Reading Resolutions

Has anyone made a New Year's Resolution involving reading?

Last year, I really slacked on my recreational reading (I did read a lot of picture books, though!) I love reading YA books,  but I think I read maybe 4 last year 😿

This year, I'm using Goodreads to track my reading, and I decided to set some reading goals. My reading goals are to read:

1. All of the Bluebonnets for 2017-2018

2. All of the Lone Star books for 2017

3. The TAYSHAS top 10 books for 2017

4. All of the 2x2 books for 2017

I like reading from the book lists, as they make me a better reader's adviser, and I become more knowledgeable about books that kids/teens are going to ask for in our collection. 

If you aren't using Goodreads, I highly recommend it! It's so easy to add books to different lists, and while I rarely write reviews, I do like rating the books to remember which books I liked, and which books I REALLY liked. I also love that I can create my own lists (or shelves), so I have categorized books into 2017 Bluebonnets, 2017 Lone Star, etc.

Share your reading resolutions in the comments! If you share, you'll get a prize at the January youth meeting (don't forget to put your name and location on your comment!)

-Sara

Amazing Art Resources!

If you are looking for ideas for art programs that you might want to do at your location, either for March programming or for any general time, check out the Art Lab books! They are available as ebooks (some through Hoopla!) and as physical books. What I especially like is that most of them feature 52 lessons, so you could, in theory, do a unique program every week for an entire year. Check them out!

Share your ideas for incorporating art into your library programs in the comments!

PicMonkey!

I would like to introduce you to my good friend PicMonkey. I have been a member of PicMonkey since it started and I have never regretted it. I use it for work, for play, by myself, with others… I first used it with teens at Austin Public Library and they really got a kick out of it. Then I used it with my students in Thailand and they especially loved turning themselves into gory monsters.

I created this image and the one above with just PicMonkey basic:

(I’ve been watching Buffy so vampires are on my mind.)

As you can see, it is fun both for photo manipulation and for creating designs from scratch!

Here is a photo of the display I made for our teen area for July. I used Royale features, but it was a PicMonkey project:

Full disclosure: PicMonkey Basic is free and is a limited version of what the site offers. There are ads on the interface in the Basic version, but they don’t put watermarks on your stuff, which is great. Features with a crown on them are for Royale subscribers only. PicMonkey Royale costs about $37 annually, which I pay personally. And no, they don’t pay me for this advertising! I just think it’s a great tool that you might like.