Did you know that August is National Wellness Month? Taking care of your physical, emotional, and mental health are all important to feeling your best. There are lots of ways to focus on your self-care. Whether you’re doing yoga, meditating, listening to music, or reading; as long as it promotes heath and happiness within you, it counts. Here are some things that can help foster a healthy lifestyle.
This book and DVD combo is a guide to yoga for teens. It discusses breathing techniques, the history of yoga, and has photos and descriptions of poses.
The library also has a wide variety of yoga DVDs for checkout.
This book has advice on everything mental health and is a guide for living with your brain. Judgment-free. It tackles difficult topics such as social media, mental health, family, friendships and more.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes all I need is some music therapy. Put on a good song while you go for a walk, clean your room, or just lay around can be very therapeutic. We have an array of music CDs in all genres for you to checkout.
I internally scream and clutch the pearls I don’t even own when Marcy tells me, “We’re going to start a weeding project soon.”
My world shatters. I knew this day was coming!
I knew one day, this dream job would test me in ways I might not be able to pass!
How?! How could I remove books from this beautiful space? How could I take these little tree-babies with souls and send them off to who-knows-where? What if they don’t go to good homes?! What if they, (and here, I gulp in terror and agony) get thrown away?!
Marcy didn’t seem to notice the crazed panic in my eyes, and I did my best to play it cool. “I’m a super cool teen librarian now,” I thought. “I gotta be tough.”
That was months ago; now the weeding is over. I’ve taken multiple deep breaths, and I even put away my still-don’t-actually-own-them clutching pearls. Things are better. Since I’ve reached such a healthy place, I thought maybe I’d let you all in on the secret-not-a-secret of weeding.
The Whats, the Whys, and the WHYYYYYYsss?!
The Whats
Weeding is the purposeful removal of certain books (or graphic novels, or audiobooks, or whatever, we’re just gonna use books from now on), from the collection, based on certain information, such as how often it gets checked out, how badly it smells or falls apart when you open it, or exactly how outdated that information is about the 1992 Chicago Bulls team.
Okay, but what happens to the weeded books?
A very small percentage have lived lives so full of excited readers, that it’s time to say goodbye altogether and put them in the trash. Most of them, though, end up at the Friends of the Library Book Sale in the fall, where they find new homes and new readers to love them.
The Whys
Libraries should be full of information that is vibrant, up-to-date, and interesting to the people who use it. There are lots of reasons a book might be weeded, but all of them interfere in one way or another with these goals. A library so full of old books that it doesn’t have room for new books is a library that has become stagnant.
The WHYYYYYYs
A book is a beautiful thing. Some books make a home in our lives and live with us forever. Some books come into our lives, say a lovely hello, and eventually a sad goodbye. And both are okay.
At the end of the Teen Room’s weeding process, I looked over the books that we weeded, and didn’t see any that I thought, “No! So-and-so reader would have loved this one!” (Those ones we kept!). “That one is so popular, we gotta keep it!” (Spoiler alert: we did.). Or even, “That one deserves one more chance!” (If a book needed one more chance, we gave it one.).
At the end of weeding, I looked around the Teen Room and thought, “Wow. There is so much more room for the next batch of adventures.”
If you’re interested in the full weeding policy, you can check it out here:
Behind the Super Top Secret Door…of the office that is surrounded by windows and that teen volunteers go in all the time.
Now, the reason we Smaug-smuggle the following items into the office is that they take a little more time and require a little more involvement on the side of their operator (eh hem, YOU). Sometimes the Teen Room might be a little crazy or a shift change might be in the works, so these aren’t always available on demand. But on a quiet day, ask the desk librarian for one of these awesome things to try.
So if you read through my rant about the 3D printer, you won’t be surprised at how excited I am by the 3D Doodlers. They’re pens that extrude plastic sticks into designs you create. With these babies, you become the 3D printer. Bonus points if you sing while you work. There is a learning curve to the pens, but when isn’t there a learning curve? Experimentation is half the fun! Give these a try when you have a little time for the pens to warm up and make Glenda proud. (Glenda is the 3D printer. I named her. Just now.)
Now. Here’s where I’m out of my element. Up to now I’ve had some idea what I’m talking about, although it may not seem like it. But. We have these OTHER robots. They’re little. They’re cute. They’re completely unused in the time that I’ve worked here. So if you’re a robotics person, or willing to learn to be a robotics person, it would give me endless joy to find you at the desk, politely and excitedly asking for the Ozobots or the Spheros. Two different kinds of little robots even, I mean really! I can hand over the mechanical creature of your choosing and sit back to see what happens next.
This concludes my too-excited tour of the Teen Room. There’s obviously stuff left out, like our clubs, and programs, and volunteer opportunities. The magnets on the vending machine, just waiting for your poetry. The corkboards by the door, just waiting for your artwork. There’s just so much to explore down here.
