Category Archives: Programs

Programs

Spotlight Program: Family Dance Party

Country-Dancing-Arthur Murray Dance Studio in The Woodlands TX1080x720
At CMLE, we so enjoy all our different types of libraries, archives, and other members! Seeing all the work you are doing is so inspiring; and we want to return the favor by helping you to find some of the great programming going on around the profession.

Each week we will share an interesting program we find. It may inspire you to do exactly the same thing; or to try something related; or just to try out some different programming ideas.

Want to try a family dance party? Well – who wouldn’t???? It sounds so fun!!

Check out this blog article: By Jenn Carson, MSLIS, CYT, CCYT Library Director of LP Fisher Public Library, Woodstock, N.B., Canada

“Looking for a great way to get families physically active at your library without offering structured sports programs? How about a fun way to combine physical literacy with verbal and music literacy? It’s time for you to host a Family Dance Party!

While I work at a public library, this program can also be offered in a school library during lunch as a way to get kids active indoors on a rainy day, or in an academic library for students to get some stress relief during exams, or even to get to know one another at the beginning of the semester. Adapt it as you see fit; the only goal is to have fun!

Ebony Scott, our summer reading club coordinator, was tasked with creating this program, and she did a great job. Here are the steps involved:

Pick a date, time and location

We had our dance party on a Saturday afternoon in July. We held it in our multipurpose activity room. If you don’t have such a space you could hold it in the children’s department or even outside using a portable stereo system.

Spread the word

We used our event calendar and made a Facebook event to promote the party, along with word of mouth. Ebony made sure to have conversations with our Summer Reading Club members and their families.

Gather supplies

Ebony purchased a bunch of balloons, and they were blown up and left on the floor to be played with. She also rented a dance light from a local music store that could be set to pulsate colors. This light was propped up and projected onto a wall. She used a laptop and a set of computer speakers to have the music loud enough for the room.

And of course … the music!

Ebony tried to pick music that would appeal to a wide age group. The staff had a great time coming up with ideas for the music and practicing our dance moves at the circulation desk. The following is the list played during the event.”

Read the rest of this blog here, including the entire playlist!! (Plus, the photos are adorable!)

Programs

Spotlight Program: Library Chess Club

Chess board opening staunton

At CMLE, we so enjoy all our different types of libraries, archives, and other members! Seeing all the work you are doing is so inspiring; and we want to return the favor by helping you to find some of the great programming going on around the profession.

Each week we will share an interesting program we find. It may inspire you to do exactly the same thing; or to try something related; or just to try out some different programming ideas.

This is such an excellent blog from the Programming Library site:

“By Jenn Carson, MSLIS, CYT, CCYT Library Director of LP Fisher Public Library, Woodstock, N.B., Canada

At the L.P. Fisher Public Library in Woodstock, N.B., we already have a monthly Family Board Game night and an afterschool Board Game Club, but when local chess aficionado Derek Vihvelin inquired about possibly beginning a chess club we answered with a resounding “YES!”

The L.P. Fisher Public Library’s weekly chess club meetings draw about eight players per week.

A number of families in our community had been asking if I knew of anyone who offered chess lessons, and my first diggings came up blank. So it was a happy act of fate to find Derek looking for a place to teach and play chess when we were looking for someone to lead lessons!

The best part was that he was willing to volunteer, so families could come for free. Derek was even kind enough to donate some chess books to the library for our circulating collection.

About our chess instructor

Derek started playing chess when he was 3 years old. His father would play games against his friends, and Derek would try to grab at pieces of the board. So they set up a separate board just for him. Then either his father or his friend would teach Derek and his sister how to move the pieces when it wasn’t their turn.

Derek isn’t a titled player yet, but in blitz chess (timed chess where each player has only five minutes) he is consistently in the top 10 in New Brunswick. He has beaten several National Masters and Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) masters at blitz chess, and last year in the annual championship came in a tie for third/fourth place.

He estimates that in his lifetime he’s probably played around 100,000 games of chess. He’s been playing every day online since he was about 12 or 13 years old.

Setting up the club

Our first step for beginning the chess club was to buy some affordable, durable and portable chess sets, which we ordered from Strategy Games. We recommend getting the more expensive, thicker sets that won’t warp as easily. Once we received the sets, we sent them off to be cataloged as part of our board game collection. Then we made a Woodstock Chess Club Facebook page, which Derek and I both manage.

