Cleveland Public Library is expanding its virtual experience for patrons amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beginning in June, the Library will open registration for programs for children and adults to help them with every facet of life. “From legal assistance and homework help, to healthful lifestyle workshops and classes to teach children self-expression through art, Cleveland Public Library has always been a reliable venue for people to access materials and resources to enrich their lives,” said Dr. Sadie Winlock, Chief Equity, Education & Engagement Officer at Cleveland Public Library. “Given the challenges of providing much-needed services to our community during this pandemic, we had to be creative. We worked with our partners to examine how to provide our services again in a new and innovative way.”
In what is considered by many as the new normal, the Library is now offering our programs and services by phone or online using videoconferencing software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Flipgrid. “This move will allow us to expose more people throughout the city to all the Library has to offer,” Dr. Winlock remarks.
Since its closure on March 13, Cleveland Public Library has worked with its community partners to create virtual programs and services. Its online offerings will cover life skills, arts, and education. “These programs have always been well attended in our branches and we did not want anyone to miss out on them any longer. We invite everyone to log on and join us for a virtual Library experience,” said Dr. Winlock.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
- Reach Success: free career and education coaching to help you develop a personalized journey to productive and enjoyable employment.
- Legal Aid at the Library: The Legal Aid Society offers free virtual advice and referral clinics for civil legal matters including family, housing, employment, benefits, and immigration issues.
- Health & Trauma Recovery: MetroHealth staff offer a virtual safe space for Library patrons to get support and resources to get them through a crisis, including new access to virtual workshops focusing on topics including grief counseling, immigration issues, employment services, peer mentorship, and assistance with food, housing, and transportation.
- Take Charge of Your Health: NEOMED offers live virtual health education classes and telehealth appointments. Class topics include but are not limited to diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic disease management, cancer, heart health and mental health.
ARTS & EDUCATION
- Get Loud! Speak Out! Summer Lit League 2020: The Library’s summer reading program is back with virtual story times, activities and virtual town halls for kids and families.
- Express Yourself: The Art Therapy Studio hosts online art classes for kids ages 7 and up, fostering healthy self-expression and coping mechanisms to help deal with daily stressors.
- SAT and ACT Online Boot Camps: College Now Greater Cleveland offers free, online courses for CMSD students, focusing on entrance exam preparation, study skills, test-taking strategies, and hands-on practice.
- Neighborhood Voices: Literary Cleveland launches a virtual writing program and free online workshops to encourage Clevelanders from every area of the city to pen stories, essays, and poems about their neighborhood.
- Kindergarten Club: A free program to prepare your child for kindergarten and build support for their first year of school. Through fun activities like reading, writing, talking, singing, and playing together, families will gain valuable skills to help their child succeed in school through kindergarten and beyond.
- Free Online Tutoring: available in all subjects for students entering grades K – 12.
Need internet access? Cleveland Public Library’s Wi-Fi signal is available for use outside Main Library and our 27 neighborhood branches.