I can’t give away all the secrets. Best leave some for you to find yourself.
Find some yourself, when you head down to the best part of the library to say hello.
Can we talk for just a minute about the Teen Room 3D printer? As the staff that runs it, I’ve had to approach it cautiously. Stay calm. Don’t let it smell fear. But I think (think, mind you), that I’ve befriended the tiny singing robot, and its friendship is A-MAZING! I’ve made a brooding Batman and a tiny turtleduck and a pretty real-looking LEGO brick so far, and I’ve only sustained one minor injury. So explore the free plans on Thingiverse, find something to print, and for 10 cents a gram you also can bond with the super-fancy singing glue gun. It melts plastic instead of glue, get it?
Now may I take a moment to note that the folks that designed the Teen Room really thought of everything. Have you noticed the charging station behind the desk? There’s a variety of cords for a variety of devices with little slots so there’s room for everyone. Have your own cords? There’s a charging tower with wall and USB outlets in the seating area with the super-comfy chairs. Plug in a laptop or tablet or phone and let your devices enjoy some delicious electricity.
Now, we’ve arrived at the board games: an offering near and dear to my nerd heart. Try Niya, a connect-four, tic-tac-toe cross that’s quick and easy to learn with tokens that are fun to clink together like Sir Hiss from Robin Hood
Or if you have a little more time, Kill Doctor Lucky is like reverse Clue. Instead of solving a murder, you race your opponents to be the first to kill off annoying Doctor Lucky. There’s a whole collection to be explored, and lots of ways to add your own twists if you get board (little pun for you there. You’re welcome). At least so says the creator of Who Wants to be a Trivial Three of a Kind. The world is welcome for that too.
Next to the board games, we have our take-home craft kits. No time to hang out in the makerspace? These kits can go home with you! Perler bead kits and glue gun kits come with included accessories, and paired with your own imagination (or Pinterest’s imagination, if you’re me), can make something amazing.
Whew! Outta breath. Running on too much excitement. I’m going to take a break and come back fresh with Part 3 of my trilogy.
I’m your new sometimes-staff member, Lindee. I started working in the Teen Room right about the time it shut down for COVID, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to fangirl about how cool the Teen Room is. And maybe plug in a little reminder of what all the Teen Room has to offer.
So of course, there are the books. I think there’s just something special about young adult literature. It can tackle some of the biggest issues we face today, and it can do so without taking itself too seriously. If you’re going through something, we have books that can remind you you’re not alone. And if you need a little escape or just a little fun, we have books for that, too.
My favorites so far are the Avatar Kyoshi duology and These Hollow Vows. One’s pretty new, and one’s been around for a bit.
Rise of Kyoshi, Book 1
Shadow of Kyoshi, Book 2
Avatar the Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi and The Shadow of Kyoshi bring readers back to the world of the Avatar, before the GAang saved the world from the Fire Nation army. Kyoshi as the Avatar is not who anyone expected—she’s not even that good at bending her original element! But being raised away from the limelight and outside of the political machinations of her best friend’s mentor (as he teaches who he THINKS is the Avatar), might be the absolute best thing for the Avatar. Who else could save the Earth Kingdom, on the brink of war, but someone impartial?
These Hollow Vows
These Hollow Vows marries some classic fairytale elements with some high fantasy characters, when character Brie must attend a ball in the Faerie world to save her sister, Jas. Jas was sold to Mordeus, the uncrowned king of the Dark Throne, when Jas and Brie couldn’t pay their aunt their “life debts.” With love triangles, a smattering of unexpected magic, and TWO twist endings, you won’t be surprised to hear I was positively betrayed when I learned the sequel is still 6 months out!
Our nonfiction section has some really cool books, with my favorites being the themed cookbooks. Yep, themed. Like, Doctor Who, and Harry Potter, and general nerd cookbooks. There are tons of other topics in there too, y’know. History and mental health and programming. But somehow I always end up at the cookbooks.
Next there’s the makerspace, with a little bit of everything. Fancy teaching yourself to sew? There are sewing needles for hand sewing and even a sewing machine! (Does the Teen Room nonfiction section have books on sewing? Better explore and find out!) The Perler beads are always popular, and I’ve seen some excitement about the crochet looms. There’s an ever-shifting collection of creative outlets there, so feel free to dig around and make something amazing!
There are more adventures ahead in our tour of the Amazing Teen Room, so keep an eye out for installment 2!
It’s back-to-school season and we are very excited to share with you our new School Hacks Neighborhood here in the Young Adult department. This collection of books is designed to help you with your schoolwork. It is located in the non-fiction room and is on the first range of shelves when you walk in.
So, what’s in it
A selection of classic books, based on various required reading lists, including titles such as Fahrenheit 451, Wuthering Heights, Shakespeare’s works and more.
