Reconnecting Our Community Through Nature and Books: Lifting Staff and Patrons out of the Pandemic Blues

Like most librarians, we pivoted so many times during the pandemic that we forgot where we were going! We eagerly provided curbside pickup and virtual programming—until we became tired of it, staff morale plummeted, and our good vibes turned upside down. We shifted to sharing the love of reading while encouraging our neighbors to get outdoors and learn about their environment. We poured our energy into creating a city-wide Geocaching adventure to learn about butterflies and host plants, counted birds or learned about monarchs through Take and Makes, hosted nature themed StoryWalks, and purchased a BiblioBike for park storytimes and outreach. Continuing our focus on nature and books, we launched Seeds & Reads programs exploring nature and environmental stewardship. This pivot to greener pastures helped re-energize the staff and created meaningful ways for connection with the public. Now we want to continue our efforts and share with other communities.