Holiday Fun
Arapahoe Library District is hosting Carolers and Cookies on Dec. 8 – 12, 2018. Ring in the holidays with the talented “What the Dickens? Carolers!” who have become a beloved tradition! You’ll be “Fa la-la la-la-ing” along to your favorite tunes. All ages welcome. See web site for times and locations.
Buena Vista Public Library is hosting a Chocolate Walk on Saturday, Dec. 1st from 10 am-4 pm. Community members can come to the library for chocolate and get their card stamped. The library will also have fun photo props for guests to take pictures by the fireplace and Christmas Tree.
Clear Creek Library District:
- Is hosting Santa’s workshop at the Georgetown Library Dec. 1st & 8th from 11 am – 1 pm and the Idaho Springs Public Library Dec. 21 from 1 – 3 pm.
- Adult craft night – Wreath Making. Idaho Springs Public Library Dec. 10th at 5:30 pm and Heritage Center Dec. 13th at 5:30 pm.
Denver Public Library brings you DIY Holiday Crafts. If you’re looking for a way to add some handmade touches to your holiday gift giving, the library can help! Handcrafted gifts are a great way to create something personalized, to save money, and support your local library! Some of the many possibilities: Use the Cricut to create a festive holiday card, sew a t-shirt into a bag for treats or gifts, 3D print an ornament, embroider a custom gift tag. For more ideas and resources, check out the library’s crafting page.
Garfield County Library System has holiday fun happening at most of their branches.
- Crafts and Cocoa: Teens are invited to a fun evening of hot cocoa and holiday crafts! They will be making paperback Christmas trees and 3D snowflakes which are great to display at home or give as gifts. Dec. 14, 2018 4 pm at the Carbondale Branch Library.
- Holiday Community Color In: It’s time to treat yourself during this busy holiday season! Get together with friends and your neighbors for coloring, holiday goodies, and hot apple cider. Materials provided, and all adults and teens 12 and older are invited. Dec. 5, 6:30 pm at the Glenwood Springs Branch Library.
- Holiday Fun at the Library: Children of all ages are invited to enjoy crafts, cocoa, and get a chance to talk to Santa! Dec. 12, 2018 3 pm at the Glenwood Springs Branch Library.
- Storytime with Santa: For a special treat before Christmas, there will be an extra special guest visiting at the New Castle Branch Library! Santa will make an appearance during our normal Storytime on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 10:30 a.m., and then stay around for pictures and visit with kids until 12 p.m. when he will leave to go have lunch with Mrs. Claus. New Castle Branch Library
- Holiday Sing-A-Long: Burning Mountain Ukuleles invite you to a sing-a-long of familiar Christmas carols. Come sing with or just enjoy the music and camaraderie as we celebrate the festive holiday season! Free and open to all. Light refreshments will be served. Dec. 196:00 pm at the New Castle Branch Library.
- Holiday Card Crafternoon: Come share cute ideas for remaking old cards into new. Enjoy hot tea, cocoa, and cookies while you make new creations from 1 to 3 pm. Cardstock, old cards and other crafty stuff provided, but feel free to bring anything else you would like to use. Free and open to all ages. Dec. 1, 11:00 pm at the Parachute Branch Library.
- Ornament Making at the Library: The Rifle Branch Library will help kickoff the holiday season with ornament making, Christmas crafts, and treats for the kids during the Hometown Holiday celebration. Hayrides to and from other Hometown Holiday events will be available from the library. Dec. 1, 11:00 pm at the Rifle Branch Library
Grand County Library District invites folks to come in and build and decorate their own gingerbread house. This event will take place at the Kremmling Library on Dec. 17 from 4:15-5:15. Supplies will be provided.
High Plains Library District invites you to join them for an evening on the Polar Express! Dec. 7, 2018 6- 7 pm. Come in your pajamas for a Polar Express Family Storytime. Snacks will be served as you “ride” the Riverside train and listen to the timeless classic book. Make “Snowman Soup” and other winter crafts. Santa will be visiting so bring your cameras! Registration is required; Polar Express will be limited to 100 people.
Jefferson County Public Library:
- ‘Tis the season! Celebrate the holiday season with a holiday open house at many of JCPL branches. Visit the Jefferson County Public Library events site to learn about locations and times.