Books designed to help you with classroom concepts presented in unique ways. The Manga Guide to Physiology, Painless Chemistry, and Everything you need to ace math in one big fat notebook are just a few.
No Fear Shakespeare books. These books have the full text of the original plays and sonnets side-by-side with a translation into modern English to help you understand what’s going on.
Manga Classics: original classic books with manga illustrations. Manga is a style of Japanese graphic novels and comic books.
So, we’ve come up with a couple innovative ways to bring it back!
1. Take and Makes
We will be offering two monthly Take and Make projects in the Teen Room. These will contain all of the necessary parts, pieces and tools to create something wonderful.
The line up for March is:
March 1-14
Spiral Gift Boxes
March 15-31
Cloud Dough
2. Circulating Kits
We know you love the Perler beads and what is life without using a hot glue gun every now and again? So, we’ve decided to offer the opportunity to check them out!
Perler bead kits include: mini iron, silicon trivet for the iron to rest on when hot (we will accept no excuses for why you scorched the table, the carpet, your bedding or anything else!) assorted Perler bead boards and a jar of beads.
Hot glue gun kits include: mini glue gun and your choice of clear and/or glitter glue sticks.
We want to see what you create!
Email a picture of your creation to library@ccpls.org.
We’ll post the pic here in the Teen Room and on our social media.
Happy Teentober! What is Teentober? It’s a nationwide celebration hosted by libraries in October celebrating you, the teens. We also want to promote our teen services to help you learn new skills and fuel your passions in and outside the library. Here are some of our services that you can use at our library.
• Computer Lab – Our computer lab has computers and large tables that you can use for homework.
• Teen-led Clubs – We have multiple clubs led by your fellow teens. Dungeons & Dragons, Card Club, and Anime Club are a few we offer. Contact the Teen Room for more information!
• Technology – We have an array of technology in the Teen Room that helps teens learn new skills, fuel your passions and just have fun with. We have a 3D printer, 3D pens, Ozobots and more.
• Volunteer Program– We offer a teen volunteer program to anyone in grades 7 and up. All you have to do is fill out an application and attend a training and orientation. Volunteering helps you try new activities and learn new skills. It also prepares you for the job world.
• Books– Of course, we have books. Did you know that reading what you want reduces stress, increases your knowledge and vocabulary and helps with memory? Check out our fiction and nonfiction books, graphic novels, manga, and magazine collection.
• Safe Place to hang out– We offer a welcoming atmosphere and environment for you to hang out, read, and play games.
Want to learn more about what the Teen Department and library can offer you? Check out our Conference Connections on Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22. Drop in to the Children’s Department and the Teen Room from 1-4pm to learn about online homework help, downloadable books and audiobooks, and more.
Do you need a little extra help in school? Come down to the Teen Room and browse our titles in the 400’s and 500’s. In these Dewey ranges you’ll find books about learning languages, math and science. While we have many different books in those sections, this post will touch on one series in particular: the Barron’s Painless collection. These titles break down topics into smaller, more manageable chunks. Whether you need help with Spanish, grammar, math or science, we have you covered for your back to school needs. Several of the titles also include free online games to help you learn the concepts. Here are a few of the titles we have in the YA collection!
With starting school the Teen Room is gearing up to be of as much help to you as possible. This blog post is going to be dedicated to everything we have to help you succeed academically! Please remember this is not everything that we offer; we offer a wide variety of recreational options as well!
We have a computer lab with six computers dedicated entirely to your homework needs. These computers do not have a time limit, so you don’t have to worry about being kicked off in the middle of your paper. This is also a quiet space for you to work, not a hangout room, so the noise level is a lot lower than in the teen room. These computers have internet access so you are able to access your email, Google drive and anything else you may need, like our databases!
Databases! We are very fortunate that we and the Wyoming State Library offer several hundred different databases for you to use. Some of the databases are in-house use only, but the majority you can use out of house by logging in with your library card. You can browse through the databases to find some that will help you or search using subjects! Databases can be found at http://ccpls.info/databases/.
Okay, so we are a library, which means we have books; in the Young Adult department we house all our nonfiction books in the computer lab. This is a great place to look if you need physical references for an assignment or if you have something you’d like to read more about. One really helpful section is our math and science collection. These are books that will take a math concept and break it down. One particularly interesting set to look at is our collection of The Manga Guide to... These use the style of manga to teach math or science concepts.
Our next educational tool is actually in the main Teen Room, our iPads. We have two iPads that you are always welcome to use for educational or recreational purposes.
Finally, our best resource is the staff in the entire building! If you need help with anything… ANYTHING just ask a staff member. We are all trained to help you with your needs and if we can’t we help you, we will find someone who can! All you have to do is ask!
We are always adding stuff to our collections so stop by to see if there is something new! We hope you have a great school year and please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you make the 2019-2020 school year the best one yet!
