs, language and traditions. STORYtelling, a Keresan-based literacy project, will connect babies, toddlers, and young parents through language learning and activities.

Aniak Public Library in Alaska
Two projects will be incorporated into the 2017 Summer Reading Program, the theme of which is Build a Better Future. The first project will focus on compiling local stories which will result in a board book, chapter book and a brochure. The second project will be to make drums that will be used during storytime to bridge the two cultural ways of telling stories.

Medicine Springs Library, Blackfeet Community College in Montana
Taking a unique approach to storytime, Medicine Springs Library plans to have a Library Lodge at the North American Indian Days powwow. The Library Lodge will distribute free books and provide storytelling opportunities in a comfortable setting. Guests at the powwow will be encouraged to stop by the Library Lodge to read, visit, and hear stories. 2-4 storytimes will be held during break times from the dancing. Hopa Mountain, a program that promotes early literacy in tribal communities, will provide free books for children aged 0-5. Medicine Springs Library will purchase Native authored books with grant funds that will be added to their collection to help students see that storytelling comes in many forms.

Cresskill Public Library in New Jersey
Cresskill Public Library is partnering with local Korean American organizations to hold a variety of programs and displays to celebrate the Korean holidays of Children’s Day and Parent’s Day. Programs include a presentation  on the  traditional Korean wedding, documentary screenings, music, tea presentation, and bilingual storytimes and crafts for younger attendees. Staff, families and community members will be invited to come dressed in traditional clothing and to share their favorite children’s book. Cresskill will also use part of the grant to purchase Korean-English bilingual books for children.

Delaney Southwest Library and Archives in Colorado
Delaney Library will present Southwest Summer Storytime. Running for 9 weeks, the program will share multiple different points of view from a variety of cultures, promoting both literacy and oral traditions. Elementary aged children and their parents and caregivers will engage in literacy activities, arts and crafts, and presentations from five different traditional storytellers, including a jingle dance exhibition. Regional libraries and community organizations will help cost share the program by covering publicity and donating supplies and refreshments. Funds will also go towards purchasing culturally appropriate books for the collection.

Friends of Westminster Library inCalifornia
The Westminster Library in partnership with the Friends of the Westminster Library and the Westminster Unified School District will  host a Grandparents’ Tea in conjunction with the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, bringing together different generations within the community to   promote the passing on of Vietnamese cultural traditions. Grandparents and grandchildren will share bilingual books, tea and mooncakes, and be able to participate in crafts, photography and calligraphy with an on-site calligrapher. The event will also highlight student work from the Westminster Unified School District Dual Language Immersion Program. Funding will also go towards the purchase of bilingual Vietnamese picture books.

Kodiak Historical Society in Alaska
In conjunction with their 2017 Summer Youth Film Intensive, “Kodiak as a Global Crossroads,” The Kodiak Historical Society (KHS) will be using funding from Talk Story to  support APA students in researching their family migration stories and genealogy. KHS will also hire an archivist to work with the students to teach them how to archive family photographs and how to identify documents in the community that relate to their family story. Students will use their research to create documentary films of their family history in Kodiak. These films will be shown at a community wide screening and later archived as permanent exhibits at the Baranov Museum.

Stone Soup Fresno in California
Stone Soup Fresno is a non-profit, early childhood education organization that serves Southeast Asian American children and their families. The grant  will be used to launch an annual Southeast Asian American Reading Day, starting in August 2017. This family event will be held at a park with various literacy focused activities including representatives from the local library.   Local Southeast Asian American children’s book authors will also attend  the event and  be involved in their fall literacy programs. Funds will also be used to purchase books in Hmong, Lao and Khmer for use in Stone Soup programs and to promote early literacy practices at home.

California State University Fresno in California
The university is designated as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution and the Library Diversity Committee will use their funds to host a Native American storytelling event to reach users from these communities. Their event will help promote other library resources of interest to Native American visitors such as the upcoming traveling exhibit “Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness” sponsored by the American Library Association. Funds awarded will also be used to purchase books and audiovisual materials to add to their Native American children’s collections.

