Moving to Program Services

I have accepted the Senior Public Services Librarian for Experiential Learning in Program Services at the Operations Center. I am excited for the extra availability to bolster STEM programming at all the branches, especially our smaller branches with only 1 librarian/manager.

I am sad to leave my family at Vancouver, but I have a lot of programming planned in their building, so it's not the last time I will see them (or they will see me)...

I worked really hard to get all the maker equipment organized and labeled on the Staff Floor before I left. Really proud of how well I got everything consolidated:

My last purchase for Vancouver was 2 additional sewing machines so that they all match :)

In my new digs in Program Services, I have 2 monitors (so luxurious), I've commandeered my first rolling cart, and have already dismantled some old tech :)

I am also super sad to not be on the library's social media team anymore. However, I did bring along our last photoshoot set-up to make my new space a little cozier:

Onward and upward!

December 2018 Experiential Learning Round Up!

Programming
SLA led the monthly Make a Better World program. MaBW is taking a break starting in January 2019 while we re-organize our efforts toward the Little Free Libraries project.

SLA led the monthly 3D Design workshop and SLA led the 3D Printing Open Lab.  The public 3D printer continues to be used regularly and building community between certified users.

SLAs led the monthly Sewing workshop. We also attempted our first independent use of the sewing machine on floor 4. The patron didn’t have any issue getting up and going with the machine. We look forward to a more permanent location for a machine. We’d also like to cycle out one of our older donated machines for another Singer machine to match the newer machines. Patrons seem to have an easier time with the newer machine and one of the donated machines is malfunctioning.

SLA facilitated our Bob Ross Paint-Along with certified instructor True Leah Sheppard. This program was received favorably by the public and we look forward to having True back in the future.

SLA led the weekly Craft Connections craft group for adults. Beginning January 2019, this program will drop to once per month. The first monthly project date is Sunday 1/27/19.

I worked with our D&D volunteer to host a Painting session for 3D printed miniature game figures.

I hosted our monthly Learn2Code program.  In December, we worked with the Arduino microcontroller. We had 9 attendees, with a mix of adults and children. One child and his dad drove down from Battle Ground to attend the program and were very enthusiastic about the next project. Learn2Code returns February 2019.

Innovation
I designed and coordinated district-wide training on 3D printers, including uses, library programs, maintenance, common issues, and next steps for 12 staff from OC, BG, LC, CP, and TC.  I will lead another session in January 2019. 

I submitted two conference proposals to the April 2019 OLA-WLA Conference. Both were accepted. I will be presenting a ½ day pre-conference on teaching coding in library settings and the various tools, ready-made programs, and other resources available to libraries. I will also present on makerspaces in libraries with Hillsboro and Multnomah County.

I will attend district training on Virtual Reality on 12/27/18 in preparation for the 2019 Revolutionary Reads programs.

Community Partnerships
I led a tour of our building and explained how maker activities are conducted at VA for the current Emporia State cohort of MLIS students. The library science students were very interested to hear how we hosted a variety of maker programming without a dedicated space. Our library’s tour was part of a wider tour of makerspaces in the area that included Hillsboro and Multnomah County.