Creative Programming Across the Year

Our Creative Programming poster

This poster was presented for my Youth Services in Libraries and Information Centers course with a group of friends/ colleagues detailing creative programming ideas for the year at a fictitious middle school library. We showcased different programs that included a Character Masquerade, a Relic Search, Social Networking Workshops for teens and parents, Gaming Club and participation in National Gaming Day in the Library, a book mobile, and a web space for teens to post blog talks, book talks, and zine talks.
My contributed ideas were Social Networking Workshops and Gaming Nights/ National Gaming Day in the Library. Social networking has become a popular trend in the 21st century. Social networking sites are open to anyone and everyone. Most teens register for these sites but are not educated on how to safely use these sites. These workshops would be offered to help students set up social networking profiles safely, understand their benefits, learn Gabout privacy and internet safety, and discover the many ways we can use social networking in and out of the classroom. Parents will also be invited to sessions to educate them on social networking and its benefits as well as ways to promote safety within these networks.
Research shows that gaming helps students learn. Game Nights in the library can facilitate this learning activity. The library will offer many different kinds of games from card games, board games, role playing games, and video games. Students can bring in games as well but must have the games cleared by the school librarian. The school library can also participate in National Gaming Day at Your Library.
Although the book mobile was not my idea for this particular project, I wanted to highlight its benefits. My home school district received a grant which secured a book mobile for the district students and community. The book mobile travels to different schools, trailer parks, and community spots to deliver free books to the community. One of the main goals of the book mobile was to prevent reading regression that occurs during the summer months. As a weekly volunteer, I see a lot of children and adults in my community benefit from this program and would strongly encourage its implementation in other areas.