Friday Grab Bag, April 23, 2021

The Friday Grab Bag is a weekly series that highlights fun, unique, and interesting happenings in Colorado libraries, and includes news from the Colorado State Library.

Let’s open the Friday Grab Bag!

Cultivation

Do you like flowers, fruits, and veggies? Then help out native pollinators at Bee Hotel Decoration & Installation with Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers at the Basalt Regional Library on April 28 from 2:00-5:00 pm! Complete, decorate, and install bee hotels in the pollinator garden planted on the western side of the library. Learn how to use wood-burning tools and drills to create artistic designs and bee block homes. This program is for students in grades 5-12. Click HERE to register.

Join High Plains Library District and CSU Extension for Growing Small Fruits, an informative presentation on growing small fruits along Colorado’s Front Range on May 13 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm.  Think luscious raspberries, blackberries and other delectable small summer fruits. Yum!

Bud Werner Memorial Library is teaming up with the Routt County CSU Master Gardeners to offer expert gardening advice to help you plan and maximize your summer garden with Evenings with the Master Gardeners on May 4 and 5 from 6:00-7:30 pm. Gardening season is near, and there has never been a better time to plan and start your garden!

Aurora Public Library invites you to visit the Seed Library on the lower level of the Central Aurora Library. The Seed Library is a collection of open-pollinated and heirloom seeds that you can borrow to plant and grow at home. By saving seeds as a community you help create local seed stocks that are better acclimated to our climate and which support a rich, abundant and genetically diverse landscape. Check out additional resources provided by Revols Beehive Garden to help get your garden started, keep your plants healthy through the summer, and how to collect & save your seeds for the upcoming harvest.

Join Loveland Public Library for  Wildlife Window with Kevin Cook: Restoring a Place to New Glory on May 5 at 10:00 am. Some wildflowers proliferate gloriously; some wildflowers just add to the lifescape; some wildflowers barely maintain a roothold in Colorado; and a few wildflowers are disappearing. Yellow Lady-Slipper, a native orchid, is slowly but steadily vanishing; but a well-devised rescue project could save a local population.

Museums & Libraries in the News

Old photos from Vail Mountain to become part of transportation center public art installation | Vail Daily
A pair of old Vail photos will be seen in a new light as artist Olive Moya is set to use artifacts of the ski mountain’s history to create a mural in the transportation center later this month.

Growing Readers Together funds come to library | Montrose Press
The Montrose Regional Library District has been selected as one of 14 library systems in Colorado to participate in the Growing Readers Together grant program through the Colorado State Library, which provides funds for resources and programming for the Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) caregivers in the community.

Opinion: As Denver’s libraries reopen, the need for federal help becomes more critical | Colorado Sun
Denver City Library Michelle Jeske highlights the important role that Denver Public Library has played during the pandemic and recovery, and invites the community to join in advocating for the Build America’s Libraries Act by asking senators and representatives to support this important legislation.

Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries – Participating Libraries | American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) has announced 517 libraries, including nine Colorado libraries, will receive grants through Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small & Rural Libraries. Congratulations to Mesa County Libraries, La Veta Regional Library District, Lone Cone Library, Lyons Community Library, Montrose Regional Library, Nederland Community Library, Pines & Plains Libraries, South Routt Library District, and Southwest La Plata Library District. The funding will enable libraries to lead community engagement efforts on topics like the COVID pandemic, mental health, public land use, the climate crisis, and Black history.

Creature Features

Have you ever wondered what’s living just outside your door? Join Anythink Libraries in a month-long Bioblitz around the library and your own neighborhood. A Bioblitz is a scavenger hunt for plants and animals that takes a snapshot of an area’s biodiversity, and contributes data for environmental researchers. Discover fascinating new species, and get your hands dirty in the process. Teens and tweens should register HERE to participate.

Do you love animals? Join Jefferson County Public Library on April 30 at 10:30 am for a Virtual Pet Show and Tell with Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary! Each session will have a special guest from the animal kingdom. We’ll start with a story, then share our pets.

