Friday, December 30, 2016

It's the end of the year...

Time to change your passwords. Not just your banking passwords or your email passwords. It's time to change all your passwords! Follow these rules for strong passwords:
1) Make them at LEAST 8 Characters long
2) Make them Unique
3) Make them have UPPER and lower case letters
4) Make them have at least 1 number
5) Make them have at least 1 special symbol (@,#,%--basically anything on the numbers row while holding down the shift key).
6) Change them at least 1 time a year. For ideas on how to create unique but memorable passwords, refer to my previous password post.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

DIY Stocking Hangers

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house.
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

. . .

Alas, at my house there is no chimney in sight.

So what to do . . .







Thursday, November 24, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you and yours have a great Thanksgiving.

Even though there are many things developing right now that leave me anxious for the future, I still find I have many things for which to be thankful. (Did you see that! I used my BA in English to NOT end a sentence with a preposition. You're welcome.)

I am thankful that I have a job I love, friends who are just plain awesome, and adventurous husband that is my partner in crime. I am thankful for family still on the planet and the memories I have of grandparents already beyond the rainbow bridge. I am thankful for my health and my optimism. I am thankful there are still people out there who prefer to show their fellow human love and compassion rather than hate, bigotry and ignorance.

via GIPHY

Friday, November 11, 2016

Veteran's Day

Thank you to all the service men and women who have served this country. Your time and sacrifice have provided us all with the luxurious life of freedom, which we enjoy.

Thank you.
via GIPHY

Friday, October 28, 2016

Learning the Scary Technology

Boo!

I know technology can be scary. It's expensive; you don't want to break this expensive thing. But the only way to truly learn about your smart phone, your new computer, your tablet, what have you, is to use it. To explore it. To try new things with it.

Yes, you can break it. But there are ways to fix it again.

How to protect yourself.

Backup.

Your iPhone can be synced/backed up with iTunes. Put iTunes on your home computer. Plug in your iPhone to the computer and sync. This will back up your photos, contacts, and apps. Do the same with your iPad. Sync monthly if not more. If your device gets stuck, you can restore to a previous point.

Your Android can be used like a flash drive. Plug it in and copy your files to your computer.

Both offer Dropbox/Google Drive syncing of photos. Do that too. Better to have your info in more places than less.

You can also backup your computers.
I like the software SyncBack. It offers both a free version and a pro-version.
This will automatically back up your files that you decide, when you schedule it.

Windows machines offer back-ups that make images to backup.
Macs have time machine that backs up an image of your computer.
A computer image is like a snapshot of your computer at a certain point. When you restore to an image, your computer is returned to that point. No extra setup or installing. Computer Image backup of course take more time than file backups.

So, if you take precautions, you can play with your new technology. Learn it. Love it. Teach it to your patrons. ;-)

Friday, October 14, 2016

Audiobooks are the bees knees!


via GIPHY

Ok, so I was not alive yet when "the bee's knees"was popular terminology for the bestest of the best, but that doesn't mean I can't sling it around, right?

I love audiobooks. I listen to them while commuting and while driving to libraries for consulting/IT support. I listen to "my stories" while doing chores around the house to working in the garden. I can get so caught up in an audiobook that I will sit in the car when I get home just as I reach a good part. A few years back I was naive and actually PAID for audiobooks! Can you believe it? I had a standing subscription with Audible and had excellent selection of new releases and best sellers. And all I had to do was pay $15 a month. I finally got wise a realized my library could get me these books, on CD or online, at no cost. You would have thought I would have figured that out long before...you know as a working librarian and all. DUH!
So, Have you tried OneClickDigital? If you are a resident of Kansas, you can get a Kansas Library card and access their digital collection: OneClickDigital from State Library of Kansas.

The State Library of Kansas also offers many options for eBooks, if that's your thing: Digital Library

If you are a resident of the Central Kansas Library System, your local library card will give you access to Sunflower eLibrary, an Overdrive eLibrary. There are eBooks, Audiobooks, and a small but growing collection of Videos.

