“STEM is intimidating. Some teens think it’s a subject geared for students that already make straight A’s or already know that they want to go to college,” says Analiza Perez-Gomez, librarian at the Laredo Public Library in Texas. “But libraries level the playing ground. There are no obstacles to STEM here. Teens can try out STEM concepts for the first time with no added pressure.”
Ask a programming librarian what a typical workday for them entails and you’re likely to get a long and varied list of tasks: meeting with partners, handling event logistics, working with budgets and creating marketing materials.
A makerspace — for anyone who isn’t yet aware — is a collaborative workspace where people have the opportunity to construct or explore just about anything they can imagine.
The goal of a library makerspace is to let patrons learn through hands-on experimentation and from collaboration with others. And yes, that CAN be achieved in a small library. Griswold Public Library, located in a small town of about 1,000 in southwestern Iowa, is proof.
Inspired by the book "Cat Castles: 20 Cardboard Habitats You Can Build Yourself" by Carin Oliver, we invited customers to use their creativity and build a cardboard house for their cat or small pet.
Ask most boys today if they want to play with paper dolls and you might get a scrunched-up face in response, but paper dolls haven't always been seen as such a gendered activity. In fact, paper dolls have existed since paper was invented and come from many different cultures around the world.
April is one of the most interesting months of the year for me because it’s National Poetry Month. Poetry Month was thought up back in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. Twenty years later, the month has many supporters; there are now countries all over the world that celebrate the month of April and honor their favorite poets. Poetry Month is a wonderful way to raise awareness about the value of poetry, to pay tribute to all the amazing poets, past and present, and to entice our future poets as well.Â
Happy New Year, everyone! 2015 went by like a flash, and now we are in a brand new year. Here in California, we have been battling some extremely cold weather. Extremely cold for us, that is; we can't handle it when it gets cold. Although I must say, chilly weather is the perfect time to pick out some new books and read away. Every year I like to say that I will read at least 100 books, but I tend to lose count around summertime. I need to keep better track of my YA reads.
It's September! Do you know what that means? It means that fall is approaching faster than we think. Back-to-school brings an edgy and playful vibe, but it won't last long because teens are already getting their reading assignments and loading up their textbooks, and teachers are piling on sky-high homework, too.
