I have exciting news! The Cherokee Public Library was one of 200 libraries selected to receive a $3,000 Libraries Transforming Communities grant from the American Library Association.  In September 2020, ALA announced plans to award nearly $2 million to small and rural libraries in 2020 and 2021 to help them address issues of concern in their communities. ...

Hello again, readers! I was amazed by the response a few weeks ago regarding Libby and access to e-magazines and audiobooks offered by the Cherokee Public Library! Not even halfway through the month, we have doubled magazine usage and have added several new users to the system. It’s results like this which help inform the library board and myself which direction to take (as well as what I should probably talk more about in this space.)...

Hello again, readers! From time to time, I like to give insight into what it is like being the director of the library. For the most part, it is an extremely rewarding job which I am eternally grateful to serve. There are a lot of difficult things to do like any job, and one of the most difficult I find is copyright law...

Did you know that you have access to over 70 magazines anywhere with your library card and the Libby app? Yes! You can view the latest volumes of your favorite magazines such as People, O: the Oprah Magazine, The Pioneer Woman, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, and many more with the Libby app, which is a free resource connected to your library card...

Hello again readers. Recently, the library has decided to step back from our efforts to continue fully reopening back to phase 1 for the next few weeks. A few of the notable features of that phase is that we have closed bathroom access to the public, computer terminal access is removed, and we will not be hosting in person programming at the library. This last rule isn’t much of a surprise with the Governor’s proclamation, but let me explain the other two...

It’s been a little while since we have had regular esports and gaming programming at the library. Truly, it has been a little difficult to coordinate gaming for tweens and teens which can be accessible and equitable to the needs of our community. I know I tend to ramble on about inter connectivity, but that has been a major thorn in our side with providing programming at the library on a digital platform. ...

The Future Ready with the Library grant the Cherokee Public Library received through the IMLS has finished its final analysis and published its findings. While I’ll spare you all the spoilers of the findings of the report, one of Cherokee’s major findings was how important soft skills are in the workforce, and that soft skills were generally lacking in new workers...

According to Census data, Cherokee’s population over the age of 65 is nearly 25%. With that information in mind, the library has been exploring ways to ensure that we are effectively serving our senior population. Actually, the library currently has several ways that it serves our senior population...

Once again, it is that time of the year when the Friends of the Cherokee Public Library start to think about Book Baskets! For the 21st consecutive year, the Friends will hold a book basket silent auction. All proceeds will benefit the library in various ways such as the annual Summer Reading Program and the purchase of audiobooks and books in large print...

There are stacks of books in the library’s staff room in neat, towering piles. The library staff is doing this as a best practice to sanitize our materials under the IMLS REALM project. What is this you may ask, well... As libraries around the country resume operations and reopen to the public, the need for clear information regarding the handling of library and archival materials has become increasingly urgent for the protection of patrons, staff, and the material in question...

Hello again, readers! If you have stopped by the library recently, you will have seen that the newsletter has changed a little. Traditionally, the newsletter was a bit text heavy, with a fairly small font that was italicized. There was a ton of great information in the newsletter such as events happening, graphics about different programming which was available on different dates, and also the list of new titles coming out that month. ...

The library had quite a bit of excitement on Friday, August 21 with a swarm of bees taking up residence in the southern giant spruce tree in front of the library. The bees landed right before noon and made themselves comfortable and had a nice rest until our amazing local conservationist, Laura Jones, came to save both the library and the bees around 4. ...

Hello, readers! I’m unsure about you all, but the end of the summer in the library world usually means a return to meetings. There are so many different meetings! We have county library meetings, state library meetings, yearly library conferences, regional workshops, and so many more events through the fall leading into the holiday season. In recent years, these have taken the shape of virtual meetings. In all cases, these meetings will be Zoom meetings or meetings done with video conferencing. ...

Hello again, readers! Last week I touched on some of the policies which have changed at the Cherokee Public Library, but I would be remiss if I did not talk about the governing body of the library; our board of trustees. The board is an amazing group of community members who volunteer their time to make our community such an amazing place to live. ...

I recently was able to sit down with a patron to discuss a memorial left in honor of Wilma Wynk. You see, Wilma was a longtime library user who cherished her time getting to visit the library and getting to chat  with the librarians while also finding new books which quickly became some of her favorites which she would cherish and share with her friends and family. ...

This column is a continuation of last week’s titled “New Opportunities”. A quick summary of last week is that the library is reevaluating job descriptions with the goal of better serving the community. This is needed especially now in the era of COVID-19. The article discussed how Judy, one of our longtime librarians would focus more on data and helping manage the budget while the new position which is still in the process of being filled will focus on tech and programming at the library...

