Posts Tagged ‘April 2021 Newsletter’

National Library Week is April 4-10, 2021, and this year’s theme is “Welcome to Your Library!” According to the American Library Association, this theme “promotes the idea that libraries extend far beyond the four walls of a building – and that everyone is welcome to use their services.”  The Chickasha Public Library provides access to a variety of information, services, resources, and programs, both physical and virtual, to everyone in the community.  During National Library Week, the Chickasha Public Library will be celebrating its resources, users, staff, volunteers, support groups, and the many ways in which it reflects and serves this community. 

There are many ways to celebrate and promote libraries. You can show your library love by participating in the #MyLibraryIs social media campaign during National Library Week for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.  Monday, April 5^th The State of America’s Libraries 2021 Special Report: COVID-19 will be released. Tuesday, April 6^th is National Library Workers Day, Wednesday, April 7^th is National Library Outreach Day, think bookmobile among other programs not held within a library building, and Thursday, April 8^th is Take Action for Libraries Day.  The American Library Association encourages people to support the Build America’s Libraries Act, which will “fund upgrades to the nation’s library infrastructure to address challenges such as natural disasters, COVID-19, broadband capacity, environmental hazards, and accessibility barriers.”

The American Library Association lists several different activities in which people can support libraries during National Library Week. These include showing appreciation to library staff in person and on social media on National Library Workers Day, highlighting the library’s community contributions and involvement, communicating how libraries provide essential resources, services, and information to their communities, and advocating for library funding and support within local, state, and federal governments.  You can highlight libraries on social media using the #NationalLibraryWeek, and #LibrariesTransform hashtags, and by following the American Library Association and I Love Libraries.

American Library Association has also created a word search and coloring pages for National Library Week. Click on each link below to view and print each one.

National Library Week Word Search Activity Page (PDF)

Word Search Answers (PDF)

National Library Week Coloring Page (PDF)

National Library Week Coloring Page in Spanish (PDF)

Finally, a great way to celebrate National Library Week is to visit the Chickasha Public Library, where you can also find several books about public libraries and their continuing impact on individuals and communities.  If you are looking for a history of public libraries, Part of Our Lives: A People’s History of the American Public Library by Wayne Wiegand (027.473 Wiegand) discusses the value and relevance of public libraries as a whole throughout the history of this country.  Closer to home, A History of the Chickasha Public Library, 1905-2020: The First 115 Years by library staff member Michelle Skinner (027.476 Skinner) is about the history of this specific library (and a copy can also be purchased for $10 at the library).   

More perspectives of libraries written by staff from other libraries include Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron (636.80092 Myron) and Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert (BIOGRAPHY Borchert), a humorous memoir about some of the more unusual and entertaining aspects of working in a public library. 

Come to the Chickasha Public Library and discover the many resources it has to offer during National Library Week!  We hope to see you there! 

National Library Week is April 4th-10th and the Chickasha Public Library is offering fun activities, events, and drawings to celebrate! You can sign up for the challenge using Beanstack, or you can drop by the library at 527 W Iowa Ave to sign up. Call the library at 405-222-6075 for more information!

What does the challenge include?

• Visiting the library
• Read for 30, 60, and/or 120 minutes
• Learn about library programs and services
• Meet the library staff
• Check out the library’s book mobile
• Join us for Customer Appreciation Day on April 10th from 11:00-1:30 here at the library!

Completing these activities will give you tickets to enter into the drawings. Beanstack tickets and paper registrations must be turned in by Friday April 9th. The drawings will be on Saturday during Customer Appreciation Day.

Completing challenges throughout the week can earn you up to 10 tickets, and you can submit up to five tickets for any of the drawings described below. If you participate in the challenge or join us for Customer Appreciation Day, your name will also be entered for a chance to choose up to 15 titles to be painted on one of the library’s outside panels.

National Library Week Challenge Drawings include:

Farm Animal Basket

This basket contains a duck puppet, a peek-a-boo board book, and a collection of Click, Clack, Moo stories.

Crafter Basket

This basket contains a variety of arts and craft supplies, including yarn, knitting needles, a sketchbook, colored pencils, glitter, paint, books, and more!

Library Board Drawing

The library board drawing is for a Kindle!

D&D Starter Kit

The D&D starter kit is complete with a Dungeon & Dragons starter set, an Icons of the Realms starter set, dice, a dice bag, and a copy of Redwall by Brian Jacques!

Superhero Basket

This basket contains a copy of the board game 5-minute Marvel, a Spiderman graphic novel, and a copy of City Spies by James Ponti!

Friends of the Library Drawing

The Friends of the Library drawing is for a succulent plant and gardening book!

If you were to do a quick google image search for “librarian” you would find several images portraying the typical librarian–glasses, cardigan, pushing a cart of books through dusty stacks.  I can assure you that that is NOT the standard-sometimes there are not any carts available and I have to carry the books. 

Let’s look at other librarian and library worker stereotypes and dispel the myths. 

The second event of the Scare Games in Monsters University takes place in the campus library. In this game the students must capture their team flag without disturbing the librarian. Unfortunately one team can’t stay quiet and the librarian plucks them up and tosses them into the nearby creek. 

The Chickasha Public Library understands that life happens above a whisper. We do ask that customers keep conversations quiet. 

If the librarian on TV isn’t aggressively shushing a person for daring to speak above a whisper, they are meekly tiptoeing about the stacks afraid of their own shadow. Although if I encountered a ghost like the New York Public Library librarian Alice did in Ghostbusters I would gain a healthy fear of turning corners while shelving. 

In reality most public library positions require, well, public interaction. Each day here our staff interacts with customers in person, over the phone, and online. This includes weekly programs we host like Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance and Virtual Preschool Storytime or special programs like the Bookmobile that you will see out at an about on April 7th. Two stops are scheduled one at Shannon Springs park 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and one at the Washita Valley Community center and park from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm.

Ruth Brown was a librarian who was not afraid to take on a challenge. Miss Brown was the head librarian at Bartlesville Public Library in 1950 when she came under fire for her support of the Civil Rights movement.  She conducted Storytime for African American children and allowed students from the Douglass school to use the library. In 1950 she was let go from her position. You can read more about her here at the Oklahoma Library Association website. 

Stereotypes are useful in media to help the audience quickly identify a character and move the plot along. However in real life every person you meet is an individual and will not perfectly fit into any one particular role. The staff at your public library is an eclectic mix of people happy to serve the needs of our community.