I am a lifelong reader and spent many hours in the library growing up.
Also, I was (and am) a big fan of Reading Rainbow which taught me that libraries are for everybody! So when I came across Northville Library’s AAC project, I knew I had to reach out to learn more! Librarian Cathrine Trautman agreed to walk us through how she made the project happen.
I hope it inspires other libraries to do the same! Representation, from library materials to book characters who use AAC, is so important. It helps people of all kinds feel welcome at their own library.
As Mychal Threets, the AuDHD host of the Reading Rainbow revival would say, everyone deserves a little library joy!
Jo Ristow, SLP, NWACS Board Member
AAC Projects for my Library
1. Project Inspiration
I completed my first AAC project in 2021-2022. The purpose was to create library-focused core boards. These communication boards allowed those with limited verbal skills or those who are non-verbal/non-speaking to communicate with library staff using library vocabulary. The inspiration for this project was my niece who was non-verbal for many years.
Feedback from the local community and surrounding areas about the library-focused core boards inspired a new project: Core Board Kits. The library-focused core boards were originally expected to remain for in-library use only. Those interested in this kind of service wanted lite-tech boards that they could check out and practice using at home. From this feedback, I chose to make two of the library-focused core boards available for checkout. But I also wanted to expand the request to include other experiences. These would be life experiences that the person might find difficult or challenging. The core board kits could help them prepare for the real-life event. We completed the Core Board Kit project in 2024-2025.
2. Steps to Creating the Kits
Library and Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) Collaboration
As a librarian, I do not have the education or background to create these tools on my own. So, my first contact was Julia Dapkus at Communication is Key, AAC. She gave me an understanding of what I need to consider for this kind of project. Most importantly, she explained that all students using augmentative-alternative communication (AAC) in Wayne County use the standards created by Wayne RESA (regional educational service agency). Her recommendation was to work with someone who is familiar with those standards to create the best final product.
Finding a Speech Language Pathologist to work with without a contact was a bit challenging at first. Eventually, I discovered the Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Association. I was then able to connect with multiple people interested in the project. I chose to work with two local SLPs, Lia Gargaro and Susan Oleson. Lia and Susan were instrumental in this project as they
- possess the important knowledge of local core standards
- have access to Boardmaker software
- and have relationships with many AAC users within the community, providing an understanding of the needs of the intended audience
Funding
Most libraries do not have the funds for specialized, niche projects. They are most often willing to invest in a new project with outside funding. Both of my projects were funded through outside sources. The library-focused core boards were funded through a local summer grant applied for by our Friends of the Library group. The Core Board Kits were funded with part of the 2024 Erik Jones Reading Champion award honorarium through Michigan Humanities and the Erik Jones Foundation. The Core Board Kits cost approximately $600 to create. This included the boards, social stories, books, fidgets, and storage bags.
Funding opportunities can vary depending on location, state, region, and population. Places you might consider first include
- local government grants
- local business grants
- local Rotary Club
- and your state Labor and Economic Opportunity grants website
Additionally, if you can work with a librarian directly, they can help find and submit grants. It is also possible that the project could be funded through a private donation to the library.
Material Creation and Kit Assembly Overview
Starting with the boards, the first task is to select the experience you’d like to focus on for each. The experiences I chose, with the collaboration of Lia and Susan, are:
- going to the library
- going to the doctor
- going to the eye doctor
- going to the dentist
- going to a restaurant
- going to the park
- public transportation
- getting a haircut
- sleeping away from home
Once we selected our topics, we turned our attention to vocabulary. We brainstormed vocabulary that would be most useful while also staying within our word limits for the board size.
The communication boards were created using the Boardmaker software. I used a professional printer to have them printed on a dry erase type plastic to provide a sturdy, easily cleaned final product. Next, we created custom social narratives to accompany and complement the communication boards. These stories are simple:
- typically one to two sentences on each page
- contain at least one to three words from the communication board
- and use symbols from the communication board as the only images to help the user understand the concepts
Lia used an AI tool to help write the stories. We edited them together, and then I input the images on the appropriate pages. Each page was printed, laminated, and three-hole punched. Then the books were assembled using report cover binders.