With the library reopening, things feel like they’re slowing returning to normalcy. With that in mind, here are a few things to remember as the library transitions into reopening: This is newer for us, so please be patient with the staff as we try and help you in the stacks. ...

I'm not sure how many have read the press release by now, but the Cherokee Public Library was not able to open on the May 1 date we were given by the governor. There's a few reasons behind this, and this is by no means political. At the library, we have been working for well over the last year on various projects to help the library's long term plan of being a place in the community to gather, as well as learn. ...

Happy National Library Week, readers! While I wish we could spend this week together appreciating the library and what libraries mean for our communities, this year we will have the chance to reflect on what a library looks like within our own home. This year the theme for library week was supposed to be along the lines of “discover the library”. However, with so many libraries being closed to the public, the theme has been changed to “discover the library at home.”...

Last Friday was our director, Zach’s, last day serving at the Cherokee Public Library. For nearly four years Zach served as the director to oversee the bureaucratic obligations of the library such as preparing reports for the state library, paying bills, and overseeing all our staff. ...

I’ve wondered a few times what life would be like as a library consultant where I focus on pedagogy and helping other libraries implement programming based on community interest. Now, I’m thinking it would be insufferably boring. Lately, the staff here at the library have been held up in the building working on much needed projects like replacing old barcodes which do not read properly and a much-needed inventory to see what precisely is missing from the collection and how we can make our online catalog better reflect what’s on the shelves. ...

COVID-19 has a lot of us freaked out. I had written this column earlier on to assure everyone the library had a plan to address concerns about the illness and steps we had been taking to minimize transmission. Some of the steps we had taken were to remove toys and begin sanitizing surfaces as they were used by patrons. ...

Hello again, Cherokee readers! As promised I have a bit of a wrap-up of my experience and take-aways from my Nashville trip to the Public Library Association (PLA) national conference. I wanted to note that Cherokee in no way paid for my attendance to the conference. ...

I had planned on retelling my stories from what I had taken away from the Public Library Association conference this week and the terrible tornadoes that hit Nashville, but this week I would like to remember our board member, Ruth Hayes. For those of you who haven’t heard, Ruth was a member of our library board and an outstanding educator...

Despite it being late February, planning for our annual Summer Learning Program has pretty much ended! The Cherokee Public Library as well as other librarians from northwest Iowa met last week in Orange City to discuss practices, exchange ideas, and book talk suggested titles to highlight. ...

STEM at the Library The library has been fortunate to receive funding for STEM. We really have received a TON of funding for STEM programming. In all, the amount for STEM alone is well north of $10,000 just in programming and supplies we have received from the Iowa Governor’s STEM Council, Prenda and our IMLS grant, Google, and many other generous funders. ...

We’re well into award season with the Golden Globes, Grammy’s and soon the Oscars. I know it sounds a little weird to bring this up as a librarian, but this is also the time of year that book awards come out. Every January at the ALA Midwinter Conference the Newberry, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, and other awards are announced in a panel called the Youth Media Awards...

January again? To me, at least, January feels like it takes seventy percent of the year. The gray slog of dirty snow and bone-chilling temperatures is certainly my least favorite part of living in Iowa (I often joke that I’m relocating to the desert to live in a yurt with two pet Gila Monsters to eat any intruding scorpions.) With January comes inevitable resolutions to better ourselves in the new year. ...

This is the time of year where we are giving. From Giving Tuesday earlier in the month to the gift exchanges families have been attending recently, December is the month where we reflect with friends and family on all of the riches life has blessed us and share that with others. We are especially grateful for all of the gifts we have been given at the library, and all that we are able to give back in programming and materials for the fine citizens of Cherokee and beyond...

The Youth Services department recently had another teen advisory board meeting. The board is a group of teens who frequent the library for materials or programming and who want to give back or have a say in the direction of the future of the youth department. ...

Since my last article, the Cherokee Public Library co-hosted an event at Cherokee Middle School on the topic of careers in STEM and the library was actually highlighted as one of the careers in STEM. I know that it may sound a little weird saying that a librarian is a STEM career, but library services are extremely digital with how information management systems (IMS) control workflows for most of the library’s major tasks such as populating our catalog to keeping track of the thousands of patrons who have library cards and materials out at any given time. ...

Wow, after what felt like six months of January, the summer came, school started, we had a quick Halloween, and now Christmas is here! That usually means that we are all super stressed on the weekends having to go out and track down that perfect gift (which has probably been a lot harder with all the snow we have recently had)...

November is a month is which gratitude is expressed for the blessings in our lives. There are a multitude of reasons to be thankful for libraries. Here are ten for the sake of brevity:...

Hello again, readers! Cherokee had an amazing opportunity last Wednesday to host regional training for librarians on the topic of building story time toolkits. I know that story time doesn’t sounds necessarily like a “skill”, in that what typically comes to mind is sitting in a circle on our pockets with our hands on our lap. Don’t make a sound though, or the librarian will give you a “SHHHHH” hurricane of shame!...

