Friday Grab Bag is a weekly Spotlight on Sharing series that highlights fun, unique, and interesting activities and news in Colorado libraries. Let’s open the Grab Bag!
Just for Tweens and Teens
JCPL’s Golden Library, in collaboration with Colorado School of Mines, is holding a Girls in STEM competition from January 5 through February 22. “Creations should be an original design and related to energy and environment, health and nutrition, or biomedical.” Girls in grades 5-8 are encouraged to enter. Read the all the requirements and learn how to enter on JCPL’s website.
Break out your horned helmets for the Teen Ullr Fest at the Summit County South Branch Library from January 10 through 14. Stop by the Teen Room and celebrate Ullr Fest by making your Ullr helmet, giant snowflake and/or reusable handwarmers.
Mamie Doud Eisenhower Library is making its Discovery Lab available on Jan 17 & 19 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm for teens working on National History Day projects. Teens can use the green screen, iPads, and more to work on their projects. Contact the library to register.
Readin’ and Writin’
Bud Werner Memorial Library’s Shakespeare Reading Group is starting a six-week reading and discussion series on Antony and Cleopatra, led by veteran English teacher Sally Frostic. The first meeting is on Wednesday, January 19 from 6:00 to 7:15 pm. Space is limited and participants must register ahead of time. Contact the library for more information.
High Plains Library District is looking for a Writer in Residence. From their website: “The Goal of the High Plains Library District Foundation’s Writer in Residence program is to support the creative process of one Weld County writer during a 6-month time period so they may complete a manuscript with the intent to publish.” For a full list of requirements and the application, head over to the Writer In Residence page.
Brewing and Cooking
Have you ever wanted to learn the art of home-craft brewing? Arapahoe Libraries has partnered with Halfpenny Brewing Company to offer several beer-related events, including a home brewing how-to on January 24 from 7:00 to 8:00 pm at the Southglenn Branch Library. If brewing isn’t your cup of ale, then the Books on Tap book club hosted at Halfpenny Brewing Company might be a better fit. The book club meets January 25 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. See all the events that are part of this collaboration.
Pine River Library wants to help you make your Valentine’s Day extra special this year. Learn to cook a romantic meal infused with lavender from local chef Tish Nelson on Tuesday, February 7 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. The class is free but registration is required. Contact the library at (970) 884-2222 ext. 510.
Libraries in the News
Play with new technology, see tech demonstrations, and learn about e-Resources at the Mesa County Libraries Tech Expo, which takes place Tuesday, January 24, 2017 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at the Central Library. This all-ages event is open to the public at no charge. The Tech Expo was recently featured in the Business Times.
The Lone Cone Library was recently awarded a $100,000 capital grant from the Telluride Foundation to help construct the new Norwood Library. These funds are in addition to the 1.5 million in grant money the library has already raised plus the mill levy increase that voters approved. Read the announcement in the Telluride Daily Planet.
What’s New at the Colorado State Library (hint: lots!)
CSL has just launched new Public Library Standards—and now they’re online! Whether you’re new to Colorado or a veteran librarian, we hope you will use the standards as benchmarks during planning and budgeting. For questions about how to use the standards at your library, please contact Jacqueline Murphy, Senior Consultant for Public Libraries and Community Relations, at Murphy_J@cde.state.co.us or 303-866-6891
The next Spotlight on Sharing Webcast is on the topic of Memory Care at the Library. Panelists Deborah Gonzales from Arapahoe Libraries and Amy DelPo from Denver Public Library will discuss how their libraries support patrons with dementia through specialized programming and services. You can watch the webcast live on January 25 from 1:00 to 2:00 pm MST. A recording will be available after the live broadcast. Submit questions via Twitter using the hashtag #spotlightonsharing.
Voting is open until January 27 for One Book 4 Colorado. OB4CO is an annual event that distributes 75,000 free books—one for every 4-year-old in Colorado—and everyone can help pick the book! Head over the OB4CO site to watch videos of Colorado community leaders reading the top 3 titles, then vote online for your favorite. The winner will be announced April 17 and books will be distributed from April 17 through May 1.
In the Touring Colorado’s Collections series, Leigh discusses the partnership between Eagle Valley Library District and the Eagle County Historical Society that has led to the preservation of artifacts from that community’s history. Read more about the partnership and the collection.
The National Western Stock Show has long been a part of Colorado’s history. Leigh has collected dozens of historical articles about the National Western Stock Show that are archived in the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. Read the article or explore the CHNC site.
The 71st Colorado Legislative session began on January 11, 2017. Amy Zimmer from the State Publications Library published a handy reference guide with information every Coloradan should be aware of, including how to find your Senator or Representative, how to search for a bill, and how to participate in the legislative process.
In this month’s Book Club craft blog, Arian shows how you can make paper leaves and dress up a simple jar to use as a candle holder.
Encourage a teen you know to enter the 2017 Teen Video Challenge. Sponsored by the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), this contest invites teens, 13-18, to create short videos (30-90 seconds long) that promote reading all summer long and using the library to other teens. The deadline for submissions is February 10.
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.
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- Friday Grab Bag, November 2, 2018 - November 2, 2018