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.
Between Library Card Sign Up Month and Banned Books Week (September 22-28), September is a busy time for libraries, not to mention that CALCON is currently in full swing! If you are attending, be sure to stop by the Colorado State Library booth in the exhibit hall for a cup of tea and a chat with one of our Early Literacy Specialists. We hope you all have a great conference, and to see some of you in real life!
Now into the bag…
Come Together
The launch of the Montrose Library’s Four Corners/One Book community read will be held at Maggie’s Books (345 E. Main St.) at 7:00 pm on September 23. The towns of Montrose, Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, Ignacio and Moab have selected Church of the Graveyard Saints by C. Joseph Greaves as the program’s inaugural title. The launch party will feature a meet-and-greet with author Chuck Greaves, book sales and signings, refreshments, and a drawing for free copies of the book. Public book discussions and author talks are slated for January of 2020.
Cortez Public Library host their Four Corners/One Book launch with a Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony and author meet-and-Greet on September 27 at 5:30pm!
Become a different character by putting on a mask for Boulder Public Library’s Masquerade Party on September 29 from 2:00-3:00 pm! Create and decorate a mask to show your personality, or become an animal, a superhero, or anything else you like! Best for ages 5 and up – no registration required.
All ages are invited to Pueblo City-County Library for a Celtic & Medieval Faire on September 28 from 12:00-3:00 pm. Make your own Viking shield, don helmet and sword and enter the melee. Test your strength and agility in the tourney joust, stick & hoop race and The Three Graces game. If that isn’t enough to tempt you, there will also be free lunch, balloon animals, face painting, costume accessories and medieval crafts, a bagpipe performance from the Pikes Peak Highlanders and more!
Autumn is in the air with live music, tasty treats and fall fun for the whole family at Arapahoe Libraries’ Falloween Festival at Curtis Park, Greenwood Village on September 29 from 1:00-3:00 pm! Enjoy the sounds of Bowregard, the 2019 winners of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, the tastes of on-site food trucks, crafts, an inflatable corn maze and a visit from the Library on Wheels. No registration needed, but bring your blankets and lawn chairs.
Mental Health & Wellness
Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. Join Garfield County Libraries’ for Mental Health First Aid on September 23 at 8:30 am. In this course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help.
Make self-care a priority with Aurora Public Library’s program Healthy Living with Natural Grocers: Fight Back Against Stress on October 3 at 11:30 am. While it’s impossible to remove all stress from your life, incorporating a few specific nutrients into your diet can help you deal with life’s many stressors.
Boost your Well-being Longmont Public Library’s “Well-being Bags,” which focus on tips for living a healthier happier, better-all-around life. Bag selection ranges from Supporting Mental Health for Adults and Families, to kits for Caregivers of those at different stages of memory loss. Bags check out for two weeks at a time, and each contain a variety of resources.
Wilkinson Public Library hosts Sound Healing with Dermot every Tuesday from 8:30-9:30 am. Sound healing is an ancient practice using vibration to recalibrate your energy field back into harmony. Gongs, drums, singing bowls, chimes, and more will accompany you on this peaceful journey.
The Write Stuff
Join Loveland Public Library on September 21 from 9:00am – 12:00pm for Marketing in the Modern Publishing World with Jamie Raintree. in this workshop you will discuss common marketing struggles for modern authors, how to overcome them, and what authors can still do to increase their odds of building a readership with a special emphasis on author websites, newsletter marketing, and Instagram. Registration is required – click HERE to register.
Denver Public Library invites adults and teens to Simply Self-Published with Author Dana Ellington on September 24 at 6:00 pm. This introductory workshop provides step-by step instruction for writing and publishing a book in 6 months and is ideal for writers of all education, skills levels, and backgrounds and can be applied to any genre, be it fiction or non-fiction. So, if you’re wanting to finally get that novel from blank page to published, join Dana for a fun workshop for writers.
Learning for All
Addressing Identity Censorship w/ Comic Book Legal Defense Fund on September 27 1:00 – 2:30 pm MST
Just in time for Banned Books Week, this webinar will help you identify and intelligently address the growing problem of Identity Censorship. In addition to receiving CBLDF’s “Fighting Identity Censorship Toolkit,” all webinar participants are invited to share their own stories and receive face-to-face expert advice on managing identity censorship issues. Register Now!
