Library Activities: August 2014

Programming – Sandy Library

August 1st was the monthly Library Coffee House as part of Main Street’s First Friday.  We hosted singer/songwriter Caroline Hecht to the great enjoyment of approximately 150 visitors.

Summer Reading – Sandy and Hoodland Libraries

August 17th  was the last day to turn in reading log from the Summer Reading Program.  Here are our final program statistics:

Sandy Library
Signups: 581
Finishers: 103

Hoodland Library 
Signups: 79
Finishers: 12

And for the Teen programs:
Sandy Library  Signups: 186    Finishers: 41

Hoodland Library  Signups: 17   HO Finishers: 4

The grand prizes for the kids and teens raffle were iPad Minis. We also gave away Lego kits, book sets, t-shirts, and “Robot Arm” toys. Each child who finished received a new paperback book. 

SRprizewinnerA photo of our Kid’s Grand Prize Winner with their new iPad Mini!

 Community Involvement

On August 4th, Library Director Sarah McIntyre attended the Hoodland Women’s Club luncheon meeting to give a quick update on the future move of the Hoodland Library.  Sarah will speak to the group in January to gather input on the building process.

Staff Training and Planning

On August 13th seven staff members met to discuss programming at the library and create a framework for the coming year.  Many of the libraries upcoming programs can be found on pages 20-21 of the City of Sandy Recreation Guide.  Stay tuned for additional programs!

On August 20th and 27th Staff training was offered by Librarians Maureen Skinner and Monica Smith to prepare for combining the Reference Desk and the Kid’s Service Desk.  Staff learned how to answer Reference questions, and how to troubleshoot the public computers.  On Sunday August 31st staff and the Friends of the Library worked together to remove the large desk at the entrance to the Kids’ Room, and created a smaller approachable desk in the same spot.   There has been a great deal of positive feedback on the more visible and accessible aspects to the new layout.

City-wide Events

Seven library employees helped set up and serve at the Volunteer Picnic, thanking our wonderful volunteers that do so very much for us.

 Marketing

Sandy Library – In August the theme of our adult display was Let’s Get Cooking. This was to acknowledge the harvest/canning season. There were a total of 9 items checked out.

Hoodland Library – We have an Oregon Battle Of the Book (OBOB) display!

Library Activities: July 2014

Staffing

July 1 marked the official start of the new Sandy and Hoodland Public Library Director.  Each staff member met with the Director to give input and share information about the library.  A management team was created, and planning has begun to reorganize and create efficiencies so that staff can work on creating a dynamic program plan for the coming year.

sarah

Programs

Two out of our four book clubs took a summer hiatus. The women’s book club will start up again in September and the Evening Mystery club will reconvene in October.

On July 3 & 8, Alton Chung brought stories and tales to life at the Sandy and Hoodland Libraries.  Families enjoyed hearing traditional native american tales, as well as, coming of age stories from Chung’s own childhood.altonchung

 July 15 & 17  Mad Science at Hoodland and Sandy Libraries.  Crazy experiments presented by Molly Molecule.

madscience

July 16 Teen Program – All about Henna Tattooing.  Popular and fun.  Teens learned about henna tattoos and tattooed themselves and each other.

July 22 & 24 Red Yarn Hoodland and Sandy Libraries.  Great interactive stories, games, and dancing about how to be a Naturalist.

redyarn

July 29 Dragon Theater at Hoodland

July 1 & 31 We started and ended the month with Bricks for Kidz LEGO program.  Families at Hoodland and Sandy Library had lots of fun! Though attendance was limited by those the presenter, those who did attend loved it. The success of the event has inspired the start of a (soon to be announced) LEGO club at the library.

lego2

Summer Reading sign-up  numbers:  Sandy: 581 kids, 186 teens. Hoodland: 79 Kids, 17 Teens

Marketing

Twenty-one books were checked out from the July “SUMMER FUN” adult book display.

We solicited community involvement in the process of choosing books, gathering pieces, and setting up a display featuring our great arts and crafts books with projects completed from them.  There are some beautiful projects, and it’s our best display yet!  Come in and see it in August.

artdisplayartdisplay2

Library Board Meeting

The Library Advisory Board met on June 16th.  The Board had lots of energy and ideas, and is looking forward to participating in a Strategic Planning process for the Sandy and Hoodland Libraries.

Library Activities: June 2014

Summer Reading

  • We signed up 531 kids for Summer Reading at Sandy and 63 at Hoodland
  • We signed up 137 Teens for Summer Reading at Sandy and 17 at Hoodland

Programs at the Sandy Library

  • On June 3rd, three people attended the Technology Tutoring class for one-on-one assistance to help them negotiate their device or computer.
  • The First Friday Coffee House was held June 6th. Brady Goss, honky tonk piano player extraordinaire, was a huge hit. We had people start arriving more than an hour before, and it was a full house all night (200 +). Brady is such a talented and delightful performer, he has created quite a following here.
  • June 14th was the Bigfoot party and Summer Reading Program kick off.We celebrated William Stafford by reading “Everyone Out Here Knows.” Kids went on a scavenger hunt, and made a craft.  During the scavenger hunt a boy said, “There he is! I see Bigfoot!”. His mom promptly shushed him and told him to pay attention. Then a couple of girls squealed in delight and excitement,  “Look, look! It’s Bigfoot!”.  Kids went running to look out the windows to spot the elusive Bigfoot.  Bigfoot (Tracy Brown in a gorilla costume) did make a number of appearances,  peeking in the windows and then dashing off.  20 kids and 15 adults attended.
  • June 19th was Greta Pedersen’s Science Of Sound Program. Greta sang and showed the kids the science behind sound. 56 kids and 25 adults attended.

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  • On June 26th the Dragon Theater Puppets presented the show “You’re Electric”.  50 kids and 25 adults attended.

Programs at the Hoodland Library:

At Hoodland Library Greta Pedersen did her “Science of Sound” show on June 17th. 10 kids and 10 adults attended.

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Outreach
The final Vista program of the school year was held on June 5th, with a small screen showing of the VISTA KIDS VIDEO for those who missed the big show.  The group also visited over books and made a craft. Many kids expressed the desire to continue the programs during the summer.
Technology
The Hoodland Library has WiFi!  Library patrons are catching on and starting to appear with their laptops to take advantage of the service.
Beth Scarth’s Retirement
The library staff had a Tex-Mex potluck lunch for Beth on June 26th.The food was excellent and Beth enjoyed herself. Chris had Curt get her favorite chocolate cake from Costco.  Lots of laughs were shared.

retirementday

Later that same day, the Library closed for 2 hours so the staff could attend the official retirement party at the Community Center.  Beth received a glass clock with the inscription on the front, “I have Tourette’s too!”.  It made her laugh and allowed her to share her favorite library moment with the guests, which made everyone laugh.

Mayor King surprised Beth by presenting her with a dedication plaque for the fireplace room.  It was a very touching moment.  Goodbye Beth!  Thanks for all the great years, and we know we’ll be seeing you soon.

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New Library Director

New Library Director, Sarah McIntyre, worked closely with Beth during the first week of June to allow for a smooth transition for this big change.  Sarah, staff, and volunteer Alberta are pictured below.

SAstaff