Category Archives: Programs

CMLE, Programs

Spotlight Program: Ada Lovelace Day

Ada Lovelace portraitAt 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. (On November 9, 2017, we will drop a podcast episode on Library Programming; you can tune in here to check it out! Or, of course, subscribe or stream to enjoy any of the episodes!)

At CMLE, we celebrate STEM programming!! You may want to get on board with the Ada Lovelace Day programming coming up in October! Ada is regarded as the first computer programmer – and we depend on her work today.

Have you been to Codeacademy? Lynda? EdX? Coursera? Girls Who Code? Black Girls Code? Scratch?

There are so many resources out there to help yourself, or your community members, learn to code! And when you do: think of Ada and all the great things she helped to make possible.

Celebrating women in STEM

“Ada Lovelace Day (ALD) is an international celebration day of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). It aims to increase the profile of women in STEM and, in doing so, create new role models who will encourage more girls into STEM careers and support women already working in STEM.

Founded in 2009 by Suw Charman-Anderson, it is now held every year on the second Tuesday of October. It features a flagship Ada Lovelace Day Live! ‘science cabaret’ event in London, UK, at which women in STEM give short talks about their work or about other women who have inspired them, or perform short comedy or musical interludes with a STEM focus. This year’s event will be held on Tuesday 10 October 2017 at the Ri in London.

The day also includes dozens of grassroots events around the world, organised entirely independently from the ALD Live! event. These events take many forms — from conferences to Wikipedia ‘edit-a-thons’ to pub quizzes — and appeal to all ages, from girls to university students to women with well-established careers. Every year, people in dozens of countries across six continents put on their own event to support women in their own communities. Anyone can hold an event, so why not get involved?

Organise your own ALD event

Every year, people around the world, people like you, organise their own events for Ada Lovelace Day. We’ve put together a handy organisers’ pack for inspiration, advice and resources to help people get involved by organising their own events. You can also chat to other organisers about what they are doing on our community forum!”

Advocacy, CMLE, Programs

Weekly Spotlight Program: Outside the Lines – Libraries Reintroduced

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. (On November 9, 2017, we will drop a podcast episode on Library Programming; you can tune in here to check it out! Or, of course, subscribe or stream to enjoy any of the episodes!)

This week we found a program particularly interesting in a multitype environment: Outside the Lines: Libraries Reintroduced.  We like this program – and want to do some of this ourselves! If you have ideas that would be best if partnered across the system, let us know.

“Libraries and library staff are skilled in their ability to adapt to meet the changing needs of their communities. Step into today’s library, and you might find expanded collections that include everything from telescopes to fishing poles to sewing machines. Libraries have embraced ideas and services that help communities to be their best, whether that’s by providing access to the latest technology or facilitating life-long learning through programming for all ages. Yet, despite these innovations, many outdated perceptions of libraries linger. For the library industry as a whole, the challenge remains: How do we help our communities understand that libraries are more relevant than ever? Outside the Lines, now in its fourth year, is an international grassroots initiative aimed at doing just that.

A weeklong global celebration

Outside the Lines is a weeklong celebration – September 10-16, 2017 – demonstrating the creativity and innovation happening in libraries. Libraries of all types–small, large, urban, rural, public, academic–are invited to participate in an effort to reintroduce themselves to their communities. To do this, organizations agree to host at least one event or campaign during Outside the Lines (OTL) that gets people thinking and talking about libraries in a new way.

As of the late July, more than 160 libraries from across the globe–from Alabama to California, Brazil to Croatia, Ghana to Australia–will take part in OTL 2017, tailoring their events to meet the needs of their specific communities. Outside the Lines is designed to be flexible so that all libraries, no matter their size or resources, can engage with their communities in a way that works for them. Creative outreach can benefit any community – OTL simply provides a framework and support to help make it happen. And you are invited to include your library and community to this weeklong celebration!