Your local library also has books on CD! And if your library doesn't have it, ask at the desk and a staff member can get it from another library through InterLibrary Loan.

This week I am listening to Poldark: Demelza 1788-1790 by Winston Graham.


I am also listening to Fragments by Dan Wells.

Friday, September 30, 2016

Passwords--are yours tough enough?

It seems like every time I see a news feature another company's account have been hacked and it's time to change passwords AGAIN.

It happened recently with Dropbox.

While changing my passwords, I noticed something that is common practice for my library colleagues. Using a name or simple word as a password and using it for everything FOR THE END OF TIME.

There are 3 things that make this a very weak and vulnerable set up for your accounts.
1) Passwords should not be names, places or things that are easily linked to you.
2) None of your passwords should be the same.
3) You should periodically change your passwords.



So, how to make a unique non-word password that is easy to remember?

Follow these guidelines:
1) Use uppercase and lowercase letters
2) Use numbers (but not your birthday, or your cat's birthday)
3) Use symbols like ! @ # $ %
4) Make the password at least 8 characters long

There are many different styles. Perhaps you see patterns everywhere so you make a pattern on the keyboard.
 BUT NOT THESE PATTERNS:

via GIPHY

Perhaps you are good at anagrams so you change up a word. Perhaps you like acronyms and take the first letter from each word in a common phrase.

I like to take a word like the name of a candybar and switch out the vowels with symbols.
Snickers becomes Sn1ck3rs
I make sure there are Capital and lowercase letters.
I add a symbol on the beginning and then end. !Sn1ck3rs?
Then I make it unique for each account. So for Yahoo!, my password (that is totally fake so don't even try it, hackers) is !Sn1ck3rs?Y!
But for Dropbox it is !Sn1ck3rs?DB

Then in 6 months, I pick a new candybar and change all my passwords again.

And if you need to keep track of passwords, I suggest using an encrypted password keeper like:
Dashlane or LastPass. These sites can sync with your mobile devices and computers. And, they can help you come up with passwords too. They just aren't as fun.



Thursday, September 29, 2016

Why We Weed: Hilariously Outdated Fiction

Now I love books that make me laugh. A good comedy is a brilliant thing.

But then there are those books that are unintentionally amusing.

Like this charmer...


Friday, September 16, 2016

Back It Up! Then Backup the Back Up!

Last week I had the joy [sarcasm] of restoring not 1, not 2, but 3 staff computers to factory default settings. That means a complete wipe of the hard drive and a clean install of Windows Operating System.

Library the First: had an automatic back up to an external hard drive set up, yay! But something went wrong with the program and it hadn't backed up since February 2016. Yikes! This computer had the financials for the library on it! I spent most of my time trying to find a current backup of the financial files as Quickbooks wouldn't open to make a backup.
LESSON: Even with Automatic Backups setup, periodically check your backup to make sure it is working.

Library the Second: got a keystroker trojan that captured all the passwords (by recording keystrokes) and had hijacked her email. The Hacker had put a forwarder on the library email so nothing came to the inbox. To remove the virus, I had to make a clean install. Virus prevention post to come...
Before I could do anything, I had to backup the library files. There was no backup setup.
LESSON: Hope for the best, plan for the worst...back up your files!

Library the Third: This was a staff member at the home office! A coworker's laptop would not boot. Luckily she had noticed the computer was acting funky and had backed up her files the week before onto her external hard drive. I was able to push a new clean Windows 10 onto her laptop and get her set up in 2 hours.
LESSON: Pay attention to your computer. If he's acting funny, BACKUP!

So, here's the quick and dirty back up plan.
Get a DropBox account. Get on Google Drive. Save your files there.
Get a 64GB flash drive or a 1TB external HardDrive. Save your files there.
Save your files Twice. Once in My Documents on your computer and Once in a secondary location.

Look into these backup programs: GoodSync, SyncBack or Oops!Backup.

Carbonite will automatically backup your files to the cloud...for a fee.

File management and Backup is the computer user's responsibility. Please don't place this burden on your friendly IT. You need to know where your files are.


Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Why We Weed: Computer Books

So I was going through our professional collection today and I came across these jewels:
This is all but one of our computer books in the collection. They are all published in 2008 or earlier. And they are all woefully out of date.

Let's break them down:
FileMaker Pro 9: Database creator. Most databases are online and are created and stored there. If you need a database creator, most likely you will purchase a newer version of FileMaker pro than this 8+ year old version. I doubt this is even compatible for Windows 10.

Web Design from 1998-2000: Please, please, please don't design your new website to look like a 1998 website. We have come so far in 18 years!

MS Office XP: I know several libraries that still use there licenses for MS Office XP. However, for our professional collection, I think online tutorials would serve us better. GCFLearnFree.org, for example has tutorials for MS Office 2003-to 365.

Computers and other IT (Information Technology) change so quickly, that printed, published materials have trouble keeping up. Nothing OLDER that 3 years should be kept on public shelves or in a professional collection. I recommend using online resources instead.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Why We Weed: Outrageous Lies!

Sometimes you come across a book that just rubs you the wrong way and you know that it must go!


"Too Many Kittens"?! What a load of crap!

In all seriousness, books like the above that are fraying around the edges, smell like an actual litter box and haven't checked out since 2009 can probably go.

So say farewell to this one from Helen Hoke along with many, many, many others.


Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Why We Weed: Computers edition

Libraries are excellent about doing more with less. We know how to be frugal and reuse, recycle, reduce! And thank goodness for donations from the community.

However, not all donations are appropriate to add to the library's collection. Medical books from 1980 for example, should be placed directly in the recycle bin.

The same can be said for outdated technology.

When weeding a book, it's easy to determine the condition. You just flip through the pages and look for tears, missing pages, water damage, smell.

Evaluating a computer or printer is not as easy. You have to plug it in and turn it on. And use it.

Is the computer used only as a last resort? Is it slow? Does it crash often? Can you have more than 1 program running at a time? How old is it?

I am giving you permission to discard your donated Windows98 machines.


Go ahead and say thanks but no thanks for dot matrix printers.


"But," I've had Librarians say, "this can be used for a children's computer. It has games like Magic School Bus." Played on CD-ROM or (gasp) possibly even floppy discs.
My answer:  If the computer is three times as old as the little kiddo you think will play on it, you're going to be disappointed. Sure it was cool to play on the first word processor typewriters, but I'm not going to seek one out today. Kids won't want to play the pixelated, slow, and dated games that play on WindowsME or 98. There are lots of great online sites and games that will hold their attention and suit their needs better.

So, here is a list of computers to weed:
Windows XP, WindowsME, Windows98 or older
Computer  that takes 10 to boot and another 10 to load
Dot Matrix Printers
Printers that constantly Jam.

And remember, having more computers isn't always better, if no one wants to use them. It is better to have 3 or 4 Windows 7 or Windows 10 computers that 8 outdated computers that sit unused.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Why We Weed: Outdated Reference

Today I officially wrapped up the nightmare weeding project that was my juvenile fiction collection.


But as I was reminded today, my overall weeding is nowhere near complete.


Monday, August 15, 2016

BookGeek2 learns about Yoopers!

Mr. GookGeek2 and I went on our annual adventure to the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) this year.  We found the scenery delightful and the locals (a.k.a Yoopers) were just awesome.
Enjoying one of many waterfalls. I pushed the Mr. in right after! (just kidding).
The Mr. captains the pontoon boats along Pictured Rocks in Munising, MI.
BookGeek2 pretending NOT to be winded from the hike.
Look! Another conquered waterfall!





Nope, [gasp!] still not winded.


The Mr enjoys a Lake Superior sunset. It was awesome but not "superior" to a Kansas sunset. ;-)

Friday, August 12, 2016

Why We Weed

Summer is officially over for me! And I have been remiss in my posting lately because of the chaos that summer brought along with it. That being said, my first summer wearing my new Youth Services crown was a wonderful success. And I haven't lost my touch as a teen librarian either: 82 teens signed up for my teen program! Rock on!


While half didn't complete a thing after they picked up their gameboard, that left 42 teens that did! Not too shabby for my first summer here.

But now it's time to start a new series here at Two Book Geeks entitled: "Why We Weed."


Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Learning Microsoft Office

Are you struggling to learn Microsoft Office? You don't need to take an expensive course from the local college. Don't get me wrong. Those classes are helpful and useful. But not everyone has the time to do a college course.
There is online training you can do at your own speed and learn just what you need to know.
GCFLearnFree.org is a great site for this. They have tutorials for MS Office versions 2000 to 2013. Just pick your version and go!
Make sure you check out other great tutorials this site has to offer!

BookGeek2 Takes on San Diego

BookGeek2 and the San Diego skyline.
At the Maritime museum exploring ships.
Mr. BookGeek2 had a work conference in Sunny California, so I tagged along. We stayed in Little Italy and rented bicycles.
Sitting in the big chair in little Italy.
The kissing couple statue by the Midway.







Walking through the Midway museum.

 We saw the Midway and Maritime museum, took the ferry to Coronado and caught a Padres game. And, on the way back after the game...we found the San Diego library!!!
The San Diego Library with a friend.









Monday, June 27, 2016

Your History on Google

Google tracks and analyzes everything you do on it. It's nice if you like to look back and find that site that you stumbled upon but can't find now. But the more you see on your history the more apparent that online privacy is a unicorn that is impossible to catch. It's disturbing how much Google and Facebook and Yahoo! Know about you just from your searches. Think it's a coincidence that you see adds for Ann Arbor, Michigan just as you start planning a trip? It's not. Big Brother Internet is watching and selling advertising specifically toward your interests.

But there is a way to delete some of your trail with Google. 
After you are logged into your Google account, go to http://Google.com/activity. This will show your history as far back as when you created your account. 

You can see map searches, Google searches, Google drive entries, YouTube videos, and even blog entries. You can set a date range to delete from. 
Or just delete certain searches.
You can find specific searches an delete those you select.


For more about deleting your Google history, go to Lifehacker.com

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Summer is ticking away...

I love summer.
I love the fun programs I finally have the excuse to do.
I love the extra faces that I don't see during the school year.
I love the excitement over books.

But . . .

I do find myself counting down the days until it is over.


It is not for my lack of passion for summer programming. It is simply because I start to miss my sanity as time trails on.


Friday, June 3, 2016

Summer Decor

Our summer decor has finally been finished & I am super-excited.

This actually began as an idea for my teen space, but evolved over time as the need for a "less prizes" summer became my goal.

So these are now part of our children's area:



Start Menu and Task Bar stop working on Windows 10 FIXED!

Is your Windows 10 Computer giving you fits?
If your start menu and/or task bar have stopped working, it's frustrating just using your computer. You can't see your programs that you have minimized. You can't use the start menu to restart the computer. You can't see the clock. ARGH!
Before I found this fix, I had to create a new account and move files. OR if that didn't work, I had to reinstall windows completely.

Luckily, I found this fix today:

a.       On your keyboard there is a windows key (between CTRL and ALT) hit windows key + R. In the run box, type devmgmt.msc. This opens the device manager.
b.    Look for the category called Security Devices, click on the > next to it to expand the folder. You should see Microsoft’s TPM driver, called “Trusted Platform Module”, right click on it and select update.
c.  If the most current driver is installed--> right click on Trusted Platform Module and uninstall.
d. Restart computer.
e. The driver will reinstall itself and the start menu and task bar will be working again.


http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-security/creation-of-taskbar-notification-icon-failed/7f4ab113-3f9b-4efd-b101-866eda09a461

Friday, May 27, 2016

Windows 10 Dropping Wifi FIX

If you have upgraded your laptop to Windows 10 and have been frustrated by your device randomly disconnecting, I have a fix!
I have pushed Windows 10 image on several laptops and each time the laptop will randomly disconnect and I can't select a wifi to reconnect. In the past I would go to Network Settings-->Change Adapter settings--> Right Click on Wifi Adapter and Diagnose. This would eventually reconnect the wifi.

But now, with the help of a fellow techie, Dalton, I have a better solution. In your windows search box, type services. Right click on services and run as administrator. Find WLAN Autoconfig and right click-->properties. Make sure that it is set to Automatic and has started. Go to Recovery tab and make all failure lines = Restart the service. Click OK.

And your laptop will stay connected!

Yay!

Friday, May 20, 2016

You Are the Weakest WiFi Spot, Goodbye!

Do you  have weak wireless spots in your building?

Do you have patrons walking around with their devices looking for a signal?

Well, with HeatMapper, you can map our the weak spots of you WiFi system. (Netspot for Macs)

You create a map of you building, and run the program. It will show you the weakest and strongest singals. Then you can get a UniFi access point to boot your signal to the far reaches of your building!

Heatmapper: http://www.ekahau.com/wifidesign/ekahau-heatmapper

NetSpot: http://www.netspotapp.com/
If you would like to know more, visit Kim Komando's site:  http://www.komando.com/downloads/1994/pinpoint-wi-fi-issues-in-your-home-or-office

Monday, May 16, 2016

Gameboard Tracker

Summer is nearly here and I am super-excited for the sports and gaming theme this summer.


Thursday, May 12, 2016

Summer Bookmarks

This being my very first personal journey into the children's side of the summer library program I am eager to make an impression, while not biting off more than I can chew. And nerves have definitely set in on more than one occasion.



Friday, April 29, 2016

WiFi isn't Magic

Thinking about moving your patron computers? Or maybe adding a few more?
Have you thought about how your computers will be connected to the Internet?

Beware of falling into the thought, "Oh, we can just use Wifi."
Wifi isn't magic and can't just fix the issue. If you have a small network with just a household stlyle router, beware. The more you put on your wifi, the less reliable it becomes. To have a wireless library, you would need a robust  wifi network and firewall system to support it.

Here are the challenges:
If you are using a desktop computer, you will need to get a wifi adapter to connect. Which means your computer could drop the connection any time.
WiFi becomes less reliable the more devices connect to it.
Your printers need to be on the same network in order to use them on the wifi computers.
The more devices your patrons bring into the library to connect, the more your network is dropping as each device fights for a spot on the network.

I strongly suggest wiring stationary computers to the Internet. This will make their connection more reliable and secure. I also suggest wiring printers as well. I have had more printer reconnection issues when the printer is wireless than I care to relive. By wiring the desktops and printers, that leaves more wifi for the mobile devices. Your patrons will be happier and so will your techie.



Thursday, April 7, 2016

Windows 10 Weirdness

As with any version of Windows, Windows 10 has a few bugs and quirks.
My Fellow IT team at Central Kansas Library System have found some solutions, but some still allude us:

Problem: Start Menu no longer works. 
You may see an error message. OR it just might not open when you click on it. Microsoft hasn't been able to fix it yet. So my fix is, create a new account. It's always good practice to have an Admin account and then an account you use all the time. Two separate accounts. If one stops working, you can use the other to create a new one. You can save your files from the broken account easily. When you go to delete the broken account, Windows asks if you want to keep files or delete files. Keep the files. For other fixes, PCWorld had some other options.

Problem: Trouble Activating. 
Once your computer is upgraded, sometimes it cannot connect to the Microsoft Servers to activate. Don't Panic. You can still use your computer. Try again in a day and it usually goes through.  If not, try these options.


Problem: Wifi Disconnecting
1) Turn off Wifi Sense: To disable this setting, go to Wi-Fi > Network Settings > Manage Wi-Fi Settings and clear all the boxes there.
2) Right click on Start Menu-->Device Manager. Expand the Network Devices section. 
  • Right click on the wi fi connection you have there and select “Properties”
  • Click(left click) on “Configure”
  • In the upper side of the new window you will have to click(left click) on the “Power Management” tab.
  • From the “Power Management” tab you will need to uncheck the feature that says “Allow this computer to turn off this device to save power”
  • Click(left click) on “OK”
  • Reboot
3) Go to Network  Settings-->VPN. Turn off VPN settings.
4) Go to Start menu--> Settings-->Personalization-->Lock Screen-->Screen Saver--> Change Power Settings. Click "Choose When to Turn Off Display." Click "Change advanced power settings. Change the power plan to High Performance. I also change USB Settings--> User Selective Suspend Setting to DISABLED.

This might get it! Still Testing.

Problem: Printers not connected.
Best bet is to reinstall your printers. Right click on the start menu and click on 
Control Panel-->Devices and Printers. This will take you to the Windows 7 style printer window. You can remove your printer and add it again here.  http://ckls.org/images/flyers/2015_flyers/PrinterTroubleshooting101.pdf



Thursday, March 31, 2016

Have Tablets Replaced Laptops?

And Have Laptops Replaced Desktops?

Perhaps at home for the Internet browsing, app using every-man (or woman) a tablet is enough. I can pay my bills with my iPad and even write this post--albeit awkwardly. I can Facebook and Pin and read my Dear Prudence.

But I think for traveling business users the laptop is a necessity. The tablet cannot do everything the laptop can. But the laptop can do most of what the tablet does, just via browsers.

And the desktop still has a place in offices and, I think, in the Libraries. Yes, there is a place for tablets and laptops (and 3D printers and more). But a computer lab for public use is an essential part of  library life. And desktops are harder to stick under your sweater and walk out the front door.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Program Reminders

I am throwing this out into the universe because apparently there are still librarians out there who do not know about Remind.


Thursday, March 24, 2016

The $1 Million Potato Photo

Does this look familiar?


If it doesn't then you really need to dust off your pop-culture specs and take a peek online.


Monday, March 21, 2016

Computers, Libraries and DC

I am lucky enough in my career to be able to go to library conferences to continue my education in libraries and technology.

This year, I attended the Computers in Libraries conference, held annually in Washington D.C.







Of course, I made time to see the sites.


But I also learned a lot. I learned about staff training, and making it a fun staple in my workplace. So that people seek out Continuing Education opportunities in fields of their interests that they can then incorporate into the library.

I learned about makerspaces with 3D Printers (Lulzbot Mini was a common favorite), lasercutters, sewing machines, and more.

I learned about the Internet of Things with Lee Rainie, from Pew Research Center.

I also learned about holding a hack-a-thon and engaging Millenials in the library.

Cheers from DC!
It was a great trip. I learned so much. I'm now ready to try to digest it all and incorporate it into my work life.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

The Importance of Teen Advisory

I love teen groups. If you are not already on the advisory board bandwagon, climb aboard!

When I started at my new library I knew right away that the old TAB group needed to be restored AND massively restructured. Having done this before I knew why I thought the group had gone extinct. So enter TASK:



Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Novelist Plus

The Central Kansas Library System has added Novelist Plus to its consortial catalog. And...It. Is. Awesome!

You love the Hunger Games?
Novelist can suggest read-alike stand alones and series. AND (Drumroll please) it links to items ALREADY in the library catalog! So patrons can search and discover and place holds all in one place.

And if the catalog doesn't have the book you want? You can go to Novelist Plus and search and then put in a ShareIT statewide ILL. How cool is that?

Try it out on the Pathfinder Central catalog. You don't need a library card to search, just one to place holds.




I don't want to scare you, but every library needs YOU to Advocate!

I know it is a scary word, Advocate. It means contacting those legislators for whom you many not have voted. It means making a statement in writing or on the phone and taking a stance. But advocating for libraries is more than just you. A library is for your community. A library is to give children the opportunity to love reading, a place for teens to hang out and do something good, a place for adults to apply for jobs or continue learning. A library is the community meeting place for clubs and interest groups. So make sure your legislator knows how much the library means to your town. Let the representative know that you want to pay taxes for your library. Let the senator know that you support the library. And, let all your friends and colleagues and patrons know when legislation threatens your library.

Because, when you do...

The Librarians make a stand!


1) Personal website finally back up and working. 2) Here's a Storify from yesterday's hearing, that pulls together a...
Posted by Heather Braum on Tuesday, March 15, 2016

New find for summer!

I spent last week sharing ideas with other awesome librarians. First at the Northeast Kansas Library System in Topeka and then at the South Central Kansas Library System in Wichita. My presentation was "Putting on Your Game Face" and focused on teen summer ideas, but I won't by any means be ignoring children's programming in my posts.

This summer's theme for children: On Your Mark, Get Set, Read!

With this sporty theme I wanted to make sure everyone doesn't miss out on these:



These sporty Easter baskets are available at Dollar Tree right now, but we think they will be a perfect fit for themed giveaways this summer. Go hunt them down before they all disappear!


Thursday, March 10, 2016

Smoothies!

Mmmmmmm . . . .  smoothies . . .


When I heard about this summer's theme being all about sports/fitness/wellness I knew I wanted to have a smoothie day. Then I began to consider how I could go about doing it properly. After a lot of thought I decided to create what I am lovingly calling Smoothie Cubes.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Canvas Art

I love art projects. They are the perfect form of expression for teens. And this one is perfect even for the non-creatively minded of the bunch because it doesn't have to be freehand drawings.

Canvas Art



Saturday, March 5, 2016

Oversized Games

I love giant games and have been dying to try them out with my teens. So a summer theme that is centered around "Get in The Game" seems like a good time.





Friday, March 4, 2016

A Little Healthy Competition




Iron Chef battles are becoming almost ubiquitous for library teen programs and this summer should be no exception. In honor of the healthy side of things I present two options:

Sandwiches & Desserts

Both of these I figured can be done without a full kitchen. For hot sandwiches a small griddle or panini press could do the trick. And healthy desserts? That could be some delicious fun! Secret Ingredient: Banana.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Teamwork is the Key

I think teamwork is a valuable lesson that everyone should practice and this summer I would like to take the time to allow teens the opportunity in a fun atmosphere.

Here are some ideas for inspiration (sources follow):

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Mini Games

I've been seeing a lot of mini-sized sports games online for a while now and while they are predominately geared towards children I have had the urge to try them out on my teens.

And they actually seem excited about them too!



Thursday, February 25, 2016

Teen Prize Ideas




I feel like some form of prizes are essential for an awesome teen program. But what do you get them? They can be a hard bunch to please sometimes, so here's some suggestions that I think may work. I've asterisked the ones that I've used before that have awesome results.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

In Honor of the Olympics


Chocolate Olympics

Chocolate Pictionary

Use pudding as your artistic medium to draw out clues for your team.

Chocolate Unicorn

How many Oreos can you stack on your forehead?

Oreo Move

Put an Oreo on your forehead and move it to your mouth using only your facial muscles.

Relay Race

Can you quickly unwrap Kisses with gloves on?


Donut Eating Contest

Tie donuts to the ceiling & eat them hands-free.

M&M Relay

Suck an M&M with a straw and move them.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Get in the Game: Booklist 2016



Summer Library 2016

Teen Booklist

I do occasionally feel like I'm swimming in a giant vortex of books when I try to figure out what to highlight for displays and such. This summer is really no exception. So I'm going to try to keep it focused as much as possible.



 I'm keeping it all generalized and in a chaotic state, so feel free to call me out on my non-librarian organization...

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Spotlight Poetry

I'm a total fan of Blackout Poetry, but for the more creative mindset I'm going to give this a shot this summer.

their silent warning seized
her heart weakened and swayed
her blackness ran wildly away
her light emerged


You could add an extra layer to this craft to make it fit this year's theme. Try using a discarded sports book. Or maybe an old health textbook. Mental Note: Comb through my bookshelves and look for old school textbooks....