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Donut Diorama Day

Ad for Teen Donut Diorama Day

In this messy, fun, hands-on program, tweens and teens dare to design and devour delicious doughnut dioramas alongside local police officers. 

Using doughnuts, candy decorations and basic supplies, teams create freestanding structures that are judged in categories like creativity and engineering. 

The event was designed to ease relations between local teens and police with humor and treats. 

Zine Workshop

What is a ZINE?

The San Diego County Library held a zine workshop during our library's art festival, where each participant created a page related to the loose theme of "Art."

The library provided all the materials on a large table, including pre-cut paper, markers, colored pencils, stamps, weeded illustrated books and magazines for collaging, glue and scissors. After the program, all the pages were compiled and formatted into a DIY magazine (a.k.a. "zine"). Finally, the zine was cataloged and entered into the library's collection as a reference item so the contributors could admire their work.

Oreo Taste-Test Challenge

Oreos

This program was modeled off a previous successful program held back in February where teens taste-tested candies from around the world. Because of the success of this previous program, the Teen Advisory Board at my library branch requested other taste-test programs.

We decided to try different Oreo flavors because of the abundance of different kinds of Oreos, especially around the holidays.

Harry Potter Escape Room

The finished escape room

We created an escape room with a Harry Potter theme for teens and adults. Participants signed up for a half-hour slot, with four people to a time slot. We read them a short introduction, and then they had 30 minutes to solve all the puzzles we created in the room. This included finding keys, figuring out codes, translating runes and searching for clues with a black light wand.

PRISM: Rural LGBTQ+ Alliance

Teens enjoying a Welcome Werewolves concert

PRISM is a monthly program aimed toward LGBTQ+ teens and straight allies in our county with the goals of providing a safe place for all. Our young adults are given the opportunity to create their own supportive, inclusive community in an area which often denies such.

PRISM allows teens, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity, to connect and discuss issues that are relevant to their lives in a relaxing, social setting; the program empowers teens to advocate for LGBTQ+ equality and justice.

Money Madness Teen Lock-in

Image of yellow lock with black money symbol. Text reads: "Money Madness Teen Lock-in"

"Money Madness Teen Lock-in" took place at The Florence County Library System in 2012 and remains the largest number of teens ever recorded for an event at the library.

A teen lock-in gets its name from the fact that it takes place after hours when the library is closed (locked) to the public. Food, games, and prizes were used to entertain and educate 189 teens in financial literacy. 

Dream Careers: Virus Hunter

Photo of a scientist working in lab.

Dream Careers is a teen-initiated, teen-led series designed to increase awareness on a variety of careers choices. The program helps teens research career paths while speaking with a chosen guest.

On May 5 we had our kickoff event via Zoom with virologist Ken Stedman. Dr. Stedman studies viruses found in extreme environments, and the teens wanted to hear from him in light of the pandemic. Our next Dream Careers will be with a chef and restaurant owner.

Comics & Cosplay Club: An Itinerary

Comics & Cosplay Club

I had just begun my job as director of the Malvern Public Library when I decided to kick off my first summer at the library with the launch of my brainchild, the Comics & Cosplay Club.

The club quickly became our most popular program. Fandom is a great way to bring people together, and I have developed a meeting plan that provides structure and variation to our Comics & Cosplay Club nights.

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