The Mind Matters

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Annaclaire Crumpton in Book Recommendations, Library Services, Local Happenings, Resources

Resources for Mental Health Awareness Month

What do exercise, art, gratitude, and spending time in nature have in common? All of these practices have been scientifically proven to positively impact an individual’s mental health.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. According to the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), one in five Americans or nearly 53 million adults in the U.S. are affected by mental health issues.

This month, we’ll be highlighting mental health resources from our collection. Whether you’re looking for resources for a friend, loved one, or yourself – the Library offers everything from books about mental health to State Parks passes to increase your endorphins through time outside.

Books and Literature

Gratitude

by Oliver Sacks

Researchers at NIMH have found that practicing gratitude for just five minutes per day can lead to long-term mental health benefits. This book chronicles Oliver Sacks’ thoughts, wishes, regrets, and feelings of gratitude even as he faced the cancer that ended his life at age 82. In essays that originally appeared in the New York Times, Sacks relates what makes him happy—simply to be alive on a beautiful day, for example.

Self Care Solution

by Jennifer Ashton

ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Ashton becomes both researcher and subject as she focuses on twelve separate month-long challenges to improve mental health. She cites the potential benefits of specific practices including exercise, earlier bedtimes, minimized alcohol, and less screen time.

The Book of Self Care

by Mary Beth Jansen

Heal mind, body, and soul with this collection of self-care rituals and tips. In this guide, wellness educator Mary Beth Janssen offers helpful practices to improve mental health. She profiles a range of activities and exercises, including karma cleanses, meditation and breathwork, emotional housecleaning, setting boundaries, deep sleep, and beauty rituals.

Parenting Children With Mental Health Challenges : A Guide to Life With Emotionally Complex Kids

by Deborah Vlock

Readers who feel overwhelmed by the numerous and ever-present challenges of parenting a child with mental health issues will feel connected, supported, and hopeful through this book. Vlock has been living with these challenges since her four-year-old started talking about suicide. Her own experience along with the stories of other parents, input from experts, and children who live with a range of mental health struggles themselves will help readers navigate various parenting challenges.

Mental Health Information for Teens

by Omnigraphics

According to the World Health Organization, depression, anxiety, and behavioral disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents. Providing documents and excerpts from various government agencies, along with some original material, this book supplies teens with information on mental health and illnesses, including causes, warning signs, diagnosis, and treatments.

Gadgets and Things

A growing body of research by physicians and psychiatrists included in the revered “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Journal,” shows access to greenspaces (or nature/public parks at large) can lead to improvements in young people’s mental well-being.

Objects available in our Gadgets and Things collection to help you get outside and enjoy some fresh air include a Gateway Natural Areas pass, a State Parks pass, and a Larimer County natural resources kit (which includes a backpack, nature guides, and more).

Oftentimes, venturing outdoors also means getting a little bit of exercise, which studies conducted by the National Institute of Health have shown to be as effective in treating mild to moderate symptoms of depression as antidepressants. Want to start keeping track of your exercise? Check out one of our Fitbits!

Movies and TV

Everyday Yoga

According to Harvard Medical School, yoga is proven to have multiple mental health benefits – among them are stress reduction and a release of endorphins during an individual’s practice. In this guided class, you’ll develop a personalized yoga routine that will work for you in the everyday realities of 21st-century life. (Kanopy)

Happy

Have you heard of positive psychology? This film combines cutting-edge science from this new scientific field with real-life stories of people from around the world whose lives illustrate these findings. (Kanopy)

Looking for more mental health resources? Drop by a library to pick up materials from Summit Stone Health Partners. The state of Colorado also offers free therapy sessions for children under the age of 18. As author John Green said, “There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.”

Exploring the Library’s Multilingual Collection

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Library Staff in Library Services, Resources

By Substitute Library Assistant, Laura Pulls

Inclusion is one of our core values at Poudre River Public Library District; we want everyone to be able to learn, grow, and belong.

As of 2018, 12 percent of Fort Collins residents use languages besides English at home. Spanish, Indo-European languages, and Asian and Pacific Island languages were most commonly reported. By including materials in multiple languages, we invite all Fort Collins residents to enjoy different stories and perspectives. Maybe you’re learning another language and want to practice reading and listening. Maybe you miss the pleasure of reading or watching entertainment in languages you already know intimately.