- Teen Maker and DIY: Silhouette Vinyl, Paper Cutter Ornament making. Dec. 2, 2018 1 – 2 pm at Columbine Library. Pick a computer design and see how our special paper cutter cuts out your shape. A little folding and gluing and you’re ready to decorate for the holiday season.
- Handcrafted Holidays: Beer Can Ornaments making. Dec. 3, 2018 at 6:30 – 8:00 pm. Craft beer and crafting come together in one-of-a-kind decorations for your home or for gifting. Create upcycled beer can ornaments with crafter extraordinaire Shawn Bowman at Olde Town’s New Image Brewing. Materials provided.
Longmont Public Library:
- Take a break from the holiday busy-ness to enjoy some beautiful harp music, courtesy of Glenda Grimmer, a harpist with the Colorado Celtic Harp Society. Glenda will be playing Saturday, Dec. 1, 1 to 3 pm. No registration required. A library tradition, this concert is always popular with patrons and sets the tone for a peaceful and warm holiday season.
- Holiday Cookies and Storytime: Join Library staff for a festive Winter Cookie Party complete with cookie decorating and cookie-themed storytelling! Various cookies will be provided to decorate with frosting, sprinkles, and special treats. Librarians will perform and read stories, including a bilingual one, related to the beauty of the COOKIE! And, watch for a live performance of The Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher! Dec. 10, 7 to 7:45 pm.
- Winter Solstice Storytime: Celebrate the Winter Solstice with a special Bedtime Storytime, full of winter-themed stories, hot cocoa, cookies, and a make-and-take craft. Children will go home with their own luminaries to light up the longest night of the year! Dec. 20, 7 to 8 pm.
Pikes Peak Library District wants to help you Take Gluten Free to the Next Level for the Holidays. Whether necessity or choice led you to eat gluten free, this eating style is helping many experience the health benefits: less bloating, less brain fog and better sleep because of it. What if you could take gluten free eating to the next level? Eating grain free may bring you the health benefits you’re seeking. Presented by Natural Grocers. Registration is required for this free class. The class will be held on Dec. 11 from 3 -4 pm at Library 21c.
Pueblo City-County Library System invites patrons to Make a Gingerbread House at the Library. Dec. 7-22, 2018. There are many days that this fun event is taking place – see the website for more details.
Vail Public Library offers Santa & the Babies as an opportunity for children under three years who will benefit from a daytime, calm and casual Santa experience. There will be toys and snacks offered to make waiting for your turn a playful experience with friends and family. Dec 14, 2018 at 11 am.
Community Support
Comfort Soup: Creating Safe Places Together. Dec. 2, 12:30 pm Boulder Public Library – Main location. Everyone has ideas on what creates a feeling of welcome and safety. BPL wants to bring people together to talk about how to create safe spaces in the city.
Clear Creek County Library District offers notary public services! Visit the Idaho Springs Public Library on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, or the John Tomay Memory Library on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The Clear Creek County Library District now offers after-school tutoring every Wednesday at the Idaho Springs Public Library. Students can get assistance with their homework or school projects, or practice their reading skills. Tutors are available from 3:30 to 5 pm.
Lincoln County Libraries provides access to free Colorado driving practice tests. Before you drive to the Rocky Mountains or hit the slopes in Colorado, you’ll want to get a handle on the rules of the road. That way, you’ll be set when driving the steep and sometimes precarious mountain roads that populate the state. Colorado takes driver’s testing very seriously and getting a few wrong on the DMV written permit or driver’s license test means you’ll have to retake it later and pay fees again. Avoid the extra charges and pass on the first try with our hundreds of practice questions arranged into useful tests.
Learning for Everyone
Computer Science Education (CSED) Week – Dec. 1-8, 2018. Now in its fifth year, Boulder CSED Week was founded by local companies and educators that want to share the joy of learning and making with code. CSED week boasts a wide range of programs for all ages, including workshops for adults who want to learn to code, and education for youth ages preschool and up. Programs are free and open to the public.
Experience the World of Virtual Reality – Grand County Library District Dec. 31st 2018. VR events will be held at the Hot Sulphur Springs Library 10 am – 1:30 pm and the Kremmling Library 5:30 pm
Lamar Public Library is hosting a Winter Reading Challenge. The challenge runs from Dec. 15 – Jan. 19. Escape the cold this winter and snuggle up with a book! Starting on Dec. 15th, patrons can stop by the library and pick up a reading log. All ages welcome.
