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!
Halloween Prep
Not sure what to do with an old costume? Need a new one? Join Hayden Public Library for The Great Costume Swap and Shop. Drop off clean items in good condition between now and October 10 and receive tickets that you can redeem for a new costume or costume accessories on October 11 from 12:00-6:00 pm. For complete guidelines for both swapping and shopping, click HERE.
Do you love to craft? Or are you craft-curious? Get creative and connect with other crafty patrons at one of Clear Creek County Library District’s upcoming Halloween Workshops. On October 7, create Dia De Los Muertos Flower Crowns at 5:30 pm, or learn to brew a witchy drink at the Spooky Mixology Workshop on October 10 at 5:30. Space and supplies are limited, so sure to register in advance by contacting Holly at holly@cccld.org.
Nederland Community Library invites families to CariBOO on October 11 from 7:00-8:30 pm. An evening of haunted mining tales and mythical creatures hosted at the Mining Museum with special guests Rocky Mountain Storyteller Wynn Montgomery and Nederland Library Director Elektra Greer. This event promises a few thrills and chills for every age (with the most haunting tales toward the end of the evening) and a fun make-and-take craft and ghoulish refreshments to round out the evening. Come in costume for even more fun! Registration required – click HERE to register.
Pick ‘n’ Mix
Join Bud Werner Memorial Library for Health Perspectives ~ The Emotional Brain on October 7 at 6:30 pm. Dr. Jo Anne Grace will introduce you to how the emotional brain depends on the locator brain and the connector brain to keep the brain healthy and happy. Discover a creative approach to experiencing and processing emotions through neurofeedback. Practice three brain health exercises to increase your emotional flexibility and resiliency. These exercises have positive effects when dealing with anxiety, depression, grief or trauma.
Pine River Library hosts Beginning Fly Fishing with local guide Glen Tinnin on October 5 from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm. Learn how to fly fish or brush up on your basic skills. Includes casting practice with rods supplied by the Library if participants don’t have a rod they’d like to use. Click HERE to register – and note that there is a $35 dollar per person fee to attend.
Everyone can learn how to become more sustainable in everyday life at the Snack and Learn Sustainability Series hosted by Colorado State University. All sessions are held from noon to 1:00 pm in the Morgan Library Event Hall and are free and open to the public, no RSVP required. Snacks will be provided but bringing a lunch is encouraged. Next up, “Sustainability 101 at CSU” on October 9, will seek to answer questions about what CSU is doing to make campus a more sustainable place.
Learning For All
Advocacy 101: When Advocacy Becomes Second Nature | November 7 @ 1:00 pm MST
If advocacy is a scary word to you, this webinar (presented by WebJunction in collaboration with ARSL) may change your feelings about it. Advocating for increased support for your library is an action that promotes the library’s success and contributes to your own enhanced ability to do your job well, with improved resources.
Fall Youth Services Workshops are just around the corner and registration is open now. The dates, locations, and links to register for 2019 are as follows:
For Posterity
Learn to write your family history and stories and discuss electronic publishing options with Denver Public Library’s WriteNOW! A Free Writing Group for Family Historians on October 13 from 1:30-3:30 pm.
Join Jefferson County Public Library on October 5 from 12:00-1:30 pm for Learn pro tips for organizing, caring for Preserving Family Documents and Photos. Learn pro tips for organizing, caring for, and storing your family’s documents, books, and photos. This informative workshop is part presentation and part preservation troubleshooting. Bring one or two items from your own collection that you would like advice on preserving.
The Summit Historical Society is offering a free workshop on Collections Care and Documentation for Museum Professionals and Volunteers, instructed by Peggy Schaller, Owner of Collections Research for Museums on November 1 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission is free & includes lunch, but space is limited and registration is required. Call 970-468-2207 to sign up!
Artifacts & Reenactments
Artifacts can be found in the most surprising of places- for example, in a grandmother’s trunk. El Pueblo History Museum’s Grandma Trunks recreate this experience for a classroom environment, by representing the artifacts and items of historical importance that may be found in an old trunk or suitcase in your grandmother’s attic. Grandma Trunks can be checked out from El Pueblo History Museum and taken into your classroom. Each one has its own story for students to discover through interactive, hands-on activities, and links to a particular part of Colorado history. Check out a trunk online or call Tamara Trujillo at 719-583-0453 for more information.
- Mountain Man Trunks: These trunks represent the history of early French and American fur trappers, and include artifacts such as furs, hats, and supplies.
- Hispano Trunks: These trunks explore Hispano and Latino heritage through artifacts including tools, household items, and retablos.
Dolores Public Library invites you to spend An Evening with Colorado Pioneer Cattlewoman Lizzy Knight on October 17 at 6:30 pm. Lizzy isn’t quite five feet tall but that doesn’t stop her from becoming a blacksmith, an emigrant to America, the first female resident of Rico, Colorado and the first cattlewoman in SW Colorado. Her great, great, great granddaughter, Marsha Bankston portrays this extraordinary woman during a live historical reenactment
Museums & Libraries in the News
Giant Chicken Skeleton In Denver’s Central Library Stands For More Than Just Dinner | CPR News
The work is part of a bigger project called “Monumental,” a series of temporary artworks going up around downtown, and the idea is to challenge the role of monuments, ask why we memorialize things and who — and what — should be represented in these public pieces.
Babies Love Boxes visits BV Library Oct. 10 | The Chaffee County Times
Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation’s Best Start program will be giving out baby boxes at the Buena Vista Public Library to raise awareness of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Eagle Valley’s paramedic, library districts ask for relief from Gallagher Amendment | Vail Daily
The Gallagher Amendment (passed in 1982) is having dire financial consequences for the state’s special districts, many of which are asking voters for exemptions from the amendment’s requirements.
Tales from the Tread: Museum’s History Happy Hour returns | Steamboat Pilot
The wayward ways of the Wild West is the focus of the Tread of Pioneers Museum’s popular event series, History Happy Hours, which convenes on the first Tuesday of each month, October through April, at 5:30 pm at Butcherknife Brewing Co.
What’s New at the Colorado State Library
Learning Opportunities
FREE Online Learning Opportunities for October 2019
The Wyoming State Library has once again curated a huge list of free, online learning opportunities for October! Happy learning!
GRT@YourLibrary: Look and Listen with Gail & Kate
- October 15 @ 12:00-1:00pm
- Free! No registration required
- Join online
State Publications Library
Colorado Virtual Library
Five Fall Favorites for Your Book Club
Get Cozy with some Fall Favorites from the State Library’s Book Club Collection!
2019 National Teen Video Challenge Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 CSLP Teen Video Challenge celebrating Summer Reading and “A Universe of Stories!” including Colorado’s very own Emi Otsuki and Avon Public Library!
Trustee Resources
Trustee Corner – September 2019
The Trustee Corner is a monthly series featuring information of interest to public library boards.
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.
- Senior Library Associate (two positions available): Pikes Peak Library District (Library 21c) / Colorado Springs, CO
- Regional Consultant – Western CO: Colorado Library Consortium / Englewood, CO
- Librarian II: Adult Services and Materials Management: Louisville Public Library / Louisville, CO
- Library Specialist – Mobile Library Services (must hold or obtain a Commercial Driver’s License): Arapahoe Library District / Littleton, CO
- Technical Support Specialist: Pikes Peak Library District (Library 21c) / 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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