Social Library, Volume 143

Jennifer Peterson /

Image courtesy Whangaparaoa Library‎‎ on Facebook

We continue to find innovative and fresh program and service ideas shared by libraries on Facebook. In this week’s edition of the Social Library series learn about a Diwali celebration, line dancing class, a Monty Python party, circulating kayaks, and reading at barbershops. If you'd like to see your library featured in an upcoming edition of the Social Library, let us know via [email protected] or find us on Facebook.

  • Whangaparaoa Library in New Zealand hosted a Diwali Celebration last week, honoring the festival of lights celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists. Check out the fantastic photos of the event, highlighting aspects of Indian culture including henna designs, Indian sweets, songs and dancing, Rongoli pattern making, and a chance to model a sari.
  • Bloomfield Public Library in Connecticut posted a short video of the packed house of dancers at Prosser Public Library's monthly Line Dancing class. We learned more about the event on the library's calendar: "Come on down to Prosser to learn a few basic line dancing steps! A line dance is a choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of people dance in one or more lines or rows. We will spend time walking through the steps for all the dances and then the music goes on and we practice what we just learned! No previous experience necessary. This is a fun activity to get you moving." This library loves dance! They also hosted an Indian Classical Dance performance this past Sunday.
  • Millinocket Memorial Library in Maine offer kayak, canoe, and paddle board check-outs during the summer months. We read all about the gear library in the Sidetracks post which explains that "the canoes, mountain bikes, kayaks, stand up paddle-boards and other gear were donated to the library by the nearby Outdoor Sport Institute, and are free for anyone to use." The library also collaborates with local partners to host summer youth paddling and mountain biking programs.
  • Solano County Library in California shared a post from the California State Library with the Daily Republic article about the library's new Reading at the Barbershop program. The library's program page lists 10 participating barbershops that have "age-appropriate reading material to help young boys identify as readers by helping to increase their vocabulary, boosting their confidence, getting them comfortable with public speaking, and building relationship and networking skills by talking to the grown-ups around them." They continue, "Students who read just once or twice a month score higher reading levels than students who never read for fun. Boys that make one or two trips to the barbershop per month can significantly improve their reading scores."