Hoh Tribal Library in Washington
The tribal library, located on the Hoh reservation, will use their funds to support young children as there is no early education program for the community. The majority of their library patrons are children ages 1-13 so to engage these users they will create Native American story kits. Families can check out the kits on a variety of topics which will include books, activity idea sheets and materials to complete the activities suggested. To promote the availability of these new materials there will be a kick-off event at the start of summer vacation.

Kenton County Public Library in Kentucky
With funding from Talk Story, KCPL will be holding their eighth Filipino Independence Day celebration. The event will allow KCPL to share aspects of Filipino culture through bilingual stories, folk dance performances, folk songs, games and crafts. KCPL is partnering with the Filipino-American Association of Northern Kentucky, the Filipino American Association of Southern Ohio, the Philippine Nurses Association of Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky, and United Filipino-Americans Mabuhay Society. Each family in attendance will be given a bilingual book in English and Tagalog.

Long Beach Public Library, North Branch in California
The North Branch of LBPL will be partnering with the Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum to hold a Talk Story program focused on Polynesian culture. The museum will aid the library in filling its display cases with Polynesian artifacts. Dance and musical performances, crafts, movies and storytelling are scheduled for the event in mid-November, in conjunction with events celebrating the relaunch and opening of their new state-of-the-art branch, the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library.

Monroe Township Public Library in New Jersey
Monroe Township Public Library will use the majority of their Talk Story grant to invest into collection development of titles in South Asian languages, collaborating with a local Indian agency to aid in selecting and promoting materials to the local community. The library plans to use this new collection to add storytimes and art programs focusing on Indian culture. The remaining amount of the grant will be used to hire performers for a Diwali themed program, crafts and publication of the event.

Moreno Valley High School in California – Moreno Valley High School’s newly revived Polynesian Club will be use their funds to hold a program titled “Let’s Talk Story! Sharing Culture & Celebrating Diversity With Students & Their Families,” and include a book discussion, storytelling, crafts and a closing dance with students and alumni. This is the first Asian/Pacific American community event to be held in over six years. Funds will also be used to purchase a starting collection of APIA books in different areas including APALA award winners.

Pierce County Library System in Washington
To strengthen their relationship and share information about library services and resources with the Puyallup Tribe, the library, as part of Pierce County’s service area, hosted two storytelling events with their Talk Story funds. One event was hosted by the Puyallup community and another was held at a Pierce County library facility with each event featuring a Puyallup storyteller. The event also included the chance to make an art project related to the story, which was used by the families who attended to tell their own stories at home. Funds also supported the purchase of Native American children’s books for the Pierce County libraries.

Sacramento Public Library, South Natomas Library in California
The South Natomas Branch held an adult program focusing on teaching brush painting techniques that encompassed art styles from China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The library also hosted a local Hawaiian dance company to perform and present information on Hawaiian dance and culture. The event also included face-painting and crafts. The library used remaining funds to add APALA award winning and honor books to the library collection.

Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribal Library in Washington
The tribal library used their Talk Story funds to host multiple cultural events to support the revitalization of their Native language of Lushootseed. The tribal library hosted a storytelling night with a Lushootseed storyteller who encouraged audience participation with children. Partnering with the tribe’s Cultural Resources department, another event was held where community members created family trees and storybooks and learned how to make traditional crafts such as drums and cedar weaving. Additionally the library purchased culturally relevant Native American materials to enhance their collections which were then mostly donated materials.

Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians in California
The tribal library hosted a storytelling series for community members and created books illustrating stories from the book “Pomo Myths”. These events and materials supported the revitalization of the Pomo language and culture. The book creation and storytelling series were both implemented by tribal high school students. Once the books were created they were given to attendees at the storytelling series and added to the library collections for those unable to attend to check out. Because storytelling events have not been offered in the community for many years, the tribe helped to revive interest in the telling of Pomo stories and using the Pomo language.

Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library in Tennessee
The Hui Hawai`i O Tenesi Hawaiian Civic Club partnered with the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library to hold a Talk Story program in May during Asian-Pacific Heritage Month. Club volunteers presented a story time, introduced lei making and lauhala weaving, shared Hawaiian treats, demonstrated and taught hula and the Hawaiian version of “Simon Says,” “Kumu Hula Says.” The grant also added a substantial amount of Hawaiian books to the library’s collection.

