2021-11-18 SPLAT Curiosity Report: Volume 10, Issue 1

Featured Story

Editor’s note: Happy 10th Volume of the Curiosity Report! The first issue was published in June of 2018 and I authored the main article as a SPLAT member. – Deana

Accessibility Support Collections

It’s commonly known that libraires aren’t just books anymore. What we offer to patrons is limited only to our little librarian imaginations.  Besides being a central hub for the community, libraries continue to broaden the scope of what libraries can lend out. The library of “things” concept is bringing items to patrons that can enrich their lives: including everything from prom dresses, seeds, tools, cooking equipment, and bicycles. Now similar kits are popping up in libraries across the country that can give real support to families and caregivers.

In the Daily Herald news article, it announces The Arlington Heights Library debuting its new Accessibility Support Collection.  ‘Years of dreaming’: New collection of therapeutic tools debuts at Arlington Heights library. This collection of print materials, therapeutic toys and tools has been created to serve families with youth with disabilities or receive therapy services and service providers. The library website states: “If you’re spending money for your child to try something out and they don’t like it, it keeps adding up,” Papanastassiou, the youth services assistant Manager said. “And you don’t want to have to make that investment in purchasing something that’s expensive that might not work for your family. The collection supports those with learning differences, including speech-language, sensory processing, neurodevelopmental, visual processing, auditory processing, motor and orthopedic disabilities. The collection was developed for and with feedback from these audiences and can benefit many users.”

So keep dreaming of the wildest items to add to our libraries. The most imaginative ideas might not be as wacky as you think. They might be the ones that provide the greatest service.

– Rasheil Stanger
 

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.

Is it a failure or a change of plans?

We wanted to update our Teen Center sign from this sign had been dropped (bent corner) to something new.

We also wanted to add a little color. We had frames donated to us and wouldn’t it be fun to have a sign play on words. So we did research on the internet and saw this.

We came up with a mockup of the sign Hanging from wires and the color brand the green and blue of our library.

Well looking for those specific colors of paint in a supply shortage is very expensive. We went with bright colors to add some color to our library. We had teens help with putting it together. We decided to go back to the original name Teen Center.  Connecting all the frames together using screws and bolts, we found that it was unstable.

Through trial and error we then used spacers to give it more of a three dimensional shape. There were a lot of failures and experimentation putting it together but that is what failing forward is all about.

– Eric Hovey

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!

Information Literacy Playlist

Have you ever wanted a definitive list of all songs pertaining to libraries, research, or the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards? Look no further than the Information Literacy Playlist, created by Joel Burkholder at Penn State. If you’d like to see him break down Taylor Swift’s song “Shake it Off” and explain the song’s hidden meaning about how authority is constructed and contextual, read the article written for CRL News.
– Jessica Martinez

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-246156-OLS-20). The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.