Designed to showcase West Michigan musical talent, the VIBES collection is expanding to include a pop-up mini concert series. On Thursday nights, the VIBES Reference Desk Mini Concerts transform library branches to live music settings.
Public libraries exist to serve their communities. At the heart of their mission, the goal is to provide materials and resources that reflect and represent their diverse communities, including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC populations. A recent uptick in book-banning discussions is putting pressure on libraries, including Kent District Library, threatening their future funding and millages.
Oftentimes, the summer can mean a learning drought for many children. Kent District Library provides many free items to help students utilize literacy resources and maintain reading grade levels.
Just because school is out for summer doesn’t mean the learning needs to stop for children. In the summer months, the Kent District Library provides a safe space for youth to explore their curiosity with STEAM Lab programming.
It’s Active. Commute Week in West Michigan, a celebration of cleaner, healthier, less congestion-causing transportation. The Rapid’s West Michigan Rideshare program, West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum (WMSBF) and participating businesses are encouraging people to walk, bike, scooter, carpool or take the bus to get where they want to go from June 16 to 23
The LEADeres program has been developing Latinx leaders for the last decade. These leaders still rely on the lessons learned in their cohort. Now the program is expanding to meet the needs of returning students.
Children need food to help fuel their bodies and minds, but over weekends and during summer months, many students who receive free or reduced lunches suffer without proper nutrition. Kent District Library’s summer Lunch at the Library program offers youths ages 2-18 free nutritious meals.
Grand Rapids is known as Beer City, USA, with beer-related events and happenings year-round. With the KDaLe brewing competition and tap takeovers, the Kent District Library is putting the ‘pub’ in public library.
The Kent District Library (KDL) 2021-2023 Strategic Plan is well underway, with the goal of being an indispensable community resource. Jaci Cooper, director of projects and planning of KDL, provides an update on implementation.
Facing health disparities, many health care organizations are working to answer the question, “How do we deliver equitable care?” Spectrum Health aims to address the issue by providing the community with targeted resources and initiatives.
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