But how can you identify items in a library catalog of primarily English materials? Below are some strategies to get started.

1. Use the Advanced Search Language filter.

Our catalog has an Advanced Search feature, which is on the homepage under the regular catalog search box.

Type in a broad keyword that captures what you’re looking for (like story), click the Search button, and browse your results:

search results page for stories in Arabic in the Poudre River Public Library catalog

Bonus tip! There are more languages in our catalog than those listed on the Advanced Search page.

On the results page, look at the search bar to see how the catalog formatted the search for stories in Arabic:

close up view of text in search bar from results page, which reads (story) l:ara

The catalog “code” for limiting materials by a language is: the letter l + colon + the beginning three letters of a language. In this case, ara for Arabic.

So you can add l:+ the three beginning letters of a language to limit your results to other languages.

Some examples include

l:heb = Hebrew
l:per = Persian/Farsi
l:tur = Turkish
l:urd = Urdu

2. Use the Advanced Search Collection filter.

Return to the Advanced Search screen and select the Collections dropdown filter.

Advanced Search page with Collections menu open and World Languages selected

Scroll down to select Espanol for our Spanish language collection or World Languages for even more titles.

Once you selected the collection you want, add a broad keyword related to your topic (like family) and click Search.

The filters on the left side of the screen can help you further narrow down your results.

3. Look for translations.

Sometimes we can reverse engineer finding books in other languages by identifying their English translations, or find translations of books originally written in English.

Try using the Advanced search page again and search for keywords “translation from” or “translated by” or “English translation” or “translated into”:

Advanced search screen with Keywords variations of “translation from” and the Boolean operator OR between keywords

Search results screen for “translation from” or “English translation” or “translated into”

Then on the search results page, filter by the language you want to read in.

Additional Resources for Finding Multilingual Titles

These search tips are a starting point for finding books in other languages and from other countries. Please contact the Answer Center for assistance navigating our website.

Do you have more recommendations for non-English books, movies, and other resources to expand our collection? Suggest a purchase!

If you’re looking for more books to expand your reading list, check out:

Outstanding International Books List

#WeNeedDiverseBooks: Middle Grade Reader Edition
- A few children’s recommendations from our collection:
  - Clara Brown : African-American pioneer = Clara Brown : pionera afroamericana / by Suzanne Frachetti
  - Barney Ford : empresario pionero / by Jamie Trumball = Barney Ford : pioneer businessman / por Jamie Trumball
  - Harry Potter y el Cáliz de Fuego / por J.K. Rowling ; traducción, Adolfo Muñoz García y Nieves Martín Azofra
  - La Cocina de Rebeca : Recetas Fáciles con 5 Ingredientes / por Rebeca de Torres
  - Folla alvilla alsaghirh / by Jane Simmons ; Arabic text adapted from the original by Saussan Khalil

Share Your Bookjoy All Year Long

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Katie Auman in Library Blog

We can read, you and I,

see the letters become words,

and words become books…

You and I read, round and round,

bookjoy around the world.

Pat Mora, Bookjoy, Wordjoy

“El día de los niños, el día de los libros,” or “Children’s Day, Book Day” (often known as Día), is a celebration of children, families, and reading that culminates yearly on April 30. After learning about Mexico’s tradition of celebrating April 30 as El día de los niños / Children’s Day, author Pat Mora helped create a new holiday in 1996 the United States emphasizing the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds, linking families to diverse books, languages, and cultures.

Mora, an award-winning author of books for children, teens and adults, is a literacy advocate excited about sharing what she calls “bookjoy.” Her children’s book, Book Fiesta!, captures the bookjoy spirit of reading, books, and children that are at the heart of El día de los niños, el día de los libros.

How to Share Bookjoy Throughout the Year

In addition to making the library a regular part of your children’s lives, here are a few additional ideas for creating excitement around reading and books for your family.

