A 'Library' Outside the Library

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

The ALSC Blog has a post about Down Syndrome Awareness Month with a link to reviews for a couple of children’s books on Down syndrome that are now available for e-readers.  There is also a list of books for children with Down syndrome or about Down syndrome.  Each book is linked to WorldCat so that you can see which library in your area has it available for check out.  I think that is a really neat way to link to library collections.

I remembered that the Buddy Walk is this weekend in Champaign-Urbana, which is sponsored by the Champaign County Down Syndrome Network.  I went to their website and found that they have a lending library with a link to their catalog of books and other materials available for checkout.  They have a lot of resources and books for children and adults available for check out.

I work with someone who is involved with the Champaign County Down Syndrome Network and she brought me the new parent bag that they give to parents after the birth of a child with Down syndrome. It has videos and books for parents, a great book for younger siblings (one of the books that went digital), and a book for older siblings.  There is also a community resource guide/notebook for parents.

So how do you get the word out about these ‘libraries’ that are outside the library?   The person I spoke to told me that they get the word out through the initial contact with the parents, meetings, and events like the Buddy Walk.  It is a volunteer run organization and they maintain their library.

As I looked through the tote of information, I found bookmarks from the National Association for Down Syndrome (NADS) here and there.  One of the suggestions they list on their site to promote awareness is to have NADS posters and bookmarks at schools and libraries.  Perhaps they could also have informational fliers about events like the Buddy Walk or organizations like the Champaign County Down Syndrome Network listing resources they might offer.

One of the bookmarks marked a story printed in Gifts 2: How People with Down Syndrome Enrich the World edited by Kathryn Lynard Soper.  The story was one written by a woman I know.  The bookmark was not just here or there but in a place for my awareness.