Grant Proposal. Park Ridge Public Library. Fully Engaged. An Initiative for Autistic Children and Their Parents. Julianne T.

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1 1 Grant Proposal Park Ridge Public Library Fully Engaged An Initiative for Autistic Children and Their Parents Julianne T. Stam INFO 520 Drexel University

2 2 Executive Summary The Park Ridge Public Library, located in the town of Park Ridge, Illinois, seeks to fund the program Fully Engaged, a series of speakers and a special collection of materials dealing with autism. Autism is a brain disorder which is on the rise nationally and in the area. Children with autism and their families need resources on the subject of autism; the Park Ridge Library is committed to providing these resources and has the procedures in place to carry out the project to its successful conclusion. Fully Engaged will consist of a specially housed collection of both print and non-print resources and a series of speakers on topics affecting the autistic and their families, which will be presented in conjunction with our partner organization, Have Dreams. The goals of this program are to assist these families and educate the community. Once completed, the program will be disseminated to other libraries as a model for this underserved portion of the population. The program will take place over a one-year period, from March 2009 to February Monies awarded will go to purchase resources for the special collection. Park Ridge Library is asking for your foundation s support to provide funds in the amount of $10,000 to complete this project.

3 3 Setting The Park Ridge Public Library is located in the charming and welcoming town of Park Ridge, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago conveniently located near O Hare Airport. Two of the most famous residents of Park Ridge are Hillary Rodham Clinton and Harrison Ford. The area was first settled in 1832, incorporated as a village in 1873 and incorporated as a city in While Park Ridge is a city of over 37,000 people with over 14,000 households, there is definitely a small town community feeling that exists among the residents. Residents of Park Ridge often spend their entire lives living here and those who move away often come back because they miss the community feeling that exists here. The city boasts one of the top 100 hospitals in the country, Lutheran General Hospital. The downtown area of the city is referred to as Uptown. The current Uptown Redevelopment Project is bringing new residential, retail and dining options to our beautiful downtown area. The city s most famous Uptown landmark is the Pickwick Theater, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is located across from the Park Ridge Public Library. The Park Ridge Public Library was established in 1910 with a grant of $7500 from the Carnegie Foundation. The original library building was at the corner of Northwest Highway and Prospect Avenue and still stands today across from the present library building, which was dedicated in The library is a center for learning and socialization for community members; its many on-going programs and special collections serve the interests of the local community. The library houses books, periodicals, and many other resources. These include digital books, CDs, DVDs and also a video game collection. Past grants have been used to establish special collections such as a large-print book collection, music literacy kits, and unique Parent and Child Concern Bags containing resources to help families going through difficult times such as death or divorce. Total volumes in the library exceed 225,000. The library does not use off-site storage, so every item is available on-site whenever a patron needs it. Over 500 periodical subscriptions are available. There are also over 11,000 video and 13,000 audio recordings available to patrons. This leads to approximately 713,000 circulation transactions each year; a number which has been rising annually. There are also more than 40 computers for patron use and wireless internet available for those with their own laptops. The library serves the population of the City of Park Ridge and has over 26,000 registered borrowers. According to a recent survey of citizens, 84% of the citizens of Park Ridge use the Park Ridge Public Library, 89% rate the services as excellent or good and 85% were pleased with the variety of materials. Non-residents can also become registered borrowers of the library for an annual fee. The library has an experienced staff of over one hundred, divided between Administration, Technical Services, Reference, Children s Services, Circulation, Reader Services and Maintenance. Children s Services has an enthusiastic staff of twenty-one dedicated individuals, and the Children s Services Manager is an experienced librarian who has previously directed other grant fund projects. The Park Ridge Public Library is governed by a Board of Directors. These nine members meet monthly to make decisions regarding the library. The library also has a very active volunteer group called Friends of the Library who help out the library in many ways including a semi-annual book sale to raise funds.