Get caught reading. Let your child see all family members reading to illustrate that you are a family that enjoy books and reading, a bookjoy family.
Create book time together. Teach your child that enjoying books together is a special time. Talk about the illustrations and ask questions connected to the book you’re sharing.
Get a library card. Children can get their own library card and use it to check out fun books and other library resources.
Frame it. Take a photo of your child reading in a special chair and frame it. Maybe even a reading throne.
Develop a book habit. Set aside time each day to enjoy books with your child. It could be before bed, outside, after dinner, while traveling, or whenever is convenient.
Build your own book. Accordion books are easy to make and are a great way for children to write and illustrate their own stories.
Read diverse books. Make multicultural exploration a family focus as you choose picture books, chapter books, nonfiction, and even poetry. Ask a librarian for reading recommendations or visit www.diversebookfinder.org.
Make a “Time to Read” clock. Use a paper plate to create a clock that indicates when it’s time to read together.
Attend storytimes. The library has many different storytimes available for children to enjoy and learn. Each storytime features reading, writing, singing, playing, and talking.

Going Further Together

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Annaclaire Crumpton in Annie, Library Blog, Library Services, Local Happenings, Nonprofit, Resources

Highlighting the Library’s Collaboration with Fuerza Latina

*Fuerza Latina members from left to right: Jesus Castro Sr, Maria Gonzalez, Erika Ramos, Jesus Castro Jr., Yurixhi Toro*

The community has benefits from the many amazing resources, events, and programs that sprout from the Library’s strategic partnerships and collaboration. From creating Take and Make kits in collaboration with Larimer County Alternative Sentencing to our community vaccine clinics with Fuerza Latina, our Community Outreach department is incredible at facilitating collaboration.

Founded 20 years ago by immigrant parents of students at a local bilingual immersion school, Fuerza Latina provides resources and services to the Latinx community through a phone hotline, tailored events and programs, and resources for housing and immigration.

In the past, the Library has also partnered with Fuerza Latina for Día de Muertos celebrations through community altars, and collaborated on clinics providing resources for immigrants and DACA recipients.

We had the opportunity to interview Fuerza Latina’s Growth and Leadership Coordinator, Jesus Castro. A DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) recipient, Jesus moved to Fort Collins in 2008 and spent his senior year of high school at Fossil Ridge High School. A dynamic community organizer, Jesus is set to begin studying theatre at Colorado State University this year. He’s worked for many different community organizations geared towards the Latinx community and has been involved in Fuerza Latina’s work for four years.

How would you summarize Fuerza Latina’s work?

A really important aspect of our work is our hotline. People can call the hotline and leave a message about any issue. It could be related to injustices at work, losing DACA status, or needing help connecting to someone in the school district.

Volunteers run the hotline and all of them are Spanish speakers or bilingual. Even though we don’t have a lot of money, we have a lot of resources and are able to guide people in the right direction.

The hotline is also very informative for us. A lot of the time, we base our events and programs on what our community is telling us about – from housing and work issues, to immigration issues.

*Fuerza Latina’s Día de Muertos altar in collaboration with the Library*

What’s an example of an issue or theme you’ve heard through the hotline that has turned into specific programs or events?

Housing is one! During the pandemic, a lot of people got sick or were out of work and couldn’t pay for their rent so we started to collaborate with other organizations to connect individuals experiencing these issues with lawyers to make sure they know their renting rights.

We also had a DACA clinic nearly 10 years ago that was based on the number of calls we were receiving about the new program. Over 200 people showed up and the event lasted until past midnight even though it was set to end at 3 PM!

Tell us a little bit more about your work with Fuerza.

I love working with Fuerza because I get to support my community and not only provide services, but create growth and empowerment opportunities.

As an organization, we respond to what’s happening within the community, but we also have space to be ourselves while we build that community.

How have Poudre Libraries and Fuerza Latina collaborated in the past?

It’s such a pleasure to work with the Library. Whenever we have an idea, it comes so naturally to work together because we both care about the community so much.

We had opportunities to work on vaccine clinics with the Library through the pandemic. We’ve collaborated in the past on DACA clinics and right now, we’re hosting a quarterly resource fair with the Library and ISAAC.

It’s such a natural collaboration – we’re all equals and it’s always so easy. Everything we do is to elevate our community and every time we bring issues of concern to the Library, they’re always very supportive.

Tell us a little bit about our past vaccine clinics.

We had several clinics over the pandemic with anywhere from about 300 people in attendance at the largest clinic to 100-200 in attendance at smaller vaccine clinics. The community really trusts the work that Fuerza and the Library do and it helps that we’ve been able to build trust through these collaborations.

