Programming Librarian

June 1012

Use These Award-winning Books in Your Programs
Mary Mackay | June 28, 2012
The American Library Association (ALA) is proud to announce the first recipients of the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, funded through a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Anne Enright’s The Forgotten Waltz received the medal for fiction, and Robert K. Massie’s Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman received the nonfiction prize.

Muslim Journeys: Collection Development and Programming Grants
Rachel Lux | June 24, 2012
“FREE BOOKS! FREE BOOKS!” Based on the audible shrieks from up and down the corridor outside the Exhibit Hall as the doors were unlocked for at the opening of the Exhibits at ALA this past Friday, “free books” is a phrase that more than excites librarians.

Libraries at the Crossroads: Programming for Civic Engagement
Rachel Lux | June 23, 2012
It’s no shocking secret that libraries and librarians are information providers—it’s the foundation upon which libraries are built, and information sources (aka books) are generally the first thing most people think about when they hear the word “library.” However, depending on how often a patron uses a library, civic engagement might not be near the top of the list if he or she were to write down all of the things the local library does.

Intergenerational Dessert and Discussion
Gizelle Guyette | June 21, 2012
As most YA librarians would agree, the past couple of decades have been the Era of the Young Adult Novel; that is, we have seen a surge in innovative, edgy, thought-provoking literature aimed specifically at the twelve-to-eighteen set. It is no coincidence that the teenaged patrons have followed, dropping in to snap up that latest hot read and, if we do it right, returning to join the Teen Advisory Board or sample one of our YA program offerings. At our library, most of these are only for teenaged participants: our film crew, YA writing group, and most of our summer arts workshops work better when they are teen-focused. However, some things lend themselves well to bridging the generational divide, and what better than a good novel?

Sniffing Out Innovative Programming at a Community College
Cressida Hanson | June 19, 2012
As a newly minted programming librarian at Kishwaukee College, one of the first things I wanted to identify at my new job were previously popular events. What headed the list was free hot tea. My predecessor had celebrated January—National Hot Tea Month and the start of a new school semester—by providing free hot tea in the library for a week for the college students and staff.

New for June at EDSITEment
Angela Hanshaw | June 14, 2012
This month, EDSITEment celebrates National Zoo and Aquarium Month; offers a resource guide to accompany the College Board’s recommended reading lists; introduces students to Shakespeare via a ghost story; looks at empire and identity in the American colonies; shares some great websites on saving outdoor sculpture, Louisiana culture and history, historical events in June 1968, and the Civil War; and reads Walt Whitman.

Attend a Free Webinar on 2012: The Science of the Maya Apocalypse
Nancy Alima Ali | June 12, 2012
Calendar in the Sky is a NASA-funded project led by UC Berkeley to engage the American public, particularly Latino audiences, in NASA science (space exploration, astronomy, planetary and Earth sciences, etc.) via the broad interest in Maya culture.

Martin County Library System Teens Hungry for Hunger Games
Jayme Kostandinu and Susan Opasik | June 07, 2012
Signups were brisk for “Let the Games Begin!,” the March 3 program organized by Martin County (Fla.) Library System. Of the forty-eight teens ranging in age from ten to eighteen who registered (the maximum allowed), forty-six attended in preparation for the much anticipated release of The Hunger Games movie.

Featured Library: Solvang Library
Angela Hanshaw | June 05, 2012
This month’s featured library is the Solvang (Calif.) Library and it early literacy program, “Noche de la Familia.” What makes it unique is its additional focus on healthy eating. Each one-hour program starts with stories in Spanish and English and ends with the opportunity to discover and taste healthy food.