Library is ideal partner in your learning journey

The following article is written by Vanessa Velez, Collection Development, Cataloging, and Technical Services supervisor at the East Bonner County Library District. You can follow Vanessa’s leadership blog at ebonnerlibrary.org/ForYou.

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Do you work? Whether your answer to that question is “Way too much” or “Of course, but I wish I didn’t,” I strongly suspect it’s something in the affirmative, because we all work, one way or another. You might work in the home, or in the office, or in the field, or in the forest, or … you get the picture. But you work. And whether you enjoy it or not (I sincerely hope the former), there are tons of resources out there to make your working life more manageable. And… drumroll… many of these resources can be found at your library!

For the past year and a half, I’ve worked on an Idaho Library Association committee with the lovely acronym of LiLAC. Far from studying aromatic flowering shrubs, LiLAC focuses on “library leadership advisory,” which means that we frequently beta-test activities designed to bring personal and professional development opportunities to Idaho library staff. One of these activities involved writing about our biggest daily challenge.

We had a series of prompts to choose from, and I selected this one: “I’m good at doing my own work, but how do I get the work done through others?” I then wrote a couple of slightly snarky paragraphs about getting all “E’s” for excellent on my grade school report cards, except for the dreaded “S” for satisfactory (gasp!) for works well with others. Long story short, this simple exercise helped me recognize a pattern of chronic self-reliance that I had developed 20-plus years ago and managed to hold on to even while working for over a decade in one of the most collaborative professions out there.

My point — and I do have one — is that it’s never too late to direct your focus inward and ask yourself whether or not the ways you’ve been doing things in the past are still the best ways to advance your personal or professional goals in the present.

Another important point to remember is that everyone’s path is different.

What worked for your friend, or mother, or coworker, might not work for you. The best resources are not necessarily those you have to work for, but those that work for you, so if a book or blog or podcast isn’t striking a chord, try something else! This is what makes the library an ideal partner for your journey, because it lets you try out all these resources and more for free. To help get you started, the LiLAC team recently compiled a list of popular personal and professional development resources that you can find on the library shelves or online. Here’s a short selection:

- Blogs by Cal Newport and Skip Prichard

- Talks by Brene Brown, Simon Sinek, and Randy Pausch

- Books: “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey, “Getting Things Done” by David Allen, “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson, “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brene Brown, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, “Mindset” by Carol Dweck, and “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg

For more ideas, search “success” or “self-realization” in our online catalog, or browse the 150s and 650s on the shelves. Happy hunting!

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All of the following classes and events take place at the Sandpoint branch Library, 1407 Cedar, unless otherwise indicated.

- NOTE: The Sandpoint branch’s Make It at The Library is canceled during construction. A new Make It at The Library will start up in the Spring. Stay tuned for details! The Clark Fork Make It at The Library will continue as usual.

- Friday, Sept. 22 — & 29 ASL Practice. 9:30 a.m. at the Sandpoint branch lobby. Silent sign language practice. Free and open to all. Some signing experience is suggested. Info: (510) 423-1079.

- Friday, Sept. 22 — Teen Writers Club. 3 p.m. at the Sandpoint branch lobby. Writing prompts, collaboration and mentorship for young writers of various writing platforms. Questions? Contact Morgan, 263-6930 ext. 1245 or morgan@ebonnerlibrary.org.

- Saturday, Sept. 23 — & 30 Booker at the Farmer’s Market. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Farmin Park. Visit “Booker,” the Library Bookmobile at the Farmer’s Market to browse, check-out, and return books and other materials. Sign up for a library card to be entered into the Library Card Month prize drawings and other perks.

- Saturday, Sept. 23 — Computer Class: Basic Internet. 8:15 a.m. sharp at the Sandpoint branch. Don’t let the internet intimidate you. Learn your way around the web with this beginner-level class. Attendance is kept to a minimum and preregistration is required: 263-6930.

- Saturday, Sept. 23 — Organic Gardening and Seed Saving. 1 p.m. at the Sandpoint branch lobby. Come and discuss organic gardening and seed saving. Bring food and seeds to share if you can. If you can’t, come anyway! Info: Sandpoint Seed Library volunteer Camisse Nitkowski 263-6248.

- Saturday, Sept. 23 — Seed Saving Workshop. at off-site location TBA. A gardening workshop with Sandpoint Seed Library Volunteer Duane Church. Location & carpool info provided upon registration: 263-6930.

- Saturday, Sept. 23 — Ponderay Neighbor Day. 3 p.m. at Hwy 200 behind Hoot Owl Restaurant. Bookmobile, StoryWalk®, and children’s book reading by Suzanne Davis with special appearance by Curious George. For information contact Suzanne: 263-6930 ext. 1211 or suzanne@ebonnerlibrary.org.

- Monday, Sept. 25 — Introduction to Non-verbal Communication and ASL. 4:30 p.m. at the Sandpoint branch lobby. Susan Schaller teaches a beginner-level sign language course on Saturdays. Info: (510) 423-1079.

- Tuesday, Sept. 26 — Mother Goose Story Time. 10:15 a.m. at Creations on the Cedar Street Bridge. Singing and stories for babies and toddlers 0-3 years and their caregivers. For more information contact Suzanne, Children’s Services Librarian: 263-6930 ext. 1211 or suzanne@ebonnerlibrary.org.

- Tuesday, Sept. 26 — Preschool Story Time. 11 a.m. at Creations. Stories and crafts for children ages 2-5 and their caregivers.

- Tuesday, Sept. 26 — Robotics with Lego Mindstorm. 3 p.m. . Learn to build or code. For boys and girls age 8+ at the Clark Fork branch.

- Tuesday, Sept. 26 — 3D Printing Workshop. 5 p.m. at the Sandpoint branch. Beginner-level class discussing what 3D printers can be used for and how to design your own 3D printable object. Preregistration is required: 263-6930.

- Wednesday, Sept. 27 — Clark Fork Stories and More, 10:30 a.m. at the Clark Fork branch. Stories, crafts, and snacks for kids and their caregivers. For more information, call 266-1321.

- Wednesday, Sept. 27 — Clark Fork Make It at The Library. 2 p.m. at the Clark Fork branch. Kids make a variety of age appropriate STEAM projects.

- Wednesday, Sept. 27 — Crafternoon – Zendoodle, 2 p.m. at the Sandpoint branch lobby. Kids and families make crafts to take home. For more information, contact Suzanne: 263-6930 ext. 1211 or suzanne@ebonnerlibrary.org.

- Saturday, Sept. 30 — Computer class on cyber security, 8:15 a.m. sharp at the Sandpoint branch. Learn to protect yourself from hackers and cyber crime. Preregistration is required: 263-6930.

- StoryWalk — At Dover City Park, read “School’s First Day of School” by Adam Rex. At McNearney Park in Ponderay, enjoy “Wemberly Worried” by Kevin Henkes. For more information, visit ebonnerlibrary.org or call Suzanne Davis, Children’s Services Librarian, 208-263-6930, ext. 1211, or suzanne@ebonnerlibrary.org.

- Autumn Reading Program — Now through Dec. 1, keep track of your reading. Pick up a reading log at the Clark Fork Library for the annual reading challenge that ends with a silent auction. Each item read counts for one bidding dollar! The program is open to all ages. For more information call the Clark Fork Library at 208-266-1321.

Marcy Timblin is in charge of public relations, marketing and community development for the East Bonner County Library District. She can be reached at 208-263-6930, ext. 1204.