Grant Writing Workshops: The Denver Regional Council of Governments and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grants workshop in Denver, Dec. 6-7, 2018. This training is applicable to grant seekers across all disciplines. Attend this class and you’ll learn how to find grants and write winning grant proposals. For more information, see their website.
Grant & Scholarship Opportunities
Big Opportunities for Small Libraries: IMLS Launches New Special Initiative Seeking Applications for School Library, Community Memory, and Digital Inclusion Grants. The Institute of Museum and Library Services has launched a new special initiative, Accelerating Promising Practices for Small Libraries (APP), and is accepting grant applications now through February 25, 2019. This new funding opportunity is designed specifically to strengthen the ability of small and rural libraries, archives, and related organizations to serve their communities, and awards sizes range from $10,000 to $50,000. Learn more at IMLS.
Libraries Making News
Pick ‘n’ Mix
Arapahoe Library District: Used Book Sale – Give the gift of books this season! Shop our exclusive selection of holiday, children’s and collectible books to find the perfect gift for everyone on your nice list. Dec. 1-2 at the Koebel Library.
Anythink Libraries: In continuing to provide its customers with the latest in technology and innovative services, Anythink has partnered with OCLC to become an early adopter of OCLC Wise, the first community engagement system for U.S. public libraries. Wise is a customizable system that transforms traditional library management with a holistic people-centric approach. OCLC Wise has built-in tools to help the library develop and manage its collection in response to use patterns. The product relies on its internal, real-time data with automated processes based on policies and thresholds set by the library. These processes result in a customer-driven collection development strategy. Learn more at the Anythink website.
Longmont Public Library: Join Longmont Public Library for a You Belong 2018 Anthology release party on Saturday Dec. 1st from 10 am to noon. They will be celebrating the incredible writers, poets, photographers, and artists who contributed to this year’s You Belong Anthology. Our annual publication showcases the work and creativity of Longmont neighbors of all ages. This year’s book release party will feature readings, book sales, and book signings. Refreshments will be served.
The Boulder Carnegie Library for Local History has a new website! A whole new visual experience of Boulder’s past. The new website features a wide variety of high quality photos and maps that you can zoom in on to see stunning detail. Also available is a collection of oral history interviews and streaming audio. Check it out!
Berthoud Community Library District: On Nov. 24 – Dec. 7, the Friends of the Library will be having their yearly Silent Auction! Featured items will be gift baskets and gift cards from local businesses! All proceeds directly benefit the library. For more information, please check out their Facebook Page, or call at 970 532 2757.
Buena Vista Public Library hosts an artist reception on Friday, Dec. 7th from 4- 6 pm. ‘Meet and Greet’ four local artists: Lance Sawyer, Alice Sawyer, Cheryl Rauschke, and Paul Rauschke
Colorado Association of Libraries: Program proposal submission for CALCON 2019 is now open!! It is recommend that you draft your submission in this handy dandy worksheet first: http://bit.ly/calwksht2019 ; and then can create your full submission here: http://bit.ly/2019calsubmit. Remember, hands-on sessions, sessions that cross multiple library districts/branches, and sessions that help others replicate your successes are the most successful! Proposals are due by Friday Mar. 1, 2019
Jefferson County Public Library: Spread the holiday cheer with a book, CD or DVD from the Jefferson County Public Library Foundation’s holiday sale. Dec. 1, 2018 from 9 – 4 at the Columbine Library. All proceeds fund the Jefferson County Public Library. Call 303-403-5079 with questions.
What’s in Your Medicine Cabinet? Resources for Medication Safety: A helpful resource posted by Dana Abbey that is worth sharing. Ten percent of all hospital admissions are the result of patients not taking medications correctly. Twenty-eight percent of all hospital admissions for those over 65 are caused by medical non-compliance. Many adults over 60 years of age take two or more prescriptions, with around 20{66eaadba41c14e7e553ffe7a4ee73fbae213b19704eda0514b3dd79e37e4c0c5} taking five or more in a single month. The health consequences of misunderstanding how to take a medication can be significant – even deadly. There are many free authoritative and reliable medication safety resources. The majority of resources provided are from institutes that comprise the National Institutes of Health, such as the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). Others are highly-respected non-profit or governmental organizations. Read more here.
