Hot Ghoul Summer!

Some of the best ideas are borrowed, right? For my August display, I borrowed an idea from friends at Lawrence Public Library and pulled some chilling YA reads for the hottest days of summer. And since I love a good pun, I borrowed their title too. Thus, “Hot Ghoul Summer.” All credit should go toContinueContinue reading “Hot Ghoul Summer!”

Tiny Teen Library RA

Since I’m not able to do outreach or programming yet, an initial goal in my new position has been to make the designated teen area in my branch more inviting and engaging to teens (and less a nook for our older newspaper regulars). In addition to rethinking furniture and adding some passive activities, my brainContinueContinue reading “Tiny Teen Library RA”

On Starting My Next Chapter: Adventures in Youth Services

Wow. It’s been a while. Do people even write blogs anymore? I know I’m not the only one who would say It. Has. Been. A. Year. (and a few months). If you follow me on Twitter, you might know that on top of a global pandemic, 2020/21 has personally brought me some heartache, some separation,ContinueContinue reading “On Starting My Next Chapter: Adventures in Youth Services”

#KLAC2019: Join the Conversation at Conference!

It’s Kansas Library Association Conference time again! This year’s theme is Libraries Build Communities – Healthy, Wealthy and Wise, and it will be October 23-25 at the Overland Park Convention Center. The KLA Conference Planning Committee has been hard at work putting together speakers, sessions, and activities, and we hope you have a valuable timeContinueContinue reading “#KLAC2019: Join the Conversation at Conference!”

Board Games and Things

There’s something new for checkout at my library: board games! We recently launched a circulating collection of popular and classic games, a further step in exploring the national “Library of Things” trend by lending more nontraditional items. We’ve had board games available for in-house use for years now, but letting them leave the library isContinueContinue reading “Board Games and Things”

Three Things I’ve Stolen from the Grocery Store

Original image was originally posted to Flickr by SeattleMunicipal Archives under the terms of the cc-by-2.0In order to make ends meet, I recently served a brief stint as a cashier at a national grocery chain. Before I could even touch a register, I had to spend six grueling, consecutive hours watching training videos and anotherContinueContinue reading “Three Things I’ve Stolen from the Grocery Store”

Getting Shift Done

Yesterday, my staff and I completed a major re-cataloging, labeling and shifting project. A long time ago, the library had a separate biography section, and at some point, one of the directors decided to interfile them into the nonfiction. We’ve had a number of patrons recently request, though, that we have a separate section again.ContinueContinue reading “Getting Shift Done”

Create & Innovate: Post-It Note Pixel Art

For our monthly teen crafting program, we invited teens to decorate the library with Post-It Note pixel art. You basically create giant mosaics with the Post-Its!A very simple activity, you just need various colors of Post-Its and window or wall space. We did this program a year ago, and we found out the Post-Its don’tContinueContinue reading “Create & Innovate: Post-It Note Pixel Art”

Teen Tech Week: Libraries are for making…

Last year I had so much fun with Teen Tech Week, I couldn’t wait to start planning this year’s events at the Oskaloosa Public Library. We’re still about a month out, but I’ve gotten everything finalized and the promo posters are off to the printer! Not wanting to do the exact same thing as lastContinueContinue reading “Teen Tech Week: Libraries are for making…”

Create & Innovate: Giant 3D Snowflakes

We have a small group of teen regulars at my library who are hardcore crafters. When I took over/started helping out with teen programming, I started a monthly crafting program called Create & Innovate (that’s edgy, mature and modern right?). Each month I plan either a specific craft or go very general and open theContinueContinue reading “Create & Innovate: Giant 3D Snowflakes”