Monroe Library Summer History Program

Revised 12/7/2010 Page 1 of 6
P A R T I. P R O J E C T S U M M A R Y
Provide an abstract describing all project components in 150 words or less.
The Monroe County Public Library (MCPL) will collaborate with the Monroe County History Center (MCHC) to present
a summer program to increase local history knowledge among children aged 6-12. Specifically, the MCPL will work with
the MCHC to bring together the resources of both institutions to increase Monroe County history knowledge among
children. The project will take place at both the MCPL and the MCHC. iPads will be purchased and used in both locations
in addition to primary source documents and online databases to add more depth to program activities and engage
children in a unique experience with their local history.
P A R T II. N E E D S S T A T E M E N T
Describe the need or problem that generated this project and explain how you determined this need.
Local and state historical knowledge is of increasing importance among school-aged children. Since 1989, students in the fourth grade
have been required under Indiana state curriculum guidelines to take a course on Indiana history. Statewide curriculum for these courses
include a unit dedicated to local historical knowledge. While these curriculum standards have been in place for 25 years, many educators
report that most children are underprepared to complete basic course objectives. In a study conducted in 2012 by the Indiana Department
of Education, eight out of ten middle school educators reported that their students were lacking skills necessary to search and retrieve
materials relevant to local and state history (IDOE, 2012). This study also reported that middle school students perceive local history to be
less important than other topics. In order to raise the perception of local history among school children and increase awareness of local
history resources, the Monroe County Public Library (MCPL) will collaborate with Monroe County History Center (MCHC) to give
children the opportunity to work first hand with relevant historical artifacts promoting knowledge of local and state history while also
giving them access to resources which will aid in their education throughout their academic careers.
In past years, both the MCPL and the MCHC have hosted local history themed programs. For example, the MCPL hosts events
throughout the year dedicated to Indiana History. In May 2011, the MCPL promoted Indiana creators by dedicating display space to
works by Indiana authors, musicians, and artists. The MCHC regularly holds events promoting local history such as the monthly Civil
War Round Table Discussion. This event is held on the second Tuesday of every month and features a different topic of discussion and
presenter. Past topics include: War time letters of Frank Lee, Lincoln Funeral Train, and the Confederate Supply System.
While both the MCPL and the MCHC have a history of promoting local history, this unique opportunity will bring together two sets of
institutional resources to increase historical knowledge amongst school children. During this program, the MCPL and the MCHC will host
programs that expose children to local history. These programs will take place weekly in June and July of 2013. During these programs,
children will work with tablets which will allow them to access both the MCPL’s and MCHC’s resources even when these programs take
them away from computer labs. This will allow children to access related knowledge when observing artifacts in the MCPL’s Indiana
Room and the MCHC’s galleries while also gaining relevant technological skills. According to Federal Communications Commission
statistics as of December 31, 2012, only 30% of rural households have access to high speed internet (FCC, 2012). Similarly, 2010 study
GENERAL INFORMATION
Grant Program
please mark with an X
Indiana Memory
Digitization
Technology Innovative Institutional Literacy
X
Project Title Local History Discovery for Children
Organization Monroe County Public Library
Full Mailing Address 303 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana 47408
Web Address http://www.monroe.lib.in.us
PRIMARY PROJECT AUDIENCE
Mark next to AT LEAST ONE but NO MORE THAN THREE with an X to indicate your primary audience(s) for the project.
Pre-Schoolers (0-5) Seniors (65+) Urban Populations
X Children (6-12) People with Special Needs Institutionalized Persons
Youth (13-17) Library Staff Non- or Limited English Speakers
Adults (18-64) X Rural Populations Statewide Public
LIBRARY SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGY ACT GRANT APPLICATION
State Form 53456 (R4 / 12-10)
INDIANA STATE LIBRARY

