Going Green is going well

Library programs for this month have really done well! We have had many participants with our usual standby programs (storytime, foreign flicks, book discussions, etc.) and have attracted more than usual numbers for our Going Green presentations and workshops. Hopefully, we see that same interest in April and May.

Upcoming events include: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint on Thursday, April 9 at 6:00pm and Colossal Craft Clean-Up Day on Monday, April 13 from 1-3pm. These events are going to be around the same time as when our school-aged kids will be out of school, so it can either be very well-attended or not so much. We're hoping for the best.

Our Foreign Flick for this month is Elling from Norway. This movie will be shown on Monday, April 6 at 6:00pm and Tuesday, April 7 at 1:00pm. I hope many come to see this, since it is hilarious! Try The Odd Couple meets One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. It was nominated for an Academy Award, and I can see why! It is rated R though for language and some sexual content (but pretty tame, really).

Library Gaming

The last week has really been busy with all the new programs and getting ready for future ones. We're trying to get a grant from the American Library Association for video gaming at the library, and getting all the paperwork involved is a lot of work! I called a library that had been awarded an LSTA grant from the State of Illinois, and the children's librarian there was wonderful! Magi Henderson at Glen Carbon Public Library was very helpful and encouraging; she gave a lot of insight into what needs to be done to make video gaming at the library work. Great practical ideas come from libraries that have this program under their belt. Thanks so much, Magi!

I looked into what other libraries have tried from their websites, and I am so impressed with what is out there! If anyone ever needs the information to write a grant, it's all available for anyone who is willing to look. I didn't have to look too hard to find what I needed. Thanks to all the librarians out there for all their work in detailing their "best practices!"

Foreign Film: "Silent Waters" (Pakistan)

It's foreign film night at the library! Tonight, we will be showing Silent Waters (Khamosh Pani) from Pakistan. I watched it several months ago, and decided to make it part of our series because of its emotional and visual impact. It just struck me as something everyone needs to watch so that the events that were being portrayed in this film should never happen again. The story was so gripping that I remember crying when I first viewed it. This film is part of the Human Rights Watch film series which "annually endorses selected First Run titles that shed light on human rights abuses throughout the world." I hope that everyone who comes to see this film takes away from it something special and fulfilling as I did. This movie will be shown twice: Monday, March 9 at 6:00pm and Tuesday, March 10 at 1:00pm. Free popcorn and soda will be provided. Go to our website to sign up or find more information http://www.quincylibrary.org

We're getting our new book club newsletters out in the mail. The copier is working overtime trying to print them all out. Katie Kraushaar, book club coordinator, and I will try to get all the labels printed and attached. Those newsletters need to go out to as many people as possible! Please read about all the great books our book clubs have planned for the next three months. Our foreign flicks will also be included, with their descriptions and show times.

Going Green @ your library!

We are on the first week of our new library programming series-Going Green @ your library. We decided on this theme because Earth Day just happens to be in April; and with the new focus on "green" topics, we thought we would have humongous amounts of people people interested in learning more about taking care of the world we all share. And boy, did we ever! The first day that we put the new brochures out, we had several calls on signing up for programs, purchasing our new "green" tote bags, and getting more information about some of our presentations. This gave us lots of encouragement! If we have people curious about our topics, they might actually come to our programs!

Our first program will be this Thursday, March 5 at 6:00pm. Carrie Edgar, from the University of Illinois Extension Office, will speak on Go Green: Eat Local! She'll speak on locally grown produce and why buying these fruits and vegetables will help the environment and your pocketbook. I have a give-away basket to raffle off with plenty of local products. I wish I could win it!

We lots more in store for Going Green. The locally grown foods program is part of our Living Green program series. We'll have those every other Thursday from March to May (give or take some Thursdays-you'll have to check out our website for the dates). Then, we have our Trash to Treasures Recycled Art Workshops on Saturdays (not all Saturdays-just choice ones. Ditto on checking out the website for specific dates).
www.quincylibrary.org

We also have a Green Teen Challenge that asks local teens to be more "earth conscious" by writing down times that they have been good to our planet. Little things like turning off the lights when they aren't being used and biking to destinations instead of driving are some examples. The big prize is a Wii Fit! I hope the person who wins, owns a Wii or I'll have to take it home myself (lol).