Posted on by Cora

Library Display: “Pin-a-Poem” Celebrates Poetry Month

On Pins and Paper –

To celebrate National Poetry Month this past April, library staff decided to display a “Pin-a-Poem” Poetry Board in the library lobby at UW Bothell and Cascadia College Campus Library. In the spirit of magnetic poetry – this idea was brought to life by blank library check-out cards (the ones you found in the back of books ages ago). Each card had a word on it and we supplied the board with dozens of these attached with push pins. The visual was stunning. The goal was to catch our campus community’s attention to interact and participate with the board and pin a line or two of collaborative community poetry. A book display near the poetry board encouraged individuals to celebrate poets, and read and write poetry all month long in celebration of poetry month. The board turned out to be quite effective and provided an interactive element alongside the book display. It was heavily used with new words and lines added to the community poem board every day. Many voices and thoughts merge into one as more and more lines were added and new poems started. We offered and our campus responded. The display creators were pleased with the results that our library users were interested in this evolving and changing artwork that the community as a whole had a hand in creating – or should I say had a paper and pin in creating. Our hopes were that our campus thought about and wrote poetry for the month of April – and the board provided that very opportunity. Happy Poetry Month all year long and write on!  

– Cora, Circulation Lead, UWB/CC Campus Library

“Pin-a-Poem” Poetry Board displayed in library lobby
Image Credit (all images in this post): Cora Thomas, Circulation Lead

Sample of the collaborative poetry pinned on the board

blue storm after sun                              
like pink water over sky                          
as ugly as it was

honey mist

beauty is like the

milk moon

sweet goddess urges a chant

the girl is all diamond

apparatus of a tongue

Posted on by Cora · 1 Comment

Student Employees Share Why You Should Read Their Library Blog

Welcome to our new and improved Student Employee Blog at the UW Bothell/Cascadia Campus (UWB/CC) Library in Bothell, WA. We call our blog Library Voices.

Our bloggers wanted to share why you should read their fantastic student authored blog. This blog highlights different interests, resources, and issues that benefit our diverse campus population. Our library student employees have the unique perspective of seeing this campus as students AND staff – behind the circulation desk (when the library is open to campus, but they are still writing remotely). Our Campus Library values their experience and point of view, and is proud to provide a platform for their voices, especially during these challenging times.

Here are a few thoughts straight from the bloggers themselves – our Student Circulation Assistants and Specialists in their own words. 

Eva (pronounced Ay-vah) is a first-year UW Seattle student, and is a pre-public health major.

Eva says, 

“I believe that people should read the Library Voices Blog because I feel it is important for people to connect with not only the library as an institute of research and information access but as a collection of individuals who are dedicated to helping library users. The library is an integral part of campus life and is special not only because of the books and media it contains but by the people who work there.

Writing for the library blog has affected my writing style by forcing me out of my comfort zone of academic essays, and into the more creative realm of blogging. It has forced me to consider how I write not merely to convey an idea, but also to engage the reader in a way that is entertaining and effective. I am also inspired by the multitude of amazing blog articles written by other employees, such as the fantastic “Library Display Recap” series written by Zoe. 

In all, I think that the library blog is a great way for the staff to show what goes on behind the scenes and impart a personal touch. I enjoy the creative freedom it affords me, and I love reading everyone else’s work as well!”

Eva’s latest post can be read here:  A Plethora of Poetry

Johana is a second-year student at UW Bothell, majoring in Biology.  

Johana says,

“The Library Voices blog is a good way to keep up to date with everything going on at the Library, whether that be interesting new displays or events. Since we often write about differing interests there is always something for every reader as well as new things to learn about surrounding the library and campus. 

As a blogger it has allowed me to tap into my creative side, which is something that does not come easily to me. As a reader it has allowed me to learn about various topics that I never thought I would originally be interested in such as the salmon found on campus.” 

Stay tuned for Johana’s very first post as a Library Voices blogger.

Jolene is a UW Bothell graduate 2020, BS CSS (former blogger)

Jolene says,

“Most of our posts are informative and are on interesting topics. I think people should read our blog if they want to learn something new that they can apply to their personal lives or just to simply have something easy to read.