Both Fuerza and the Library are very well known and in particular the work that Ludy and Africa do [librarians in the Library’s Community Outreach department] is well recognized.

What is one of the biggest benefits of Fuerza’s work?

Our work is by the community for the community. What makes us very unique is that our lead committee members that “call the shots” are members of our immigrant and Latinx community in Fort Collins. We have allies but they have different roles within the committee.

Our staff all come from different backgrounds but we all represent parts of the community we serve. We understand each other and know that we are all learning together.

Do you have questions about Fuerza Latina’s work or resources? Email jesus@fuerzalatinafoco.org or explore their website today!

Fuerza Latina’s website

Yendo Más Allá Juntos

Destacando la Colaboración de la Biblioteca con Fuerza Latina

*Miembros de Fuerza Latina la izquierda a la derecha:* *Jesus Castro Sr, Maria Gonzalez, Erika Ramos, Jesus Castro Jr., Yurixhi Toro*

La comunidad cuenta con el beneficio de múltiples recursos, eventos y programas que nacen de la colaboración y las asociaciones estratégicas de la Biblioteca. Desde la creación de kits para “Hacer y Llevar” en colaboración con el programa de Sentencias Alternativas del Condado de Larimer hasta nuestros eventos de vacunación con Fuerza Latina, nuestro departamento de Alcance Comunitario facilita la colaboración de una manera asombrosa.

Fundada hace 20 años por padres de familia inmigrantes en una escuela local de inmersión bilingüe en el Norte de Colorado, Fuerza Latina provee recursos y servicios a la comunidad latina a través de una línea directa, eventos y programas personalizados, y recursos para vivienda e inmigración.

Previamente, la Biblioteca se había asociado con Fuerza Latina para las celebraciones del Día de los Muertos a través de altares comunitarios y colaboró en eventos proporcionando recursos para inmigrantes y beneficiarios de DACA.

Tuvimos la oportunidad de entrevistar al coordinador de Crecimiento y Liderazgo de Fuerza Latina, Jesús Castro. Como beneficiario del programa de Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA, por sus siglas en inglés), Jesús se mudó a Fort Collins en el 2008 y cursó su último año de preparatoria en Fossil Ridge High School. Como organizador comunitario dinámico, Jesús está listo para empezar a estudiar teatro en Colorado State University este año. Ha trabajado para una variedad de organizaciones comunitarias enfocadas a la comunidad latina y ha participado en las labores de Fuerza Latina durante cuatro años.

¿Cómo resumiría el trabajo de Fuerza Latina?

Un aspecto muy importante de nuestro trabajo es nuestra línea directa. Las personas pueden llamar a esta línea de acceso directo y dejar un mensaje sobre cualquier asunto. Puede ser relacionado a injusticias en el trabajo, la pérdida del estatus de DACA, o necesitar ayuda para conectarse con alguien en el distrito escolar.

Todos los voluntarios que contestan la línea directa hablan español o son bilingües. Aunque no tenemos mucho dinero, tenemos muchos recursos y pueden guiar a las personas en la dirección correcta.

La línea directa también es muy informativa para nosotros. Muchas veces basamos nuestros eventos y programas en lo que nuestra comunidad nos está diciendo – desde asuntos de vivienda y de trabajo, hasta asuntos de inmigración.

¿Cuál es un ejemplo de un problema o un tema que escuchó en la línea directa que se ha convertido en programas o eventos específicos?

¡La vivienda es una de estas! Durante la pandemia, muchas personas se enfermaron o perdieron su trabajo y no podían pagar su renta así que empezamos a colaborar con otras organizaciones para conectar a las personas que experimentaban estos problemas con abogados, para asegurar que entendían sus derechos como inquilinos.

También tuvimos un taller o evento sobre DACA hace casi 10 años, basado en el número de llamadas que recibimos sobre el nuevo programa. ¡Se presentaron más de 200 personas y el evento duró hasta después de la media noche, aunque estaba programado para terminar a las 3 PM!

Díganos un poco más sobre su trabajo con Fuerza.

Me gusta trabajar con Fuerza porque puedo apoyar a mi comunidad y no solo proveer servicios, pero crear oportunidades para el crecimiento y el empoderamiento.