The library has been fortunate to be in the paper a lot recently. Not because of controversy like other libraries, but because staff has been working hard to both provide programming and new opportunities for you, our patrons. One of these opportunities is the esports team in the youth department...

Hello again, readers! I figured today I would talk about some of the Halloween events we have going on at the library since we’re so close to the spooky day! Halloween has always been my favorite holiday of the year. I grew up loving mystery and horror literature, and Halloween embodies the entire eerie mystique I craved from authors like R.L. ...

I wanted to take a chance in this article to thank the Friends of the Library. For those of you who do not know, a Friends group can help raise funds for special library projects. Friends groups are excellent at attracting publicity and encouraging good public relations and good will for a library, and our Friends group is no exception...

As I am sure most of you know by now, there have been a lot of changes at the Cherokee Public Library over the last few months. Our first major change was from our old inventory software to Apollo. The migration has gone extremely well thanks to staff who were willing to learn new workflows, processes, and take on extra responsibilities. ...

Public school season has started, and it’s going to be quite the adjustment in the youth department not having the banter between kiddos for a better part of my day. Now, my day rearranges to more afternoon and evening shifts when youth traditionally come to the library. ...

Summer 2019 is officially in the books! A great time was to be had for all of our summer reading participants, both youth and adult. We had hundreds of books logged and thousands of pages read, all in the spirit of continuing to read even when the weather is inviting us to spend our time outside rather than in. ...

This week I thought about writing a couple of book reviews. Book reviews are popular, right? Here’s the thing though, just about every review I have ever seen or read I have disagreed with on major aspects. Rarely am I with the consensus on a particular subject. The recent Avenger’s movie was just “alright” in my opinion, and the most recent season of Stranger Things was “decent”...

It’s hard to believe that the back-to-school aisles are being set at stores, thus heralding in the end of summer 2019. In mere weeks the kiddos will line up and be ushered into their new classrooms for the long school day. That’s something my mom always told me when I complained about going to school, “the school day is long, but the year is short and next summer will be here before you know it.” Sometimes I wish these years hadn’t gone by so fast...

June had been a wonderful month with the start of the youth summer reading program. While I talk a lot about our various events, I’m not sure how many in the community know what goes into planning the summer reading program, or the timeframe in which we prepare for the summer. ...

Here comes the sun, and I say, “It’s all right.” Finally, we’re inching towards summer and summer reading! I cannot wait to see all the kiddos enjoying their summer breaks and reading and staying engaged in the process. In the coming weeks I will publish more details about the specifics of the “Universe of Stories.”...

With April being national poetry month, I feel that this is a good topic to write about. Poetry is actually fairly well suited and represented in children’s literature and comes in many different varieties such as nursery rhymes, limericks, haikus, and many more. ...

What does the library mean to you? How about your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews? How about the health of the community as a whole? These are some of the questions I grapple with as a librarian, especially when trying to identify resources the community lacks and can utilize. How does a librarian find out this information though?...

Have you ever felt like there’s nothing at the library that you want to read? Is your to-read list long than your arm, or has it filled what was “supposed” to be a memo book? You’re not alone. I have this happen a lot with kiddos who come into the library. ...

I was having a conversation the other day with a teacher who remarked that there isn’t a lot of middle school level literature about farming or agricultural life. I can’t say that I disagree either. Sure, when the kiddos come in we can point them towards literature on many different topics from tractors, to animal husbandry, and even soil conservation. ...

One of the key components of the Cherokee Public Library is to serve as an extension of the classroom through various educational opportunities provided for our patrons. What better way to find and connect with resources than with your local library?...

As promised in my last column, the Youth Media Awards were held on January 28, and I have somewhat of a recap on the award winners and trends. I’m purposely being a bit vague on plots and details, as I detest when previews or reviews give up far too much information about a book...

Hello again, readers! It’s a new year, and that means that it is also awards season for all of the great works produced and debut in 2018. In a lot of cases we probably think about the Golden Globes or Oscars as the only awards which are relevant. I’ll just stop you right there from thinking such nonsense, because it is also book award time! Within the youth department, we follow the Youth Media Awards closely, as it gives a barometer on what is not only relevant, but what makes for great contemporary literature for our patrons.. ...

Can you believe winter break is almost here?! While we at the Cherokee Public Library certainly hope it will be a peaceful and restful one for your family, we also want to make sure your children go back to school in January eager and ready to learn, and that can be a little difficult breaking the normal school-day routine. Here are a few tips that we have which can help make sure the holiday break goes over well!...

