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Mary,</div>
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So, not quite the same thing, but during COVID we starting this thing called "Project Postcard" so that patrons could see what one another was reading - they pick up a blank postcard (in the library now, but at the time via curbside) and write a review and
mail it back to us, or drop it in the book drop. We post the completed cards to social media with links to the titles, and we are planning a story walk featuring kids' reviews (we have received reviews from all age groups (as designed).) More info at
<a href="http://www.ghpl.org/postcard" id="LPlnk763810">www.ghpl.org/postcard</a> </div>
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The relevant part to you is that it was REALLY hard to get people to send them back. We had TONS (hundreds!) picked up from the library, lots of people who wanted to participate, but for the first few months, not ONE completed card was returned. Finally a few
months in they started to trickle, and now we get ~1/week on average. Most are dropped off rather than mailed, and a few number of patrons have noted that we don't provide the stamps (though it would be crazy expensive to put stamps on the hundreds that go
out, especially when they aren't coming back... no plans to do this, drop off works fine for us!). </div>
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I would recommend providing postage since it's something a lot of younger patrons apparently don't often deal with, that we didn't expect to be such a barrier in a pretty passive program like this. </div>
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We promoted via social media, curbside pick up, program brochures, etc. and lots of people heard about it and took the blank cards, just didn't follow through. The turning point was when we partnered with the schools, and middle grade classes used it as an
assignment and wrote reviews on books they read. Maybe consider partnering with a school, or organization that already exists as a start? </div>
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Good luck!</div>
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Freeman</b></span></p>
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<li style=""><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important"><span style=""><span style="font-size:8pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(89,89,89)">Award-winning, independent suburban library system known for progressive leadership and friendly personalized
service. </span></span></span><span style=""><span><span style="font-size:8pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(89,89,89)"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:8pt"> </span></span></li><li style=""><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important"><span style=""><span><span style="font-size:8pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(89,89,89)">1 of 6 U.S. public libraries to receive 13 consecutive five-star ratings from </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="https://www.libraryjournal.com/" target="_blank" style=""><span><span style=""><span style="color:#276D5B"><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important; font-size:8pt">Library
Journal</span></span></span></span></a><span><span style=""><span style="color:#595959"><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important; font-size:8pt">.</span></span></span></span><span><span style="color:#595959"><span style="font-size:8pt"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:8pt"> </span></span></li><li style=""><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><a href="http://www.ghpl.org/about-page/#toggle-id-3" target="_blank" style=""><span><span style=""><span style="color:#276D5B"><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important; font-size:8pt">Central
Library Consortium</span></span></span></span></a><span><span style=""><span style="color:#595959"><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important; font-size:8pt"> founding member (1988) and Administering Library. The CLC is a cooperative among </span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.ghpl.org/about-page/#toggle-id-3" target="_blank" style=""><span><span style=""><span style="color:#276D5B"><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important; font-size:8pt">17 Central
Ohio library systems</span></span></span></span></a><span><span style=""><span style="color:#595959"><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important; font-size:8pt">. </span></span></span></span><span><span style="color:#595959"><span style="font-size:8pt"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:8pt"> </span></span></li><li style=""><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://www.ghpl.org/2018/02/21/67-million-items/" target="_blank" style=""><span><span style=""><span style="font-size:10.0pt; color:#276D5B"><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important; font-size:8pt">67
million items</span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important"><span style=""><span><span style="font-size:8pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(89,89,89)"> available to our cardholders through a partnership
among the CLC and statewide networks </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://searchohio.westervillelibrary.org/index.php?title=Main_Page" target="_blank" style=""><span><span style=""><span style="font-size:10.0pt; color:#276D5B"><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important; font-size:8pt">SearchOhio </span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important"><span style=""><span><span style="font-size:8pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(89,89,89)">and </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><a href="https://www.ohiolink.edu/content/about_ohiolink" target="_blank" style=""><span><span style=""><span style="font-size:10.0pt; color:#276D5B"><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important; font-size:8pt">OhioLINK</span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="font-variant-ligatures:none!important"><span style=""><span><span style="font-size:8pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(89,89,89)">.</span></span></span></span><span style=""><span style=""><span style="font-size:8pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(89,89,89)"> </span><span style="font-size:10pt; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:rgb(89,89,89)"><br>
</span></span></span></li></ul>
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<div style="margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; font-family:Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:12pt; margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px">
I'm currently reading: <i>The Deadly Hours</i> <span style=""></span>by Susanna Kearsley, C.S. Harris, Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent</div>
<div style="margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; font-family:Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:12pt; margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px">
I'm currently listening to: <i><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"></span></i><i style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">The Judge's List</i><i style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"> </i><span style="margin:0px; font-style:normal; background-color:rgb(255,255,255); display:inline!important">by
John Grisham</span></div>
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<div style="margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; font-family:Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:12pt; margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px">
Please stay healthy: wash your hands, stay 6 feet apart, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! </div>
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<div id="divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size:11pt" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> OPLINLIST <oplinlist-bounces@lists.oplin.org> on behalf of Mary Ball via OPLINLIST <oplinlist@lists.oplin.org><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, November 22, 2021 6:35 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> oplinlist@lists.oplin.org <oplinlist@lists.oplin.org><br>
<b>Subject:</b> EXTERNAL: [OPLINLIST] Buddy Project</font>
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<div dir="ltr">Hello,</div>
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<div dir="ltr">I just finished a wonderful book, "All the Lonely People" by Mike Gayle.</div>
<div dir="ltr">Hubert Bird, an elderly Jamaican immigrant, is expecting a visit from his daughter, Rose.</div>
<div dir="ltr">In his weekly conversations, Hubert regaled Rose with stories about all of his adventures</div>
<div dir="ltr">with his friends. Rose can't wait to meet them. She is taking a vacation from her job as a professor</div>
<div dir="ltr">in Australia and is looking forward to seeing Hubert and his friends. The trouble is, there are no friends- </div>
<div dir="ltr">Hubert made them up. He's lonely and has to find and make some friends</div>
<div dir="ltr">before Rose comes home.</div>
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<div dir="ltr">Enter his neighbor, Ashleigh and her young daughter. They slowly develop a trusting</div>
<div dir="ltr">relationship and set about to find friends. </div>
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<div dir="ltr">Now, that you know a part of the story- here is the part I found inspirational.</div>
<div dir="ltr">Ashleigh sets about to help the lonely in her small village/neighborhood with </div>
<div dir="ltr">the help of Hubert. The group struggles at first, but soon the idea of </div>
<div dir="ltr">helping the lonely catches on. </div>
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<div dir="ltr">I would like to do something like the Loneliness Project in the book that reaches out to the</div>
<div dir="ltr">lonely and isolated in our area. I was thinking of a pen pal project - just to get started.</div>
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<div dir="ltr">My question is do any of you do something like this in your library?</div>
<div dir="ltr">If so, how did you do it and how did you get it off the ground?</div>
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<div dir="ltr">We were brainstorming today and we thought we could bring in </div>
<div dir="ltr">young people to write to seniors who are in nursing homes or</div>
<div dir="ltr">in apartments - mostly living alone and perhaps a bit lonely-</div>
<div dir="ltr">more so because of COVID.</div>
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<div dir="ltr">I'm looking for ideas- what worked, what didn't.</div>
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<div dir="ltr">Thanks</div>
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<div dir="ltr">Mary Kay Ball</div>
<div dir="ltr">Reference Librarian</div>
<div dir="ltr">Barberton Public Library</div>
<div dir="ltr">602 West Park Ave</div>
<div dir="ltr">Barberton, Oh 44203</div>
<div dir="ltr">330-745-1194(Ext. 1444 for Voice Mail).</div>
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