Kenton County Public Library in Kentucky
KCPL held a Filipino Independence Day celebration sharing Filipino culture through bilingual stories, folk dance performances, folk songs, games and crafts. KCPL partnered with the Filipino-American Association of Northern Kentucky, the Filipino American Association of Southern Ohio (FASO) and United Filipino-Americans Mabuhay Society. Each family in attendance was given a bilingual book in English and Tagalog.

Native Village of Eyak in Alaska
This unique program facilitated the inclusion of elders in the community to share parenting and breastfeeding experiences with the local breastfeeding support group that meets at the library. The elders also demonstrated traditional food preparation and artwork.

Oceanside Public Library in California
OPL held four programs over the course of seven months, with the first story time program in May for Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. Families attended a Japanese-English storytime and exchanged letters and photos with children in Fuji-city, Japan — Oceanside’s sister city. Over the summer OPL provided two performances with local Okinawan dancers and an elder who shared stories of his youth in Okinawa. Attendees had the opportunity to try Okinawan foods. An additional story time was held in November. OPL partnered with the Okinawa Association of America (OAA) to select materials for circulation and story time.

Pacific Islands University in Guam
PIU held a Talk Story event in September 2015 with two local elementary schools, both with substantial APA student populations. The program consisted of readings of books about Micronesians, an art project and refreshments. Two additional Talk Story reading events were held at the elementary schools with each school library receiving donations of one-to-two culturally relevant children’s books. The University also increased its collections of books on APA populations, specifically Micronesians, for PIU education students and library employees.

Palms-Rancho Park Library in California
Palms-Rancho Park Library, a branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, held a Children’s Chinese Day program in June 2015, hosted by a WorldSpeak teacher. Children will made moon cakes, a Chinese dragon mask and had a parade. Funds were primarily used to support growth of the Mandarin collection, to purchase bilingual books and audio-visual materials to support native Chinese speakers and Chinese language learners.

Red Lake Nation College in Minnesota
To coincide with the opening of a new academic/community library building, Red Lake Nation College hosted two storytelling sessions that revolved around elders sharing stories with the children based on the oral tradition. The children then read stories to the elders using books purchased with Talk Story funds. Recordings were made to create and preserve the oral history of traditional Ojibwe stories. A group activity also took place that engaged the children in creating a permanent display for the library in order to establish the library as a community gathering place.

San Juan College in New Mexico
San Juan College operates a childcare facility that provides hands-on learning for both children and SJC students. During the month of November, San Juan College hosted a series of workshops beginning with a storytime of Eric Carle’s Brown Bear Brown Bear What do you See? which was translated into Navajo. In the second workshop, students worked on creating their own story in Navajo and English using regional animals and characters which they will self publish. Finally, the students performed the story live for the college.

Sonoma County Library in California
Sonoma County Library furthered its partnership with the Graton Rancheria by celebrating and expanding its offerings for the tribal community. There was a half-day cultural event including storytelling, dancing, crafts and food. Sonoma County Library expanded the circulating materials of the library with the purchase of materials focused on local tribes. There was a month-long display in support of the event.

USD 497 Native American Student Services for Lawrence Public Schools in Kansas
Middle and high school students read stories to the elementary and preschool children. The books used for the program, and purchased with Talk Story funds, were left with the elementary school to keep in their classrooms and libraries. The middle and high school students were active participants in the marketing of the Talk Story programs by helping create bookmarks, posters and displays.

Asian Pacific American Historical Society in Atlanta, Georgia
Asian Pacific American Historical Society, in partnership with Chamblee Public Library, a branch of the Dekalb County Public Library in Georgia, put on a Mid-Autumn Moon Festival Children’s Program including a dance performance, shadow puppet performance, and hands-on crafts.

Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts & Culture (FilAm ARTS)  in Los Angeles, California
Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts & Culture (FilAm ARTS) in Los Angeles, California supported a community story-telling gathering called “Saysay Stories of Historic Filipinotown” at the Echo Park Library in October 2014 in celebration of Filipino American History month.

Ira H. Hayes Memorial Library, Gila River Indian Community  in Sacaton, Arizona
Ira H. Hayes Memorial Library, Gila River Indian Community offered two events focusing on the history of Gila River Indian Community cultural traditions expressed through traditional music of the Pima and Maricopa.