New Arts

Join Poudre River Public Library District on April 28 from 4:00-6:00 pm for Etegami Postcards – the Art of Mindful Mailing. Etegami means picture letter, from the Japanese ‘e’ picture and ‘tegami’ letter. It is made to be shared: sent in the mail to an acquaintance. A Take-and-Make kit of supplies will be available for each registered participant to create your own postcards to mail.

Explore the world of Henna and celebrate the return of spring with Boulder Public Library’s Henna Workshop: Vines, Flowers and Leaves on April 27 from 4:30-6:30 pm. Led by Henna and body artist Leah Reddell of Face Fiesta, participants will learn henna basics combined with design tips and instruction for floral, vine, and leaf motifs inspired by the spring season. For teens, grades 6 – 12.

Grants & Funding

Union Pacific Foundation: Community Ties Giving Program
The Union Pacific Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in the communities served by Union Pacific Railroad, primarily in the midwestern and western United States. Through the Community Ties Giving Program, the Foundation provides Local Grants to nonprofit organizations that address the following categories: Safety, Workforce Development, and Community Spaces. Grants generally range from $2,500 to $25,000. Organizations interested in receiving a grant must complete an online survey to determine eligibility from June 1 through July 31, 2021, which is also the last day that eligible organizations may submit an online application. Visit the Foundation’s website for detailed information about the funding priorities and application process.

Learning for All

Mental Maintenance (Indiana State Library) | April 28 @ 8:00 am MT
Mindfulness and self-care are well-intentioned buzz terms, but, how often do we really have the time or extra energy to follow through with them? Now more than ever, keeping your emotional well-being afloat can mean the difference between surviving and thriving, and not just at work. Drawing from various sources and personal experiences, including both successes and failures, discover how one hot-headed and persnickety librarian found a slice of inner peace (and can even sleep at night). Ideas and examples for self-care and stress management will be given. Handouts will include an extensive bibliography. This session asks tough questions and addresses the stress in our lives; however, it is not intended to replace professional care and/or advice.

Reimagining School Partnership Programs during the Pandemic (Public Library Association) | April 28 @ 12:00 pm MT
At a time when education, including school and library use, are dramatically impacted by the COVID‑19 pandemic, the Orange County Library System in Orlando, FL reimagined its school partnership program to adapt to their community’s needs. Learn how they transformed their existing school services into virtual services, including their liaison program, storytelling visits, field trips, parent presentations, and school library card drives. Discover how the library engaged staff in their changing roles by providing templates, training, and a discussion forum to support them. Through a thoughtful approach and great reflexes, the outcome of the library’s virtual school services has increased accessibility and participation rather than diminished it.

What’s New at the Colorado State Library

Learning Opportunities

Upcoming Webinar – From Womb to Sleepless Nights: Prenatal Programming

  • April 28 @ 1:00 pm MT
  • FREE! No Registration Required
  • Join Online

Closer to Free: Aspirations v. Legal Limitations in Public Libraries

  • May 19 @ 12:00 pm MT
  • FREE!
  • Click HERE to register

Colorado Virtual Library

April 2021 SWIFT Migration Project Update
Out of the 150 SWIFT libraries, 81 have gone live with Prospector for Staff-Initiated Borrowing!

April 23: CHNC Reaches 2 Million Pages and Celebrates Historic News  
April 23 is an auspicious day in Colorado news. The CHNC celebrates a milestone on the anniversary of another big event in the state’s newspaper history.

State Publications Blog

Are you thinking of making a change this year in your job?  Check out Library Jobline for hot new library employment opportunities.

This post is part of the Spotlight on Sharing initiative, which aims to increase the visibility of resource sharing in Colorado libraries. Do you have a story from your library to share? Email Marisa Wood, mwood@coloradovirtuallibrary.org. Also, be sure to follow Colorado State Library on Twitter and Facebook.

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