We decided, based on his busy schedule as a lawyer and young father of two, that Thursday night from 6:30 to 8 p.m. would be the club’s official meeting time. Even if Derek is away, we still hold matches at that time, and people can come anytime to check out a chess set from the circulation desk to practice.

If our volunteer instructor can’t attend one of our evening meetings, members use the time to play.

Marketing the club

We set out advertising the club on our Facebook, website and print calendar. Additionally, I contacted all the families I knew who would be interested. Derek and I are also involved in our local jiu-jitsu club (which is said to be like chess for the body), so we promoted it to families there as well.

We opened it for all ages and levels. Each week, we get around 6 to 8 people, and presently have about 12 members in total.

Recommendations

If you’re interested in getting into chess, Derek’s favorite place to send his students to learn chess tactics is Chess Tempo. He also recommends downloading a chess clock app, like this one for Apple devices or this one for android devices.

Additionally, Lichess is an online platform to play chess recommended by Derek. It is free and has zero advertisements. He invites anyone to find him on there to play; his username is “Dubbik.””

Read the rest of this blog here!

Books, Programs

Resources for the African-American Read In

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February is Black History Month, and we wanted to share this event with you since it is a great addition to the existing festivities! From February 1st – 28th, participate in the African-American Read In.  The goal of the African-American Read In is to “document readers making the celebration of African American literacy a traditional part of Black History Month activities.”

The celebration encourages places like schools, churches, libraries, professional organizations and citizens to get involved in making literacy “a significant part of Black History Month by hosting and coordinating community Read-Ins.”

To help you plan your event, check out these resources from Read Write Think.org that include links to classroom activities, a Library of Congress exhibit, and a host report card for you to record what happened at your own event.

Also visit NCTE’s site, which has this toolkit to help you prepare for your read in event. The toolkit has links to multiple booklists to help you with reading material selection.

Plus, on Tues. February 20th, CMLE will host our own African-American Read In at our headquarters location! Join us (and Office Dog Lady Grey) to celebrate African-American literature. We’ll have library books available to read and some light refreshments. Stay tuned for more information as the date approaches! 

Programs

Comicon draws costumed crowd to Tempe library

Cosplayers (5778411680)
(not at the library, but clearly they are in the spirit!)

I know some of our members have been to assorted Cons, and enjoy working with the costumed fun that can entail. This program, at the Tempe, AZ library, sounds so fun – I really want to see it here in Central Minnesota!! (I’ll come to your event, and find a fun costume!!)

Check out this article from the local paper: (You will want to see all the photos!)

“Superheroes, wizards and Jedi gathered for the fourth year at the Tempe Public Library for the library’s annual Comicon.

The all-day event Saturday featured panel discussions, comic and figurine vendors — and at least one shark.

“I had this in the closet, the left shark costume,” said 21-year-old Zack Tucker, wearing the full-body shark costume made internet famous after a Super Bowl dance routine. “I figured people would like a dead meme.”

Tucker came with friends, all wearing different costumes.

“I’ve never been to a Comicon before,” he said. “It’s fun so far.”

Jason Price was “Star Wars” hero Chewbacca for the day, and his young son, Luke, had a costume of his favorite character from the movies: Kylo Ren.

“We live here, but this is our first time coming,” Price said.

With high temperatures in the 70s, families enjoyed the pop-culture displays that filled the area outside the library.

“Just coming out and enjoying the weather and being out here, participating in the community,” Price said. “We definitely want to be here and check out all the vendors and see what’s going on.”

“We just won the scavenger hunt,” Luke added. “Fun!” “

Children's services, Programs, Tech

Skype in the Classroom: Connect with Authors & Storytellers

Skype-for-BusinessYou may already be using Skype in the Classroom – and if not, please try it!! I’ve seen such fun programs using this tool, you will find some very cool things to try for your school.

You may not yet be using the tool allowing you to connect with authors!

“Invite an author in your classroom via Skype!

Literacy is the backbone of success and one of the most important educational initiatives. Every year, Skype in the Classroom celebrates literacy globally in honor of World Read Aloud Day (February 1st this year) and World Book Day (March 1st this year), working with hundreds of guest speakers, including authors, illustrators, and literacy partners. The goal is to inspire students to grow up as readers and become engaged citizens of the global world.

Watch how connecting your classroom with authors via Skype can help broaden students’ minds and imaginations and then browse the hundreds of authors available below.”

 

If you want to give this a try, CMLE can give you a mini-grant up to $300 to try out exciting new projects like this one!