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 libraryvoices

Ad: Codependent Reader Seeks Same

In the realm of privileged people problems, nothing is worse than getting a chocolate-covered cherry stain on your favorite shirt…except maybe being single on Valentine’s Day.

In the current state of society, we are conditioned to believe that “single” = sad. Singles Awareness Day (S.A.D.) was an unfortunate acronym. In actuality, being single is Fierce, Uplifting, and Nirvana (F.U.N.)! No offense to all the lovely couples out there, but being single is pretty much the best thing ever. Here’s why:

When you’re single, instead of going out to engage in activities you don’t enjoy, eat food that is too expensive, and agonize as you watch romantic comedies without the comedy, you can literally do WHATEVER YOU WANT on Valentine’s Day. Shopping for new clothes? Sure. Do-it-yourself spa day? Doable. Drinking too much Red Bull and doing amateur parkour stuff around Capitol Hill? Why not?

Or – get this – you could avoid all the Valentine’s Day traffic and have a comfy night in by yourself (or with your single besties) and read a BOOK! I know.

If you are so inclined, the Campus Library would like to help you with this final option. The “Blind Date with a Book” display is now up and running in the Campus Library, your match is waiting for you…Instead of living the real-life romance (with all of its pomp, frill, and subsequent complicatedness), why not read about it? Better yet, why not read a super-spy thriller, an outdoor adventure, a drug-addled memoir, a historical murder-mystery, a beloved classic or a love story parody?

The thing about “Blind Date with a Book,” is you don’t know what you’re going to get, which only increases the anticipation! As you unwrap your blind date, consider how lucky you are to have someone who cares about you so deeply. Someone who loves you so completely, that they dedicate themselves to you, and you alone, 24/7. I read a meme somewhere once that said something like: “There are millions of cells in your body and all they care about is you.” Kind of similar to what I’m trying to say, but not really.

What I mean is that being single is not the end of the world, neither is being in a relationship. Whatever your relationship status this year, just remember that the Library understands. So whether you need a significant other or are looking for a new one, pick up a blind date in the library lobby and fall in love…with reading.

(Cheesy, I know, but don’t care.)

<3

Posted on by libraryvoices

Books Seeking Readers!!

Hello, fellow students! Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we have added a brand new display on the first floor called Blind Date with a Book! that can easily spice up your day!

P1030651_cropped

From our collection of Recreational Reading books, staff members chose a book or two and wrote up a short little dating-profile-esque description to grab your attention. These books were then wrapped up nice and tight so that you have no idea what adventure you will go on until you have checked it out! So come on by and get set up on a Blind Date with a Book today!

Who knows, maybe you’ll fall in love!

trio of images

If the mystery and suspense of a blind date is just too much, we do have a second option for you! On the second floor, the theme for this month’s Children’s Literature display is LOVE! Quite fitting, ‘ey?  If you have children or greatly enjoy the art accompanying the words, feel free to pick one of those books up as well!

bochl valentine comp

Photographs by Kayla Hoffman