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!
Festival Season
All aboard! It’s full steam ahead for Jefferson County Public Library’s future readers and their families at the Raise a Reader Festival on August 10 from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Enjoy free admittance to the Colorado Railroad Museum, train rides, interact with your favorite storybook characters, dance and sing to live music! The whole family is welcome and will enjoy this free festival as we raise readers with fun, hands-on activities. Lunch available for purchase from on-site food trucks.
All ages are invited to join Pikes Peak Library District for the 3rd Annual Sidewalk Chalk Festival! There will be face painting, food trucks, and chalk artists along the sidewalk in front of the Cheyenne Mountain Library and neighboring businesses on August 3 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.
Celebrate fiber arts, meet some sheep, learn to crochet, weave, knit, indigo dyeing, and follow the process of yarn making with Boulder Public Library at Fiber Fest 2019. This event is free and open to people of all ages and levels of experience, drop-in anytime.
High Plains Library District’s Youth Engineering and Science Festival – YES!fest – promises to be a fun and educational festival for the whole family. Booths and exhibitors from across many engineering fields will provide hands-on activities for all age levels on September 21 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Greeley Recreation Center in downtown Greeley.
DIY Not?
Arapahoe Libraries invites adults and teams to learn the basics of polymer clay crafting and make some Polymer Clay Charms to take home on August 7 at 5:30 pm. Registration required – click HERE to register and plan to arrive a few minutes early to sign the Makerspace User Agreement prior to participating.
Join Anythink Libraries on August 3 from 2:00-3:00 pm for Dollar Store Decor. Create beautiful pieces of décor with materials all found at the dollar store. You won’t believe the pieces you’ll take home! Space is limited and registration is required.
Get organized in style just in time for the new school year with Clutter Busting Crafts for Grownups at Bemis Library on August 18 at 2:00 pm. Make clever caddies for desk essentials, quirky cork boards, fun fabric boxes, and more! This program is for adults only, and registration is required, so sign up today.
Museums & Libraries in the News
Library collections are designed for you, and by you | Estes Park Trail Gazette
Kathleen Kase, Acquisitions Librarian at the Estes Valley Library, describes how usage stats inform collection development and result in a collection that reflects changing needs and interests in the community.
Shh…… | The Monte Vista Journal
The latest installment of Joyce Rankin’s Across the Street column talks about all that libraries have to offer as well as the READ ACT. Rankin represents Colorado’s Third Congressional District on the State Board of Education.
Senate hopeful visits; library measure approved | The Pueblo Chieftan
The board of trustees of the Pueblo City-County Library District voted 7-0 vote to approve a resolution referring a continued library funding measure to the Nov. 5 ballot.
Bayfield library director receives career achievement award | Pine River Times
Shelley Walchak, director of Pine River Library in Bayfield, is receiving the 2019 Career Achievement Award after 36 years of library service. Congratulations, Shelley!
Mid Year Resolutions
Summer may be winding down, but it’s the perfect time to re-resolve to get organized, eat healthier, or learn something new.
Fort Morgan Public Library is offering Free Beginning Spanish Lessons through the month of August. “Spanish 101” will be taught by Javier Acevedo De La Torre, founder of Oso Azul, a Spanish language school in Denver. Classes will begin on August 3, at 10 and will continue on each succeeding Saturday in August: 10, 17, 24, and 31. Registration is required and students must commit to attend all five sessions. For more information or to register, call Lanny at (970) 542-4003.
Are you looking for a system to stay organized and prepare fast, easy, delicious recipes for yourself and/or your family? Join Gunnison County Libraries for Meal Planning Workshop & Recipe Swap on August 7 from 7:00-8:00 pm.This workshop will provide an overview of basic meal planning, finding recipe inspiration, organizing your shopping lists, and suggestions for easy weeknight meals. Bring your favorite recipe to share and leave with ready-to-use templates and inspiration to spend your time in the kitchen efficiently this fall.
Have you always wanted to build your own site for a project or business? Perhaps you want to become a professional website developer and don’t know where to start? Great news! AsLongAsYouCare is providing a free Intro to Website Development for Beginners at the Loveland Public Library on August 18 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. Click HERE to register.
What’s New at the Colorado State Library
Early Literacy
Introducing GRT Quick Bites: An Early Learning Webinar Series
The Colorado State Library’s Growing Readers Together (GRT) Early Literacy Support Team is pleased to present GRT Quick Bites – 20 Minute Topics, a new series of early literacy micro-learning opportunities for Colorado children’s librarians and staff.
GRT Quick Bites: Caregiver Café: What Is It & How Do I Host One?
- August 8, 2019, 12:00 – 12:20 pm
- Free! No registration required
- Join online
#GetToKnowGRT
Meet the Colorado State Library’s new early literacy specialists in our weekly social media campaign on Facebook and Twitter. This week we’re featuring Kate Brunner, who supports early literacy services for the southern region of the state.
Professional Development Opportunities
The CLEL (Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy) Conference is taking place on October 4 Conference registration is open now through August 25.at the Arvada Center in Arvada. Click here to be taken to the registration page.
The Colorado State Library and CLiC are sponsoring CLEL conference scholarships, with 14 scholarships covering the cost of the registration fee. Current library staff, students, and volunteers are all encouraged to apply by clicking this link. The deadline is August 9 and applicants will be notified by August 14.
Free Archives and Digital Collections 101 Workshop (in person at the Durango Public Library in Durango, CO)
- September 10 & 11
- Free!
- Space is limited, so register soon!
State Publications Library
Library Related Employment:
Are you thinking of making a change this year in your job? Check out Library Jobline for hot new library employment opportunities.
- Community Arts & Business Engagement Center Manager: Pikes Peak Library District / Colorado Springs, CO
- Deputy Director of Library & Cultural Affairs: City and County of Broomfield (Mamie Doud Eisenhower Library) / Broomfield, CO
- Technology Services Manager: Mesa County Libraries / 8 locations in Mesa County, CO
- Circulation Aide: Poudre River Public Library District (Midtown Processing Center) / Fort Collins, CO
- Regional History and Genealogy Program Coordinator: Pikes Peak Library District / Colorado Springs, CO
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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