Gwinnett County Public Library  in Lawrenceville, Georgia
Gwinnett County Public Library, in partnership with the advocacy Center for Pan Asian Community Services and the Asian/Pacific-American Historical Society, Gwinnett County Public Library purchased materials for and presented Storytime Go-Go kits focusing on APA culture and themes and offered events focusing on performance art from the Young Audiences of Atlanta.

Hercules Library in Hercules, California
Hercules Library used the funds to support their Philippine Independence Day celebration for the entire community. Raq Filipina and her band performed a blend of world music informed by traditional songs of the Philippines.

Jackson County Public Library in Sylva, North Carolina
Jackson County Public Library purchased Cherokee language books published by the nearby New Kituwah Academy. Two programs were held in June and July; a Cherokee bilingual story-time and celebration of culture and a Craft and Dance Demonstration in conjunction with the Oconaluftee Indian Village.

Monterey County Free Libraries in Marina, California
Monterey County Free Libraries held a successful “Hands Across the Pacific” program in May featuring local residents from Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Guam, and Hawai’i as presenters of stories, songs, and information from their country or culture.

North Park Branch Library in San Diego, California
North Park Branch Library held weekly programs during the month of September that highlight the history and culture of the Kumeyaay Nation..

Powell Museum  in Page, Arizona
Powell Museum partnered with the Page Public Library to provide programming which shares the continuing history, process and beauty of Navajo weaving.

St. George Branch Library  in Utah
St. George Branch Library offered three programs; a story-time held on the nearby Shivwits Reservation, a bilingual story-time featuring Southern Paiute Tribal Elder Elenor Tom, and an arts and crafts program.

Council of Asian Pacific Americans of Detroit, Michigan
The Council of Asian Pacific Americans (CAPA), in partnership with the Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan and the Ferndale Public Library in Ferndale, Michigan, provided a two-part, multi-generational program entitled: “Talk Story in Asian Cultures: Sharing Experiences and Culture Through the Spoken Word”. Storyteller Ming Louie used Asian folk tales to demonstrate the power and beauty of storytelling to transmit culture and history from generation to generation. Audience members were then invited to attend an interactive workshop where Ming Louie taught them the basics of storytelling.

Cranston Public Library of Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston Public Library, in partnership with the Cranston Family Center, a program of Cranston Public Schools, created story kits focusing on Southeast Asian stories as well as provided a storytime while also building their collection of Asian and Asian-American literature.

Division of Indian Work of Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Division of Indian Work held a cultural teachings day with elders from different tribes, including Ojibwe and Dakota, who shared traditional teachings with participants of the Division of Indian Work Youth Leadership Development Programs (YLDP). The YLDP provides in-school and afterschool academic, recreational, and cultural activities for the American Indian students in grades K-12 in the Minneapolis Public School system in Minnesota.

Friends for the Richfield Public Library of Richfield, Utah
The Friends for the Richfield Public Library conducted 6 programs over the summer to help families understand and promote their culture. These programs focused on the Navajo and Paiute tribes, running as traditional exercise, and taking care of the land and environment. The library also hosted a mini-powwow with audience participation and traditional food preparation.

Friends of Asian Library of Oakland, California
The Friends of Asian Library advocate for the Asian Library which is part of the Oakland Public Library System and is located in the heart of Oakland Chinatown. In May 2013, the library celebrated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a puppet performance of Mae Lin & The Magic Brush. In October, for the National Storytelling Festival, the library invited Brenda Wong Aoki to share stories with the community.

Hercules Library of Contra Costa County Library System, Hercules, California
Hercules Library is home to a very diverse community with a large Filipino population. The library hired the Kapwa Dance Ensemble to perform traditional renditions of Southern Philippines music and dance, highlighting the community’s rich cultural resources. This event occurred in conjunction with Philippine Independence day and the Summer Reading Program. Program partners included Filipina City Councilwoman Myrna DeVera, the City of Hercules, the Hercules Chamber of Commerce, the Hercules Lions Club, and the Hercules Rotary Club.

Mille Lacs Indian Museum of Onamia, Minnesota
The Mille Lacs Indian Museum conducted Storybook Hour and Kid’s Crafts that focused on American Indian contributions and innovations. These took place year-round in the Museum’s Children’s and Research library.

Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center Library of Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center Library used grant funds to expand library services to include an 8 week baby story-time session that focused on the relationship between the child and caregiver. The Library also purchased board books with an American Indian focus and toys for families to use during storytime.

Santa Clara Branch Library of Washington County Library System, St. George, Utah
The Santa Clara Branch Library has a growing number of Polynesian families moving into the St. George area. The library invited author and illustrator Jacqueline Slade to present her storytime program ‘What’s In a Name?”, a family-friendly introduction to Samoan culture. The library also invited local resident, published poet, and essayist Rubina Rivers and her troupe to perform a dramatic presentation of the stories of the Hawaiian demi-god Maui, celebrating the folklore of Hawaii and Oceania.

Trinidad Rancheria Library of Trinidad, California on the on the Cher- Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria
Trinidad Rancheria Library offered four traditional programs in the summer focusing on cultural and traditional understanding within the community. Topics included: Brush dance, salmon and sea life, Native foods, and jewelry making. The program was open to tribal and community members with the goal of helping to break down barriers between tribe and community by fostering cultural understanding.

Baranov Museum of Kodiak, Alaska
The Baranov Museum, in partnership with the A. Holems Johnson Memorial Public Library and the Filipino American Association of Kodiak, collaboratively led an event called “Kodiak Filipino Family Tree.”  High school students studying the history of Filipinos on Kodiak hosted the event at the public library for community members to come in with their family photographs to scan, and document their family trees to be stored for public access in the Baranov Museum archives.
Link to videos

Carson Regional Library of County of Los Angeles Public Library system, Carson, California
Carson Regional Library is situated in a community with a large Filipino population.  With Talk Story funds, the library enhanced the collection and developed an artist workshop with a local artist David Lazaro which discussed and taught the history and art of Baybayin, a Filipino script before Spanish colonization.  The event was held in October, Filipino American History month.

Jamestown S’klallam Tribal Library of Washington
Jamestown S’klallam Tribal Library is a small, non-reservation based tribe on the isolated rural Olympic Peninsula of Washington State.  The library hosted a 2-hour indoor/outdoor event with a S’klallam Storyteller sharing stories based on the ancestral stories of the S’klallam people.  Tribal members also learned how to prepare salmon and oysters using traditional methods and created Story Poles to write their own stories and/or read stories already in the library.

Mzenegen Tribal Library of the Match-E-B-Nash-She-Wish Band of the Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan
Mzenegen Tribal Library of the Match-E-B-Nash-She-Wish Band of the Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan was a newly created library/archive which was organized in 2011.  The library hosted a program on the wild rice harvest which has historical significance to the tribe.  The program included music, storytelling, reading, hands-on rice processing activities, a book-making activity, and a meal featuring wild rice.

White Mesa Library of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Towaoc, Colorado
The White Mesa Library is a service offered by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe headquartered in Towaoc, CO to the 335 reservatino residents of Whtie Mesa, Utah.  The library planned a special program to educate the children and families of the White Mesa Utah, Ute Mountain Ute community about the traditional Ute Bear Dance Ceremonial Drum.  The program included a craft workshop on making miniature traditional drum style key chains.

Greenwich Branch of Gloucester County Library System, Gibbstown, New Jersey
Greenwich Branch serves a small town of 5,000 people with a growing Pacific Islander population.  The library highlighted Samoan culture through classes for the community on South Pacific Island dance, Samoan tattoo art, and Polynesian musical instruments.

White Mesa Library of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Towaoc, Colorado
The White Mesa Library is a service offered by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe headquartered in Towaoc, CO to the 335 reservatino residents of Whtie Mesa, Utah.  The library planned a special day for children and their parents to learn about their Ute cultural heritage including: a story from the tribe’s past told by a local expert followed by a cultural craft activity and an open house to introduce the library’s new automated system and to issue library cards.

These libraries were pilot programs.

Carson Regional Library of County of Los Angeles Public Library System, Carson, California

Jemez Pueblo Community Library of Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico

Laguna Public Library of Laguna, New Mexico

Loren Corey Eiseley Branch Library of Lincoln City Libraries, Lincoln, Nebraska

Marlborough Public Library of Marlborough, Massachusetts

Queens Library of Flushing, New York

Tuzzy Consortium Library of Barrow, Alaska