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. ...