conducted by the Indiana Department of Education reported that schools in rural areas of Indiana are lacking in technological resources
(IDOE, 2010). The MCPL and MCHC summer program will provide technology education and resources to children who children who do
not have access to these materials.
The program activities will utilize the MCPL’s Indiana Room and the galleries of the MCHC. While in these locations, children will
participate in brief informational sessions on the weekly topic be given handouts to complete, encouraging them to explore the collections
of both institutions. These programs are designed to help children gain local history knowledge while also introducing them to basic
information retrieval methods. After completion of the program, children will also be better prepared to successfully complete related
assignments in their school curriculum. The skills gained during these programs will be useful not only during their grade school careers,
but also give them an advantage for in collegiate level curriculum.
P A R T III. O B J E C T I V E S, A C T I V I T I E S, & S T A F F I NG
OBJECTIVES
Describe the primary objectives of your project.
Activities and programs of the combined summer project will promote local history knowledge and resource awareness
among elementary school aged children. Upon completing of the program activities, children will be better prepared to
participate in related local history coursework they will encounter throughout their academic careers both during and
beyond grade school. Throughout the program, we will present children the opportunity to work with unique resources to
foster lasting local history knowledge. Specific objectives of the program are:
By July 2013, children will have a better understanding of Monroe County and Indiana history.
By July 2013, children will be more aware of local history resources, where to find them and how to use them.
By July 2013, children will have a positive perception of local history.
By July 2013, children will have increased technological skills.
PROGRAM DESIGN & ACTIVITY PLAN
Describe your work plan and specific activities in detail.
Over the course of four weeks in June and July 2013, both the Monroe County Public Library (MCPL) and the Monroe County History
Center (MCHC) will host program events during which children will be able to participate in a number of activities designed to introduce
them to local history while also educating them on appropriate information retrieval techniques. Once a week, the program will meet at
the MCPL where children will be divided into two groups according to age. From here, the children will be divided into groups and be
guided to locations at either the MCPL or the MCHC. Children will switch locations every other week so that they will be able to
participate in programs at both locations. Prior to the program, volunteers will be recruited by both MCPL and MCHC staff to assist
children and educators throughout the program. During the first session, children will be given a brief survey to gauge their previous
experience with local history and information retrieval methods. A similar survey will be given at the end of the program to gauge the
effectiveness of the program. Weekly activities will focus on a topic related to Indiana or Monroe County History and use resources
available at the MCPL’s Indiana Room or the MCHC. Topics to be covered are as follows: Indiana Limestone Industry, Industry in Monroe
County (RCA, Sarkes Tarzian, etc.), and The Civil War in Indiana. During the fourth program session, children will be able to choose a
research topic of their choice to explore further.
For each of the sessions, children will go with their assigned groups to their assigned locations where program staff will present them
with a brief instructional session outlining basic details of the weekly topic. These instructional sessions will be in the form of PowerPoint
presentations prepared by program staff and projected on screens for the children to easily see. From that point on, children will be
assigned one of the following activities to complete during the time remaining in the session. They will utilize iPads to access online
information unavailable to them in remote locations at the MCPL and the MCHC. By using this technology, children will begin to learn
relevant information seeking procedures. Volunteers will be responsible for assisting instructors and children with activity completion.
Week 1 Activities – Indiana Limestone Industry
MCPL Program
Children will choose an Indiana Limestone company to research during their time in the Indiana Room. They will be able to access the
information (including catalogs and digital repositories of pictures) relating to the Indiana Limestone industry on their iPads while also
filling in an informational handout.
MCHC Program
Children will choose an Indiana Limestone company to research on their iPads by accessing the online catalogs of the MCHC. After
conducting initial research in the education room, children will visit the main galleries to view the exhibitions related to the Indiana
Limestone industry. In order to track completion, children will be also fill out an informational worksheet on their company of choice.
Week 2 Activities – Industry in Monroe County
MCPL Program
During this session, children will research local industry by searching through periodical resources, both digital and physical. After a brief

