Tag Archives: inspiration

Training Tips: Talk about inspiring books!

It’s January!

It’s time to make resolutions!

(Or goals. Or reflections. Or none of these. You be you.)

Probably most of us in the library world resolve to read books, read more fun books, more diverse books, more books of all sorts.

As a side note: you may want to set up an account on Goodreads, and let them track your reading progress toward a personal goal. I do like doing this – it’s fun for me to see books I’ve read over the past few years!

So, yes. Read books. More. Diverse. Fun. All of these are good things.

And today I want to encourage you all to think about books that inspire you. Books that made you sit down and say “Huh” or “Wowza!” or something else.

Was it fiction? Was it nonfiction? What made you inspired and made you think about something in a new way?

These are the books you can share with your community! Tell them about books all the time, yes. But telling them about a book that had a definite impact on you, one that helped you to try new things, think new thoughts – THAT’S a book that will be easy to share and other people will want to read!

Talk about the books that inspired you, and ask other people about their books. You can start a conversation, learn some new things, and share some of your stuff. It’s good all around!

And we would like you to tell us about books that have inspired you! Email us at admin @ cmle.org, tweet to us at  @CMLELibs, message us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CMLELibraries/, or stop by our office to talk with us! And feel free to comment below!

We are going to start featuring some books that have inspired our members in future articles, so start sending us some titles now!

Inspire us today! Share your best book ideas, so we can spread the word!!

 

Tons of Book Display Inspiration!

The colder the weather gets, the more of an excuse we have to stay inside being cozy and reading! Help your patrons or students find their next favorite read this winter with some of these enticing book display ideas:

  • This article from Media Specialist Julie Grellar contains a ton of links to different Pinterest boards as well as EBSCO and Flickr with ideas for your books displays
  • Here’s a list from Book Riot for “13 Awesome Library Displays.” Don’t miss the YA Book Cover Dress display that actually looks like a fancy gown!
  • Need some holiday display ideas? This post from Book Bub will give you 18 different suggestions!
  • If you’re looking for more holiday inspiration, this post from Book Riot has some very creative ideas!
  • Literary Hoots has this adorable idea for a fun No-Shave November display
  • This bulletin board uses Emojis to advertise books to patrons
  • The Magpie Librarian has this cool display idea featuring just the first line of a book
  • This travel-themed display is cute and includes vintage suitcases!
  • This article from Hub Pages has a bunch of suggestions for every month of the year! Definitely worth checking out!
  • Interested in creating a display for mysteries, thrillers, or true crime? This display of “Once Upon A Crime” is excellent!
  • Here are 20 library display ideas from the BCLA Readers Advisory Interest Group. I love the Black Friday display!
  • Read about Library Girl’s tips for creating great book displays

Have you made a book display recently that you are particularly proud of? Send us a picture, or tell us about it in the comments!

Need makerspace ideas or gadgets?

Tecnologia - Technology (2)By now, you’ve probably heard about makerspaces. (If not, catch up here). Here at CMLE, we think they are pretty exciting. All the opportunities for hands-on learning and creation! But it’s easy to find the endless possibilities slightly overwhelming. Wondering where to start? CMLE has done that work for you! We’ve published a great deal about makerspaces, and want to share our wealth of knowledge! See below for ideas and inspiration, tools to use, and where to find makerspaces.

 

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/pkdbtf9, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Notable Dates for your Noggin: May 2016

Calendar BannerEach month we’ll bring you a compiled list of fun national holidays, birthdays of authors, and publication dates of favorite books.  Although it is still April, we share these dates now so you can plan ahead! You can use these for your own personal use or for some library inspiration! Share what inspired you in the comments.

May is National Bike Month. Other things to celebrate in May. . .

May
dinosaurs-before-dark-cover-image
 1  Mother Goose Day
 5  Cartoonists Day
 9  J.M. Barrie’s Birthday (1860)
 12  Limerick Day
 16  National Biographer’s Day
 17  Gary Paulsen’s Birthday (1939)
 20  Mary Pope Osborne’s Birthday (1949)
 23  Scott O’Dell’s Birthday (1898)
 24  National Scavenger Hunt Day
 28  Hamburger Day

Did we miss anything?  Let us know if we did!

For our calendar of library events, including conferences and library days, check out our Events/Initiatives page.

And for more Notable Dates for Your Noggin, check out our Notable Dates page.