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!
Library Events & Programs
Fun on Repeat
Jefferson County Public Library offers several ongoing programs at Belmar Library that are perfect for tweens and families. Their weekly Tweens Writing Group is an opportunity to join a group, work with different writing prompts, discuss with others, and decorate pages. Tween Thing is a monthly drop-in event featuring a surprise activity, including crafts, games, competitions, tech fun. Finally, Play & Learn: Altitunes is a play-based program where toddlers and their families can bond, make new friends, and connect one-on-one with different community resource professionals.
On March 13, Louisville Public Library’s Friday Afternoon Club will explore the question How Smart is a Coyote? Join Open Space staff and a Ranger Naturalist to learn about coyote ecology, behavior, and how to safely coexist with these fascinating animals.
Berthoud Community Library District’s Master Gardener Sustainability Series continues on March 10 with Garden Tips & Myths. Learn strategies from experts on how to better grow your vegetables in Colorado’s arid climate and acidic soil.
Table tennis, anyone? Wilkinson Public Library offers Teen Ping Pong every Friday after school in the Magazine Room.
Pick ‘n’ Mix
Gather your team for Aurora Public Library’s Jigsaw Puzzle Competition on March 7 at Tallyn’s Reach Library. Teams of up to four people will each receive a random, blind 500-piece puzzle (18″ x 24″) and race to complete it as quickly as possible.
Fort Morgan Museum will host two sessions of its second annual Spring into Summer Camp on March 11. During each session, kids will meet an actual paleontologist to learn about dinosaurs and view real fossils!
Come on down to the Galeton Chili Cook-Off on March 7 and visit High Plains Library District’s Eaton Bookmobile. Enjoy some chili at the Galeton Fire Station while you browse the mobile collection.
Basalt Regional Library invites their community to gather around the fire pit for Starlight and S’mores on March 18. Explore the night sky through telescopes, discover your astrological constellations, and enjoy the warmth of a crackling fire.
Read, Write, and Draw
Arapahoe Libraries encourages kids ages 5-12 to enter their Design a Bookmark Contest 2026. From March 1-31, pick up or download an entry form, design an original bookmark in the space provided, then submit it by mail or in person. Winners will be announced in mid-April 2026.
Pine River Library and Bayfield Middle School invite teens and their families to Teen Literacy Night on March 12. Learn more about what the library has to offer, play games, and get crafty!
Grand County Library District is offering Folklore & Luck: Limericks for St. Patrick’s Day on March 13 at Juniper Library. Learn how to write a limerick and create your own lucky verse.
Entries for Summit County Library’s Write the Rockies contest are due by midnight March 8. Tweens, teens, and adults living in Summit County are encouraged to submit poems and short stories for a chance to win cash prizes and be published in an anthology.
Trinidad Carnegie Public Library invites their community to Bullet Journaling 101: A How-To Workshop on March 10. Learn to start a bullet journal from the ground up, or refresh an existing practice with tips and examples.
What’s New from the Colorado State Library
Book Club Sets
The Shared Story: Growing Our Collection Through Library Donations. Recent book club set donations from library partners have expanded and enriched reading opportunities for the entire state.
Summer Reading
Summer Reading: Brainstorms, Books and Collaboration. Here’s a roundup of ideas, resources, and links that library staff shared while gearing up for Summer Reading 2026.
Library Research Service
Live and Loud from the Library. This post marks the beginning of Library Research Service’s new blog series, Colorful Colorado Libraries.
School Libraries
AI Literacy Framework. Learn about the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration’s AI Literacy Framework.
Learning Opportunities
All events are online except where a location is noted.
- Youth Services Prototype Feedback Session 1
- March 10, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Connecting Colorado: Empowering Library Leadership with Modern Recruitment Tools
- March 12, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
- Youth Services Prototype Feedback Session 2
- March 17, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
- Youth Services Prototype Feedback Session 3
- March 18, 9:00 – 10:00 am
- Youth Services Prototype Feedback Session 4
- March 26, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
- Find even more learning opportunities:
- Libraries Learn
- Maine State Library’s Continuing Education Calendar (note: all MSL events are listed in Eastern time). A different view of these events is available at Free Online Learning Opportunities for March 2026.
Library Jobline
Are you considering a job change this year? Check out Library Jobline for hot new library employment opportunities, like this selection from around Colorado.
- Music & Recorded Sound Archivist – University of Colorado Boulder Libraries
- Librarian I- Adult Services – Eagle Valley Library District
- Library Assistant – American Alpine Club
- Full-time 40 hour Building Doctor (Bilingual Spanish speaking preferred) – Anythink Support Services in Northglenn
- Part-Time 25 hour Studio Host (Bilingual Spanish speaking preferred) – Anythink Studio at Wright Farms
- Library Associate – Teen – High Plains Library District
- Library Specialist, Part Time – Eloise May – Arapahoe Library District
- Director of Collection Management – Pikes Peak Library District
- Library Supervisor 3 – Pikes Peak Library District
IMLS Grant Opportunities
IMLS Opens FY26 Grant Funding Cycle, Encourages Library and Museum Applications. Visit Grant Programs for the listing of grants, descriptions, and deadlines.
SIPA Micro-Grant application opens on March 1, 2026. The Micro-Grant program ($250 to $10,000) is designed to connect Colorado residents to government by putting more information and services online.
This post is part of the Spotlight on Sharing initiative, which aims to increase the visibility of Colorado library programs and resource sharing.
Do you have a story from your library to share? Email Amy Hitchner, [email protected].
All images are from the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection, a service of Colorado State Library.
- Friday Grab Bag, July 17, 2026 - July 17, 2026
- Friday Grab Bag, July 10, 2026 - July 10, 2026
- Friday Grab Bag, June 26, 2026 - June 26, 2026