My Library Is... Cooking It Up

My Library Is... Cooking was a grant to purchase updated cookbooks for our library. Our library’s cookbook selection was unappealing and outdated, and this grant allowed me to purchase a whole new set of cookbooks based on input from both staff and students. 

We hosted a book club potluck in the evening where students used library cookbooks to create a dish for our final event. The food classes and Cooking Club at school have utilized our selection of cookbooks and the staff have also been excited to check out our new selection. 

Our library has been promoting these cookbooks through our monthly student newsletter, our faculty newsletter, our Instagram account, and our Twitter account. They have also been prominently displayed at the front of the library on a special cart with creative signage. This is where they will remain rather than going back to the stacks.  

Cooking brings people together, which is exactly what this project has done. Both students and staff are excited about the beautiful new books, and I have witnessed many conversations about food. We have a variety of ethnic cookbooks as well, and our patrons are excited about seeing dishes connected to their heritage. 

Now that the cookbook selection has vastly improved - I can add to it slowly over time. I have had a few students give me suggestions for cookbooks they would like to see added to the collection. We had approximately 100 cookbook checkouts this year. 

I appreciate all that RAILS does to help school libraries. Much of the library budget is spent on necessities, so doing something fun and adding a cookbook collection was an amazing opportunity. 

This week’s blog post was written by Aimee Miller, Library Resource Center Director, Batavia High School.

This project was made possible by the My Library Is... Grant.