NMRT (New Members Round Table)

Hi everyone,

With the holiday season and the end of the year approaching, many libraries put on festive seasonal displays, programs, and events. Let's exchange ideas to inspire and spark creativity! ☃️

• What types of holiday, winter, or end-of-year programming have you hosted or seen at your library? Feel free to share photos! From gingerbread house workshops to cozy winter reading nooks...what has been well-received at your location?
• What program concepts have you been eager to try out this time of year?
• What inspiration have you found or ideas do you hope to launch at your library?
• For current students - what special activities, exhibits, or spaces has your campus library created for seasonal celebrations? How about public libraries? Any memorable?

Let's swap stories and recommendations! Whether recapping a unique program from years past or brainstorming future events, use this discussion thread to spark creativity this month.

Lauren Puzier
NMRT Online Program Committee

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Lauren Puzier
User Experience Librarian
University at Albany
She/Her/Hers
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Hi Lauren,  thank you for sharing this thread!  It is the joy of my life to be able to be involved with the development and cultivation of libraries in the world.  It is such a gift for which I am very grateful.  This is my first ever post to a thread on ALA!  Grateful to be here.  I am two weeks into my life as a librarian and could not be any happier!  In regards the prompt for this thread, I had an idea which perhaps is stretching a bit the concept but I feel it is apt.  I have an idea to implement life coaching within a library context especially for this time when New Year's is happening and people are setting intentions for their aims in life.  I think life coaching could really work well in the context of a library and add to the dimension and depth by which we serve people.  This is nothing official, nor have I had a chance to try to implement it yet if ever but I feel it is a powerful concept that speaks also to the sometimes turbulent or unsteady experience of the holidays that some folks have and also for how to reach people in an even greater dynamic way to encourage folks to keep living their best lives, self-directing of course to their ultimate goals, with perhaps life-coach librarians as a guide on the side trained to work with people and utilize the resources of the library to help people even further in their lives to reach their true potential!  Just an idea.  Happy to share.  Best, Jon

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Jon Keppel
Librarian
Akron-Summit County Public Library
He/Him/His
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Hi Lauren, 

My Programs & Partnerships team just finished a Gift Nook weekend! It was very motivating to see the people that came in from all walks of life and of all ages.  We tried it out for the first-time last year, and this was our second time doing it. 

Here is a link to the calendar event- Holiday Gift Nook - Events Calendar - Home (libcal.com)

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Katherine Chiriboga
Programs & Partnerships Librarian
Arlington Public Library
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Original Message:
Sent: 12/4/2023 4:47:00 PM
From: Katherine Chiriboga
Subject: RE: Online Programs Discussion Forum December 2023: End-of-Year Idea Swap

Hi Lauren, 

My Programs & Partnerships team just finished a Gift Nook weekend! It was very motivating to see the people that came in from all walks of life and of all ages.  We tried it out for the first-time last year, and this was our second time doing it. 

Here is a link to the calendar event- Holiday Gift Nook - Events Calendar - Home (libcal.com)

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Katherine Chiriboga
Programs & Partnerships Librarian
Arlington Public Library
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