Friday Grab Bag, January 5, 2018

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!

Winter Series

Dolores Public Library launches its 3rd annual Winter Tales Lecture Series on January 11, when community member Carolyn Gunn will present “K2 and Northern Pakistan Back in the Day”. Lectures will continue each Thursday through March 22 on travel-themed topics including “Art, History and Food from Pompeii, Rome & Tuscany” and “Walking through Wales.”

Las Animas-Bent County Library District is keeping patrons busy with programs to help beat the winter blues. Play Jeopardy on January 19 at 10:30, followed by the weekly movie matinee at noon. Stop in every Saturday to create ceramic crafts with Trish, or join the monthly hide-and-seek game. Many thanks to Karen Leck for sharing these programs!

Pine River Library’s Amazing Authors Food Series returns on January 8, when cookbook author Michele Morris will teach the how-tos of recipe development and food photography. She will also demonstrate a recipe from one of her cookbooks.

Red Feather Lakes Community Library’s Hikers Club meets every Monday at 8:30 am. Bring your hiking gear and binoculars, or check out a pair from the library.

Denver Public Library is getting out into the community to kick off their Winter of Reading program, starting with trivia at Woods Boss on February 1.

  • Decker Branch Library is also hosting trivia night at Declaration Brewing Company on February 16, and Byers Branch is partnering with ReCreative Denver to host trivia in the Santa Fe Art District.
  • Join the Smiley Branch Library and Woodbury Branch Library for Book Cover Lotería (a bingo-type game) at Call to Arms Brewing Company on February 15.
  • The series also includes a crafting party at the Green Valley Ranch Branch Library on February 8, a social gathering at Schlessman Family Branch Library on February 4 and another at the Eugene Field Branch Library on February 17, and Men With Beards Read Romance open mic night at Historians Ale House on February 13.

Programs for Teens

Longmont Public Library is starting a new series, Are You Ready to Launch?: Life Coaching Series for Young Adults, the first Monday of the month from February through May 2018. This life coaching series will feature sessions on careers, self improvement, and time management skills.

Grab your top hat and goggles for the Steampunk Tea at Erie Community Library, January 6 from 3:00 to 4:00. Teens in grades 6-12 are invited to spend the afternoon drinking tea, playing trivia, and creating their own steampunk contraptions. Register online.

Libraries in the News

Congratulations to Garfield County Libraries, celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. Garfield County Public Library was established in 1938 in the New Castle school building, and has since grown to become the 6 branch library district it is today.

The Delta County Independent reports that Delta County Libraries is working to piece together funding for its long-time adult literacy program after the loss of a federal grant. The adult literacy program consists of small-group instruction in the areas of ESL, literacy, high school equivalency preparation, job skills, and life skills.


Saying goodbye to ’17.
Photo: Oak Creek Times, Jan 4, 1918. Accessed from the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.

What’s New at the Colorado State Library

New Year, New Learning

Are you ready to make 2018 a year of learning? Then be sure to bookmark the Library Learning and Creation Center website where we offer information and resources on a variety of topics as well as a calendar of upcoming learning events. What do you want to learn this year?

CSL in Session: When a Patron Needs More than a Book: Transformation has No Due Date | Jan 18, 2018, 12:00-1:00pm MDT

Check out these free learning opportunities for January 2018, collected by the Wyoming State Library.

Colorado State Publications Library Blog

Gearing Up for Summer Learning

Encourage teens at your library to enter the 2018 Teen Video Challenge, sponsored by the Collaborative Summer Learning Program. This year’s theme is music. Contest deadline is Feb 28; winners will be announced in April 2018.

Governor John Hickenlooper and Isaac Slade of The Fray announce Take Note Colorado, a statewide initiative to provide access to musical instruments and instruction to every K-12 student in Colorado. Take Note Colorado ties in perfectly with the 2018 summer learning program theme: Libraries Rock!


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 Amy Hitchner, ahitchner@coloradovirtuallibrary.org. Also, be sure to follow Colorado State Library on Twitter and Facebook.

Amy Hitchner
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