Friday Grab Bag, April 11, 2025

The Friday Grab Bag is a weekly series that highlights fun, unique, and interesting happenings in Colorado libraries, and includes news from the Colorado State Library. Let’s open the Friday Grab Bag!

Library Events & Programs

Readers & Poets

Basalt Regional Library invites all book lovers, nature enthusiasts, and community champions to their Library Lovers’ Party on April 25 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. At this heartwarming celebration you’ll connect with your community and enjoy activities for all ages, such as crafts, food, music, and door prizes.

High Plains Library District is hosting Ars Poetica: Poetry Reading and Workshop by Poet Jackie White on April 12 at LINC. During the hands-on workshop you’ll work with other participants to write collaborative poems.

As part of National Library Week, Grand County Library District invites you to Drop Everything and Read Day on April 12 at various commercial locations in Grand County. Stop by and read with GCLD staff!

Aurora Public Library is celebrating National Poetry Month with a Poetry Party on April 17 at Tallyn’s Reach Library. Come experiment with a variety of genres, including black-out poetry, acrostic poetry, common meter karaoke, and haiku.

Garfield County Libraries invites submissions by April 16 to their Haiku Contest and Poetry Journal. Writers of all ages can submit up to 3 haiku poems; winners will receive a gift certificate for ice cream.

Lyons Community Library is hosting Lyons’ First Annual Poetry Slam/Jam, presented by Bread & Poetry, on April 17 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The evening will begin with a short writing exercise followed by an open mic. Lyons Community Theater will provide free refreshments.

Mancos Public Library invites you to their Burton E. Baldwin Poetry Event on April 19 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. The award-winning local poet will read a selection of his poems.

Southwest La Plata Library District will host The American Sonnet, the last of its April poetry workshops led by local poet Barnabas Smith, on April 17 at Fort Lewis Mesa Public Library. The series wraps up with an Open Poetry Reading on April 24.

Community Resources

Louisville Public Library is calling all local businesses to register by May 9 for their annual Local Business Scavenger Hunt. This is an opportunity to boost foot traffic and community engagement during the 2025 Summer Reading Challenge.

Broomfield Library is hosting a Kitchen Supplies and Gadgets Swap on April 12 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm. Come trade your gently used secondhand tools, utensils, and gadgets, or bring canned goods and toiletries in lieu of kitchen supplies.

Pikes Peak Library District’s Annual Homeschool Resource Fair is April 11 at Library 21c. You’ll meet a wide variety of local exhibitors offering educational and extracurricular opportunities for homeschooling families, plus there will be fun, hands-on activities for kids.

Westminster Public Library invites you to the Westminster Archive Center Open House on April 18 at College Hill Library. At this second anniversary of the archive’s opening, you can engage with Westminster history through historic collections and digitization tools available to the public.

What’s New from the Colorado State Library

Colorado State Publications Blog

Colorado’s governors: Teller Ammons

CSL Kits

Art Exploration Kits. Capture your patrons’ art curiosity with these traveling pop up exhibits!

Learning Opportunities

All events are online except where a location is noted.

• 2025 Colorado Resource Sharing Conference (in-person)
  • April 18, 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
  • Pikes Peak Library District, Library 21c (Colorado Springs)
• 2025 Colorado Resource Sharing Conference (virtual)
  • April 23, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
• Spirituality in the Library Workplace: Bringing Your Whole Self to Work
  • April 23, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
• 2024-25 Youth Services Learning Community (Central Region)
  • April 24, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
  • Castle Rock
• Really Useful Library Evaluation
  • May 21 & 22, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
  • Adams State University, Nielsen Library (Alamosa)
• Adult Services Regional Workshop – Durango
  • May 28, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
  • Durango Public Library
• Find even more learning opportunities:
  • Libraries Learn Calendar from Colorado State Library
  • Continuing Education Calendar from Maine State Library (note: all MSL events are listed in Eastern time). A different view of these events is available at Free Online Learning Opportunities for April 2025.

Library Jobline

Are you considering a job change this year? Check out Library Jobline for hot new library employment opportunities, like this selection from around Colorado.

• Library Specialist I (part-time, NoBo) – Boulder Public Library District
• Anythink Manager-Experience Expert – Anythink Huron Street
• Head of Public Services – Mesa County Libraries
• Library Manager – Eaton Public Library
• Patron Experience Associate (Part Time) – Conifer Library – Jefferson County Public Library
• Collection Development Librarian – Adult Materials – Jefferson County Public Library
• District Librarian (High School) – Weld RE-4 School District
• District Librarian (Middle School) – Weld RE-4 School District
• Supporting Library Specialist 30 hours – Arapahoe Libraries
• Mobile Service Assistant – Clearview Library District
• Library Supervisor 2 – Pikes Peak Library District
• Collections Student Assistant – University of Colorado – Denver, Auraria Library

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This post is part of the Spotlight on Sharing initiative, which aims to increase the visibility of Colorado library programs and resource sharing. Do you have a story from your library to share? Email Amy Hitchner, hitchner_a@cde.state.co.us.

All images are from the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection, a service of Colorado State Library.