Idea Diving

Being of a curious, creative, and information-seeking bent, I naturally look for new ideas, projects, and inspiration in a variety of places. Here I have gathered links to a few of the places I've been idea diving lately. What is idea diving you may say? It's a term I just coined for the process of diving into ideas and exploring them - just like scuba diving there are recreational dives and professional dives. The depth and range of a dive will vary based on the interests and purpose of the diver or mission. So join me in idea-diving and please share some of your favorite diving locations in the comments.

Pop Goes the Page blog and Pinterest page by "Dana Sheridan (a.k.a. Dr. Dana), creator of Pop Goes the Page. I’m also the Education & Outreach Coordinator of the Cotsen Children’s Library at Princeton University. My library offers a number of story times, programs, and workshops, many of which you will find described on this blog. They’ve all been “field tested,” so feel free to replicate them in your own library, classroom, or home!" (About page)

Flannel Friday blog and Pinterest page which "celebrates and supports the art and skill of storytime by: sharing ideas; fostering community; and supporting professional development." (Mission page)

Laughing Kids Learn blog and Pinterest page where it's all about "sharing activities and ideas that make learning fun for kids!" (Pinterest tagline)

As I See It blog where Vivian the Librarian blogs about "observations on library services to children and young adults from experiences in smaller and larger public libraries in Idaho," including storytime and baby storytime plans. (Blog tagline)

When's the next [insert series] coming out?

I love pinterest. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you need to check it out. www.pinterest.com
I use it for recipes, DIY projects, tattoos, and especially library ideas. I am nothing if not a nerd and I embrace it. 
I saw this pin today. And feel the need to share the love

And who wouldn't love a blog titled, "Smells Like Library"

I love the whiteboard idea. Especially with book covers. Sometimes a series book comes out YEARS after the last one and by then fickle kids may have forgotten how much they enjoyed the series. This is a perfect way to provide readers advisory and keep new books fresh in their mind. And it's easy to update. My only change is that I would include the author. 

Now my library has two separate areas for Juvenile and YA? Do I get one white board or two?

I Bow Down to the Display Queen

 

I am always looking for ideas and Pinterest* has been groovy about providing me with everything I need to sail through the creative part of my library life. Need a SLP program idea or craft? Done! Need ideas for Halloween? Done!  Need a booklist featuring transportation for the tots? Done? Need some great book quotes/pictures or whatever? Done! Need a new blog to follow? Done! Need early literacy activities for your baby area? Done!

I could go on but you get the point.  One of the blogs I discovered is Rachel Maoni: The  Crafty Life of an Almost Librarian. She is an artist and does these cool library displays...and she shares the how-to!  Her blog today had this amazing Banned Books display. Wow.

* And good news, fans, you don't need to wait for an invite anymore to use the site. Go forth!

It’s Flannel Friday—Have you heard?

Anna Haase Krueger, a YSS member, is the Youth Services Librarian/Assistant Library Director of Antigo Public Library. Anna blogs daily in her head, and sporadically at Future Librarian Superhero .  You can also find her on Twitter using @opinionsbyanna, where she is not as funny as she thinks but is occasionally relevant.

For those of us who do Storytimes, flannel (or felt) stories are a way of life. Many of us create our own pieces using craft felt and a good sharp pair of scissors. Have you ever spent hours laboring over a new set and wanted to show it off? Wasted precious time trying to think of a flannel board extension activity for your theme?  Wondered what else you could use a particular set for?

You, my friend, need Flannel Friday.

What is Flannel Friday?

On Fridays, storytime bloggers post pictures of flannel sets that they’ve made. Sometimes they include instructions, templates, or suggested uses for the pieces. Then, everyone who participates takes turn ‘hosting’ Flannel Friday and collects all the links into one place for that week’s round up. It’s a great way to connect with other librarians, get inspired, and show off your own work.  Occasionally, we have a Flannel Friday Extravaganza, which is a themed round up.  I hosted the Mushy Gushy Valentine’s Day Extravaganza recently, so if you’re looking ahead to plan your Valentine’s Day storytime there’s plenty of inspiration there.

But wait, there’s more!

Flannel Friday also has a Pinterest page, a fabulous visual collection of ALL the past Flannel Friday contributions. It’s perfect for browsing and searching for theme-specific ideas.  Flannel Friday also has a Facebook group, full of fantastic conversations, idea sharing, and crowd-sourcing (dare I say I prefer the Flannel Friday Facebook group to a list serve? I do).  

Want to get involved?

·         Anne over at So Tomorrow keeps Flannel Friday in line, with a schedule of upcoming hosts, and links to all the past round ups. She also does a great job explaining how to get involved, so rather than reinventing the wheel I’ll send you to her.

·         You can get a Flannel Friday badge (like the one above) to put on your blog from Melissa over at Mel’s Desk  She’s the one who started it all and is a fantastic resource.

·         Using Twitter is one of the best ways to get involved with the Flannel Friday community and get to know people. Get started by doing a search for the hashtag #flannelfriday and following the people who contribute.

An Interest in Pinterest

Today we have a guest blog from our YSS colleague Cassie Payne (Miss Pippi) from Menasha's Public Library!

Social Media is still a buzz word. Usually, it involves contacting your patrons, friends, or co-workers in new way and (hopefully) starting conversations with them. Let me introduce you to a new player on the Social Media front:  Pinterest.

Pinterest might be an old hat to some readers but if it’s new to you I would encourage you to stop by their website. Essentially, Pinners (Pinterest members) are creating virtual boards from pictures available on the World Wide Web. Browsers will find a wide variety of information available from fashion to food to early literacy and more! Many bloggers have their own Pinterest page and include a Pinterest button on their blog so people can easily follow them (as well as their Facebook and Twitter accounts). I started my own board a while ago and it has come in handy while collecting ideas for storytimes, programs, and bulletin boards. If others in your department or library have an account, Pinners can easily share ideas with one another.

If you’re interested in playing around with Pinterest, a new Webinar was just announced! Jill Patchin and Jessi Peterson (Eau Claire) and Georgia Jones are working together to show how they use Pinterest at the library.  I am looking forward to tuning in next year. Here’s a link if you would like more information about Pinterest for Librarians: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/224372166.

Happy pinning, friends!

Miss Pippi the Librarian

http://pinterest.com/misspippi/

Image: 'Pricks'  http://www.flickr.com/photos/78433558@N00/253796692