Nature’s Best Hope

Encouraging an appreciation for our natural surroundings is always in season, and it’s no secret that libraries often provide garden areas, flower beds, and other outdoor areas for patron and community enjoyment and use. Wright Memorial Public Library (WMPL) in Oakwood, Ohio, took that a step further—and was rewarded a grant from the American Library Association (ALA) as a result.

Oakwood, a suburb of Dayton with a population of about 10,000, is a town with a proud history of invention. “[It’s] connected to the Wright Brothers, National Cash Register, WWII researchers … and many inventors,” says Elizabeth Schmidt, adult services coordinator at WMPL.

That inventive nature and sense of local pride extends to WMPL. With sustainability and preservation in mind, WMPL used its garden area as inspiration to create programming and conversation related to the importance of native species.

“With every new housing development, shopping center, and office complex, people devote more and more land to human activities, leaving less and less habitat for the native insects, fungi, plants, trees, and animals that ultimately sustain us,” says Schmidt. That thinking led WMPL to gardening.

In late 2019, WMPL was planning a large-scale renovation that included a small, demonstration native-plant garden and a partnership with The Ohio State University (OSU) Master Gardeners, a program that provides horticulture training to interested Ohio residents who then volunteer their time assisting with educational programs and activities through their local OSU extension branch. Simultaneously, Schmidt discovered Douglas Tallamy’s book, “Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard,” which outlines a grassroots approach to conservation. The idea for a community-wide read took root, she said.

“What I loved about Tallamy’s book was that it wasn’t just dire news,” Schmidt continues. “His Homegrown National Park movement empowered individuals, families, and communities to do something small on their own that, added together, would make a huge impact.”

The impact of Tallamy’s book lead WMPL to receive a Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Focus on Small and Rural Libraries grant from ALA. The 2021 initiative provided funds to small and rural libraries to host community conversations to help them address issues of concern in their communities.

WMPL used its $3,000 grant to organize several events focused around Tallamy’s book. Activities included a book discussion and a presentation by the author (both virtual) and an outdoor falconry event. The library promoted these events extensively through both social media and local newspapers and radio, and formed a partnership with the regional park system, which also provided publicity.

Schmidt and WMPL continue to plan events around sustainable gardening. One of the people who attended the book discussion was already growing native plants and agreed to host a “yard tour” event with the library. And a “native plant social” in brought together 20 local plant experts and 60 drop-in visitors. 

Schmidt touts WMPL’s partnerships with helping to make the library’s gardening programming a success.

 “Wright Library’s continued programming and garden upkeep would not be possible without passionate partner organizations,” she says. “Our director didn’t come up with the ideas for the native plant garden or community-wide read of ‘Nature’s Best Hope’, but she quickly became the enthusiastic spokesperson for these initiatives. Her strong support, and the support of the library board, was an important element in our success.”

ALA’s LTC grants have offered millions of dollars to small and rural libraries to help them address issues of concern in their communities. Libraries received funding to tackle issues ranging from media literacy to COVID-19 safety to unemployment and receive training in how to lead conversations, a skill vital to 21st-century librarianship. The initiative is part of ALA’s long-time commitment to preparing library workers for the expanding role of libraries. WMPL is one of 567 libraries that received funding in 2021. See the full list of libraries.