Last week I was on the road for the Public Library Association’s annual conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I was super excited to attend sessions on equity, early learning and chatted with fellow librarians on how they engage with their communities.
This blog post was submitted by Cami and Ava, Kitsap Regional Library Community Learning Interns.
How much garbage do you think is dumped into our oceans each year?
The answer: 2.2 billion tons. That’s about 96 piles of garbage that are ½ of a mile long and as tall as the Space Needle.
This is an issue that has burdened our minds for a long time.
Here's what I'm checking out from the library's music collection.
The theme for the 2018 Women’s History Month in March is “Nevertheless She Persisted.” This is especially significant considering the many revelations of misbehavior by individuals in power over the past several months. Stories of harassment and intimidation are not new but the almost daily new revelations are showing women how to find the strength to speak up.
If you would like to go beyond the headlines, you can find much to inspire you in these important titles:
The 2018 Winter Olympic Games are in full swing in Pyeongchang, South Korea. After the wondrous opening ceremony on February 9, the Olympic Games run for two weeks until February 25.
February will always be thought of as the month of love. However, although large heart-shaped boxes of mysterious chocolates and sappy cards will always abound, there is a new unofficial holiday in February that is quickly gaining traction: Galentine's Day, celebrated the day before Valentine’s Day.
Are you on a team in your workplace? Does it drive you crazy or delight you? Whether you’re the leader of the team, the backbone of the team or the skeptic on the margins, we’ve got some food for thought for you: over 50 books on the subject of teams in the workplace. Something for everybody!
Can’t figure out why your team isn’t rocking as well as the other team? Try “The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups” by Daniel Coyle just out this year.
Fingerplays - or short rhymes using fingers, hands, and other parts of the body - are a fun and active way to engage with your child, but they are so much more than just that! Fingerplay rhymes are a beneficial tool in helping support young children in early learning. The motions help children sharpen those fine motor skills as they match and mirror the movements; the repetition of words and rhymes feed into an understanding of language and rhythm, and the interactive nature of the fingerplays strengthen social and emotional bonds between invested adults and children.
It’s that magical time of the year between the Golden Globes and the Oscars and speculation on who might take home Hollywood’s biggest award is at its peak. But if you’ve already seen all of the nominees or are looking for new ways to get into the award season spirit, might I suggest books?
That’s right – I said reading revolutions, not reading resolutions! (Though I confess that the fresh start promises of a brand new year are certainly a nice prompt for reflections on the power of reading.)
Here's what I'm checking out from the library's music collection.
It’s happened to the best of us. You’re in a long queue for a bestseller and getting to the top of the list, but about to leave for vacation and are nervous that you’ll lose your place in line.
What to do?
It’s easy! Start at krl.org and sign into your Library account and go to your Holds list.
Two steps to change your pickup location:
1. Check one or more boxes and then click 'Change Pickup Location'
2. Choose your new pick-up location and then click 'Submit'
I have always associated the holidays with books. (Okay, I associate A LOT of things with books!) As a kid, I would spend holiday vacations from school devouring as many books as I could before school resumed. I still have fond memories of curling up with a good book, while the smell of delicious food and the laughter of loved ones drifted by. As an adult, I miss having that leisurely time come December, but I still try to make time for reading and for sharing books with those I love.
Road trips have always appealed to me. One reason for this appeal was my mom's love of driving, which took us on trips across the West. My mom was very proud of the fact she bought her first car - a '38 Chevy - when she was 20 years old. Her own mother never did learn to drive. To my mother, a car meant freedom and opportunity and that attitude rubbed off on me. Road trips - especially long road trips - an offer time to contemplate life and plan for the future. The freedom of driving and making a road trip can have great significance in a person's life.
Do you know how much money using the library has saved you? I know how much it's saved me! $2,495.84! That’s how much I would have paid if I purchased every one of the 475 items I’ve borrowed for work and personal use. And I’m not an outlier here. The average amount saved the Little Boston Library staff is over $2,000. One staff person has saved over $3,350!
Kindergarten is unique in that students are often encouraged to learn through play. Mitchel Resnick states in his recent book, "Lifelong Kindergarten," that the rest of our learning - and indeed the rest of our life - should be a bit more playful like the earliest years of our learning. At home and in other informal learning environments, you can create engaging, creative learning opportunities.
Ever since Seattle Public Library started the trend in 1998, the phenomenon of One Book, One Community reading programs has grown steadily across the country. Over the last 10 years, Kitsap Regional Library has supported this community-based reading initiative as a way to bring people together through the reading and discussion of a common book. Unquestionably, this program promotes literacy and deepens an appreciation of reading, but, most importantly, it allows people to share their personal experiences while reading the same book and really talking and communicating with each other.
This week, friends and families around the country will gather to celebrating Thanksgiving. They’ll have delicious food, spirited conversation and hopefully some good football. (Go Hawks!) It’s also another opportunity to incorporate early literacy into your time together. Here are some ideas to help you write, talk, sing, play and read with your child during the holiday.
Is there a special way to say thank you where you are from?
My Northwest daughter is getting used to "Thanks, y’all," coming from the locals in her new home state of Mississippi.
We are feeling a lot of gratitude around here at the library, with the resounding support of this wonderful county at the polls this week.
Greetings fellow graphic novel enthusiasts! Every year, the American Library Association gives awards and creates recommended reading lists for all kinds of material; everything from the best book written in English on the subject of library history to outstanding books on animal life which may develop a humane attitude in children are recognized.
How do we turn our kids into readers?
I will admit it, I am inherently a pretty emotional person. As I get older, I have noticed that the moment I think I've found ways to manage my emotions and stress levels, I turn around and another heap of emotions is piled on in a seemingly never-ending cycle. With constant stressors like finances, job security, world affairs and the in's and out's of everyday life, you may feel like you are constantly overcoming one obstacle after another. How does one break that cycle? Well, I have yet to discover a magic Stress-A-Way spray or a guard to keep the emotions at bay.
Here's what I'm checking out from the library's music collection.
Last release from one of rock’s royalty
First album of new material in 40 years from the man who invented rock and roll.
"The Three Little Pigs" tells of three pigs who build houses—one out of straw, the second out of sticks and the third out of bricks. A big, bad wolf blows down the first two houses but can’t destroy the third pig’s house. In many versions, the wolf eats the first and second pigs while the third survives. In other retellings of the tale, the first two pigs run to the brick house and all three pigs stay safe inside. And it’s not only pigs and wolves but javelinas, dassies, tamales, gators, cats, fish, coyotes, foxes, bears and sharks.
How do you know it’s officially fall? Is it when the leaves start to change color? When the school buses start running again? When the first pumpkin is carved? Or is it when election posters start popping up, followed by ballots arriving in the mail?
Today is November 1st! Every year I look forward to this day with a combined sense of excitement and dread. As I recover from my Halloween festivities, I look forward to the annual marathon of writing known as National Novel Writing Month. Every year, aspiring novelists of all ages and all walks of life sit down and start the grand adventure of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. That equals out to writing just about 1,667 words a day.
What does it really mean for a librarian to partner with a local school?
It was a dark and stormy night. The wind howled outside, causing barren tree branches to scrap and scratch at the window like skeletons begging to get inside. I curled up on my couch, pulling a blanket closer around my shoulders with my head deep in a book. I was so focused on my reading that I didn’t hear as the front door quietly unlatched and opened. Muddy footsteps came creeping toward me until...