When selecting additional books for a topic, you’ll want to consider the comprehension level of the target audience you’re looking to reach. Lia, Susan, and I decided to select materials that were written for younger children (preschool and kindergarten age). Our intention was to use the materials with people with lower comprehension skills. We would be able to reach a larger audience that included those with lower comprehension skills while still serving those with higher comprehension levels. As a librarian, I used the various interlibrary loan systems available to easily review materials before purchasing.
Each of our kits has at least one accompanying book, with some containing two. Some topics are going to be easier to find books for compared to others. For example, going to the doctor has numerous books to choose from, whereas sleeping away from home is a more difficult topic. If you aren’t finding anything you like, it may also be worth considering a book around an adjacent topic, such as dealing with sensory overload or coping with change. When in doubt, the librarian you work with should be able to assist you in the search for appropriate books for each topic.
Operations: Collections, Cataloging, and Circulation
This heavily depends on your library’s current services, practices, procedures, and cataloging abilities. A growing service being implemented at many libraries is a collection typically referred to as the “Library of Things.” Core Board Kits may fall under this category, but it is not always the case. If the library has other material services that cater to people with disabilities, the kits may more easily fall under this category. If a library does not have any type of special collection or category for this kind of service, they may elect to create a new collection or category. If they are unable to do so, they may choose to integrate it into an existing collection that does not specifically relate to the uniqueness of the kits.
At Northville District Library, we have several different special collections not connected to The Library of Things including other kits and specialty items. Additionally, we have the ability to catalog as we desire. We opted to create a unique collection and category. The kits are located in a specially designated, publicly accessible area dedicated to their housing that is not combined with the Library of Things or other special collections.
I chose to make the kits available to non-Northville library users. Northville participates in a regional consortium called The Library Network. People belonging to other participating libraries can come to the Northville District Library and check out a kit with their home library card. The kits can also be requested through the State of Michigan interlibrary loan system, the Michigan eLibrary Catalog, or MeLCat for short. This allows anyone the ability to access the service . It also allows libraries within the state access to review them for consideration of adding a similar service.
Our current circulation terms allow a person to check out only one kit at a time for a period of 14 days with one renewal. The kits can be sent through delivery, meaning they can be requested through MeLCat. They can also be returned at reciprocal borrowing libraries through The Library Network if checked out at Northville District Library. They have a $1 a day late fee. If there is a lost or damaged item to be replaced, the fee is $10. To replace the kit due to loss or damage is $60.
Tips for Working with your Local Library
When reaching out to your library to start a Core Board Kit collection, here are some things to consider including in your message:
- Your credentials and relationship to the community
- Educational background
- Work background
- Relationship with target audience of project
- Interest in Core Board Kit service at the library
- Example of Core Board Kit
- Importance/benefits of this kind of service to the community
- AAC users are an underserved community
- Libraries strive to be a place for everyone
- Offer knowledge, time, and resources
- Knowledge of AAC
- Knowledge of the local AAC community
- Time helping create appropriate boards and social narrative (stories)
- Access to Boardmaker or similar software
- Funding
- Approximate cost of the Northville District Library collection is $600
- Share identified potential funding opportunities
- Offer grant writing or grant writing support with a librarian
3. Project Benefits
The idea of the Core Board Kits was conceived in 2024. The kits were created by early 2025. But the project wasn’t released until late February 2026 due to several internal changes that occurred within the library. I have not yet collected local public feedback or practical data on the Core Board Kits.
The library-focused boards have been publicly visible and available for use since 2022. Their internal use has been limited, as these boards were originally not available for check out. But their public appreciation is high. Many families with AAC users have expressed praise for the library’s awareness of non-verbal/non-speaking people and our efforts to ensure an inclusive, welcoming space for them. Meanwhile, there has been an increase in local community awareness of AAC. Those who previously had never been exposed to AAC or a non-verbal/non-speaking person have learned about the need and use of these tools.
At the Michigan Library Association Annual Conference in 2022, I presented my work on the library-focused core boards. I have since had many in- and out-of-state librarians and other interested people reach out to me to learn more about how they might create a similar service in their own library.
Perhaps this is the biggest takeaway so far with this work: while core boards in the library are a new and rather unknown service, AAC awareness is growing. Libraries are looking for ways to expand their inclusivity as we strive to be a place for everyone. As more libraries and other public spaces begin to offer services such as Core Board Kits, I expect they will become more commonplace and accessible. Which will lead to a greater acceptance and understanding of AAC in society.
Share your comments or questions.