2022-03-11 Saying “Farewell”, a Special SPLAT Curiosity Report: Volume 10, Issue 9

Featured Story

Editor’s Note:

This is a special issue of the Curiosity Report because we are looking back at the first column for four SPLAT members who are moving on to other adventures. Thank you Rasheil Stanger, Gretchen Perkins, Vanessa Thiele, and Mallory Snow for your service to the Idaho library community. Wishing you all the best!

With four members rolling off, that means we’re looking for new members! Do you enjoy reading the Curiosity Report? Do you see change as an opportunity to learn and grow? Great, you should apply by March 21st to be one of four new SPLAT members!

Enjoy this special issue,
– Deana Brown
 

Finding Friends in Community Partnerships

My library’s Friends group has long been known for the book sales that they hold in the basement of the library – the selection is huge and they have a range of materials including books, magazines, movies, music, and books on CD. They’re open in the evenings each week, but the community is especially fond of the two-day book sales they hold once per quarter. The popularity of the book sales can’t be denied, but many community members weren’t aware that they’re run by our Friends group or what our Friends group does. The past year has brought in new volunteers who want to change that, and we were immediately on board!

Starting with National Friends of Libraries Week in October, we worked together with our Friends group to create a program that would bring more awareness to the group and get the community engaged with them in a way that they haven’t before. We put together a scavenger hunt focused on Friends, their history, and what they do that culminated in their fall quarter book sale with Friends providing the prizes and the library providing set-up and advertisement. We offered the program both virtually and on paper, and the response was even more positive than we anticipated.

Directly promoting our Friends group through a program partnership was something we had never done before. It gave us a chance to work closely with each other and presented a unique opportunity for engagement with our community while providing a new experience and new information to library users. There’s been an uptick in applications for membership and volunteering with our Friends group since then, and we’re looking forward to partnering with them for more programs in the future. Sometimes when we’re searching for new community partnerships, the ones that seem the most obvious in hindsight get missed.

– Mallory Snow

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.

Mixed-up Orders

(Originally Published 6/29/2018)

My most recent failure was mixing up a book order. After spending a week putting together the orders for our district’s elementary schools, somehow one order was heading to the wrong school. I called the customer service line as soon as I realized, but I was only able to cancel part of the order. Now I am not really sure who is getting what, and what will need to be returned to the company. Next time I am going to triple check the order before I hit send. Ordering online is so convenient, but not wholly fool-proof.

– Gretchen Perkins

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!

Salmon Public Library

(Originally published 6/15/2018)

This week I am crushing on Salmon Public Library. I fell head over heels for my new infatuation watching SPL’s exceptional social media presence: it is definitely worth following. It’s fun and informative. I am constantly looking for something cool to post on social media for my own library and they have inspiring ideas. (Get some butts into the library!) Also they are launching their new and upcoming SWITCH. Let’s all watch and see what is going to happen. Sign up for SPL’s trendy newsletter for ideas from their makerspace, their sound studio, or design thinking classes. You will fall in love too!

– Rasheil Stanger

Boundary County Library FabLab

(Originally Published 3/22/2019)

I’m a lover of Makerspaces and I love to create. While I’m busy at work, running our 3D printers, I have people ask questions about Makerspaces. Where can I do this? How can I do this? Naturally, I say, “Here, of course! We can help you!” However, the other day, a patron that lives near Canada reached out to us. He inquired about a location that might have 3D printing available that was closer to where he lives. I did a little quick research, and to my surprise, our neighbor to the north, the Boundary County Library, has an amazing FabLab! Bonners Ferry, with a population of less than 3000, services a county of about 12000. They have a pretty spiffy Makerspace that includes three 3D printers, a laser cutter / engraving machine, vinyl cutter, and a couple of CNC machines. They offer online training and quizzes to jump-start the learning process. A more in-depth in-person training is also required but it’s offered several times per week. Once trained on safety and machines, patrons can use the Lab independently during special scheduled hours. I was totally blown away by the Boundary County Library FabLab! I thought it was amazing to see a small town library have such a cool Makerspace and have a great support system for their patrons to learn. I think it’s time for a field trip!

– Vanessa Thiele

Henderson Libraries, NV

(Originally Published 8/27/2021)

Like so many of us, Henderson Libraries in Henderson, NV keeps their community up to date with library happenings through their website, Facebook, and Instagram. They posted an amazing promotional video for their summer reading program on Instagram. It’s fun and engaging and shows way more video-editing skills than I could ever have! @hendersonlibraries on Instagram

– Mallory Snow

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.