4 4 Mission and Vision Statement of the Park Ridge Public Library Library Mission Statement The purpose of the Park Ridge Public Library is to advance human knowledge and understanding by providing access to information, literature, technology, and the arts relevant to the community it serves. Vision Statement The Park Ridge Public Library will be a gathering place where all citizens are welcome to pursue their interests, their ideas, learn new skills, interact with other members of the community, and enhance their quality of life. Living Our Mission and Vision The Park Ridge Library has a long history of community outreach and was named Library of the Year by the North Suburban Library System. It is part of the North Suburban Library System, a regional library system consisting of forty north and northwest suburban libraries, which greatly expands the resources available to its patrons. The first Park Ridge Library Summer Reading Club for children was established in 1924 and has continued every summer since. There are now reading clubs for all age levels, including adults. In 1943, the library collected thousands of books to send to service personnel during World War II. The library often hosts author visits and also conducts computer classes. An after-hours telephone reference service is available to patrons every night until midnight. The Park Ridge Library has a welldeveloped website and coordinates the Park Ridge Community Network website. There are also services provided to local schools and nursing homes. The library is committed to helping patrons with disabilities and has extensive programs for the vision and hearing impaired and those with mobility issues. We are committed to serving our current patrons and continuing to look for ways to reach others in need with our programs. We seek to accommodate the needs of families in our community; children with special needs are high on that agenda. One group that the library would like to do more for is autistic children and their families. Our proposed program seeks to improve resources available to children with autism, their parents, and staff and community members. If funded, our proposed program would provide parents of autistic children with the most up-to-date information. It would also enhance the quality of life for their children by helping them to learn new skills and allowing them to improve their ability to interact with others. This furthers the mission of the Park Ridge Public Library and adds new resources to our community.

5 5 Statement of Need Imagine having a child who has challenges communicating, difficulties socializing with others, has delayed or no speech abilities, prefers to be alone, and seems unaware of what s going on around them. These are some of the issues that the parents of an autistic child have to deal with. Where do they turn for information on their child s condition? What are the unmet needs of families with autistic children? Autism is a national crisis affecting over 500,000 children in the United States; that is about 1 in every 150 children. It appears to have been on the rise in children in this country for the last decade, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The same is true in Park Ridge, where there is a significant occurrence of autism, with more children diagnosed every year. Early intervention is critical in helping those with autism and the Park Ridge Public Library is committed to helping the families of those children. Autism is a developmental brain disorder that effects a child s interaction with the world around them and impairs interaction with others. It can affect communication skills, the ability to react and interact with others and the ability to process and respond to stimulation in their environment. The child can have difficulty speaking, motor function issues, and some seem to go off into their own world and have a lack of awareness of what goes on around them. Currently the library works with a local autism organization called Have Dreams by providing Children s librarians who hold story time at the Have Dreams center. This organization conducts after school and weekend classes for children and teens with autism. In these classes they learn daily living skills (grooming, cooking, doing laundry, etc.) and improve their social skills. Have Dreams also offers occasional workshops for the siblings and families of children with autism. But where do these families go when they need more information? Currently there are very few resources available for them locally. These parents need a centralized location for information on issues and products aimed at the autistic. It is a priority for the Park Ridge Public Library to address the issue of autism by responding to this clear-cut need for readily available information. Imagine our dismay as we looked over our barely adequate collection of print resources on this subject. What we found were glaring discrepancies on topics of interest to these families. Our collection is ill-adapted to meet the needs of these parents and children. It is imperative that more resources be added to correct this oversight and reverse the serious shortcomings in our resources. The high incidence of autism in our community makes expanding our print collection, and adding non-print materials, a justifiable expense for the library. It has been approved by our Board of Directors, but unfortunately, the funds do not currently exist in our budget to do so.