Como organización, respondemos a lo que está sucediendo en la comunidad, pero también tenemos espacio para nosotros mientras construimos esa comunidad.

¿Cómo han colaborado anteriormente las bibliotecas de Poudre Library y Fuerza Latina?

Es un gran placer trabajar con la Biblioteca. Cuando tenemos una idea, es tan natural trabajar de manera conjunta porque ambos nos preocupamos tanto por la comunidad.

Tuvimos oportunidades para realizar eventos de vacunación con la Biblioteca durante la pandemia. Hemos colaborado anteriormente sobre los eventos de DACA, y ahora somos anfitriones de una feria trimestral de recursos con la Biblioteca y con ISAAC.

Es una colaboración tan natural – todos somos iguales y siempre es tan fácil. Todo lo que hacemos es para elevar a nuestra comunidad y cada vez que presentamos preocupaciones a la Biblioteca, siempre nos han brindado gran apoyo.

Díganos algo sobre nuestros eventos de vacunación.

Tuvimos varios eventos de vacunación durante la pandemia con hasta 300 personas en los eventos más grandes y de 100 a 200 personas presentes en los eventos de vacunación más pequeños. La comunidad verdaderamente confía en el trabajo que hacen Fuerza y la Biblioteca, y también es de ayuda la confianza que hemos logrado crear a través de estas colaboraciones.

Tanto Fuerza como la Biblioteca son bien conocidos y en particular el trabajo que realizan Ludy y África (bibliotecarias del departamento de Alcance Comunitario de la Biblioteca) es bien reconocido.

¿Cuál es uno de los mayores beneficios del trabajo de Fuerza?

Nuestro trabajo es por la comunidad y para la comunidad. Lo que nos hace tan singular es que los miembros principales de nuestro comité que “hacen las decisiones” son miembros de nuestra comunidad de inmigrantes y la comunidad latina de Fort Collins. Tenemos aliados, pero juegan diferentes papeles en el comité.

Nuestro personal proviene de orígenes diferentes, pero todos representamos partes de la comunidad a la que servimos. Nos entendemos los unos a los otros y sabemos que todos estamos aprendiendo juntos.

¿Tiene preguntas sobre el trabajo o los recursos de Fuerza Latina? ¡Envíe su correo electrónico a jesus@fuerzalatinafoco.org o explore el sitio web hoy!

Sitio web de Fuerza Latina

Threading the Needle at the Library

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Annaclaire Crumpton in Library Blog

Our Most Recent Community Art Exhibit

Most spaces are enhanced by art. Chances are, all of us have a piece of art hanging on the walls of our homes and offices. Whether they take the form of posters, vinyl albums, or paintings, art helps create cohesive spaces regardless of its medium.

As part of Old Town Library’s renovation, we added an art exhibit space to our upstairs corner known lovingly by staff as the “Treehouse.” The upstairs section overlooks an arboretum (or tree garden) that boasts rare trees for the Northern Colorado area including a Giant Seqouia tree.

Now, the Treehouse not only looks over the tree garden but invites remote workers, community members, and students into the space to enjoy local art while they go about their day-to-day tasks.

Most recently, we welcomed the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America (EGA) to display in the exhibit area. The result is dozens of unique pieces decorating our Treehouse and other areas of the Library for the community to enjoy.

For hundreds of years, people have enjoyed putting together needles, threads, and fabrics to create beautiful decorations. The EGA in Fort Collins has a mission to celebrate the heritage of embroidery by advancing the highest standards of excellence in its practice through education, exhibition, preservation, and research. It also aims to stimulate appreciation for textile work.

Old Town Library’s EGA exhibition hosts a multicultural exhibition of needlework including cross-stitch, needlepoint, blackwork, Swedish weaving, hardanger, crazy quilting, and more. It will run from April 1 to May 31.

*One of many classes available on CreativeBug*

The library has great resources to support artists or amateurs in needlework. Books specific to the craft will be available for checkout in the area, but there are also materials available through Hoopla, embroidery kits in our Gadgets and Things collection, and specialized embroidery classes available through CreativeBug.

A meet and greet with members of EGA will be held in the Treehouse at Old Town Library on Tuesday, April 19 from 6-7:30 PM and we encourage members of the community to drop by to meet some of the artists!

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