Make a Splash

So our Youth Services Director, Karen Yother, is wearing a baby blue shirt with a crazy design which reads, “Make a Splash, Read!” We must be getting close to summer. Karen is a part of the CSLP, the Collaborative Summer Library Program, which is a national consortium of libraries and educators in 49 of the 50 states who come up with a theme, program ideas, and giveaways every summer. This year the theme is water related. For the younger kids, the theme is “Make a Splash.” For Next-Gen adults, the theme is “Make Waves.” For the adults, the theme is “Water your Mind; Read.” We’ve had a very successful summer reading program for our younger patrons for the past six or seven years. This is our first year of creating events and programs that are designed for our Next-Gen and adult audiences. So stop by the library this summer, and check out our awesome events!

Summer reading is a huge push for the Hayden Library and libraries in general. During the school year, school age patrons have more than enough things to read and write. But during the summer, we all just want to take a break from that kind of work. It turns out that if you don’t work out the brain for three months, it tends to lose some of the things that were learned. For that reason, summer reading has been designed to keep patrons reading through the summer months, and to also provide fun ways to learn. That way, our brains aren’t getting quite as squishy, but we also aren’t busting out a Calculus book or something.

Once again, the life of a Young Adult Librarian has included a few meetings this week. My week started with a three month review of my work as a Young Adult Librarian. Our Youth Services Director, Karen Yother, and the Director of the Kootenai Shoshone Area Libraries, John Hartung, sat down with me for an hour and we discussed what I’ve been doing for the last three months, and what I plan to do over the summer, and in the next year. They were both really excited about the direction that I’m taking, and I’m really appreciative of the support that they’ve both given me. Yesterday, just before I ran away to take my sister to the airport, I met with Kent Nelson, the director of the CDA Rock School, which runs out of the Guitar Stop on Government Way. Kent is going to talk to a few of his student bands about doing a concert for the library in July. We’re thinking of calling it, “Rock the Stacks!”

The last thing I wanted to mention is coming up next Saturday, the 22nd. As some of you might know, the branches of the Kootenai Shoshone Area Libraries (KSAL), the Coeur d’ Alene Library, and the Post Falls Library all teamed up to put a Teen Film Festival together. We have had six entries, and our award night is happening at the Coeur d’ Alene Library on the 22nd at 7pm. You can check out my video on the event at http://www.youtube.com/user/KSL4NextGen or you could check out the Facebook event at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=121336761224498.

Hope you all have a great week, and I’ll be checking in next Friday.