6 6 Proposed Initiative: Fully Engaged The target audiences for our project Fully Engaged are library staff members, autistic children, their families, and interested members of the community. The goals of this initiative are twofold: the education of our staff members to assist them in dealing more effectively with the needs of autistic children and their families, and the expansion of resources available to those patrons. Establishing this program would ensure that the patrons needs are met by providing materials and speakers to draw them to the library and to get them to be more fully engaged as members of the Park Ridge community. Our already established partnership with the local autism organization, Have Dreams, will enable us to initiate the first phase of our project. The Park Ridge Public Library Children s Services staff would be trained by volunteers from Have Dreams to enable them to deal with the special needs of autistic patrons. These autistic patrons would need to have the services of the library carefully explained to them. This would include everything from how to find and check out a book, to whom to ask when they need assistance and where to find them. There would need to be a structured time and program for when these patrons would be in the Children s library. A DVD training program will also be purchased to reinforce staff skills. The second phase of Fully Engaged would begin simultaneously with the training. This would involve the purchase of relevant print and non-print resources to add to the library s collection, along with special shelving to house the collection. Our experienced librarians are very knowledgeable in choosing material, but they will also take into consideration any recommendations from Have Dreams. The third phase of the project would be the marketing of the program to the community. The fourth phase would include evaluation of the program and dissemination of the information gathered to other libraries interested in implementing similar programs. Some autistic children are able to use the library on their own, but many must be accompanied by their parents at all times. For this reason, the adult books on the subject of autism and many of its attendant issues would be housed in the special autism collection in the Children s library. This is similar to what is currently done with adult parenting books following the reasoning that many parents of small children spend their time at the library with their children in the Children s library. Materials other than books, such as toys, CDs, specially adapted board games and software would also be available as part of this special collection and able to be checked out. This would enable parents to find activities that match the ability and interest of their child without having to spend the money on products just to try them out and occasionally find that they are not right for their child. Fully Engaged will be implemented under the coordination of the Children s Services Manager. Children s Services will research materials, shelve items, and host the speaker series. Technical services will order materials and process items as they arrive, and our two professional catalogers will be responsible for creating records for each item. Administration s graphic artist will handle the design and placement of all publicity, and the website coordinator will add information to the library and community network websites. Evaluation will be coordinated by our volunteer survey coordinator. Presentation of the program information will be offered at library association conferences. A series of six monthly speaker presentations would also be planned on autism-related topics. These would take place in our newly renovated large meeting room. The series would be aimed at the families of autistic children, but would also be open to library staff and any members of the community who are interested. Possible topics include: Autism 101 What is Autism? What To Do When Your Child is

7 7 Diagnosed with Autism Treatments and Interventions Parenting, Family, and Relationship Issues Education Issues for the Autistic and Planning for the Future. Our partner organization, Have Dreams, will provide the speakers and cover the cost of their fees. If funded by your organization and when implemented, Fully Engaged will provide autistic children with an opportunity to interact with others and gain new skills; their parents with locally available resources to assist them; our staff and local community with learning opportunities; and the library community at large with a new model to help serve an underserved portion of the population. All money awarded from the grant will go toward purchasing resources for this special collection. All other staffing and supply costs will be absorbed by the library budget.

8 8 Fully Engaged Project Goals Goal 1: Objective 1a: Objective 1b: Objective 1c: Train children s department staff members on the subject of autism and the special needs of autistic patrons and their families. Purchase training DVDs for staff members. Conduct training session for staff members with personnel from Have Dreams. Identify two staff members to conduct introductory sessions for autistic patrons. Goal 2: Educate the parents of autistic children and any interested community members on the subject of autism. Objective 2a: Conduct a series of six monthly speaker presentations. Goal 3: Objective 3a: Objective 3b: Objective 3c: Objective 3d: Expand the resources available at the library for autistic patrons and their families. Purchase approximately 130 books on the subject of autism to add to special collection. Purchase approximately 50 educational toys and games to add to special collection. Purchase approximately 15 CDs to add to special collection. Purchase approximately 40 software products to add to special collection.

