OCPL Central Library Highlights
March 2018
Educational Programming
Librarian Pat Pederson’s story time outreach continues at nearby child care centers, with children ranging in age from just over a year to preschool level. In March, she read to 256 children.
The day before Easter/Passover weekend, patrons made creatures with plastic eggs, pipe cleaners, cotton balls, a bit of glitter, and googly eyes. That afternoon and into the next day, a number of our patrons found some plastic eggs with tiny prizes inside them around KidSpace!
Central teens helped Librarian Rene Battelle enhance TeenSpace by going with her to pick out new video games at Voltage on Warren Street, and later by helping create new guidelines for TeenSpace. “I love to see those smiling faces!”
Community Engagement
In March, two walk-in legal clinics, called “Talk to a Lawyer”,were held at Central with attorneys from the Onondaga Volunteer Lawyer Project.After a lull in February due to bad weather, patron visits picked up again in March, keeping the attorney busy past the 90-minute program time.It looks like this service is valued by patrons and will continue to be offered in the near future.
Patrons travel from all over the world to visit Central’s Local History and Genealogy Department and use its unique and valuable genealogy resources and services! In the last 10 months, LHG staff welcomed visitors from: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and of course, New York State.
Creative and Inspiring Spaces
Guitarist and songwriter Jane Zell visited MakerSpace to share her knowledge in a “Guitar Basics” class geared towardbeginners. This was an opportunity to use the guitars we own and share music instruction. Jane also helped maintain and tune MakerSpace guitars in preparation for her class, held on March 31.
Central Library Clerk Walter Ilczyszyn led a gardening workshop on March 17 in our MakerSpace. Patrons planted seeds and took home spider plant clippings - 25 patrons participated.
Community Partnerships
Pat Pederson represented OCPL at a Family STEAM night at Syracuse Latin School, offering attendees the opportunity to try out a “copy machine” built with a kit called Gadgets and Gizmos, as well as the Osmo Tangram app. The app presents a figure onscreen that participants try to replicate with Tangram blocks right below the tablet they are using. Osmo recognizes when the user places the blocks correctly via a mirror placed over an iPad’s camera. About 75 people, mostly children, stopped by the table to try out both items.
Librarian Mark Allnatt represented OCPL at the Onondaga County Adult and Long Term Care Department’s Ninth Annual Senior Information Fair at the Hearth in Liverpool on March 22. Mark made new contacts, including staff from the Syracuse Community Connections, formerly known as the Southwest Community Center, who subsequently scheduled a program at Central in April.