June 2009
Featured Library: Chillicothe Public Library
ALA Public Programs Office | June 30, 2009
On July 7, visitors to the opening day of the traveling exhibit Visions of the Universe: Four Centuries of Discovery with will see a great display indoors at the Chillicothe (Ill.) Public Library, and will be able to take their new astronomical knowledge outdoors to witness the second penumbral eclipse of the year that evening.
Using Visual Thinking Strategies to Conduct Picturing America Programs
Wendy Lukehart | June 26, 2009
When I heard that the District of Columbia Public Library was receiving a set of high-quality posters of American art for each site—thanks to the NEH/ALA Picturing America grant—I couldn’t have been more excited. Our staff of 50 children’s and teen librarians had just received training in Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). They had new-found knowledge that could bring these images to life in programs for any age group.
Crossroads Juvenile Center's Great Stories CLUB Experience
Anne Lotito | June 23, 2009
Passages Academy Libraries and Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) have collaborated to bring Rounds I and II of the Great Stories CLUB to the students at Crossroads Juvenile Center. During both rounds we sought to provide library services to the female students, a minority population at Crossroads. Initially, Lisa Goldstein and Vani Natarajan of BPL and I faced a number of challenges in implementing this program.
Authors @ your library
Angela Hanshaw | June 19, 2009
The past week saw another great thread in the Public Programs Office’s Public Programs Forum electronic discussion list, this time started by Marie Slaby, Urbana Regional Library, Frederick, Maryland. She wrote, “I’m looking for recommendations of famous living authors you’ve seen or hosted in your communities and would appeal to a broad audience. If money were no object, whom would you choose? Who not only gets them in the door, but also wows them once inside?”
Visiting the NYC Great Stories CLUB
Paul Griffin | June 16, 2009
On June 8, 2009, the ALA’s Great Stories CLUB sent me to Crossroads juvenile detention center in East New York, Brooklyn. The ALA’s Lainie Castle put out a call to Penguin, my publisher, looking for the wonderful YA author Paul Volponi, to whom I am sometimes compared—a great compliment to me but maybe not so great for Mr. Volponi. Alas, Penguin’s author appearance coordinator, Emily Heddleson, said, “We don’t have Paul Volponi, but I can get you Paul Griffin. He will be more than happy to go.” And I was.
Programming and Resources for Caregivers
PBS | June 12, 2009
More than 50 million Americans provide care for a chronically ill, disabled, or aged family member or friend during any given year. While these people are dedicated to doing everything they can for the person for whom they care, they are often desperately in need of assistance to do so adequately and without sacrificing their own health and well-being.
Featured Library: Oak Park Public Library
ALA Public Programs Office | June 09, 2009
Summer is upon us, baseball season is in full swing, and the Oak Park (Ill.) Public Library is hosting the “Pride and Passion: The African American Baseball Experience” traveling exhibit from May 13 through July 3. This exhibit highlights the successes and challenges of African American baseball players in the Negro League.
Arts Programming in a Public Library, Part III
Jude Schanzer | June 02, 2009
At a recent conference for a grant I was fortunate enough to receive, a librarian came up to me and asked me to describe my job. I told him that the closest I could come would be to say that I was an artistic director. If you follow that train of thought, directors create events.
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