9 9 Fully Engaged Timeline and Implementation Schedule Month Task Responsibility of One Two to Five Six Six to Eleven Training of Staff Members Conduct Staff Survey Research Available Books Research Available CDs, DVDs, and Software Research Available Educational Toys Research Available Shelving Begin Purchasing Materials Begin Receiving and Cataloging Materials Arrange speakers Design flyers Place announcements in newsletter Design advertisements for local papers Place announcement on library website Press Release to Local Papers Open Special Collection for Circulation Monthly Speakers Series Design Merchandising Display Conduct Training for Autistic Patrons Continue Purchasing Materials as available funds permit Children s Services Manager/Have Dreams Library Survey Coordinator Children s Book Buyer Children s Media Buyer Children s Services Manager Children s Services Manager Children s Services Manager and Buyers Receiving and Cataloging Children s Services Manager/Have Dreams Graphic Designer Graphic Designer Graphic Designer Website Coordinator Children s Services Manager Children s Services Manager Volunteers from Have Dreams organization Graphic Designer Children s Staff Members Children s Services Manager and Buyers Twelve Conduct Surveys and Analyze Results Library Survey Coordinator

10 10 Evaluation Process All programs implemented by the Park Ridge Public undergo evaluation to insure that they are meeting their stated goals. The evaluation process of the Fully Engaged program will be conducted by the library s volunteer survey coordinator. The volunteer coordinator is currently a graduate student in library and information science but has a background in marketing with an M.B.A. in Marketing Research. The survey coordinator will meet with the library staff to go over the results; modifications to the program and/or additions to the collection will be made based upon the evaluation recommendations. Among the planned components of the evaluation process are the following: Surveys of Staff Members Staff members will be surveyed twice. The first will be upon completion of the training session as to how able they feel they are to deal with autistic patrons and their needs. The second will be after the special collection has been open for six months, as to how well they feel it meets the needs of autistic patrons and their families, and any suggestions they have for future additions to the collection. They will also reevaluate their training at this time. Please see Appendices A and B. Evaluation of Fully Engaged Speaker Series Attendees of the monthly speaker series will be surveyed at the end of each presentation to evaluate the relevancy of the topic and how well it was presented. These attendees will include staff, parents, and community members. Please see Appendix C. Special Collection Evaluation The evaluation will be conducted by surveying the parents of autistic patrons on the materials available for their children, resources available to them, the helpfulness of the Children s Services staff members, and the overall usefulness of the collection to them. Please see Appendix D.

11 11 Dissemination Plan Upon receiving the grant, the Park Ridge Library plans to publicize it in press releases to the local newspapers and in library publications. Once the program is in place, patrons will be made aware of the special collection and speaker presentations through flyers distributed at the Have Dreams Center, through press releases to the local newspapers, in library publications, on our website, and through a merchandising display in our lobby designed by our on-staff graphic artist. Once Fully Engaged has been implemented and evaluated, the library plans to disseminate the information to others in the library community by presenting at the next conference. It is hoped that Fully Engaged will serve as a model program for others to implement similar initiatives to serve this underserved population of autistic children and their parents. Project Sustainability The Park Ridge Public Library will continue the upkeep of this special collection as part of our annual budget after the grant period has ended. Promotion of the use of the materials will continue, as will the purchase of new material as the budget allows. Additional presentations may take place as new topics and concerns come to light. Staff will continue to utilize the skills learned in their training session and any new Children s Services staff will be encouraged to watch the DVD training program.

12 12 Proposed Budget The Park Ridge Library already has a financial structure in place to keep grant moneys accounted for separately from the general library budget. Any grant money received has its own accounting procedures. All costs incurred by in-kind donations of the Park Ridge Library will come from the library s annual budget. Books Item Cost Source 130 books from the Self Esteem Shop $ Grant Funds CDs / DVDs / Software 16 CDs from Sensory Resources 2 Play Project s Workshop One DVDs 40 Software Products from Autism Coach Educational Toys and Games 12 Educational Products from Southpaw Enterprises 14 Sensory Educational Products from Flaghouse 26 Educational Games from Autism Coach Shelving $ $ $ $ $ $ Grant Funds Grant Funds Grant Funds Grant Funds Grant Funds Grant Funds 4 Mobile Bookshelves from School Outfitters $ Grant Funds Speaker Series Speaker Fees In-Kind Donation ($1200) Have Dreams Other Services and Supplies Graphic Design Services Advertising Costs Copying Materials Processing Supplies Evaluation Coordination (Volunteer Position) In-Kind Donation ($600) In-Kind Donation ($300) In-Kind Donation ($200) In-Kind Donation ($400) In-Kind Donation ($0) Park Ridge Library Park Ridge Library Park Ridge Library Park Ridge Library Park Ridge Library

