HTE Visits the Marshall Public Library (IL)

January 15, 2014

December 2013: We had a really nice response and gave tours to several school classes (entire grades!) and tonight a 4-H Club. Everyone who tours it was very impressed. Equally impressive are our local "tour guides". They really added a lot to the exhibit! It's been exciting to see people come to the library for this exhibit, since we normally do things more along the lines of history, art, or culture. I love it! And we've had some great press coverage as well. Events:

• Tours given: Cub Scout Den 4 (10), Marshall 8th Grade Class (78), Marshall 6th grade class (115), Hollybrook Assisted Living (9); Clark County Historical Society (9); Marshall Rotary Club (15), 4-H group and the public following a program (62)
• Volunteers who gave tours of the exhibition: 6 retirees, both men and women
• A volunteer orientation was held the day prior to the first tour.,/li>
• In addition to the exhibit we:
  • arranged for a local person to display his large collection of NASA/space items that included astronaut signatures, patches, space camp outfit, models, and much more;
  • designed two fun scavenger hunt/crossword puzzle activities to do in the library;
  • displayed library books on science and space throughout the library and exhibition space;
  • arranged a public program about the same topics that the exhibition covered.
• The program, "Everyday Earth Phenomenon in the Universe" was presented to 59 youth and adults on Thursday, December 19th by Holly Hudson, Director of the Allen Memorial Planetarium in Terre Haute, Indiana. (flyer is attached). The 4-Hers and public attendees then toured the exhibit with tour guides. It was a really great evening.
• We shared a set of the braille materials with a 12 year old blind boy who is a library user.
• We really appreciated the fast response to our request for new pieces of the exhibit materials to replace broken ones. They arrived the very next day after we made the need known to you.
• Our Head Clerk arranged the exhibit in a way that would flow the best for touring groups. She added the following to each demonstration station:
  • Laminated index cards for the tour guides containing some background information and a "how to" list from the provided booklet;
  • Laminated "Try-It" signs with information from the booklet for those taking self-guided tours;
  • Large title signs for each demonstration station.
  • (these were all packed and sent to the next venue in the exhibit cases.)
• We used the exhibit images to make a thank-you note for all the volunteers, people who brought groups to tour, school personnel, etc.
• We received some great publicity from the local and wide area newspapers, being featured on the front page of the Terre Haute, Indiana, (the 60,000+ pop. town nearest to us) Tribune Star. We used free publicity through radio, newspaper, library newsletter, email blasts, Facebook, our web site, the city's web site, flyers all over town, the NASA exhibit banners, a great display in our front window, and more.
• A very informative email was sent to the school superintendent promoting the exhibit and inviting teachers to bring students. I believe he forwarded that email to teachers, which was why many classes toured and some teachers even gave extra credit to students for touring on their own.
• If we had had the exhibit during a month without a holiday, we believe we would have had a greater attendance yet, as there was certainly a great deal of interest.

-Nancy Claypool
Director, Marshall Public Library