Saline County Library EXPERIENCES August 2021

Saline County Library EXPERIENCES August 2021

SALINE COUNTY LIBRARY EXPERIENCES AUGUST 2021

STEM Fun! Six year-old Amaya shows off her Elementary STEM Fun project: a firefly! Ms. Wendy led little ones through fun STEM activities this summer as they followed along with their Grab N Go Kits!

Have you joined our Seed Library yet? Find out how on page 3! We’re building a Nature Play Space! Learn how you can be a part of history. Full list of virtual and in-person events and the calendar for August! Library Card Sign-Up Month is coming! Get details on how you can be involved.

M-Th 9:00 AM - 6:30 PM, F-Sa 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library 1800 Smithers Drive Benton, AR 72015 501-778-4766

Mabel Boswell Memorial Library 201 Prickett Road Bryant, AR 72022 501-847-2166

The library has been fortunate to receive a grant through the Arkansas State Library from the Institute for Museums & Libraries of over $100,000. The funds are from the American Rescue Plan Act, and because it is federal grant money, it has specific spending guidelines. Those guidelines include purchasing products and services that help libraries serve their communities during the pandemic. When the SCL staff talked about potential projects, two areas were of great concern: our digital presence and keeping patrons safe. Website Redesign In 2019, we had 318,880 visits to our website. In 2020, it had more than doubled—850,943. Our website is our virtual branch. We had been planning upgrades to it, and then we found out that it wasn’t completely accessible for patrons who couldn’t use a mouse or who had visual challenges. Luckily the grant will allow us to have a complete redesign. Discovery Layer to Catalog One of the other products that we have been wanting for a while is a discovery layer for our catalog. The top three things that library patrons use are the website, the catalog, and eBooks. There is no denying that the catalog is not the easiest thing to use. And yet, it is essential for using the library. If you want to know if we have something, you have to use the catalog or ask a staff person. A discovery layer could make all the difference to your ability to easily find things. Storywalk Another project we’ve wanted is a storywalk. A storywalk is a fun, educational activity that places a children’s story (literally a book taken apart) along a popular walking route in the community. Higher Dividers Between Computers The 8” dividers between our public computers don’t give our patrons near the protection that we would like. We are going to replace them with 20” dividers. This allows us to put all the computers back in the lab at both locations. Mobile Photo Booth Now this one sounds fun, huh? It does have a serious purpose like if you need a headshot for a job application or passport. But we’ll also take it to outside events, and you can try it out. Generator for Mid-Ark Bookmobile The bookmobile needs a new generator, and since we love having the bookmobile stop in Saline County, we are helping them purchase a new one. And Last…More eBooks and eAudiobooks Circulation of our digital collections has skyrocketed! There’s nothing better than being able to download a book 24/7 without leaving your home during a pandemic, am I right?

Sincerely, Patty Hector

Join the Seed Library! What is a Seed Library? A Seed Library is a collection of seeds that we “loan” to you. You can plant and grow your own food, herbs, and flowers at home. It is open from February through August. What are the benefits of a Seed Library? It’s a way to have fun, build community with fellow gardeners, and support people who are new to the world of gardening. Seed Libraries also preserve rare, open-pollinated or heirloom seeds and encourage gardeners to save quality seeds that are suitable for your local growing area. How do I sign up? There is no membership fee, and you don’t even need a library card to get seeds. Fil l out a request form online or at either branch, and staff will let you know when your seeds are ready. You can have up to five seed packets a month. Find the form under the Books & More tab on the main menu of our website, then click “Library of Things.” What seeds are available? Available seeds will be different every m onth depending on the growing season.

We have two Seed Library Gardens, one at Mills Park (pictured) and one at Bishop Park. These flowers were donated by Kroger and Cox Family Gardens and are meant to help make our parks more beautiful. Please do not take from these gardens. All seeds for “check out” are available at the library.

Nature Play

What is a Nature Play Space? The Nature Play Space will be an outdoor learning area designed for children to have hands-on play with natural elements. Studies have shown that outdoor play has many benefits for children who regularly play in natural settings including: - Ability to cope with stress - Increased activity levels - Improvement in fine and gross motor skills - Increased self-discipline, observation, and reasoning skills - Improved concentration - Strengthened immune system - Decreased symptoms of ADD/ADHD and behavioral disorders Where will it be located?

Digging Table Covered tops filled with sand and other materials allow kids to explore their senses.

The Nature Play Space will be housed at the Benton branch, located at 1800 Smithers Drive. When will it open? Groundbreaking is scheduled for September 2021, and the grand opening is scheduled for May 2022.

Nature Kitchen A simplified Nature Kitchen brings

imagination alive while staying clean and being easy to maintain.

