Friday Grab Bag, March 22, 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!

Signs of Spring

Park County Public Libraries announces an Easter Egg Hunt at Bailey Library on March 30 at 11:00 am. Bring the whole family for sweet treats, face painting, and a goat petting zoo.

Jefferson County Public Library invites kids and tweens to Spring (Break) into Adventure, a week-long series of activities, crafts, and games at Belmar Library. March 22 is Movie Day, featuring a screening of The Rescuers Down Under.

Summit County Library announces their Peeps Diorama Contest. Starting April 1, participants of all ages can pick up their package of Peeps marshmallow treats and use them to create a book or literary scene. Dioramas are due by April 13, and winners will be announced April 22.

Hands-On Learning

Pine River Library will host Getting to Know Your Sewing Machine on March 30 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Local quilting instructor Judy Livingston will cover all the basics of your machine including threading, tension, cleaning, changing needles, and problem solving.

Learn TinkerCAD and get an introduction to parametric and mesh modeling basics at Estes Valley Library’s Introduction to 3D Modeling on March 26 at 5:30 pm. Seats are limited and registration is required.

Silverton Public Library’s Sourdough Academy kicks off March 29 at 4:00 pm. Learn to create a sourdough starter in this first class of the series, then join them each month to perfect your bread baking skills.

Presenters & Performers

Performer Jessica Downing-Ford will portray Abigail Adams as Ignacio Community Library’s Women’s History Month Chautauqua Speaker. Experience this engaging living history presentation on March 26 at 6:00 pm.

Pueblo City-County Library District welcomes CSU-Pueblo instructor Lei Marquez for Astronomy 101, a presentation accompanied by demonstrations on March 29 at Pueblo West.

Alamosa Public Library is hosting a Film Screening and Director Talk with Rick Vigil on March 30 at 10:00 am. Watch a screening of his newest project and hear him discuss his multi-year project to collect and record the oral histories of the San Luis Valley.

Bemis Public Library welcomes Heritage Irish Stepdancers on March 24 at 3:00 pm. All ages are welcome to enjoy a high-energy performance by these champion dancers.

Learn about the Amazing Grasses of Boulder County at Lyons Community Library on March 26 at 6:30 pm. Volunteer naturalists will present on the importance of native grasses for people and wildlife.

What’s New at Colorado State Library

Accessibility

• How to Comply with Colorado’s New Accessibility Rule

Book Club Resource

• Book Club Author Suggestion: Tana French

Program Spotlight

• High Plains Library District’s People & Places in Colorado History

Learning Opportunities

• Colorado Rural Library Springtime Roadshow
  • March 11 – 26
  • Locations vary; see Libraries Learn calendar for details
• Implementation of Telehealth Services in Rural Public Libraries
  • April 3, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
  • Registration is required
• CSL in Session: The Science Behind Our Burnout: Compassion Fatigue in Libraries
  • April 9, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
  • No registration required
• Fostering Inclusive Mentorship: Strategies for Supporting Librarians Across Their Careers
  • April 15, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
  • Registration required
• Colorado Resource Sharing Conference
  • April 17 (pre-conference) & 18, online
  • Register by April 15
• 36th Annual Colorado Teen Literature Conference
  • April 20 at Bear Creek High School in Lakewood
  • Registration will close when full
• HESTL EdCON (statewide K-12 library conference)
  • June 6 in Lone Tree
• 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.

• Oral History Assistant (Temporary Position) – Lafayette Public Library
• Outreach Manager – Boulder Public Library District
• Director – Northern Plains Public Library
• Part Time Library Supervisor – Harvest University
• Programming Coordinator – Pine River Library
• Library Manager 2 – Pikes Peak Library District
• Librarian – Pikes Peak Library District
• Librarian – Family & Children’s Services – Pikes Peak Library District
• Creative Librarian – Pikes Peak Library District
• Bilingual Patron Experience Associate (Part Time) – Edgewater Library – Jefferson County Public Library
• Librarian I – Spanish/English – Longmont Public Library
• Activity Services Guide – 20 Hours – Pines & Plains Libraries
• Library Service Lead – Pines & Plains Libraries
• Access Services Librarian, Department Head – Regis University

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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.