The Library of Michigan encourages libraries to join the 2016 Money Smart Week campaign. Money Smart Week partners and Novi Public Library are working together to provide public libraries in Michigan with books and materials to encourage both children and parents to learn basic money concepts in fun and engaging ways. Financial literacy is a core 21st Century skill for all age groups. During Money Smart Week 2015, Michigan libraries across the state held more than 170 story times and gave away donated books to more than 6,000 families in 50 counties. We hope to build on this success by once again promoting Money Smart Kids Read and encouraging you to request free copies of Rosemary Well's Bunny Money for your Money Smart Week story times. Please consider participating in this wonderful opportunity for your community members. We would also like to thank Julie Farkas at the Novi Public Library for her role in once again helping coordinate this program for Michigan Libraries, and the Michigan Credit Union League & Affiliates for their generous donation of books. For more information and details on how your library can receive copies of Bunny Money for your Money Smart Week story time program, submit your request at the following link before November 13: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MoneySmart2016. r. _______________________________________________________________________________ Randy Riley State Librarian Library of Michigan rileyr1@michigan.gov (517) 373-5860 www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/<http://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/> _______________________________________________________________________________ DETAILS: Money Smart Week(r) (MSW) is just around the corner and we have a fabulous opportunity for you to obtain, read and give away free books to children attending a story time at your library! MSW is a public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. This is achieved through the collaboration and coordinated effort of hundreds of organizations across the country including financial institutions and other businesses, schools, libraries, not-for-profits, places of worship, government agencies and the media. National MSW Partners include the American Library Association and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, among others. These groups work together once a year to stress the importance of financial education, inform consumers about where they can get help and provide free educational seminars and activities throughout the week. Programming is offered to all demographics, ages and income levels, and covers all facets of personal finance from savings basics and establishing a budget, to first-time home buying and retirement planning. The effort was created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in 2002. Money Smart Week partners will be hosting public events April 23-30, 2016. Between April 23-30, 2016, libraries and communities across the country will be hosting financial education events for people of all ages, including youth! Michigan libraries have a unique opportunity to obtain free copies of Rosemary Wells' Bunny Money book to give away to children - if your library agrees to host a money-themed story time event during Money Smart Week, April 23-30, 2016. http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/330184/bunny-money-by-rosemary-wells... The Michigan Credit Union League & Affiliates has once again generously offered to purchase copies of this book for you to hand out at a story time. More than 170 Michigan libraries successfully participated in "Money Smart Kids Read" last year! What does it mean to "participate" you ask? 1. Register as a Money Smart Week Partner today at http://www.MoneySmartWeekPartners.org/<http://www.moneysmartweekpartners.org/>. (Note: if you registered as a MSW partner last year, your login username and password should still be valid. Please test this before you attempt to enter your story time details, just in case you need to reset your password or re-register.) 2. Plan a story time event about money to be held between April 23-30, 2016. Recommended age for Bunny Money is 3 - 6 years old. 3. Request to participate in this initiative, and the number of books you think you'll need, by completing this SurveyMonkey questionnaire before November 13. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MoneySmart2016 4. Between January 1st and 31st, login and register your story time event(s) details at http://www.MoneySmartWeekPartners.org/<http://www.moneysmartweekpartners.org/>. 5. Proactively promote your Money Smart Kids Read program through all your channels of communication. 6. Consider ways in which volunteers from your local community credit union can participate (help checking families in, passing out the books, helping with crafts, serving refreshments, etc. Whatever would be helpful to you!) If someone from your local credit union reaches out to you, please be sure to engage them. 7. Take delivery of your books mid-March, and store them until the time of your event. 8. At your event, announce that your story time is part of the national Money Smart Week initiative, read the Bunny Money book (and other relevant, age-appropriate books from your collection), perhaps do a craft activity (decorate piggy banks, color pictures that feature money, sing money songs, do finger plays, etc.), and then hand out the free books to families who attend! 9. After your event takes place, enter your attendance numbers into the Money Smart Week Partners website.<http://www.moneysmartweekpartners.org/> Yep. It can be that easy. (Although, if you want to plan more money-related events for youth or adults, we can help you with that too! Email the Chair and she can share a children's librarian list of ideas with you.) There must be a catch, right? Here it is: By Friday November 13, the Michigan Money Smart Week Chairwoman needs to know how many free copies of the book you can use! There is a limited budget, so it's first come, first served. The books will be shipped to the Novi Public Library (thank you Julie Farkas!), sorted, packaged, and distributed through the state-wide RIDES/TLN delivery service. Your order should arrive at your library around March 23. Please complete the Survey Monkey questionnaire to request participation in Michigan's Money Smart Kids Read initiative, and obtain free books for families in your community. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MoneySmart2016 Questions about this initiative or Money Smart Week in general? Feel free to contact Michigan Money Smart Week Chairwoman, Kelly Masters, directly at 248.761.1762 or MichiganChair@MoneySmartWeek.org<mailto:MichiganChair@MoneySmartWeek.org>.