It’s December! Which I really can’t believe. I’m pretty sure I just wrote my first article of 2018, but, here we are. We’ve got a lot of great stuff coming up in December that I will tell you about, however, I want to let you know about our new furniture. ...

December Tidings I hope all our readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with family, friends, and of course, food! I know at the library staff were talking about our plans to head off on destination Thanksgiving gatherings, and in some cases staying home to help care for family members. Anyhow, now that the turkey has officially relinquished its hold on the month, it’s time for Christmas, and the youth department has a TON of activities happening in the month of December...

It’s November, and that means it's NaWriMo time! NaWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is an annual, Internet-based creative writing project that takes place during the month of November. Participants attempt to write a 50,000 word manuscript between November 1 and November 30...

As you may have read or heard by now, the Cherokee Public Library was one of 25 libraries nationally awarded a Future Ready with the Library grant. Essentially, this initiative focuses on getting middle schoolers engaged and actively thinking about college and career readiness. What’s most exciting about this grant is that youth will get to learn about opportunities within the community, and will focus on employers who hire and need skilled workers right here in Cherokee...

Hello again readers! I figured today I would talk about some of the Halloween events we have going on at the library since we’re so close to the spooky day! Halloween has always been my favorite holiday of the year. I grew up loving mystery and horror literature, and Halloween embodies all of the eerie mystique I craved from authors like R.L. Stine, Lemony Snicket, and eventually Stephen King, Lovecraft, and Poe. The library has a lot to offer to youth who would like a good scare for literature...

Forget what you know about the library of the 20th century. You know, those dark places with clunky microfilm machines fossilizing in the basement and rows of encyclopedias standing, perfectly alphabetized, in denial of their obsolescence. While the library (especially the youth department) is focused on literacy, we do not specialize in merely books anymore. The library is focused on the needs of the community and sharing resources which otherwise may not be widely available or accessible...

I know that I say that I have a lot of favorites about my job at the library, but giving book recommendations is easily one of the top five, because it can completely change the life of an individual by helping them discover new worlds or ideas which they have not contemplated. ...

Just because summer is over and the school year has begun anew, that does not mean that you (or your kids) should stop reading. I understand that it can be hard to find the time (or energy) to read with the stresses of a long school day, but here are a few of my tips to help keep you and yours in the habit of reading:...

I’m not sure if you have heard, but the Cherokee Public Library now has a 3D printer. While it is not quite ready for public use, it is a pretty impressive piece of technology. For most people (or nerds), 3D printing conjures notions of the Star Trek replicator—a computerized machine that could turn a verbal command into 3-dimensional objects, including food items (note: there are actually chocolate 3D printers too, and I would absolutely love having one just for the novelty of owning it). ...

Hello, August! I know I say this often, but man, summer sure was a whirlwind and it is hard to believe that school is starting in mere weeks! The summer reading program had great participation, with over 120 youth participating! Through baseball, summer vacations, family reunions, and the busy fair circuit, these kids found the time every day to take a few minutes and read...

With summer reading season having reached its end and August on the horizon, the youth department is regaining a sense of normalcy. Don’t get me wrong, as there are still a TON of activities going on in the youth department such as our guest reader story time, to maker Mondays, to the ever-popular gamer brigade. ...

Summer is finally here, and man did it take its sweet time getting here. I know Iowa winters are unpredictable, but this winter past did not want to leave and when it was time to change seasons, went out with a vengeance. With the area schools releasing for summer break in the next few weeks, that means that summer reading season has begun! The library has plenty of programming and activities to rock on through the summer with this year’s theme of “Libraries Rock”...

Man, do I feel old sometimes. This is especially true when it comes to our Gamer Brigade, which runs on the third or fourth Thursday of the month (it’s the first Thursday with a 20 to be precise.) Those who participate discuss their new consoles with all of the new games (for those wondering Fortnite has taken over most of the discussion recently.) In all, I love Gamer Brigade because it takes an otherwise single player activity and introduces a social aspect, in that players are in the same room as each other and develop strategies or resolve conflicts in the moment rather than eyelling at a screen. ...

The difference between something being created and something being made is that when something is created, it is brought into existence out of nothing. But, when something is made it has been formed out of something else that already exists. With that being said, I love technology more than anything else intangible in this world and hope to share that love and creative spark within the Makerspace at the library. ...

I am in a bit of a nostalgic mood as I write this; having been visited by Mrs. Nelson’s fifth grade classroom. Easily my favorite part of my new position at the library is the outreach opportunities within the community and watching young readers come in; daring to discover through the stacks and shelves, and forging their own love of reading...

Seeing how this is my first article in my new position here at the Cherokee Library; I had thought about saying something insightful and inspiring about the wonders of reading. Really, all of that sounds rather cloying and disingenuous. Just in case you did not see or read the front-page headline a week ago, I was not much of a reader growing up. ...