March 2020 will always be remembered as the time the world stopped. Schools and libraries abruptly closed, not knowing how they would continue serving students and patrons. It was stressful to say the least.
Educators and librarians were frantically developing plans to deliver education and library services and had no idea where to start. Early spring is typically when schools and libraries plan summer reading programs, but everything had changed and nobody knew how to proceed.
During this time, Reader Zone was in its final beta testing phase. Jake Ball, the creator, was excited to show a modern version of the paper reading log. When he heard about the panicked educators, he knew he had the answer to this crisis.
Jake reached out to schools and libraries and helped many quickly re-launch their vital reading programs digitally using the Reader Zone platform. Jake made Reader Zone free for any size organization between mid-March and the end of May. Just so schools could get students going with reading while at home.
Over 130 organizations from single classrooms to entire state library systems adopted Reader Zone in more than 26 countries. Reading Programs were thriving, and stress was lifted from educators.
Libraries and schools quickly found that Reader Zone was not just a short term Band Aid, but a system that helped them build readers better than the systems they were using prior to the COVID shutdowns.
Not only have libraries switched to running virtual programs, but they have made many other changes to adapt to this new way of living.
Some other ideas include:
Facebook live storytelling
Facebook live craft projects
Drive-up services
More eBook availability
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