2019-05-17 SPLAT Curiosity Report: Volume 3, Issue 5
Featured Story
Break out of the Norm
Everyone groans when they hear mention of Team Building Exercises. Most of them have a specific purpose – to encourage teams to work together and become more cohesive. That’s just code for Try to Get Along activities to most people. While team building is a good thing, and I don’t discourage it, many times the approach to it as unappealing as going to the dentist. Today we’re going to blindfold and tie everyone in a knot to see how well everyone can work together to get untangled. Personally, I’d rather knot. haha
But what if there was a way to disguise team building exercises as something fun? Oh, but there is!
How about being locked in a room with a team and you have to figure out how to get out? I know, I know, that doesn’t sound too appealing to some people, especially those that are claustrophobic, you can get tied into a knot instead. Hear me out though
Escape Rooms are new and fun entertainment games where a small group of people are locked in a themed room filled with puzzles and clues. The group works together to find and solve the clues – which then reveals more to solve. As the group works through the room, all the puzzles and clues finally start to make sense how the team will escape.
Humans are naturally curious creatures, we like to figure things out, at least I know I do. But I also know where my puzzle solving mastery is and isn’t. That’s when a team of people working together can solve puzzles and get out. Some people are great at word puzzles while others are best at problem-solving puzzles, and others are good at math puzzles.
Combining a series of different kinds of puzzles with being locked into a room with several team members brings out better problem-solving skills in everyone because everyone has a common goal – to escape!
Several of our library staffers have gone to Escape Rooms; they have been a lot of fun, but when we got back to work the next week, we seemed to work better as a team. It was an unintentional side effect, kind of in a serendipitous way. We were able to anticipate each other better, look to each other for specific things that needed solving and work together to make the project work.
Since then, I’ve organized a Break Out Box – which is the same sort of puzzle game – for our teens, who thought it was a lot of fun, but it really helped them to work together to figure out the puzzles. It’s my hope that more libraries can use these tools as fun activities for the community, but also as staff team building exercises
shhh, don’t tell, it will spoil the fun!
– Vanessa Thiele, East Bonner County Library District
Fail Forward
We’ve all been there. You pour your heart into a program, and no one shows up. You try something new, and you fall on your face. Sound familiar? Fail Forward is the place to share your failures, and give you the opportunity to share what you learned from them. Did you promote your program in a different way after no one showed up? Maybe you took a new approach to the new thing you were excited about? Awesome! Share your story via our online form so others can learn, and realize that failure is often part of the process.
Overstacking your Piles
In December my libraries changed their hours so that instead of being open to the public from 9am-9am Monday thru Thursday and 9am-6pm on Friday and Saturday they are open to the public from 10am-6pm daily. The staff comes in at 9am and utilizes this time for staff training. On mornings when there is not a set training we are able to work on projects and complete other tasks. I asked my supervisor about taking on a special assignment to shelf reading all of adult fiction in the course of that one month when I normally only have the responsibility to do half the collection. I felt that this was necessary because we had the staff member who was responsible for the other half leave in August and no one had been shelf reading the area. While I was able to complete the task that I had set myself, I found it a bit overwhelming at times and had to squeeze in time to shelf read during every shift I worked the entire month. I would advise anyone looking to take on extra projects to make sure that you are organized, that you break the task down into smaller chunks, and that you enlist the help and support of those around you.
– Jackie Wood, Marshall Public Library
Crush Corner
Is there a library you follow on social media who is always doing new and exciting things? How about a blog you follow that inspires you? What about a new idea, book, or resource that you want to share? Library Crush Corner is a place for those working in Idaho libraries to share what inspires them, and who or what they’re crushing on… in a professional sense. Share your story via our online form so we can publish it in a future issue!
CDA Mini Maker Faire
My Crush Corner this week is the Coeur d’Alene Mini Maker Faire. Maker Faires are an international series of maker celebrations. Community groups and individuals with a stake in the local maker economy show off their creations, and people from the area come by to see those creations and learn about how to get involved. Individuals, libraries, nonprofits, and even for-profit companies are all welcome to take part, and it promises to be a great way to show off the talent and creativity of folks across North Idaho! https://coeurdalene.makerfaire.com/
– Tyler McLane, Coeur d’Alene Public Library
SPLAT explores the ever-evolving library world and supports library folks as they adapt to meet the needs of their communities. Library folk throughout the state of Idaho volunteer to serve on the Special Projects Library Action Team (SPLAT). Learn more about SPLAT at splat.lili.org
SPLAT is brought to you by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and was made possible, in part, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (LS-00-18-0013-18). The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.