Skip to main content

Food and drinks in the library

When you think of a library, do you typically think that food and drinks are permitted?  I suppose this depends on your age; when I was a kid, you were not permitted to speak above a whisper, let alone bring in something to eat or drink; but, these times they are a changin.'  Our library has a policy forbidding food and drink, unless it is otherwise approved by library staff.  [raised eyebrow]

We serve snacks at book club meetings, author visits, and other programs.  People subversively bring their snacks, thinking we don't notice.  I try to walk the line between upholding the rules and graciousness, but if somebody comes in with a cup of coffee or a Route 44, I have to draw the line:  you spill that on the computer and it's done-zo.  Think again, buddy.

But, what's really neat about today's library as third place is that you can transform it into anything you want:  painting studio, lego crafting faire, ice cream party, or cake decorating station.  Tomorrow, I will combine by love of cakes, decorating, outreach and teaching by hosting a Cake Decorating 101 program at the Troutman Library.  We goofed and didn't ask people for their phone number when they signed up, and the adverts are still out there, so I really don't know how many people will show up.  I baked several nights this week, and asked a few people to help me bake layer cakes.  I got Wal-Mart to donate a giant tub of icing and some disposable piping bags, and I have a few volunteers coming in to help.  It should be tons of sugary fun :D

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

myspace versus facebook

When will the madness end? Now the myspace buzz is out, facebook is in. I even saw a mashup [can't find it again!] that proclaimed facebook the genius brainchild of social networking systems, and myspace the red-headed step-child who scrubs the floors. Okay, maybe it wasn't really that bad, but it was pretty brutal. And I'm supposed to give a conference presentation about how helpful myspace can be for libraries? I'm going to have to dig pretty hard for that one. Yikes!
4 comments
Read more

MySpace goes org

I created a generic myspace page for a public library as my final project in Doc Martens' LIS web class in Fall 2006. I also work as a reference librarian at a public library. My fellow librarian and comrade liked it, and thought he would show it to our library director, who also liked it, and asked me to tailor it to our library, Stillwater Public. I no longer have the beta-version available, but here is what the "finished" product looks like. Luckily for our library, we do not receive e-rate funding, so we do not have to block social networking and blogging websites, like other schools and libraries do. Patrons come to our library to access the internet and www.myspace.com, more specifically, because it's banned in so many places. I put up signs last week advertising that our library is now on myspace, and got a few extra friends requests. Hopefully, as word spreads, more people will be interested in joining our friends' list and getting all sorts of up ...
2 comments
Read more

Librarians Build Communities, or, why I care

There have been many times in my life where I was vulnerable. Dictionary.com defines this as, "(of a person) in need of special care, support, or protection because of age, disability, or risk of abuse or neglect." Synonyms are: helpless, defenseless, powerless, impotent, weak, susceptible. During those times, my community was also small; sometimes, it was only my small family and maybe a co-worker, or a church. As a single mom, an injured returned Peace Corps volunteer with no home or job, and also as a child, I have known vulnerability. By United States definitions, I grew up in poverty. We utilized government assistance, the help and goodwill of grandparents, and community non-profit clothing and toy closets, especially around the holidays. I really appreciated what we had. My four siblings and I rarely enjoyed food from restaurants, never went on vacations, and looked forward to grandma taking us back to school shopping for clothes, and the Indian commodity supplies...
Post a Comment
Read more