Features: •-Sensory Garden •-Nature Kitchen •-Playhouse •-Digging Area •-Teaching Garden •-Art Station

Chalkboard Kids can practice their drawing and writing skills

in a fun way for everyone to see.

Space How is it being funded?

Sensory Garden The Sensory Garden will allow kids to discover and use their five senses in an interactive way.

This project will be made possible with help from you, the Friends of the Library, and with American Rescue Plan Act funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act Grants to States program and administered by the

Arkansas State Library. How can I get involved?

Individuals and organizations alike are welcome to purchase a brick for $150 or a play feature for $2,000 to advertise their organization, honor a loved one, or show community support. Brick pavers can feature up to three lines of text and up to 13 characters per line. Play feature sponsors will get a custom plaque that will be displayed on their purchase(s). We reserve the right to approve all engraving. To purchase, fill out the form on our website or send inscription and check to: Friends of the Saline County Library

Playhouse All the fun of playing house will be moved outside so kids can use outdoor elements.

1800 Smithers Drive Benton, AR 72015

1 BLOCK ~ 1 FOOT

HOUSE

DONATION BRICK WALKWAY

SENSORY GARDEN

TEACHING GARDEN

AUGUST 2021 VIRTUAL & IN-PERSON

MONDAY

TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

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3

4

5

6

7

Teen Minecraft Club (V) 4:00 PM

DIY Adventures - Decoupage Vase (V) 1:00 PM

Back to School Bingo for Books 10:00 AM Bryant

Online Gaming Club (V) 4:00 PM

Self-Defense Class (R)

Learning to Bullet Journal (R) 10:30 AM Benton

6:00 PM Benton

New Book Spotlight (V) 8:00 PM

6

9

10

11

12

13

14

SCL Bingo (V) 7:00 PM

Kindness Rocks Paint Party 10:00 AM Benton

Online Gaming Club (V) 4:00 PM

Teen Minecraft Club (V) 4:00 PM

Yoga 6:30 PM Benton

10

16

17

18

19

20

21

Trivia Night - Saline County History (V) 7:30 PM

Teddy Bear Picnic (R) 10:00 AM Benton

Teen Minecraft Club (V) 4:00 PM

Online Gaming Club (V) 4:00 PM

DIY Adventures - Bead Pull Painting (R)

6:00 PM Benton

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23

24

25

26

27

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Online Gaming Club (V) 4:00 PM

Madden 22 Video Game Tournament (R) 11:00 AM Benton

Teen Minecraft Club (V) 4:00 PM

Game Show (V) 7:30 PM

Diamond Art (V) 6:00 PM Benton

Yoga 6:30 PM Benton

30

31

(R) = Registration Required **Find detailed information including exact age limits by visiting our online calendar!** (V) = Virtual Program

Key: Adult Program Teen Program Tween Program Children’s Program All Ages Program

Teen Minecraft Club (V) 4:00 PM Turning Trash Into Treasure (V) 7:00 PM

Adultish Book Club 6:00 PM Benton

VIRTUAL EVENTS Children Diamond Art (R) August 27 | 6:00 PM | Facebook

Like a combination of cross-stitch and paint-by-numbers, diamond painting is the new creative hobby that’s taking the crafting world by storm. Follow a color pattern, then simply apply colorful resin rhinestones to richly-pigmented canvas paintings. The result? Visually dazzling, mosaic diamond artworks that sparkle, shimmer and shine. Register for your kit and pick up on July 23rd. Learning to Bullet Journal (R) August 7 | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM | Benton Bullet journals may be flooding Pinterest right now, but they’re so much more than just a cute trend! The beauty of the bullet journal method is creating a journal or planner that works for YOU and your lifestyle. Ms. Ashlyn will give you a guided lesson on how to set up your bullet journal to fit you and your needs. Bullet Journal supply kits will be available for pick-up at the Benton branch. Supplies are limited so please email Ms. Ashlyn at AshlynW@ SalineCountyLibrary.org to reserve your personalized kit! All Ages Kindness Rocks Paint Party (R) August 11 | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Benton Help us pass kindness and encouragement around Saline County by participating in SCL’s “KINDNESS ROCKS” Project! Drop by the Benton branch to paint a kindness rock to add to our project - our goal is to get a bunch of pretty painted rocks with encouraging messages to hide around our community! Life gets hard -- we could all use a reminder to be a little kinder than necessary! How does the “KINDNESS ROCKS” Project work? - Swing by to paint a kindness rock for our project! - Leave your painted rock with us to dry and be sealed. - Watch for a post on Facebook letting you know the rocks are ready! - Come pick up some rocks to hide around Saline County! - Snap a picture (and email to us) when you hide each rock -- this will serve as a clue for the next person to find it! - Keep the whole project going by finding and hiding rocks, passing kindness all around our county! - When time to retire the rocks, return found rocks to build SCL’s own Kindness Rocks garden! *Staff reserve the right to cancel programs in the event of safety concerns. If an event or program is cancelled, notices will be on our Facebook, website, and doors if it is in-person. Program registrants will be notified if it is a registration required program.

