1st Place, Alternative Story Form
2021-22, Division 1, News Writing
By Foster Neve-Jones & Josephine Velo
Knight Life
Loy Norrix HS
The Kalamazoo Public Library offers new resources and technology for the community
Across from Bronson Park, stands the black marble building of the Central branch of the Kalamazoo Public Library (KPL), a pillar of the city of Kalamazoo since 1872.
KPL has recently celebrated its 150th anniversary, and since its founding, the library has provided the community with a multitude of resources and activities, many aimed at teenagers.
The teen library on the bottom floor is full of books aimed towards teenagers.
Natalie Isham, lead teen librarian at the central library, highlights the Wellness Locker, which is a place for “teens to take what they need.” This includes materials like food and hygiene products, all provided for free by the library.
The library also documents decades of Kalamazoo’s history, providing extensive writings on Kalamazoo’s local history, preserving Kalamazoo Gazette publications digitally going back to the 1850’s, as well as housing yearbooks for Kalamazoo schools, genealogy records and obituaries.
History and records isn’t all that the library carries. A new highlight of the library is the Idea Lab, which was only built in the past few years during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Idea Lab is a Maker Lab, full of technology used for music production, editing software from Adobe Creative Suite and multiple machines made for crafting different materials such as a Cricut machine used for vinyl decals, strikers, and t-shirts.
There is also a 3D printer, a laser engraver, and a woodcutting machine.
The library also houses Peer Navigators, employees hired by the library to help patrons with more personal problems, whether it be struggles with addiction or conflict between friends or family. “People bring things in with them: trauma, addiction recovery, poverty,” Isham said, and Peer navigators are people trained to aid with issues, a free service there to help others with more personal problems.
Isham described the library as a public place, one where there is no expectation to spend money, which places it in a unique position compared to other organizations in Kalamazoo.
Another major segment of the library is the law library, a resource available to people to help patrons with legal issues, whether it be divorce, custody, tenant or landlords, real estate, or even name changes.
The law library is the only one like it in the state, and came around in the ’90s when the county saw a lot of people representing themselves in court, so the library made numerous changes to provide more information and resources to those people.
KPL also has a massive selection of audio visual materials, one of the largest circulation materials in the library.
“Before COVID we had around 5 thousand DVDs and other AV materials circulating,” said Isham.
The children’s section of the library also has a focus on early literacy. Their children’s area has story readings each week for kids under 12 years old, as well as learning computers and musical instruments for kids to experiment with.
Natalie Isham described the five parts of early literacy as talking, reading, writing, singing, and playing. Each of these parts is important in helping younger kids develop their literacy skills from an early age.
KPL is one of the greatest assets for anyone in Kalamazoo, it is an open public space with numerous resources that are free for residents of Kalamazoo. From books to technological materials to consistent events connecting the community of Kalamazoo, the library is an open and available space for anyone and everyone.
NW-18. Alternative Story Form
An ASF consists of a whole story told in an alternative way. It can consist of anything that is not a traditional story form. Key features include: visual destinations, strong use of typography, easy to scan, well organized, can provide quick facts and deep context. It should not include traditional narrative. Examples include (but are not limited to) fast-fact boxes, lists, glossaries, quizzes, polls, charts. An ASF submitted in this category should not be connected to a story or be part of a story package. It should stand alone. Note: A story submitted in this category may NOT also be submitted in ND-06: Story Package. Submit a PDF of the print page(s) on which the ASF was published or the URL to the ASF on an online news site.
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Should be a story told in a unique, alternative way
- This is not a traditional story as in inverted pyramid, news, anecdotal, analysis or feature narrative
- Story is told with quick facts—it’s a quick read that provides readers with a unique approach to a story
- While the read is quick, ASF should provide the reader with complete information. Readers should not be left asking questions
- Organization is such that story is easy to follow and logical, even though it’s in an alternative way
- ASF is visually engrossing, bringing readers in through strong use of typography and other types of visuals
- Should not be packaged with another story or part of another story.
- Stands totally alone as a storytelling device
- Submission only considered if submitted with entire page on which it was featured