My favourite program ideas come directly from kids. After completing a class trip to the library where they learned about 3D printing and completed a zombie themed escape room, a girl came up to me. She said “next time you should do a 3D printer themed escape room.” After thinking about it for approximately 0.5… Read More 3D Printer Escape Room at the Library
Class visits are an amazing opportunity for the library to set the tone for kids’ experience with us. I view my outreach trips as an extremely valuable chance to give high energy interactive presentations about why the library is so awesome! Generally my presentations happen in the school library to up to 3 grades, approximately… Read More Interactive School Outreach: aka Class Visit Magic
Stop Motion Factory is a great way to introduce kids to the concept of animation! I ran this as a 4 week series for about 15 kids during the summer, and it was a ton of fun. Icebreaker Activity – Monster Factory On the first session, I had an ice breaker to help them get… Read More Stop Motion Factory in the Library
It was a merry muggle Christmas indeed! I run a big pop culture themed party every other month (next up I’m doing Hockey Party, Emoji Party, and Superhero Party). With the recent release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I decided to make December a Harry Potter Christmas Party. We had over 75 attendees of… Read More Harry Potter Christmas Party
If you’re looking for an easy to plan, high energy, high appeal event to draw a crowd – look no further! I ran this Lego Build Tournament for 5-12 year olds and 50 eager builders showed up to show off their skills. It was a blast and I will definitely be running is at least… Read More Lego Build Tournament – Library Program Outline
Pokemon Go is taking over and kids are flocking to the library pokestop! Pokemon Go is the combination of so many things the library supports: gaming, imagining magical creatures, and getting to know your community. I’ve been playing the game (a lot) in my personal time, and I’ve really enjoyed exploring my neighbourhood and meeting… Read More Pokemon Scavenger Hunt in the Library
I ran this MP3 Flash Mob event during March Break 2015 as one station at a big exploratory event called Idea Factory. It was one of the zaniest library experiences I’ve had yet – and I loved it! What is it? During an MP3 Flash Mob (popularized by Improv Everywhere), everyone wears headphones, has the… Read More MP3 Flash Mob Adventure in the Library: Zany Programs for Kids!
Last year I ran the popular Blind Date with a Book display at the Forest Heights branch of Kitchener Public Library. I created a mixture of adult, teen, and children’s books, and found that they all flew off the shelves! I’ve enjoyed looking through other librarian’s interpretations of Blind Date with a Book on ALA… Read More Blind Date With a Book Library Display- Round Two!
I hear from 20/30s all the time that they struggle to find new friends in the area. It’s hard to leave university behind – where there are countless opportunities to meet people – and join the working world. While many are finding each other on Meetup.com or other library programs, I thought it would be… Read More Friend Speed Dating – Library Program for 20/30s
At one of my libraries, we have regularly post YouTube videos on our Teen site. It adds content, keeps things interesting, and gives teens a reason to keep checking back. Here are a few of my favourite YouTube videos for teens – some educational, some hilarious, all interesting. These would work great as social media… Read More 13 YouTube Videos For Teens
Ontarian Librarian 