Back to School Bingo for Books August 4 | 10:00 AM | Bryant

Drop in to play some back-to-school bingo with Mr. Brett and Ms. Becca for the chance to win books! Bingo will be played out on the patio, weather permitting. Teddy Bear Picnic (R) August 18 | 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM | Benton Bring your teddy bear or other stuffed animal for a teddy bear picnic! We’ll have a teddy bear-themed storytime, snack, and activity. Best suited for ages 3-5. Registration is required.

Tweens Back to School Bingo for Books August 4 | 10:00 AM | Bryant

Drop in to play some back-to-school bingo with Mr. Brett and Ms. Becca for the chance to win books! Bingo will be played out on the patio, weather permitting.

Teens

Teen Minecraft Club Mondays | 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Minecraft

Join Mr. Brett and Ms. Jenn in the library’s very own Minecraft Realm! Every week, we’ll explore different worlds and activities in Minecraft, while also building up and improving a dedicated “home” world. Drop in to play some back-to-school bingo with Mr. Brett and Ms. Becca for the chance to win books! Bingo will be played out on the patio, weather permitting. Online Gaming Club Thursdays | 4:00 PM | Discord Join Mr. Brett and Ms. Jenn - and your friends! - in our Discord server on Thursdays to play online games together! Games we can play include Magic: The Gathering, Minecraft, and more. Don’t have the game we’re playing that week? You can still follow along and watch the stream while hanging out in our server and talking about games, games, games! Back to School Bingo for Books August 4 | 10:00 AM | Bryant

(R) = Registration Required

VIRTUAL EVENTS

Adults DIY Adventures - Decoupage Vase August 3 | 1:00 PM | Facebook

DIY Adventures - Bead Pull Painting (R) August 18 | 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM | Benton

Join us for our first in person DIY Adventures program at the Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library. Bella will show you how to make a Bead Pull Fluid Art piece. We supply the materials, and we’ll put our project together! This will be a limited capacity program, so please make sure to register! Game Show August 24| 7:30 PM | Facebook LIVE Join us for our monthly game show with Mason! It’s like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire... without the money but with all the bragging rights! Do you wait all year for the new Madden football game to come out? Do you love video games? The Saline County Library is hosting a Madden 22 video game tournament. Battle it out between friends and see who will be named the Madden 22 champion. The winner will receive a copy of Madden 22 for the PS4 and second place will get a mini game anniversary edition entertainment system with 620 built in classic games. Registration is required for this event. Turning Trash Into Treasure August 30 | 7:00 PM | Facebook Madden 22 Video Game Tournament (R) August 28 | 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Benton Learn how to turn trash into treasure with Randall. Every month Randall will be making something new. This month, Randall will be making a Sci-Fi light switch panel. Adultish Book Club August 31 | 6:00 PM | Benton The Adultish Book Club is a group of bookish people who meet monthly to discuss the latest book pick at the Saline County Library. 2021 Schedule: August 31, 2021: Legendborn (Tracy Deonn) September 28, 2021: The Once & Future Witches (Alix E. Harrow) October 26, 2021: Magic Lessons (Alice Hoffman) November 30, 2021: Cemetery Boys (Aiden Thomas) December 28, 2021: The Kingdom of Copper (S.A. Chakraborty) *Staff reserve the right to cancel programs in the event of safety concerns. If an event or program is cancelled, notices will be on our Facebook, website, and doors if it is in-person. Program registrants will be notified if it is a registration required program.

