Help us imagine the future of the Library Field Project. Get involved today!

This summer the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO), alongside our consulting team BKS Studio, is hosting a series of community gatherings aimed at bringing together a diverse and creative group of cultural institution workers from New York City and Westchester County. We began with the meet and greet Social Happenings in June (more info here) where participants explored key relationship skills, reflecting on their histories with spaces, and began to identify needs and challenges of working outdoors. These meet and greet social happenings set the groundwork for building new or renewing existing relationships with each other and our surrounding environments. Now as we shift to full summer mode, it is time to find inspiration and envision ideas for the future outdoor Library Field project!

We invite all current and future METRO members to the following community envisioning sessions - THE IMAGININGS! Help us keep the momentum going this August!

Imaginings are in-depth nature learning, interagency demonstrations, and brainstorming sessions in outdoor spaces. We will focus on bringing together METRO’s current members and potential partners to explore the benefits of place-based programming, learning, and sharing. Participants are invited to attend 1 of 2 sessions held at various sites in Westchester County. During the Imaginings attendees will share and relive memories of New York City and Westchester County using native-to-space/ native-to-place based techniques that center the past, present, and future of the Library Field initiative.

New and returning participants welcomed! For these Imaginings we invite all current and prospective METRO members, leaders and workers at cultural heritage institutions to meet and share with each other their vision for the Library Field. This would include not only your expertise in the fields of galleries, archives, libraries, and museums but also your insights as inhabitants and enjoyers of the local environments, land, and resources found in New York City and Westchester County. Your views will help craft the future of the project! As a token of our appreciation, we would like to offer participants an honorarium of $25 for sharing their time, expertise, and engagement with our Imaginings.

Are you ready to join the fun? Registration is open through August 12th, 2024 on a first-come, first-served basis.

What to expect at Hilltop Hanover Farm

ABOUT THE SITE: Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center is dedicated to the development and advancement of sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, community education, and accessible food systems for all. The Farm is a bucolic 400-year-old historic working farm in Yorktown Heights, Westchester County New York. In 2011, the non-profit organization The Friends of Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center, Inc. a 501(c)(3) was established. Today Friends conducts the farming and educational programming, in a cooperative public-private partnership with the County of Westchester. More information can be found on their website.

After registering through the Eventbrite link, an email will be sent out with further details about transportation and access details
Transportation and environmental information about Hilltop Hanover Farms
Lunch will be provided
Activities will be held outdoors with adequate shade, hydration, and sitting breaks

Are you a beginner to outdoor programming? Nervous about extreme climate such as heat, rain, or other inclement weather? Worried about being outside unprepared? Not a problem! With the guidance of METRO staff and BKS, we aim to provide all necessary supplies to help soothe some outdoor frustrations or concerns. BUT we also emphasize that as we plan for the Outdoor Library, there will be many lessons to learn on how humans can re-adapt to our constantly changing environments.

What METRO will provide

Meal ingredients, cooking and eating supplies, and fire pit
Cool and icy treats
Canopy for shade
Bug repellent
Sunscreen
Lighting
Coolers and ice
Potable and drinking water
Chairs
Emergency first aid supplies
Backup toiletries
Trash bag and containers
Ventilation and reflectors
Flashlights
Multi-tools
Hand sanitizer and basic cleaning supplies
Emergency electricity
Experience and advice on various camping and outdoor activities

What YOU should bring to make the event more enjoyable

Water bottle
Hat
Sun screen
Bug repellent
Fans (anything to help with heat and potentially rain)
Closed-toe shoes (optional back up sandals)
Change of clothes, light colors preferred (optional)

In case of inclement weather, METRO staff will

Notify registered participants day-of if weather prohibits event attendance
Confirm a backup rainy-day alternative date once after registration

If you have questions or issues when registering please contact libraryfield@metro.org for more information. If you can’t make these events, sign up for the monthly newsletter for future opportunities (details below).

But what exactly is the Library Field project?

The Library Field is a new project for METRO. We are looking for a nonurban, semi-rural outdoor location that our network of libraries, archives, museums, and other organizations can use as a shared programming space. During the COVID-19 pandemic, METRO took part in a nationwide initiative that revealed some of the implications of moving library programs and services outside of buildings. Cultural institutions all over the country refocused their efforts on safe outdoor programming through environmental education, storywalks, community gardening, nature connectedness work, citizen science projects, and more. Based on what we learned during that difficult time, METRO plans to open a permanent facility that will serve our region and become a prototype for a new service model for libraries, their partners, and their communities. With activities situated somewhere between those of a park, a preserve, a museum, and a library, the Library Field will be a shared environment that will deepen the community’s understanding of the natural world and the way that we study it, find inspiration in it, and are responsible for its protection.

For more information about our ideas and our progress, sign up for our newsletter via this form or peek at our journal entries here.

Library Field Imagining At Hilltop Hanover Farm