Tag Archives: fun

CMLE, Communication, Podcast, Programs

Day Fourteen of the CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!

Peregrine Falcon (3938274380)

Libraries do all kinds of interesting things. And the Evanston Public Library has a very unique service for their community: a live camera on a pair of nesting peregrine falcons!

“Peregrine falcons have been nesting at the library since 2004. They occupy the nest (scrape) from March until June each year. There is an Evanston Peregrine Falcon Watch group for posting and sharing news and observations of the Evanston Peregrine Falcons.  Scientists from the Field Museum’s Chicago Peregrine Program band the young falcons each year.”

There are two newly-hatched baby falcons in the scrape right now, being sat on by the parents alternately. Pretty soon they will be big enough to stay warm on their own, and the parents will sit on the edge of the ledge where they are nested. Then you will see the parents bring assorted delicacies, including tasty pigeon parts (yum!).

The camera is inside the library’s third floor, and if patrons get too loud you might see the parents flapping and sending threatening looks in the window to shush them! Librarians may not focus on shushing people anymore (and good riddance to that antiquated practice!), but raising baby falcons gives these parents a different perspective.

Evanston is a wonderful library – I’ve visited it several times and even went to the very first falcon banding day! (Baby falcons are banded and given a quick check by staff of Chicago’s Field Museum; it’s so fun!) You can hear about some of their great programs in our podcast episode number four (available on iTunes or other podcast app; or on our website!), where they were our Spotlight Library of the week!

Communication, Programs

Edible Architecture Programs

1 Comment

Edible Book Contest Farenheit 451 (Bradbury)This is a solicitation for ideas from a library listserve; we are posting the initial question, and a few suggestions received. Have you done this kind of program? Share some ideas with us in the comments!

“I am doing an edible architecture program at my branch next month for children and families.  I am brainstorming edible supplies that I could add to this program.  I am dry to stay with dry goods and not use fresh fruits/vegetables for the sake of ease and prep time.  Some of the supplies I am considering:

  • Ice cream cones – cake and sugar
  • Pretzels – rods and sticks
  • Graham Crackers
  • Wafer Cookies
  • Fruit Loops
  • Marshmallows
  • Royal icing
 The children will have 45 minutes plus or minus to create within a few categories – the strongest, the prettiest, etc.  Do you have any other food suggestions?  Plus if you have done this program before any pros and cons?”

Continue reading Edible Architecture Programs →

CMLE, Communication, Tech

Day Thirteen of the CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Human-emblem-OK.svg/200px-Human-emblem-OK.svg.png

You have had “those” days – the days when things keep going wrong, disasters just follow you around, and you get to the point where you just want all the bad things to just stop.

Summertime is filled with fun things, but can still add stress to your life!

The Internet is here to help you!

This is a very low-stress site, easy to use, and will help you to feel better right away: click the Make Everything Okay button, and just wait.

Feel better? Us too!

Check out the tag “Summer Fun Library Tour” on our site to read our entire fun series!

 

Communication

Top 20 Library Scandals in Recent History

Image result for librarian shushing

Everyone loves a good scandal, especially over the summertime when we have more time to gossip over scandals – and hopefully to avoid doing some of these things ourselves!

This is an excerpt from an article by John Hubbard from Medium.com

“Airing dirty laundry is rather frowned upon in the field of librarianship. It ranks right up there with self-promotion as a big faux pas, probably because we don’t want to make ourselves look bad for the outside world, image-conscious bunch that we are. Nevertheless, in my years as a librarian, I’ve heard of many shameful incidents. My first library director thought to keep child pornography on his work computer, for starters. Rather than practice self-shushing about these events, I believe it’s best to view them as learning opportunities.

Hopefully these examples show how at times it’s worth turning our gaze inward to discover how we can do things better. That’s why, although there’s certainly plenty of cases of library patrons behaving badly — from hackers to politicians to exhibitionists (to say nothing about irresponsible authors) — the focus of this list is primarily on librarians, along with the government and vendors that we do business with. So then, in the spirit of those words from Alice Roosevelt Longworth, “If you can’t say something good about someone, sit here by me.”

Continue reading Top 20 Library Scandals in Recent History →

Books, Children's services, Training

Try Camp Read A Lot!

Image result for camp read a lot

Do you want to read books and chat about them?? Sounds great! Check out the Camp Read-A-Lot programs! (Remember: you can receive up to $300 in scholarship money from CMLE for your continuing education!)

You can have reading fun this summer at three different Minnesota locations:

  • Welcome to the 2017 SELCO Camp Read-a-Lot

    We are happy to bring you the 9th Annual Camp Read-a-Lot!  A professional development opportunity for those who work with children’s literature, focusing on specifically on grades 2-5.  Our campers have the chance to read from a set list of books prior to camp and then spend the day discussing the books with their peers.  They’ll also have a chance to hear from Dr. Sarah Park Dahlen, Assistant Professor in St. Catherine University’s Master of Library Information Science Program, and Minnesota children’s book author Lauren Stringer.

    Tuesday, August 15, 2017  |  Check-in begins at 8:30a, Camp runs from 9:00a-4:30p  |  $30 Fee

  • ADVENTUROUS READING AWAITS
    Welcome to the 2017 TdS Camp Read-a-Lot

    We are happy to bring you the 1st Annual Camp Read-a-Lot!

    Join us for a professional development day designed for librarians and teachers who work with children’s literature, focusing on grades 2-8. Campers read and discuss new children’s literature and fresh techniques to bring reading alive to students and patrons.

  • Wednesday July 26, 2017

    SAMMI and Plum Creek

    Mark your calendars for Camp Read-a-Lot 2017, July 26 & 27.  The Plum Creek Library and Pioneerland Library Systems along with SAMMIE are once again sponsoring CAMP READ-A-LOT, a conference full of fun and education for teachers, media specialists, homeschool educators and public library staff.  Camp Read focuses on literacy and literature for today’s young people and is designed to help educators and librarians enhance student reading experiences.   July 26 – 27, 2017