Pinterest project didn’t turn out like you hoped? Bella has a few that anyone can do! Bella will be demonstrating a different craft each month that you can use to spruce up your space, give as a gift, or just admire! Decoupage is the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper cutouts onto it in combination with special paint effects, gold leaf and other decorative elements. Pick up your kit full of supplies on the 1st Tuesday of the month, and follow Bella’s instruction on Facebook. New Book Spotlight August 4 | 8:00 PM | Facebook Let us find your next read! Once a month a few of our staff will share their favorite new books. No spoilers! Diamond Art August 27 | 6:00 PM | Benton Like a combination of cross-stitch and paint-by-numbers, diamond painting is the new creative hobby that’s taking the crafting world by storm. Follow a color pattern, then simply apply colorful resin rhinestones to richly-pigmented canvas paintings. The result? Visually dazzling, mosaic diamond artworks that sparkle, shimmer and shine. Register for your kit and pick up on July 23rd. Self-Defense Class with Revolution MMA (R) August 6 | 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM | Benton Join the instructor from Revolution Mixed Martial Arts, as they teach you basic Self-Defense skills that everyone should know. Bring a yoga mat if you have one. Learning to Bullet Journal (R) August 7 | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM | Benton Bullet journals may be flooding Pinterest right now, but they’re so much more than just a cute trend! The beauty of the bullet journal method is creating a journal or planner that works for YOU and your lifestyle. Mrs. Ashlyn will give you a guided lesson on how to set up your bullet journal to fit you and your needs. Bullet Journal supply kits will be available for pick-up at the Benton branch. Supplies are limited so please email Ms. Ashlyn at AshlynW@ SalineCountyLibrary.org to reserve your personalized kit! SCL Bingo Tuesday, May 11 | 7:00 PM | Facebook LIVE Time for some fun playing SCL Bingo! Win prizes like books, gift cards, and the grand prize: a basket filled with surprises from local businesses. Yoga August 12 & 26 | 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM | Benton Yoga isn’t going anywhere! We’re bringing it back in the building at the Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. Unwind with a relaxing session.

Bring a yoga mat if you have one. Trivia Night - Saline County History August 17 | 7:30 PM | Facebook LIVE

Time to test your knowledge! See how many questions you can get right and prove you know the most about our county’s history. We will give out a prize to whoever gets the most correct.

(R) = Registration Required

SUMMER READING by the numbers total registrants 1,072 children tweens teens adult 142 351 95 484

1,368 books logged in benton 4,424 BADGES EARNED 1 GREAT SUMMER!

days logged 15,549

books logged in Bryant

#LCSUM21

Last year, despite the challenges that COVID-19 presented, we had over 60 businesses participate in Library Card Sign-Up Month by offering discounts to anyone who showed their library card! This year, we want to offer you more opportunities to support local businesses and get discounts while doing it! Where do you want a discount? Message us on Facebook to let us know which local businesses you want us to reach out to!

You can be a part of the campaign that has Saline County residents shopping local. LCSUM received national recognition by winning the most prestigious library PR award in 2018. There are multiple ways to get involved! BE A PARTICIPANT Get more customers in your doors by offering a discount to those who show their library card and get FREE advertisement. You even get to choose what discount you want to offer! BENEFITS: - Two social media shout-outs in September on library social media pages and on cover photos* - Logo on 4,000 rack cards to be handed out around Saline County** BE A SPONSOR We also have sponsorship spots available for $100. Only 20 sponsorship spots are available. Sponsorship money raised will go towards our new Nature Play Space. - Display your promotional materials at the library for one month** - Opportunity to be featured on Facebook LIVE Table Talk segment - Special recognition on campaign video commercial BE BOTH! Businesses are not limited to only one option! By being a participant and a sponsor, you can double your advertisement! ALL PARTICIPANT AND SPONSOR BENEFITS PLUS: - Guaranteed video spot in campaign social media commercial - Featured in library digital and print magazine - Logo on banners in library lobbies in September** - Logo on bookmarks handed out all over Saline County ALL PARTICIPANT BENEFITS PLUS: - Logo on campaign billboard *Our Facebook posts reach an average of over 15,000 people weekly. **We have almost 1,000 people in our buildings daily. Businesses who want to participate and/or sponsor, can email Kari Lapp at [email protected] by August 6th.

Staff Highlight Heather Heather is the new HR Manager at the Saline County Library! Here are a few fun facts about her:

If you could choose one superpower, what would it be? I would be able to point my finger like Sabrina the Teenage Witch and be ready in two seconds. What is the nerdiest thing you do in your spare time? Every Monday, I listen to my favorite podcast - Crime Junkie. What ’s the strangest talent you have? I have a crazy memory. It drives my husband crazy. Are you a cat or dog person (or other)? Dog! I have two: Buttercup and Roxie.

We get by with a little help from our friends! The Used Book Store is back open! Come and browse at the Benton branch any time we’re open. GIFT BAGS Purchase a Back to School gift bag July 19-August 2 for only $10! Youth Bag - A book - Water bottle - “First Day of School” chalkboard - Pencil box - Animal crackers Teen Bag - A book - Notebook - Water bottle - Pencil pouch - Pretzel and cheese snack pack Teacher Bag - A book - Desk calendar - Water bottle - Desk organizer - Granola bar

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SALINE COUNTY LIBRARY