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.
Before we begin, I’m excited to share that Our New Libraries Learn Site is Here! Whether you are just getting started in libraries, learning a new skill, or need to brush up on a topic, Libraries Learn can help you find the training resources you need! In less exciting news, the grab bag is taking a short hiatus after this week and will return on July 16th.
Let’s open the Friday Grab Bag!
Celebrations
March with Clear Creek County Library District at Georgetown’s Fourth of July Parade! Pick up celebration kits full of supplies for decorating your bike, wagon, or stroller between June 29 and July 2. Then, meetup at the parade line up at 10:30 am (look for the white bunny truck!), bike, walk, roll, or hop along with CCCLD’s Miss Honeybun parade float. Show your spirit and help pass out candy!
Celebrate the new and long-awaited library for the Byers community with Arapahoe Libraries! Bring the whole family for a grand opening party for Kelver Library on July 2 (today!) from 5:30-7:30 pm. A ribbon cutting ceremony, library tours and live music from The Radio Band will highlight the celebration. Bring your lawn chairs and shade umbrellas to enjoy the band. Food will be provided by Hot Dogs! and Kona Ice food trucks.
Into the Wild
Join Mesa County Libraries on July 10 at 2:00 pm for Tracks, Scat, and Skeletons. Learn how to identify animals from the tracks, scat, and skulls they leave behind from a Vega State Park Ranger. All ages are welcome. Be prepared for outdoor weather conditions.
Take a Walk on the Wild Side with Jefferson County Public Library and an Open Space Ranger on July 14 from 10:00-11:30 am. Learn about intriguing and hazardous elements of Reynolds Park, and the Jefferson County foothills. Dangers could be lurking around every corner of the park; but not to worry, the ranger will point out the perils and teach you how to avoid them. The hike is approximately 4-5 miles in length.
Join Delta County Libraries in July to play Tales of the Wild BINGO at the libraries! Visit any library in Delta County to pick up a BINGO card beginning July 1. During the month of July, mark your card when you see animals in the wild, read about them, or watch a movie about them. Once you win BINGO, turn in your card to the library to win a book, library tote, wildlife guide, or other cool prize! Remember to mark the interactive map of Delta County posted at every library with your wildlife sightings!
Learning for All
Users at the Center of Everything: Service Design in Rapidly Changing Libraries | July 7 @ 10:00 am MT
Services and the way we deliver them are changing very quickly and unpredictably. Being intentional about what and how we do is what we mean by service design. Digital, physical, and even philosophical: it’s all about service. Explore service design – what it is and how it can make your library better by keeping users at the center of every decision.
On Implicit Bias and Communication | July 8 @ 1:00 pm MT
Reflect on how life experiences, traditions, and beliefs impact communication and explore strategies for facilitating deeper discussions and stronger connections as steps toward developing a more community-centered library.
Museums & Libraries in the News
Journey east for a dozen special museums including a historic carousel, lots of saddles and railroad depots | The Gazette
12 museums and attractions on the plains out east of the Front Range are offering free admission all summer, through Labor Day, to 12 special local history sites. Places to visit are in Cheyenne, Elbert, Kit Carson and Lincoln Counties.
Colorado Public Libraries to Receive Complimentary Copies of On the Roof of The Rocky Mountains | EIN Presswire
Every Public Library across the state will receive a complimentary copy of the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens’ new book, On The Roof of The Rocky Mountains: The Botanical Legacy of Betty Ford Alpine Gardens; Vail’s Alpine Treasure.
Push to get Conifer a stand-alone library | Canyon Courier
Some Conifer residents hope that when the Jefferson County Public Library refreshes its facilities master plan, the community’s chance to get a free-standing library will happen sooner than 2030.
History Colorado’s “Five Points Plus” exhibit tells the history of a neighborhood, as remembered by the people who actually lived there | Denverite
Five Points Plus: Neighborhood Memory Project, is a walk through of Five Points’ past by way of the memories of the people who’ve lived there. Check it out at History Colorado Center from June 25 – October 2021.
