Bringing some color into our space

We have an unusual layout at our facility.  It can be difficult to tell when you walk out of one department and into another.  Our youth services area suffers from this a tad bit, and we get strangers wandering in and out all day.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be frustrating for a patron who just does not want anything to do with our fancy display of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate books.  In an effort to define our space, our teen volunteers helped put up some pixel art on our plexiglass windows.  I have to admit, it looks pretty neat.  Although these younger whippersnappers seem to have a hard time identifying some of them.

YuGiOh! Library Tournament

I am amazed at what the youth in our community can come up with.  When given the opportunity, these kids are more than happy to step up and take ownership of the programs they love and enjoy.  The Afternoon Game Club has given a core group of kids that very opportunity.  Earlier in the summer they approached me, and asked if we could work together to set up a tournament, complete with all the fame, glory, and prizes that are obligatory during such an event.  From that idea came our first ever Library Tournament.

Held on Wednesday, August 14, the tournament had twenty-six registered participants, all ages eight to eighteen.  While it was chaotic at times, and I admit a little more than I expected, everything ran well with the help of two very knowledgeable volunteers.  Without them, the tournament would have been impossible.

We ultimately crowned one young man champion.  He walked home with five new Number Hunters booster packs.

It was successful.  The kids loved it.  Maybe, just maybe, we will do it again next year.

Colors

We had a blast at this week's storytimes.  PJ Storytime clocked in at 27 participants, and Preschool Storytime had 68!  It was a great way to end the summer.  Our library will take a storytime break for the month of August, and start up again in September.

This week's books:

If you haven't had a chance to read "The Day the Crayons Quit," then do it as soon as possible!  This is an adorable book about a boy who must figure out how to appease the demands of his many crayons. 

Pete the Cat is always a hit.  The kids know this books so well.  It was a great tool for getting the kids really involved in the story.

For our craft, we took little squares of color paper and used our imaginations, designing whatever came to mind.

For more information on our library, check out our Facebook page or go to auroralibrary.org.