The Networking Game: Engaging with Colleagues at Your Consortia, Professional Associations, and Conferences w/ paILs and Pattern Research on October 9 at 10:00 am MST
Learn about the Five Rules of Networking–information and idea exchange for mutual benefit– and how to apply them in ways that are effective and respectful of other people, regardless of your personality type or the situation.
Click HERE to register.
Museums and Libraries in the News
September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month | The Durango Herald
Durango Public Library Director Sandy Irwin’s latest Shelf Life column concludes with the question “Isn’t it time to explore that world with your new library card?” and we say YES!
Free Admission to 31 Colorado Museums on Smithsonian Museum Day, Sept. 21 | Our Community Now
Museum Day, now in its 15th year, is an annual celebration of learning, human ingenuity, and boundless curiosity hosted by Smithsonian Magazine and this year 21 Colorado Museums are participating. Get your tickets here!
GeoLibrary Connects Colorado Through GIS Data | University Libraries
The University of Colorado Libraries have launched Colorado GeoLibrary, a new site that makes available a large collection of geographic information system (GIS) data highlighting the natural and cultural features of Colorado.
Library corner: Fun activities for the fall | Sky-Hi News
Whatever you’re looking to do this fall, the Grand County Library District has something for you.
Colorado City Eyes Solution To Local News Desert: Libraries | National Public Radio
Longmont is in the national spotlight as the city explores creating a special district for Longmont Public Library, which could potentially support a local news service. This story has legs.
What’s New at the Colorado State Library
Learning Opportunities
CSL In Session: Supporting Developing Readers at the Library: Collection Development for K-3rd Graders
- September 24 @ 12:00-1:00pm
- Free! No registration required
- Join online
RIPL Webinar: Power Up Reports With Google
- September 24 @ 10:00-11:00am
- Free! No registration required
- Join online
Colorado Virtual Library
The Colorado State Library Book Club Resource: Taking Stock
The Book Club’s new King shares his plans.
Touring Colorado’s Collections: Early Denver Dental School Featured in Medical History Collection
If medical artifacts from the 19th and 20th century are your thing, this piece is for you!
State Publications Library
- The Future of Work
- Opioid Addiction Resources
- September is National Attendance Awareness Month
- Colorado’s Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA)
- Time Machine Tuesday: Colorado Transportation Through the Years
- Life Insurance Policy Locator
Learning Edge
Learning Edge September 2019 #1
The Learning Edge is back from summer vacation with the latest news in digital literacy and educational technology
Trustee Resources
Posting Public Meeting Notices
Pursuant to HB10-1087, new requirements for public meeting notices posted by local governments, and went into effect July 1, 2019.
Library Related Employment:
Are you thinking of making a change this year in your job? Check out Library Jobline for hot new library employment opportunities.
- District Librarian: Douglas County School District / Castle Rock, CO
- Youth Services Librarian: Douglas County Libraries / Castle Rock, CO
- Library Associate – Mobile Libraries: Pikes Peak Library District / Colorado Springs, CO
- Librarian – Teen Services: High Plains Library District (Farr Regional Library) / Greeley, CO
- Branch Manager – Rifle, CO: Garfield County Libraries / Rifle, CO
- Library Page: High Plains Library District (Erie Community Library) / Erie, CO
- Library Page – 3 Positions: High Plains Library District (Centennial Park Library) / Greeley, CO
- Library Page: High Plains Library District (Erie Community Library) / Erie, CO
- K-12 Teacher Librarian (emphasis on grades 6-12): Peak to Peak Charter School / Lafayette, CO
- Circulation Desk Manager: Longmont Public Library (Main Library) / Longmont, CO
- Associate Director of Public Services: High Plains Library District (Administration and Support Services) / Greeley, CO
- Children’s and Teen Library Technician- part-time: Longmont Public Library / Longmont, CO
This post is part of the Spotlight on Sharing initiative, which aims to increase the visibility of resource sharing in Colorado libraries. Do you have a story from your library to share? Email Marisa Wood, mwood@coloradovirtuallibrary.org. Also, be sure to follow Colorado State Library on Twitter and Facebook.
- Friday Grab Bag, July 31, 2020 - July 31, 2020
- Upcoming GRT Quick Bites – SpeakingECCE: Early Learning Domains with Kate Brunner and Joyce Johnson - July 28, 2020
- Upcoming RIPL Webinar: Libraries Build Pathways to Wellbeing - July 28, 2020