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. ...