Friday Grab Bag is a weekly Spotlight on Sharing series that highlights fun, unique, and interesting activities and news in Colorado libraries. This week’s Grab Bag is a little lighter than usual due to the holidays; nevertheless, there are still plenty of things to inspire and delight at Colorado’s libraries.
Last Call for Holiday Crafts
There’s still time to make a custom cookie cutter at the Castlewood Library Makerspace. Create your design on cookiecaster.com, then 3D print it at the library. Make one for yourself or give someone a personalized gift.
Make your own mini snow globe at Louisville Public Library on Thursday, January 5 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm. The program is for adults, teens, and tweens age 11 and up. No registration is required.
Community-Building Events
Bud Werner Memorial Library invites community members to participate in a 3-day sand painting event on January 3, 4, and 5 from 12:00 – 7:00 pm daily. Sand painting is a Tibetan Buddhist art form that uses metal funnels to direct colored sand onto a design. Once the painting is complete, it is wiped away as a symbol of impermanence. This free library event is open to everyone, though children must be accompanied by an adult. The library is also looking for artists willing to be sand painting assistants. Contact the library to volunteer.
Pine River Library is hosting a four-part reading, viewing, and discussions series for adults called Pushing the Limits. The first discussion will take place on Wednesday, January 11 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm on the book Apocalyptic Planet: Field Guide to the Future of the Earth, by Craig Childs. For more information on the Pushing the Limits discussion series contact the library at (970) 884-2222 ext. 510
Technology for the People
Whether you have a special event coming up or just want to try out some new technology, Mesa County Libraries has some pretty amazing equipment that their patrons can check out, including:
- Canon T5i Digital Camera Kits
- GoPro Action Camera Kit
- Nikon Coolpix Point-and-Shoot Kit
- Power Check Meters (in collaboration with Xcel energy)
Check the availability and lending policies for these kits on the Mesa County Libraries website.
For Teens
Attention aspiring babysitters: Poudre River Public Library District is offering Babysitting 101 on Wednesday, December 28, 2016 from 12:00 to 5:00 pm. The course covers a variety of topics, including activities to do with children, promoting your babysitting business, and first aid basics. Upon completion, teens will receive certification that they have completed Babysitting 101. Parents must fill out a permission slip for their teen prior to the course.
At Mesa County Libraries, teens interested in music and the recording industry can learn the essentials of audio production on Wednesday, December 28 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Space is limited and registration is required.
What’s New at the Colorado State Library
Babi added an interactive map to the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection (CHNC) site that lets you browse for titles by location. Check it out!
Arian posted a new historical biography of Silas Soule, a 19th century abolitionist and soldier who refused to allow the Company he commanded to participate in the Sand Creek Massacre.
Arian also added 3 new YA titles to the Book Club Resource collection.
Winter break is the perfect time for teens to work on their entries for the 2017 Colorado Teen Video Challenge. This year’s theme is summer reading. Entries are due by February 10, 2017. Additional information is available online.
This post is part of the Spotlight on Sharing initiative, which aims to increase the visibility of resource sharing in Colorado libraries. How is your library sharing? We’d love to hear about it! Email Amy Hitcher, ahitchner@coloradovirtuallibrary.org. On Twitter follow @hitchlib and use the hashtag #spotlightonsharing.
- Friday Grab Bag, November 16, 2018 - November 15, 2018
- Friday Grab Bag, November 9, 2018 - November 9, 2018
- Friday Grab Bag, November 2, 2018 - November 2, 2018