National Library Week raffle

Tenney Memorial, up in Newbury: tell us why you love the Library by visiting or emailing, and automatically you’re entered in a raffle for a $25 gift certificate at the Woodsville Bookstore. Each written response counts as an entry.

Town Meeting poster

The Friends of the Wardsboro Library put together an infographic of where funds come from and what they pay for. The windowshade pictured hangs next to the circ desk in the library. For a closer look, see the Friends website.

Tagline at the bottom: There is no direct financial support from the State of Vermont or U.S. government sources.

Like most infographics, this one takes complex information about funding streams and makes it easier to understand.

Blind Date Valentine’s Day

Sign

Bennington Free Library found a hot idea on Pinterest, currently amusing borrowers and staff alike. Offer pre-wrapped books for adults and children (different displays) to take home and “date.” Not sure how the front desk will shoot the barcode– but what a fun idea for Valentine’s Day!

Book display at Bennington Free Library

Text on the sign reads “Celebrate your love of reading by choosing any book from this display. (No peeking.) We’ll check it out to you still wrapped, so you won’t know what you have until you get home!”

The adult titles have handwritten notes on the paper: “TAKE ME HOME! I’m a short story collection by a famous English author.”

Hackerspace!

Windsor Public Library took a note from Linda Braun’s Technology Workshop in Barre last summer, and planned an informal hacker/maker space for kids. Sarah Tufts wanted “a place where a kid could feel free to break something apart and not worry about getting in trouble.” She put the word out and collected fans, toasters, a paper shredder, a lamp, a hot plate, an alarm clock, and old zip drives. The library decided not to accept cell phones, computers, with concerns about what the batteries might contain.

Sarah:

We used basic tools (screw drivers – all sizes, wrenches, pliers, wire cutters, flashlights, and ONE hammer). The hammer didn’t really get used until the very end, and probably shouldn’t have been used at all.

I thought about safety glasses, but only had 2 so didn’t bother. They might have come in handy when one kid took a hammer to the glass door of the toaster oven while trying to pry off the handle. The shattering sound surprised everyone; thank goodness for safety glass:)

There were 2 rules:

1. No plugging anything in EVER before, during, or after the program. Recommended: cut electrical cords cut off before the program.

2. All screws, nuts, bolts, etc. get put on a long strip of tape as soon as they are removed from the appliance. This was in case kids wanted to try to reassemble the piece, but mostly so that all those tiny pieces didn’t get lost – so easily camouflaged in our rug.

The Library had David Macaulay’s “The Way Things Work” on hand and also googled images when the book didn’t answer questions.

Total success and an expanded audience including dads.

December is about Devices

December is the best time of the year for a program about eReaders and the different devices available for purchase. If the library hasn’t bought eReaders, look to the town to find expertise. Find people who are comfortable talking about their own devices, Nooks and Kindles, computers and smartphones.

Staff should be ready to talk about library content, free content, and where to purchase eBooks. Make sure the library website has links to the content discussed in the program, preferably icons that go to eBook services. Don’t forget the local bookstores– they have a horse in this race too.

Start planning the next program now– the post-holiday bash when people bring their new equipment in and practice using it.

Post a video for BBW

Jessamyn West, library technologist and blogger, put together a great video for the 50 State Readout. Take a look– consider posting for Banned Books Week (September 30 – October 6, 2012).

Highgate Public Library starts a photo campaign!

Check out the Highgate Public Library on Facebook for a new photo campaign, “Oh, the places you can read.” Here’s the announcement:

Highgate Public Library
Calling all readers! After seeing a display inspired by one of our Highgate teacher’s, we have decided to carry the idea over to the public library. We now need your help to bring this idea to life. The caption will be “Oh, the places you can read!”…a spin off of a Seuss book “Oh, the places you’ll go!”. Please send, email or drop off a picture of a unique place you or your child read, or just a photo of you reading. Our goal is to include as many community members (past/present) and patrons as possible. Please help us by spreading this far and wide!

Banned Books Week 2012

Banned Books Week is coming up fast, September 30 to October 6. There is still time to buy some DANGER/CAUTION tape and pull a quick program together. The Hartland Public Library is holding a Banned Books storytime in the evening for all ages– And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson will be one of the featured titles.

The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum is hosting Alan Gilbert, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union. Gilbert will present a discussion of Privacy in the Digital Age on Wednesday, September 12 at 7 PM in Athenaeum Hall.

The Joslin Memorial Library in Waitsfield is holding a “Banned Book Coffee Klatsch” September 29th at 2. They are inviting people of all ages to come in and read from and discuss banned books, or to pick from some on hand. With coffee!

David Clark at the Ilsley Library, in cooperation with ACLU-VT, has mailed free BBW posters to Greensboro Free Library, Fairfax Community Library, People’s Academy (Morrisville), Warren School Library, Thetford Academy, U-32 School Library, Burr and Burton Academy (Manchester), Putney School Library, St. Johnsbury School District, and Concord School. Libraries, schools and booksellers are wonderful partners for this celebration.

For the official scoop, visit ALA. Lots of good ideas there– host YouTube videos from the Virtual Read Out on the library webpage?

Easy Dad Program

It’s great when you find an easy program aimed at dads and their kids. Brooks Memorial Library is having success with the Dads Day Derby. They collect the cardboard tubes and duct tape ahead of time and purchase small plastic cars. This program really does run itself– though the staff build a prototype ahead.

When families turn up, each gets a supply of tubes and tape. All activity is self-directed, making the racetrack and then shooting the toy car down. Two hours– and plenty of fun. Note: Brooks Memorial serves Brattleboro, which is big enough so pre-registering families works for them. A smaller library could probably skip this step.

Library Card Sign-Up Month

September is coming fast, and the Martha Canfield Library in Arlington has planned many programs to tie in with the national library card signup month. The month begins with a reception for area select boards and moves on through a host of Vermont authors and book panels. Area residents can hear Sue Halpern, Bill McKibben, Frankie Bailey, Linda Furiya, Reeve Lindbergh and poet laureate Sydney Lea. Four programs feature the Internet– social networks, LibraryThing, Facebook, and Linked In. Three more highlight area history: Arlington & the Revolutionary War, Collecting Sandgate Memories, and stories from the Memoir Group.

Two years ago Brooks Memorial Library joined forces with area bookstores in their “Smartest Card” promotion. Card holders could get a 15% discount by showing their library card during September. The campaign also featured local card holders:

“The library is your ticket for liberating the mind” (Marie, Brattleboro)

“Here’s my library card, the most important card in my wallet next to my license,” (overheard at the main desk.)

“You can’t imagine what a gift this library card is!” (Jenny in Whitingham).

ALA has plenty of information to tie local events to the national campaign. Check out audio public service announcements, a Flickr slide show, letter to the editor and more at the ALA Library Card link. This year’s spokesperson is Super Bowl champion Troy Polamalu.