informational session, children will choose a local industry (RCA, Sarkes Tarzian, etc.), and fill out an information sheet based on
periodical resources they are able to find.
MCHC Program
During this session, children will work with primary sources, both digital and physical, to discover information about local industries
based on newspapers. Children will choose a local industry and research possible relevant sources through the MCHC’s online catalog
portal. Children will then choose two sources to use for their research. An informational handout will be filled out based on the
information they are able to find both online and in the primary newspaper sources.
Week 3 Activities – The Civil War in Indiana
MCPL Activity
For this session, children will be presented with a handout presenting a scavenger hunt that will require them to use online, primary, and
secondary resources available to them at the MCPL in the Indiana Room, in general collections, and through online resources and
databases. Things required to be found during the scavenger hunt include both historical information and information about sources
themselves. For example, children might be asked to name three sources where they might be able to find historical information about
Indiana University.
MCHC Activity
The Week 3 MCHC session will also be in the form of a scavenger hunt. Children will be presented with a worksheet asking them to use
all of the resources they have learned about over the last few weeks to answer the questions. Objectives will cover information available in
the MCHC online catalog, in the galleries, and in any databases provided by the MCPL.
Week 4 – Choose a Topic
At both locations, children will be allowed to choose a topic of their choice to research further using the techniques and resources that they
have learned about over the course of the program. Children will be allowed to research a topic that has already been presented should
they wish to research it from a different angle or in more depth. In order to judge effectiveness of the program, children will be given a
final survey to fill out asking general questions about their experience of the programs. In addition to this information, the survey will also
contain test-like questions to evaluate what has been learned over the four weeks.
Identify project staff and detail their individual roles in your proposed project.
Monroe County Public Library Staff:
Burt Haffer, Coordinator of Library Outreach Programs
Burt will be responsible for coordinating with Monroe County History Center staff to develop promotional materials and
activities for programs. Burt will also act as an instructor for the program.
Trudy Myers, Administrative Coordinator
Trudy will be responsible for finances of the program in addition to coordinating with Monroe County History Center staff
to schedule time and locations for programming.
Leslie Vasquez, Technology Coordinator
Leslie will be responsible for coordinating technology use at both Monroe County Public Library and Monroe County
History Center program sites.
Monroe County History Center Staff:
Rebecca Vaughn, Collections Manager
Rebecca will be responsible for working with Monroe County Public Library staff to develop activities and any related
materials.
Martha Wainscott, Education and Volunteer Manager
Martha will be responsible for working with Monroe County Public Library and Monroe County History Center staff to
develop activities and related materials in addition to coordinating program administration across organizations. Martha
will also serve as an instructor for the program.
Jenny Mack, Exhibitions Manager
Jenny will be responsible for coordinating with Monroe County Public Library and Monroe County History Center staff to
develop program activities and promotional materials.
P A R T IV. C O M M U N I C A T I O N P L A N
Grantees are encouraged and expected to publicize the project through available and appropriate media outlets. How will you
promote your project to your target audience?
For six weeks leading up to the program, flyers will be set out throughout the Monroe County Public Library (MCPL) and the Monroe
County History Center (MCHC). Patrons will be free to take these flyers with them as a reminder of the program. Large posters will also

advertise the program at both locations. These will place these at strategic locations throughout the MCPL and the MCHC in areas where
the most patrons will view them. In addition to these flyers and posters, the event will be verbally advertised at any other events occurring
up to six weeks prior to our program at either location.
MCPL and MCHC staff will also distribute promotional materials to Monroe County schools two weeks before closing for the summer.
These flyers will be given to students aged 6-12 to take home. The schools that these materials will be delivered to are: Arlington Heights
Elementary School, Clear Creek Elementary School, Summit Elementary School, Unionville Elementary School, Edgewood Primary
School, Stinesville Elementary School, and Lakeview Elementary School.
The MCPL and MCHC will also take advantage of any social media outlets in which they participate to advertise the program. The
program will be advertised on both the MCPL and MCHC’s Facebook pages. MCPL staff will also create an event page that parents can
follow in order to get updates on the program both before it begins and as it is occurring.
How and when are you planning to share the results of your project beyond your local jurisdiction?
After the completion of the program, Burt Haffer and Martha Wainscott will write an article about the program to be
published in the Herald Times to make the community aware of efforts by local organizations to promote information
seeking behavior among children and introducing them to an important topic in their educational careers. After this article
is published, Burt will use the results of the program to propose a paper and poster to be presented at the Public Library
Association’s next conference.
P A R T V. E V A L U A T I O N P L A N
Outcomes Based Planning and Evaluation (OBPE) is the preferred evaluation method for your grant project.
Refer to http://www.shapingoutcomes.org/course for more information about Outcomes Based Planning and Evaluation (OBPE. If you
are unfamiliar with the terms below, the site’s Glossary of Terms is an excellent place to begin.
INPUTS
Monroe County Public Library (MCPL) Staff
Monroe County History Center (MCHC) Staff
Volunteers
Spaces for programs
Program materials
Program activities
Promotional materials
OUTPUTS
3 MCPL Staff
3 MCHC Staff
6 Volunteers
Hours of staff time
24 Total hours in space (4 hours in each location per week for 4 weeks)
# of flyers/posters and Facebook posts
# of program materials
4 programs
8 activities (1 activity per week per location for 4 weeks)
# of children in attendance
20 tablets
1 projector
4 rolling multiple-tablet cases

