2020-02-28 SPLAT Curiosity Report: Volume 5, Issue 3
Featured Story
Climate Change is Trending
With Greta Thunberg’s book Greta’s Story: The Schoolgirl Who Went on Strike to Save the Planet by Valentina Camerini, Moreno Giovannoni, and Veronica Carratello coming to my library, I thought I would write about the environment and how a library can contribute to the world. Environmental issues are topics of student’s reports and adults are asking to read more about it. Librarians are helping to locate materials and are participating with recycling bins, reuse bins, and exchange bins. A post came across my social media that made me think about what I could do better. I ask everyone to consider what you can do better in 2020 to Rethink, Reuse, Reduce, Refurbish, Repurpose, and Recycle.
– Eric Hovey, Ada Community Library
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.
You Got the Grant!
In a moment of insanity I applied for an AARP grant to improve the front of the library. It was challenging and more difficult than any grant I had written before. Towards the due date I will be honest: I just gave up and sent it away and washed my hands of it! After pushing send in December, I completely forgot about it, until one day in late May I received an email: You got it! Oh no! I now had three months to find a demo crew, a concrete contractor and masonry company willing to help the library. This. Was. A. Disaster! The job was too small, too far into the season. So fail in my lack of planning and foresight. What’s the Forward? Library Grants are always a good thing: just roll with it. It was totally worth it in the end.
– Rasheil Stanger, Valley of the Tetons 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!
South Bannock County Library District
I recently saw a great article about the South Bannock County Library District in the Idaho State Journal on December 12, 2019. The South Bannock County library district is made up of 3 small libraries that serve McCammon, Lava Hot Springs, and Downey as well as a travelling bookmobile that visits a few of the elementary schools in Lava Hot Springs and Inkom. My favorite part of the article was a quote from the library’s director, Marcy Price, stating We can provide the same services that libraries in the bigger cities can provide, which are extremely critical to residents in southern Bannock County. I thought that this was an excellent reminder that it doesn’t matter how big or small the library, we can make a difference in our communities. https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/south-bannock-library-district-provides-critical-educational-services-to-rural/article_5d677168-d21d-54b7-b004-df258b8ce387.html
– Jackie Wood, Marshall 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-00-19-0013-19). The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.