Friday Grab Bag, October 29, 2021

Going Green

Join Boulder Public Library on November 4 from 7:00-8:30 pm for the conclusion of One Book One Boulder: All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, a conversation with the book’s editors, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson. This year the library has chosen to focus on the climate crisis. Participants are invited to submit questions for the Community Q&A portion of the event via YouTube or Facebook chat.

Embark on an environmental adventure with Anything Libraries’ Environment Workshop: Earth Squad on November 4 at 4:00 pm. Focus on making small changes to daily habits to be more environmentally conscious, participate in global experiments, create sustainable goods, and discover how to be an eco-innovator. Appropriate for ages 5 to 12. Space is limited; registration required.

Poudre River Public Library District welcomes Kevin Cook on November 11 from 1:00-2:00 pm for A Different Way to Hug a Tree, which will look at how big, old trees pose physical and financial problems. Strong winds can drop limbs or whole trees onto houses. People with low or fixed incomes cannot afford to cope with such trees. A special nonprofit fund could prevent a lot of heartache from big old trees.

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing! Join other local authors  throughout the month of November as they embark on writing 50k words during 30 days and nights of literary abandon. Bud Werner Memorial Library invites you to Write Your Novel Here. Write at the spacious desks where there are ample plug-ins. Peer out the picture windows when you need inspiration. Use the free computers and WiFi to research important details for your plot. Get to know the reference librarians when you need a hard-won fact. Let Mountainbrew sustain your needs for refreshment with coffee and baked goods.

November is the perfect time to write your story! In honor of National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo, teens are invited to the Windsor-Severance Library every Tuesday in November (with the exception of Tuesday, November 23) for a writing series. Whether you’re new to writing or want to polish your skills, join your fellow writers for fun, informal writing sessions.  For ages 12-18.

The way we use language as writers (i.e. word choice, sentence pattern and length, pauses, punctuation, and more) can affect pacing, increase tension, create tone or mood and evoke an emotional response in our readers. Join Mesa County Libraries on November 13 from 2:00-3:30 pm for Writing Techniques with Wendi Silvano, and learn how to use these techniques to maximum effect.

Game On

Join Pikes Peak Library District’s Regional History and Genealogy staff for Old School Night on November 6 from 6:00-9:00 pm. Enjoy a night of grade school fun and flashbacks at Goat Patch Brewing Company. Take some #ThrowbackThursday worthy photos with our green screen, win respect (and prizes) with your trivia skills, and don’t forget to dress to impress for our “old school style” (70s, 80s, etc.) costume contest.

Join Arapahoe Libraries on November 1 from 1:00-2:30 pm for Classic Game Club. Enjoy classic board and card games with friendly comradery with others. Dig into old pastimes like Yahtzee, Sorry, Scrabble, Crazy Eights and more. Whether you’re just playing for fun or feeling competitive, this is the place for you.

It’s BINGO time! Join Aurora Public LIbrary on November 5 at 4:30 pm for Bingo For Books. Play several games of bingo where the winner will get their choice of a prize book. Appropriate for elementary-aged kids and their families.

Museums & Libraries in the News

The Byers Library has officially been renamed. Welcome Thunderbird Man Branch. | Denverite
The library formerly known as the Byers Branch has officially been renamed the Thunderbird Man Branch in honor of John Emhoolah Jr., an Indigenous activist who spent 50 years advocating for Indigenous students.

Meet the new Pikes Peak Poet Laureate: Ashley Cornelius | Colorado Public Radio
Ashely Cornelius, an award-winning spoken word poet is the new Pikes Peak Poet Laureate. She was chosen by the Pikes Peak Library District and plans to use her two years in the role to bring visibility to poetry in the region.

History Colorado report finds $10.5 billion brought in from heritage tourism | Colorado Politics
“Archaeology for a Changing Colorado” sheds light on why digging up the past supports social and environmental vitality, as well. The report was funded by a grant from the History Colorado State Historical Fund.

Colorado Humanities’ awards more than $700,000 to organizations across the state | Western Slope Now
Colorado Humanities’ funding grants will help Western Slope towns give Coloradans a glimpse into the past.

Denver Art Museum Is Unveiling a $175 Million Renovation—and a Commitment to Telling Inclusive Stories | 5280
Denver Art Museum’s (DAM) $175 million makeover pales in comparison to how DAM is leaning into inclusivity and a more modern identity. Throughout the updated north campus, visitors will notice a commitment to inclusive storytelling, largely by letting creators share their own stories and histories through videos and text.

Pueblo kids earn over $700,000 for reading | Fox 21 News
A total of 7,074 kids earned $100 by a Pueblo City-County Library’s reading challenge conclusion on Wednesday, Sept. 22. Registrants, ages 0 to 17, had to check out 10 library materials then submit a response to what they borrowed.

Delta County Public Library District Issue 7A Information | High Country Shopper
Ballot measure 7A will ask voters to consider stabilizing Delta County Library District funding by maintaining the current residential assessment rate of 7.15% and the commercial assessment rate of 29% so that the District may continue providing services at the level patrons expect.

Grants & Funding Opportunities

American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries
American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries, administered by the American Library Association, is intended to deliver relief to libraries throughout the United States recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. The ALA will distribute $2 million to help anchor libraries as strong humanities institutions as they emerge and rebuild from the pandemic. Up to 200 grants of $10,000 each will be awarded, with an emphasis on reaching libraries in historically underserved and/or rural communities. Libraries of all types located in the United States or a U.S. territory are eligible to apply. The application deadline is December 2, 2021.

National Endowment for the Humanities
The Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections program helps cultural institutions meet the complex challenge of preserving large and diverse holdings of humanities materials for future generations. The program supports sustainable conservation measures that mitigate deterioration, prolong the useful life of collections, and support institutional resilience, which is the ability to anticipate and respond to disasters resulting from natural or human activity. The application deadline is January 13, 2022.

Colorado Virtual Library

OER Grant Funds Available this Fall
More than $1 million in funds are available this fall to institutions of higher education and their local education providers through the Open Education Resources (OER) Grant Program.

State Publications Library

• Colorado State Parks: Golden Gate Canyon
• Colorado Bats: The Good Guys

Learning Opportunities

CSL in Session: Creating Online Escape Games with Google Forms

• November 9 @ 12:00 pm MDT
• FREE! No registration required
• Join Online

Growing Readers Together: Quick Bites Webinar Series Returns in November
Mark your calendar for a fresh series of 20 minute webinars that will refresh and inspire your children and family services.