OUTCOMES
The outcomes of the collaboration between the Monroe County Public Library and the Monroe County History Center will
be as follows:
- Children will gain local history knowledge.
- Children will become more aware of local history resources.
- Children will perceive that local history is important.
- Children will develop technological skills.
EVALUATION PLAN OVERVIEW
Describe how you will determine whether the needs of your target group were met by your project. Then explain how you will
measure the impact of the project on your target audience(s).
Every week, children will be asked to complete informational handouts based on the theme of the weekly activity.
Using their responses to these handouts, program staff will be able to gauge children’s changes in performance on a weekly
basis. Children will also be asked to complete a brief survey at the beginning of the first program. Their responses to
questions on this pre-program survey will serve as baseline data to be compared to their answers on post-program surveys
administered on the final day of the program. The pre- and post-program surveys will allow program staff to track changes
in opinion, attitude, and skills that the children have experienced as a result of participation in the program.
EVALUATION INDICATORS & TARGETS
# and 70% of children aged 6-12 who score 80% or higher on program handouts.
- Tracked weekly
# and 70% of children aged 6-12 who are able to name three “local heroes.”
- Beginning and end of program survey
# and 70& of children aged 6-12 who show improved scores from pre to post survey.
# and 60% of children aged 6-12 who are able to identify three or more local history resources.
- Weekly program worksheets
# and 70% of children aged 6-12 who score 80% or higher on program worksheets
# and 60% of children aged 6-12 who score better on pre and post program survey questions related to resources.
# and 80% of children aged 6-12 who have a positive opinion of local history.
# and 70% of children aged 6-12 who express interest in future local history focused programs.
- End of program survey
# and 70% of children who attend more than two planned activities.
- Weekly attendance records
# and 60% of children aged 6-12 who exhibit proper information retrieval techniques.
# and 70% of children aged 6-12 who feel comfortable working with iPads and related technology.

EVALUATION METHODS
Program outcomes will be evaluated at numerous points throughout the program by using the following materials and
methods:
Program worksheets – Will be used to evaluate children’s educational progress throughout the program.
Pre-program surveys – Will be used to as baseline data to gauge children’s initial skill levels and perceptions.
Post-program surveys – Will be used un conjunction with Pro-program surveys to track changes experienced by children as
a result of program participation.
Attendance records – Will be used to measure popularity of the program.
P A R T VI. P R O J E C T T I M E T A B L E
Using as few or as many rows as you need, complete a timetable of activities for each aspect of your proposed project that describes
what will be done and indicates by whom and when it will be done.
A row may be added to the table by right-clicking to the left of the row above which you wish to insert a new row and then selecting
Insert Rows from the menu that appears.
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
ACTIVITY WHO WHEN (month and year or “ongoing”)
Purchase program materials Burt Hafer/Martha
Wainscott/Leslie Vasquez
Recruit Volunteers Burt Haffer/Martha Wainscott May 2013
Train staff on tablets and other technology Leslie Vasquez May 2013
Schedule program times Trudy Myers May 2013
Develop programs Rebecca Vaughn/Jenny Mack/Burt
Haffer
May 2013
Week 1 Program: MCPL Burt Haffer/Volunteers June 2013
Week 1 Program: MCHC Martha Wainscott/Volunteers June 2013
Week 2 Program: MCPL Burt Haffer/ Volunteers June 2013
Week 3 Program: MCPL Burt Haffer/Volunteers June 2013
Week 4 Program: MCPL Burt Haffer/Volunteers July 2013
Week 4 Program: MCHC Martha Wainscott/Volunteers July 2013
COMMUNICATION
Develop and disseminate promotional materials Rebecca Vaughn/Trudy Myers May 2013/June 2013
Write Herald Times article Martha Wainscott/Burt Haffer July 2013
Propose conference paper/poster Burt Haffer ongoing
EVALUATION
Implement surveys Burt Haffer/Martha Wainscott June 2013/July 2013
Grade program handouts Burt Haffer/Martha
Wainscott/Volunteers
Ongoing
Compare pre- and post-program surveys Rebecca Vaughn/Trudy Myers July 2013
REPORTING
ACTIVITY WHO WHEN
First Quarter Progress Report Project Director October 31, 2013
Second Quarter Progress Report Project Director January 31, 2013
Third Quarter Progress Report Project Director April 30, 2013
Project Evaluation Progress Report Project Director June 29, 2013
Financial Final Report Project Director or Fiscal Agent July 29, 2013
Narrative Final Report Project Director July 29, 2013

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