Brainstorming for a successful OTL

Figuring out how to participate in Outside the Lines might feel a little daunting at first – the possibilities are endless. So how do you figure out a creative way to celebrate the library while also representing your community? When working with libraries on developing ideas for a successful OTL, we’ve found the following brainstorming activity to be effective. With your planning team, ask the following questions:

  • What words describe your community?
  • If you were to take your library out into the community, where would you take it?
  • What would the community be surprised to learn about your library?
  • Thinking about your answers, what dream OTL event would you host? With this question, we encourage libraries to think big and take inspiration from those big ideas. Your big dream might be closer to a reality than you think, and you can always scale back as necessary.

From a battle of the bands to wine festivals and floating libraries, check out some of the ideas that formed from one such brainstorming session at the Public Library Association 2017 conference.

“Every day of OTL I met people who were delighted to find the library out and about. We learned together about our community, splendid parks, amazing nature, fascinating personal stories, and the power of play.”

Heather Ogilvie, Bay County Public Library, Florida

In 2016, Bay County Public Library participated in Outside the Lines by hosting adventure walks, potluck picnics and a “Read on the Beach” session where residents received free admission to a state park with their library card.

Last-minute ideas

For libraries interested in participating but worried about not having enough planning time, there are several ways to create an easy OTL experience. In fact, sometimes the simplest ideas can be the most effective. We’ve seen a number of libraries share great success in setting up shop at their local farmers’ market, on the bike trail, or at the bus stop. What about a pop-up story time at an unexpected place like the park or a local business? You don’t have to throw a parade to make an impact on your community.

Using OTL to reach your organizational goals

Is there a specific audience your library is trying to reach? Is there a community partnership you’d like to form? What about a strategic goal you hope to fulfill? Whatever your library’s current goals, Outside the Lines can help you reach them. For example, if your library is looking to promote a specific service, think about the target audience for that service. Where in the community might you reach them? Outside the Lines is a great way to experiment and try something new.

“We were surprised at the fact that we were able to accomplish so much in just a week. A lot of our campaigns and events were things we have been wanting to do for a long time, so it was nice to finally have a catalyst to do them and find out that it was all possible!”

Jenna Harte, Sterling Municipal Library, Texas, OTL 2016

Learn more about setting and achieving organizational goals using specific examples in this free webinar hosted in conjunction with the Public Library Association.

Why participate in Outside the Lines?

  • Shift perceptions of libraries in our communities and help them understand their relevancy
  • Publicity on a state and national level
  • Experiment and pilot new services
  • Establish new partnerships
  • Meet organizational goals and objectives

Looking for more information?
Start with these resources.

“There’s a project in every community that needs a partner to help it take shape, and the library can be that partner.”

Erin Sullivan, Orange County Library System, Florida

CMLE, Programs

Weekly Holiday Series: Reading, Literacy, and Bears

This week we have several important holidays for the library world!

This should probably be one of the major holidays in the library year of celebration: National Read a Book Day!! This year it falls on Wednesday, September 6. Orville, the Official Office Bear, is a fan of celebrating.

“Reading improves memory and concentration as well as reduces stress.   Older adults who spend time reading show a slower cognitive decline and tend to participate in more mentally stimulating activities over their lifetime.  Books are an inexpensive entertainment, education and time machine, too!

How To Observe: Sit back, relax and read a book.  Use #ReadABookDay to post on social media.”

Everyone join in on this holiday, and share it with your community!

 

September 8 is International Literacy Day! This is the 50th anniversary of the holiday from UNESCO.  “This year marks the 50th anniversary of International Literacy Day and UNESCO is celebrating it under the banner “Reading the Past, Writing the Future”. International Literacy Day 2016 celebrates and honours the past five decades of national and international engagement, efforts and progress made to increase literacy rates around the world. It also addresses current challenges and looks to innovative solutions to further boost literacy in the future.”

And our final holiday of the week is September 9: Teddy Bear Day! Clearly this is a day of significance to Orville! As our Official Office Bear, he has many important duties to fulfill, including greeting guests, working with Office Dog Lady Grey at CMLE office hours (every even-numbered Wednesday, from 11:00 to 1:00), and serving as our podcast mascot and logo! Does your library have teddy bears? Feel free to send us photos to  post to social media!

