Episode Four Materials: Library Programs

Yongsan Army Library

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Episode Four: Library Programs

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This week we talked about the amazing range of programs being offered in all sorts of libraries. Be sure to look through the links we give below, to see just how vast the spectrum of ideas would be for your library! Programs can be a fun way to bring in new people, and to meet the information needs of your current patrons.

“The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office promotes programming as an essential part of library service in all types of libraries. The office provides leadership, resources, training and networking opportunities to help libraries serve their communities as cultural hubs and centers of lifelong learning.

To learn more about the Public Programs Office:

Definitely check out the Programming Librarian website! We found all kinds of programs there; and they also have a search engine that lets you look for programs that will fit into your library’s needs and patrons interests.

 

Programs we covered this week:

  • Paper Monsters: Literacy Attacks! By Jenn Carson, MSLIS, CYT, CCYT Library Director of LP Fisher Public Library, Woodstock, N.B., Canada Paper dolls have existed since paper was invented and come from many different cultures around the world. With this history in mind, the LP Fisher Public Library in Woodstock, New Brunswick, decided to turn paper-doll-making into an after-school program for everyone.
  • Craft a Meditation Box By Mallory Arents, Head of Adult Programming, Darien (Conn.) Library  We invited patrons to transform plain white boxes into unique creations through collage, all while learning about art therapy and mindfulness in a relaxing environment. Attendees walked away with completed boxes that illustrated their feelings and matched their personal style.
  • Memory Café By Priya Rathnam, Assistant Director, Shrewsbury (Mass.) Public Library  A Memory Café is a gathering space for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their care partners to get together, socialize and enjoy a relaxing afternoon. These gatherings are held in venues across the country and provide a safe, comfortable, supportive space for people to listen to music, play games or just be together.
  • “A librarian in the home?” Yes! Hear the Tech-a-la-Carte Story  “an insider’s tour of Tech-a-la-Carte. With this small mobile computer lab, the library takes technology training into the community… sometimes right into the homes of community members. The lab provides the library with the flexibility to respond to the particular needs (content, location, time, and day) of specific groups. “
  • Speed Friending By Bebe S. Chang, Research & Instruction Librarian; Ben Hall, Business Librarian and Xiang Li, Chinese & Asian Studies Librarian, University of Colorado Boulder, University Libraries  During the event, students spend five minutes getting to know each other before rotating to new partners. At the end of the hour long exercise, participants are free to exchange contact information and to continue socializing over pizza and soda.
  • Teaching with zombies: Bringing information literacy back from the dead by Dawn Stahura andErin Milanese  “When class began, our students became survivors of the zombie invasion, forced to take shelter where and when they could while trying to defend themselves from constant attack. As Z-Day survivors, the President of the United States called upon our students to put together documentation in their areas of expertise that would enable the human race to survive. The documents, of course, were their final annotated bibliographies.”
  • What is the LibraryFarm? “The LibraryFarm is an organic community garden located on the grounds of the Northern Onondaga Public Library at Cicero.  The mission of the LibraryFarm is to provide a place for our community to grow, share, and learn about food literacy and sustainable gardening.  At the LibraryFarm, half of the area is dedicated to the Community Garden; the other half is dedicated to the LibraryFarm Plotters – our individual gardeners.”

 

Books We Are Reading

Because we are library people, we always like to read more books! If you have some suggestions for us, leave them in the comments.

Angie

Fortunately the Milk “I bought the milk,” said my father. “I walked out of the corner shop, and heard a noise like this: t h u m m t h u m m. I looked up and saw a huge silver disc hovering in the air above Marshall Road.”

“Hullo,” I said to myself. “That’s not something you see every day. And then something odd happened.”

Find out just how odd things get in this hilarious New York Times bestselling story of time travel and breakfast cereal, expertly told by Newbery Medalist and bestselling author Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Skottie Young.

Mary

The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking   In an America torn apart by the Vietnam War and the demise of ’60s idealism, airplane hijackings were astonishingly routine. Over a five-year period starting in 1968, the desperate and disillusioned seized commercial jets nearly once a week, using guns, bombs, and jars of acid. Some hijackers wished to escape to foreign lands; others aimed to swap hostages for sacks of cash. Their criminal exploits mesmerized the country, never more so than when shattered Army veteran Roger Holder and mischievous party girl Cathy Kerkow managed to commandeer Western Airlines Flight 701 and flee across an ocean with a half-million dollars in ransom—a heist that remains the longest-distance hijacking in American history.

 

Spotlight Library of the Week:
Evanston Public Library

This library provides a lot (and we mean a LOT!) of programs for their community! And they have plenty of other materials to keep any library fan happy; check some of them out here: