2023-09-15 SPLAT Curiosity Report: Volume 15, Issue 2
Featured Story
Bringing People Together in the Library
Technology has often been marketed as something that provides us with more connection. We can instant message, video or voice call, and even chat with each other in virtual reality. However, many people feel more lonely and isolated than ever before. It is clear that the pandemic has made this problem more pronounced. However, according to PBS, loneliness has been on the rise since the 1970s (Yang, 2023). While we have the tools to communicate with nearly everyone on the planet, it has become ever more challenging to forge strong and lasting connections. Libraries encounter this phenomenon daily. We all know patrons that come in and strike up a conversation with anyone that will listen. We see kids and teens that don’t know how to connect with their peers. Libraries are in a unique position to reach these people and connect them with peer groups. In this way, we help our community members feel closer and less isolated.
Book clubs are one of the most popular ways that libraries provide these community connections. These clubs can be focused on topics of local interest and give community members a regular time to meet, catch up, and chat. Patrons have often told me that they care less about what they read and more about the conversations they have at book clubs. The discussion facilitators are very important for the success of a book club. If patrons do not feel comfortable in these groups, or if the discussion is too strictly regulated, patrons are unable to connect. Because of this, the facilitators must be able to build rapport with the book club members. But how do we build connections with folks that don’t have time to read the monthly books?
We craft! Craft programs bring together folks of all ages and backgrounds. Whether you’re making greeting cards or teaching a new skill, craft programs serve as a wonderful backdrop for conversations. Craft programs are particularly well suited for building community because they are activities that keep hands busy without being mentally taxing. Crafts can also be locally or culturally based. This opens up opportunities for community members to learn more about each other and the area’s history. In Idaho, we have many active native tribes that we can reach out to for partnerships in these areas. We can also look back to skills that settlers needed such as darning, weaving, and sewing. Crafting programs work best for building connections when they are targeted towards specific age groups (18+, teens/tweens, school-aged, or 0-5).
While book clubs and craft programs are great for all ages, kids and teens typically prefer to make friends that are close in age. Afterschool clubs can do just that. They offer safe spaces for kids and teens to hang out, socialize, and meet new people. Afterschool clubs take many forms. Some clubs are activity based (like study hour, legos, trading card games, or video games), some are informative (like coding hour, 3D printing classes, or a lecture series), and others can be informal hang-out times. No matter which direction the program goes, kids and teens benefit from having time to connect with their peers. These programs also work to create lifelong library users. When kids and teens make positive memories at these programs, the continue to use the library into adulthood. They can also become parents that bring the next generation into the library. No matter what age range, it is a critical part of library services to provide a space for community members to meet and connect.
References
Yang, J. (2023, January 8). Why Americans are lonelier and its effects on our health. PBS. Retrieved July 26, 2023, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-americans-are-lonelier-and-its-effects-on-our-health
By Rebekah Bitikofer
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.
Being Prepared!
I know we have all experienced the “Oh no-I forgot it” moment at an outreach event. My favorite example personally, was when a colleague and I were giving a VR demonstration at a Police Department luncheon many years ago. And we forgot THE chord. The one that makes it all work. By the time I had driven back to the library and retrieved it, the event had pretty much wrapped up and we only got to demo the technology for a handful of people. Though I did get to reconnect with a friend from high school.
Recently, some coworkers were at an outside event, during the heat of summer, and forgot a canopy. They had an excellent time at the event, but it was less comfortable than it could have been. Suffice to say that it was an unpleasant reminder to make sure you check your list twice. And maybe a third time.
We have decided to have a chat about how we are packing for outreach events. Should we have a kit that has everything we might need all together all the time? Should we have premade lists for certain types of events? The possibilities are endless. And hopefully less hot.
By Maggie Dumont
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!
Laramie County Library in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Hey Ann, what did you do this summer?
I dropped in for an unplanned tour of the Laramie County Library in Cheyenne, Wyoming! While visiting family in Wyoming, I wanted to check out this award-winning public library that kept showing up on my library radar. I only had a few hours to wander around the library and get some errands done, so I started at the information desk on the main floor and asked if I could meet Carey Hartmann, the County Librarian and Executive Director at the Laramie County Library System, and ask her a few questions. To my surprise, not only was she available but Carey offered me an in-depth and behind-the-scenes library tour! It was beyond inspiring to hear about Carey’s amazing 42-year library career and to experience this incredible library. Inside this gorgeous 103,000 square feet central library building are spaces designed by and exclusively for teens, a sweet Library Café, a life-size chess board, an interactive children’s literacy center, a colorful bookmobile, a few multi-purpose privacy booths, and so much more. Outside the library visitors are welcomed by beautiful artwork and statues, many created by local artists, as well as gorgeous walking paths and a StoryWalk®. This library truly has something to please everyone; I can’t wait to return and spend more time soaking in all that Laramie County Library in Cheyenne, Wyoming, has to offer!
To learn more about the Laramie County Library System, visit their website. I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Check out some photos of Laramie County Library below: 
By Ann Veloso
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 https://libraries.idaho.gov/splat/
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.