13 13 Conclusion Libraries are not made; they grow. Augustine BIRRELL ( ) Every library is a work in progress and this is very true of the Park Ridge Public Library. The library seeks to fulfill its mission of advancing human knowledge and providing access to information to the best of its ability. Currently our collection is seriously lacking in the content area of autism, which affects our local community. Funding this initiative is crucial for this underserved portion of our population. Our proposed program will correct this oversight by providing access to information and materials for autistic children, their parents, and the community at large. The anticipated outcomes of this program include better informed staff, parents and community members; and autistic patrons who are able to find products that stimulate their interest and enhance their interactions with the world around. This will assist them to become more fully engaged as members of our community.

14 14 List of Appendices A. Staff Survey 1 B. Staff Survey 2 C. Speaker Series Survey D. Special Collection Evaluation

15 15 Appendix A: Staff Survey 1 Your Name (Optional): Your Position (Optional): Date of Training Session: Do you feel you are adequately prepared to deal with the special needs of autistic patrons? Are there topics that you feel should have been covered that weren t and what are they? Please list any suggestions you have for future training sessions.

16 16 Appendix B: Staff Survey 2 Your Name (Optional): Your Position (Optional): How well do you feel that your training prepared you for dealing with the special needs of autistic patrons? Do you believe our collection of print materials is adequate for the needs of the parents of autistic children? Do you believe our collection of non-print materials is adequate for the needs of our autistic patrons? What additions would you make to our special collections?

17 17 Appendix C: Speaker Series Survey Name of Presentation and/or Speaker: Date of Presentation: Are you a family member of an autistic individual, staff member of the PRPL, Park Ridge community member or other (please list): Did the speaker cover the topic that you came to hear about? Did the speaker appear to be knowledgeable on the topic? Were any questions that you had adequately answered? Were the handouts (if any) helpful and relevant to the topic? Other comments:

18 18 Appendix D: Special Collection Evaluation Date of Visit: Materials used or checked out: Was it easy to find the item you were looking for? Was the staff helpful? Did the material answer the questions that you had or convey the information/skills you hoped to find? If you chose materials for your child, did your child find the materials appealing and engaging? What other resources would you like to see added to this special collection?

19 19 References 2007 Park Ridge Community Guide. (2007). Park Ridge Herald-Advocate, p.16. Autism Coach. (n.d.) Retrieved May 26, 2008 from Bondy, A. and Frost, L. (2002). A Picture s Worth: PECS and Other Visual Communication Strategies in Autism. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House, Inc. Flaghouse. (n.d.) Retrieved May 26, 2008 from Have Dreams. (n.d.) Retrieved May 22, 2008, from Johnson, J. (2008, May 1). Survey says: taxes, traffic are biggest headaches. Park Ridge Herald- Advocate, pp. 5, 10. Levy, J. (2007). What You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Child with Autism. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc. Park Ridge. (n.d.) Retrieved May 22, 2008 from Park Ridge Community Network (n.d.) Retrieved May 22, 2008 from Park Ridge, Illinois. (2008, May 22). Retrieved May 22, 2008 from Park Ridge Public Library. (n.d.) Retrieved May 22, 2008, from Play Project. (n.d.) Retrieved May 26, 2008 from School Outfitters. (n.d.) Retrieved May 26, 2008 from Self Esteem Shop. (n.d.) Retrieved May 26, 2008 from Sensory Resources. (n.d.) Retrieved May 26, 2008 from Southpaw Enterprises. (n.d.) Retrieved May 26, 2008 from Stillman, W. (2007). What Is Autism? In Autism Answer Book. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc.