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.

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.

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...

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....

Harry Potter

July 31st we will have another novel in the Potterverse. And I know two Geeks who are super-excited!

In honor of this I know I'm doing some Potter-esque programs this summer and one in particular ties in nicely with the sporty theme this summer:

QUIDDITCH!

Saving with Library Tech

Did you know that non-profit organizations like public libraries qualify for significantly reduced software licenses like in Microsoft Office and Windows Operating system licenses?

It's actually quite easy to apply.

1)  The first thing you need to do, is to create a TechSoup member account for yourself!

What you will need is:

    First and last name

    Email address

    Password

    Member name; shows up in online posts and comments

    Sign up for weekly and monthly notifications from TechSoup

 

2) The next thing to do is to register your Organization:

    To find out if your library is registered, go to:

    <http://harvester.census.gov/imls/search/index.asp>.

Then search for your library. I suggest using only your library name, or zipcode. If you put in anything that doesn't match exactly, it will not give you any results. What you are looking for is an FSCS ID. Be aware! There were two entries for Great Bend, one said the FSCS ID was KS0052, the other that it was KS0052-002. KS0052-002 is the correct number!

3) Now, go back to TechSoup. Log-in with your personal information. Go to manage my account and click on "Register My Organization" Enter your library information. Here you want to be sure you select the last option, Non-501(c)(3) Public Library, unless you are SURE, your library has obtained a 501(c)(3) status documentation. This will make all the paperwork much easier. So, select that option, and enter your FSCS ID and click on "Find Your Organization."

If it finds your library, you are ready to go to the next section. If not, you need to enter your library information and get it registered. There will be a link at the bottom asking you to try again, or register your organization. Click on register.

You need to enter an association code that is at least 7 letters long. This will link you to your library so that you can request donations for it.

You will need to enter your library contact information, and your annual operating budget. Click continue when done.

 

4) Qualify and Request product donations.

Non 501(c)(3) Libraries do not need to document tax status, because it can be verified on the IMLS website.

TO request donations, you must be a member with an individual account. Your library must be registered and be "qualified" by TechSoup. You must be an authorized agent for your library, and it must be eligible to receive the products requested.

SO, the important thing is, make sure that you choose, Non-501(c)(3) Library from the list. It makes the paper work much easier!

Doodle Balls

We acknowledge that this is a weird title for a post, but alas our creative juices are a bit flummoxed.

But it does seem aptly named.

This is a Doodle Ball:

Is this not delightfully simple?

Reader's Advisory Websites

Here are some great sites to help you help your patrons.

Mysteries: Stop, You're Killing Me

Romance: All About Romance

Series: FictFact OR What's Next

General: BookishRecommends OR WhichBook OR The Reader's Advisor Online

Pen Names: Also Known As 

Graphic Novels: No Flying No Tights

Baseball Bracelet

I love creative jewelry so I've so excited to try my hand at this