Friday Grab Bag, June 28, 2024

The Friday Grab Bag is a weekly series that highlights fun, unique, and interesting happenings in Colorado libraries, and includes news from Colorado State Library.

Let’s open the Friday Grab Bag!

Just for Kids

High Plains Library District invites school-age children and their adults to join award-winning professor and writer David Hicks for “Then, one day…” Making Sense of Your Loss or Difficulty Through Storytelling, a storytime and writing workshop about creating a unique story from a pivotal life event. This program will be offered on July 17 at Centennial Park Library and July 18 at Erie Community Library.

Durango Public Library welcomes elementary age kids to Adventures In Geocache Hunting, July 12 at 2:00 pm. Learn the basics, then use a map and clues to find special treasures around the library.

Kids of all ages are invited to Bud Werner Memorial Library’s Pint Size Polka Party on July 1 at 6:00 pm. Join Polka Hall of Famer Mike Schneider for an evening of music, magic, and comedy.

Bemis Public Library invites kids to Meet the Dogs of the Littleton Police Department, July 11 at 2:00 pm. The dog’s handlers will share the adventures of Bandit, from Littleton’s K9 unit, and Rudder, a therapy dog at Euclid Middle School.

Community Connections

East Morgan County Library District’s Annual Quilt Show is June 26 to July 6 in their Carnegie Room. Stop by to enjoy the beautiful artwork of local quilters.

Wilkinson Public Library is hosting its annual Pie Contest on July 3 at 6:00 pm. This delicious competition is open to bakers of all ages. Be sure to register by July 2.

Delta County Libraries is launching a 6-week Summer Literacy Course for teen and adult English language learners. Beginning July 2, participants will Get to Know Delta and improve their everyday life vocabulary by visiting different area locations.

Do you have a job seeker, workforce, or career event coming up at your library? Consider submitting it to My Colorado Journey, a service of the Colorado Workforce Development Council, for their quarterly newsletter that reaches tens of thousands of readers across the state. They encourage libraries to share their workforce events to reach a wider audience of potential attendees. Submit your event by July 2.

Try Something New

Teens can sample a variety of wild and wacky pastry flavors at Aurora Public Library’s Pop-Tart Taste Test, June 28 at Central Library. Try such adventurous flavors as Banana Bread and Boston Crème.

Mesa County Libraries’ Podcast Production class on July 5 will give you hands-on practice to start your own podcast. Learn to set up a microphone, record a practice podcast, and do some basic audio editing.

Get organized at Poudre Libraries’ Digital Decluttering class, July 3 at Old Town Library. Learn simple strategies to keep your content and online accounts clear of clutter and your devices running efficiently.

Jefferson County Public Library’s Teen Urban Farmer Camp is July 8 – 12 at Evergreen Library. Teens will experience hands-on learning about a variety of topics including veterinary science, animal and crop production, horticulture, agriculture engineering, and farm-to-table practices from 4-H and JCPL.

Accessibility Corner

News, tips, and resources to support technology accessibility

• Accessibility Quick Tip: Best Practices for Keeping Numbers Accessible in Online Communications

What’s New at Colorado State Library

Book Club Resource

• Should book clubs watch screen adaptations? Two Great Mediums Face Off

CSL News

• Colorado Library Law on Book Bans

Colorado State Publications Blog

• Colorado’s Governors: William H. Adams

Learning Opportunities

• Catch Up on Webinars for Adult Services from Colorado State Library
  • Web Recordings of 2022-24 Webinars for Colorado Libraries
• The Ins and Outs of Check Out Colorado State Parks for Libraries
  • August 8, 10:00 – 11:00 am, online
  • Registration required
• Drop-In Q&A for Check Out Colorado State Parks for Libraries
  • August 8, 1:00 – 2:00 pm, online
  • Registration required
• Drop-In Q&A for Check Out Colorado State Parks for Libraries
  • August 13, 10:00 – 11:00 am, online
  • Registration required
• Summer Drop in Chats
  • August 13, 11:00 am, online
  • No registration required
• 2024-25 Youth Services Learning Community (Northeast Region)
  • August 15, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Yuma Public Library
  • Registration required
• Adult Services Regional Workshop – Grand Junction
  • August 16, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, Mesa County Central Library
  • Registration required
• Drop-In Q&A for Check Out Colorado State Parks for Libraries
  • August 19, 12:00 – 1:00 pm, online
  • Registration required
• PHPR Collaborative and Libraries – Like French Fries and Frosty’s (Strange? You mean GREAT!)
  • August 20, 12:00 – 1:00 pm, online
  • Registration required
• Summer Drop in Chats
  • August 27, 11:00 am
  • No registration required
• Find even more learning opportunities by browsing the Libraries Learn Calendar from Colorado State Library or the Continuing Education Calendar from Maine State Library (note: all MSL events are listed in Eastern time).

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.

• Youth Services Coordinator – Garfield County Libraries, Carbondale Branch Library
  • GCPLD encourages applicants who want to join a dynamic library team dedicated to fostering a love for learning, reading, and exploration among the youth in our community.
• Library Associate – Englewood Public Library
• Supporting Library Specialist 20 hours – Arapahoe Library District
• Education Program Coordinator – Bemis Public Library
• Library Clerk – Aurora Public Library
• Librarian, Early Literacy Services – Arapahoe Library District
• Supervising Librarian – Westminster Public Library
• Student Assistant II–Data Archiving – University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR|NCAR)

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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, ahitchner@coloradovirtuallibrary.org.

All images are from the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection, a service of Colorado State Library.