As a blogger, it made me remember how fun it is to write outside of school. Writing quarterly blog posts allowed me to fit in some expression of creativity among my busy schedule as a student. As a reader, I was able to see how others effectively delivered their ideas and in turn, I learned how to formulate my own way of writing [posts].”

Jolene’s latest post can be read here: Creating an Ergonomic Workspace 

Kathy is a senior at UW Bothell, majoring in Educational Studies. 

Kathy says,

“When it comes to Circulation student workers, you usually encounter them for guiding questions, such as where a specific item is in the library, or how to reserve a study room upstairs. By reading blog posts that are written by the students themselves, you are not only gaining a perspective on their experiences as a UWB/CC student, but you are also able to obtain different lessons or ideas out of them. As you go through the Library Voices blog, you can find informative details that can guide you, whether if you are a student or a faculty member on campus.

When I first started writing for the blog, I personally was not confident in my writing. In fact, that still applies in the present; I can admit that I am not confident in what I think of or what prompts I draft out. There would be times where I would give up or even discard ideas that could have been worth value. However, this doesn’t stop me from getting back up and taking time to write out my thoughts. Library Voices has given me plenty of opportunities to express myself as well as my creativity. As a student blogger; I recognize what strengths I have, while learning what I can do to challenge myself or how I can improve my writing in the future.” 

Kathy’s latest post can be read here: Preparing for Future Snowpocolypses

Paul is a third-year student at UW Bothell, majoring in Business.

Paul says,

“I believe people should read our blog because it gives a sense of character to our library workers and many things we write about are very beneficial to college students. I haven’t been able to get around writing a blog [post] but it has been very fun reading a lot of other student’s blogs. It’s nice to see who they are outside of the work environment. Everyone should go check out the student blog! It’s a good way to get to know the library employees and I am sure that they would love to talk to you about them!”

Stay tuned for Paul’s very first post as a Library Voices blogger.

Robert is a third-year student at UW Bothell, majoring in Chemistry. 

Robert says,

“I think the Library Voices blog is a valuable resource for student and library employee experience. I have learned a lot from reading posts that apply to my life as a UW student and as a library user. I also have improved my skills of creative information sharing and writing through researching and forming blog posts as an effective way to express my experience and information. Reading through the Library Voices blog is a great way to learn something new and, well, to hear library voices.” 

Robert’s latest post can be read here: Activities for Home

Zoe is a UW Bothell graduate and a first-year MLIS student at UW Seattle.

Zoe says,

Library Voices offers unique and valuable student perspectives on a wide array of topics! Whether you’re looking for new materials to check out, need some tips for surviving finals week, or even just want to relax and see some cute pet pictures, we’ve got you covered. Plus, it’s a fun way to stay connected with the UW Bothell / Cascadia College Campus Library and its’ student employees!

Since becoming a blogger for Library Voices, I’ve learned how to better express myself and passions in a way that is not only creative, but also having the potential to help the campus community and beyond, which has always been my goal with working on campus. On the flipside, being a reader of the blog has given me an amazing opportunity to learn from my coworkers in a different way. 

This blog has been vital to really feeling a sense of belonging on campus, and I’ll forever be thankful for that!

Zoe’s latest post can be read here: Library Display Recap March 2020

Read more about some of our student authors on our Author Bios webpage.

Subscribe to Stay Up to Date

If you’re interested in subscribing to our blog, posts will be delivered straight to your inbox each time we publish. Simply click the “Subscribe” button on the lower right hand side of your screen when you visit the blog website. 

We hope you enjoy exploring our blog! It’s an intimate look inside the experiences, interests, and passions of our Library Circulation Student Employees. We hope their writing inspires you like it inspires the rest of our Library Staff every day. Be prepared to even learn a thing or two along the way! 

Happy Reading!

Library Student Circulation Staff & Cora Thomas, Circulation Lead (and Student Blog Coordinator)

UW Bothell / Cascadia College Campus