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Information Landscaping

Posted on May 27, 2022 by Annaclaire Crumpton in Library Blog, Library Services, News, Resources

Revitalizing Northern Colorado Journalism with a Unique Collaborative

Scientists estimate we process up to 74 GB of information daily, a number that increases by about 5 percent each year. In 2009 for example, the average amount individuals processed daily was 34 GB. This rise in exposure to information can be attributed to the internet which has transformed every facet of information consumption. 

This rapid change accompanies an experience many of us have had – coming across an article while surfing the internet that seems a little…out of place. The headline catches your eye, it could be inflammatory, news that doesn’t pertain to your area, or it could lean heavily towards a particular political party. 

With such a rapid increase in the amount of information we process, our local information ecosystems have seen an immense impact. The change in consumption created a paradigm shift in local journalism and the ways in which journalists distribute information. Journalists, and in particular, local journalists, face a new landscape and continue to race to adjust to the ever-changing newsroom. 

The Northern Colorado Deliberative Journalism Project 

Here in Northern Colorado, a new pathway for revitalizing local media has emerged. The Deliberative Journalism Project (DJP), sponsored by the CSU Center for Public Deliberation, partnered with The Coloradoan, KUNC, Fort Collins Public Media, and the CSU Journalism and Political Science departments are reimagining local journalism in modern times.  

Poudre Libraries is the newest partner to join the DJP team. It is ingrained within our philosophy to protect against misinformation by being a hub of free and fair access to knowledge.  

This ambitious collaboration will allow us and our partners the opportunity to re-engage the community with local journalism and protect our local information ecosystem! 

Coloradoan Conversations 

You might have seen us sharing Coloradoan Conversation posts on our social media – this initiative is a large piece of the current DJP. To facilitate conversations about local issues, the Coloradoan poses weekly questions pertaining to Northern Colorado.  

The goal of these conversations is to spark public discourse; commenting (a Coloradoan feature usually reserved for subscribers) is cost-free. Users simply establish an account with the Coloradoan and are encouraged to give their two-cents on the various questions posed each week. 

Here are just a few examples: 

Has $4 per gallon gas changed how you commute and shop, or are you absorbing the cost? 

How much should Fort Collins, Larimer County leaders spend on open space preservation? 

Who should pay for school lunches in Colorado? Students or our state’s richest residents? 

Tell us about your worst traffic headache in Northern Colorado and how it should be fixed. 

Register to participate in the conversation here! 

Get Involved 

Beyond Coloradoan Conversations, DJP events are usually hosted quarterly – past events have included panels on tackling Wicked Problems and misinformation with others focusing on issues impacting local journalism to come! These events are public and available in English and Spanish.  

The DJP core team, with representatives from different partners in the project, meets weekly. Once, every other month, the core team meeting is open to the public. Community members are encouraged to join for brainstorming and information on the many facets and goals of the DJP work.  

The information gathered from these events will be used by the DJP team to develop a plan of action to reimagine and improve our local media based on community input. Want to get involved? Sign up for upcoming DJP events or join our public meetings!  

If you’d like to learn more, look at where the project has been covered by the media below or visit the CSU Center for Public Deliberation’s website. 

Join the Coloradoan and CSU to weigh in on the future of journalism in Northern Colorado 

By Eric Larsen, Executive Editor, Fort Collins Coloradoan 

Inside the News: ‘Deliberative Journalism’ Week in Colorado 

By Corey Hutchins, Colorado News Collaborative 

How do you combat misinformation? CSU professor says it’s a personal responsibility 

By Erin O’Toole, Host & Senior Producer, Colorado Edition KUNC 

Additionally, any questions can be sent to Martin Carcasson, Director of the Center for Public Deliberation at mcarcas@colostate.edu. 

Fort Collins, Library Services, Poudre River Public Library District Read More

Two Ways to Participate in the Summer Reading Challenge

Posted on May 19, 2022 by Katie Auman in Library Blog, Library Programs, Library Services

Mark your calendar! Signup for the all-ages Summer Reading Challenge begins on May 23 and runs through August 15. Create your online account at PoudreLibraries.org/SRC and join in one or both of this year’s fun challenges. Remember to stop by one of the libraries after you create your account to pick up your sign up gift! (Available while supplies last.) 

Challenge 1: Read at Least 10 Hours 

Books, audiobooks, eBooks, magazines, and more – if you can read it, it counts toward your 10 hours of reading. Everyone who reads (or listens) for 10 hours this summer earns a free book! 

Children and teens can pick up their free book at any library location beginning June 6. Adults will find a “free book” coupon in their online reading account which can be redeemed at any Friends of the Library book sale. (The next sale is scheduled for July 15-17 at Old Town Library.) 

Challenge 2: Play Summer Bingo 

After the success of last summer’s Bingo Challenge, we decided to expand the challenge to include additional activities, customized ideas for each age group, and even more exciting prizes! 

This year’s Bingo Challenge features a variety of activities to complete along with a Bingo Bonus Guide filled with suggestions for extending the family fun. The Bonus Guide includes bilingual, age-appropriate ideas for completing each Bingo square along with library resources to help you make the most out of the activities. Of course, you can always choose your own adventure to complete each activity. 

For every Bingo you complete – up, down, or diagonal – you receive an entry into the Grand Prize drawings at the end of the summer. More Bingos = more entries!  

If you black out the entire board, you earn an $8 FUN Bucks card from Chipper’s Lanes Entertainment, good for one of the following: a free game of laser tag, $8 of arcade play, or $8 off bowling. 

Digital Bingo cards and the Bingo Bonus Guide are available in your online summer reading account. You can also download and print a copy from your account to track your progress. A limited number of printed copies will be available at the libraries. 

You must record your Bingo activities in your online account by August 15 in order to earn the blackout Bingo prize and to be entered into Grand Prize drawings. Blackout prizes will be available at all three libraries from June 6 to August 22 during open hours and while supplies last. 

The 2022 Summer Reading Challenge is sponsored by 

kids and family, Library Services, Poudre River Public Library District, Summer Reading Read More

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.”  

book recommendation, eResources, Fort Collins, Library Services, mental health, Poudre River Public Library District Read More

Exploring the Library’s Multilingual Collection

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

By Substitute Library Assistant, Laura Puls

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. On the Advanced Search page, use the language dropdown menu to select a language. 

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
book recommendation, eResources, Fort Collins, Poudre River Public Library District Read More

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Get a library card. Children can get their own library card and use it to check out fun books and other library resources.
  4. Frame it. Take a photo of your child reading in a special chair and frame it. Maybe even a reading throne.
  5. 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.
  6. Build your own book. Accordion books are easy to make and are a great way for children to write and illustrate their own stories.
  7. 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.
  8. Make a “Time to Read” clock. Use a paper plate to create a clock that indicates when it’s time to read together.
  9. Attend storytimes. The library has many different storytimes available for children to enjoy and learn. Each storytime features reading, writing, singing, playing, and talking.
kids and family, Library Services, Poudre River Public Library District Read More
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Including the collection of Front Range Community College, Larimer Campus