CMLE, Programs

Day Ninety of the CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!

https://youtu.be/Xf3mRZ7SHu0

This is our final day of our CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!!

It has been so fun to explore all kinds of fun and interesting stories across the library world.This was an outstanding way to spend the summer! And we hope you had fun too. (Review over our entire series here!)

As a library multitype system, our focus is always on the ideas that cross all library organizations – and we find this is almost everything. We are here to provide information for all, and to help build and facilitate connections across the system and across the profession. We are utterly unapologetic in our belief that libraries (and archives, and history centers, and museums) are the most amazing places – and the most valuable parts of their communities! So this summer has been fun, valuable, and possibly educational for us all.

(Let’s not get too carried away with high-mindedness. This whole thing was based on the Phineas and Ferb cartoon – so “fun” was always at the heart of this project!)

To wrap it all up (for now!), I am concluding with a short blurb and photo that seems excellent to me! I was born in Omaha, and I’ve always wanted to do roller derby (those girls are TOUGH!); so seeing Omaha roller derby girls come to the library was just too cool for me!

(Check out the blurb with this photo here!)

 

Programs, School Media Specialist

Discover some fun Back-to-School ideas for your school library!

If you aren’t already back to school, you will be soon! We thought this list from School Library Journal had some great suggestions that you could potentially use in your school library this year!

Read some of the ideas below, and check out the full list here.

  • This idea sounds both fun AND delicious: “I’m really excited to be getting a small hydroponic garden system for school-wide use,” says Ellen Luca, media specialist at Brookdale School in Bloomfield, NJ. Reflecting the school’s implementation of Next Generation Science Standards, Luca’s media center “is becoming a hub for STEAM-related activities.” Students will plant lettuce and basil, with the goal of making pesto. “
  • We love how this school librarian is getting the word out about her awesome media center: “Jaime LeRoy, library media specialist at Cross Timbers (TX) Middle School, is looking forward to another year of sneaky library advertising with her Bathroom Book Blurbs, advertisements for popular titles, in student bathrooms, as well as her Potty Mouth newsletter, housed in faculty restrooms, with news about library happenings, new books, tech tips, and more. “I am willing to do whatever it takes to promote the library and its goings-on!” she says.”
  • This school librarian has a fun way to get her students to experience her collection: “Anastasia Hanneken, who recently genrefied her school library’s fiction collection, is planning an “Around the Library in 180 Days” program. Students will receive a passport “and will be asked to read a book from each genre, including nonfiction and biography.” Prizes await students who complete the genres in their passport.”
  • Learning math with dancing robots? Yes, please! “Laura Gardner, teacher librarian at Dartmouth (MA) Middle School and SLJ 2016 School Librarian of the Year finalist, has been collaborating with the school’s math department using Ozobots. Last year they worked with students to teach the mini-robots how to dance, and this year they will use lessons found on the Ozobot website to explore the concepts of pi and slope.”
  • This public library is teaching students some very important adulting tips: “The San Jose Public Library will continue offering a series of Life Skills Academy programs, says Berman. Teens ages 14–19 can attend sessions on topics including “Pizza Is Not a Food Group,” “There Are No Potty Breaks in College,” and “Why You Shouldn’t Have 27 Credit Cards.”
  • This media specialist has a cute and relatable idea for her program: “In her new position as media specialist at Falmouth (ME) Elementary School, Amy Reddy will offer the passive program “Once Upon a Time…We Were Your Age, Too!” Teachers and staff will share photos of themselves as kids, with a favorite book. Students will guess their identities, and winners will receive gift cards. At Reddy’s old school, “Students made connections to the teachers and often chose a teacher’s favorite books to read.” Plus, “they realized their teachers were children once, too!”

Are you trying out a new or exciting idea in your school library this year? We’d love to hear about it! Share a comment or consider writing a blog post for us about it!

 

 

http://www.slj.com/2017/08/programs/33-winning-back-to-school-ideas/#_