Noah Lenstra

Once parodied as having a contentious relationship on NBC’s long-running show, Parks and Recreation, in recent years public libraries have found a range of ways to partner with local Parks & Recreation agencies, state parks, and even federal parks to bring residents to green spaces—and bring nature-based programs into libraries as well.

In celebration of National Bike Month (May in the United States, June in Canada), libraries are offering innovative ways to support bicycling all year round.

The idea of libraries built in parks or community centers is not new. What is less common, however, is the idea of not just collocating but blending facilities together to create more opportunities for collaboration across governmental units. That idea is being put into place in New Jersey, Virginia, and Colorado, among other places, where public librarians have found ways to join community services and parks and recreation departments to create blended facilities.

On April 2, the Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS) in Florida officially opened the Westchester Library Health and Wellness Information Center. The branch is centrally located within Miami-Dade County, near the Westchester Regional Library, the county’s second busiest library location.