Pick ‘n’ Mix
Teens are invited to Boulder Public Library on July 9 from 3:00-4:00 pm for DIY: Drag Queen Make-up Tutorial with Drag Queen Kai Lee Mykels!. Take a makeup journey using eyeshadow, blush, contour, and much more to help YOU discover your drag persona. Every teen that registers for the program will receive a special set of rainbow eyelashes and Kai Lee will show participants how to apply them. Eyelash kits will be available for pick up one week before the event.
Join Garfield County Libraries on July 7 for Colorado Animal Rescue (C.A.R.E.) Pet Meet & Greet. C.A.R.E. will present on the adoption process, pet care, and safety, as well as bring a shelter ambassador pet for a meet and greet at three libraries. 11:00 am at the Carbondale Branch , 12:30 pm at the Glenwood Springs Branch, and 2:00 pm at the New Castle Community Center.
Bam! It’s Spice Thyme! Join the High Plains Library District every month to try a new spice. Pick up your spice kit at the beginning of every month, every first tuesday. Registration required.
You may have heard of reading to a dog, but have you heard of reading to a donkey? On Mondays and Thursdays, through July the Summit County South Branch Library will be offering 15 minute time slots to Read to a Donkey in front of the library. Can’t wait to see the pics!
What’s New at the Colorado State Library
Library Research Service
Colorado Talking Book Library 2020
The results are in! Survey respondents gave CTBL high marks again with 99% rating CTBL’s overall service as good or excellent in 2020.
Surveys: Don’t just set it and forget it!
Are leaving out historically underrepresented subsets of your audience when conducting surveys? LRS has questions to ask yourself to ensure that your survey is equitable and reaching your target populations.
Learning Opportunities
Upcoming GRT Quick Bites: Getting Back to Nature
- FREE! No registration required.
- Join online
Free online learning opportunities in July
Thanks as always to the Wyoming State Library for curating all of these free online learning opportunities!
State Publications Library
Are you thinking of making a change this year in your job? Check out Library Jobline for hot new library employment opportunities.
- Colorado State Librarian / Assistant Commissioner: Colorado Department of Education (Colorado State Library) / Denver, CO
- Media Teacher: Steamboat Springs School District / Steamboat Springs, CO
- Administrative Coordinator: Jefferson County Public Library / / Lakewood, CO
- Director of Communications and Engagement: Jefferson County Public Library / Lakewood, CO
- Children Services Assistant: Clearview Library District / Windsor
- Library Clerk: City of Aurora, Library & Cultural Services (Martin Luther King Jr. Library) / Aurora, CO
- Building Operations Coordinator: Auraria Library / Denver, CO
- Library Supervisor: Pikes Peak Library District / Colorado Springs, CO
- Senior Library Associate: Pikes Peak Library District / Monument, CO
- Programming Librarian: Jefferson County Public Library / Arvada, CO
- IT Assistant: Clearview Library District / Windsor, CO
- University Archivist and Aztlán Center Director (Visiting Assistant or Associate Professor): Colorado State University – Pueblo / Pueblo, CO
- Library Assistant: Mesa County Libraries / Grand Junction, CO
- Adult Services Assistant: Clearview Library District / Windsor, CO
- Collection Development Librarian – Adult Materials: Jefferson County Public Library / Wheat Ridge, CO
- Library Security Clerk: City of Aurora, Library & Cultural Services / Aurora, CO
- Volunteer Coordinator: Garfield County Libraries / Rifle, CO
- Librarian K-8: The Logan School for Creative Learning / Denver, CO
- Library Associate- Events and Experiences: High Plains Library District / Greeley, CO
- CDOC Library Technician III: Colorado Department of Corrections / Canon City, CO
- Employee Engagement Coordinator: Auraria Library / Denver, CO
- Library Associate – Adult Services – 25 Hours: City of Louisville / Louisville, CO
- Librarian I – Adult Services: City of Louisville / Louisville, CO
- Neighborhood Libraries Manager: Garfield County Libraries / Rifle, CO
- Full-time Teen Guide – Anythink Wright Farms: Anythink Libraries / Brighton, CO
- Part-time 25 hour Concierge – Anythink York Street (Spanish speaking candidates preferred): Anythink Libraries / Denver, CO
- Library and Museum Assistant I – Circulation: City of Fort Morgan / Fort Morgan, 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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