You probably have noticed one of the most common things we say here: We are impressed by our members!
One of our main goals here at CMLE is to build relationships across our members, and to show everyone the cool things happening in all the libraries. (And I’ll tell you a secret: EVERY library has something cool happening!!! I’ve been in libraries across the entire country, and there is always something interesting to admire!)
I was dropping off one of our VR kits for Mary Shaddrick to use with her community. (If you want one, please apply!)
Check out this very cool display of new and interesting books! I am a complete sucker for libraries with cute signage – and when puns are included I’m just delighted!
This is where I also point out I suffer an advanced case of Librarian Disease: it’s very difficult for me to see books and not put my hands all over the books! But we were on a quick tour, because I was crashing into Mary’s day; so I tried to behave and keep moving. (The struggle is real!)
She was telling me how popular graphic novels are in this library. And this is a trend I definitely see across all types of libraries! Thank you to every library that buys them to entice readers, and for every funder/Board/administrator who understands this is a good thing!! (If you want graphic novels, but have misguided people who want to know why you are buying comic books – please contact me! I’m happy to come over and give the profession’s stand in favor of graphic novels. Yes, they are “real” books!)
I love seeing books available in multiple languages! As a library, we have a responsibility to meet people where they are and to provide materials that work for their skills. And as a person who is struggling to work on other languages, reading books is a great way to hone those skills too. So this was a happy discovery!
Check this out – the results of a cool grant they received! A room of 3D printers!!!! Of course, I’m such a fan of using technology tools to help share all sorts of information – and this was a delight to see!
What a nice library! You can admire the Circ Desk here, and get a feel for the way the library is set up. From this perspective, I’m standing with my back to most of the desks and the collection – trying not to get photos of any students. (We have a privacy procedures about that.) But look how nice and open and friendly this looks to patrons – just great!
(And as a small commercial for us – see that orange plastic box on the left side of the Circ desk? That’s one of our VR kits! We want to loan one or two to you also!)
And this was just delightful! I was there just after the holidays, and some decorations were still up. I just love this program that you can set up and let it run on its own. If you zoom in on those “gift tags” you can read that they have a quick description of their book content – but we don’t know what the title is. Let your patrons explore some interesting new books!
Have we been to your library yet? We’d love to come admire your work, and sharing it with the rest of the community! Email us at admin @ cmle . org (no spaces) so you can tell us a day that works for you! (We miss you and want to come see you!)