Got a Library Card? Show Off Your Library Love and Win!

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Audrey Glasebrook in Library Blog

Chances are, if you are reading this, you probably already have a Poudre River Pubic Library District Library card. Congratulations! We see this as your ticket to opportunity. What other card in your wallet gives you free access to books, music, movies and all sorts of other resources that can change your life – or just make it more fun?

Now is a great time to make sure your friends, family, neighbors, and favorite pizza delivery guy also all have one. Plus, library cardholders can share their library love and win prizes (see contest info below).

This new school year is off to an interesting and challenging start, and your library card gives you access to some amazing, free online tools to help you navigate remote learning.

BrainFuse provides tutoring and homework help, in addition to skill-building.
Explora is a resource for students to research news, articles, and more.
CultureGrams compiles insider perspectives on daily life, culture, history, customs, and lifestyles of the world’s people.

And the list goes on!

Ready to just relax and have some fun? The library also specializes in entertainment – whether you stream movies from Kanopy, listen to new albums on Hoopla, or browse popular magazines on Flipster.

Okay, ready for another fun part?

We have a really cool opportunity for you to show off your library membership – and be entered in a prize drawing!

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Print one of the “Library Cardholders Live Here” signs (English PDF) (Spanish PDF) or pick one up from your library.

2. Place it in your window, your yard, your treehouse, or wherever you’d like. Even hold it up and smile for the camera.

3. Take a picture and post it on social media and tag us @poudrelibraries. You will be automatically entered in a drawing for really awesome prizes. Don’t do social media? Email your picture to Library-PR@poudrelibraries.org.

Last day to share or submit a photo is Wednesday, September 30, 2020. Five (5) winners will be randomly chosen for a prize and notified on October 1.

*Post a picture of your “Library Card Holders Live Here” sign and share it on social media. Tag @poudrelibraries in order to be automatically entered into a drawing for cool prizes.*

If you still need a library card, you can apply online for a temporary digital card or come in to one of the libraries for a physical card.

For more information on getting a library card visit www.poudrelibraries.org/borrow/.

Award-winning Comics in Time for Fort Collins Comic Con

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Audrey Glasebrook in Book Recommendations, Library Blog, Library Programs, Local Happenings

In preparation for Fort Collins Comic Con this weekend, we thought we’d share some of the winners of the 2020 Eisner Awards. The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are considered the “Oscars” of the comics world.

Grab one of these comics at the library (or on one of our digital platforms), and be sure to register for the virtual, free Comic Con this Saturday and Sunday, August 29 and 30. The online Con will feature voice actors Maurice LaMarche and Rob Paulsen (also known as Pinky and The Brain). Also on tap, thrilling heroics and tales of scientific daring-do by scientists, creator demos with local artists and authors, and a props showcase by local cosplayers and crafters.

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell

Won Best Publication for Teens, Best Writer, Best Penciller/Inker

A sweet and spirited tale of young love in Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, a graphic novel that asks us to consider what happens when we ditch the toxic relationships we crave to embrace the healthy ones we need.

Invisible Kingdom Series by G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward

Won Best New Series, Best Writer, Best Painter

In a small solar system in a far-flung galaxy, two women – one a young religious acolyte and the other, a hard-bitten freighter pilot-uncover a conspiracy between the leaders of the most dominant religion and an all-consuming mega-corporation. This unlikely pair must decide where their loyalties lie-and risk plunging the world into anarchy if they reveal the truth.

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

Won Best Publication for Kids, Best Writer/Artist

Developing a chronic stomachache that she initially dismisses as a bug, young Raina discovers that her symptoms are related to her anxieties about school, food and changing friendships, in a story based on the Eisner Award-winning author’s childhood.

Making Comics by Lynda Barry

Won Best Comics-Related Book, Best Publication Design

In a new hand-drawn syllabus detailing her creative curriculum, the author has students drawing themselves as monsters and superheroes, convincing students who think they can’t draw that they can, and, most importantly, encouraging them to understand that a daily journal can be anything so long as it is hand drawn.

You can find the full list of Eisner award winners here!

Hot and Hungry? Check out these 6 resources for Outdoor and No-Heat Cooking

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Audrey Glasebrook in Book Recommendations, Library Blog

It’s that time of the year, when you’d rather be hungry than turn on your oven. Luckily, you can turn to the library for ideas to keep your home cool and your belly full. Read on for mouthwatering meal inspiration – whether cooked outdoors over an open fire, a grill, or simply not cooked at all!

Summer Cooking: Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Picnics, Patios, Grilling and More (on Hoopla) is a one-of-a-kind guide for preparing delicious food that perfectly complements these warm summer days. Curated from the Chicago Tribune’s extensive database of kitchen-tested recipes, this collection of portable appetizers, quick salads, grilled entrées, creative sides, and refreshing cocktails are ideal for anywhere the summer season takes you…giving readers plenty of recipes that don’t need the oven, can be made outdoors or inside, and use fresh seasonal ingredients.

Good Housekeeping Ultimate Grilling Cookbook (on OverDrive) Along with everything from shellfish, pizzas, and meatless mains to sauces and marinades, this ultimate grilling cookbook provides a primer on basic skills, plenty of proven tips from the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, and ideas for variations and potential pairings to create the perfect meal.

Feast by Firelight: Simple Recipes for Camping, Cabins, and the Great Outdoors offers solution-oriented recipes that make cooking outdoors feel effortless and downright fun and it shows how to utilize clever cooking methods, prep food at home, and pack smart. The book includes recipes for camp cooking as well as detailed menus, shopping and equipment lists, and tips showing how to prepare before you leave.

The Everyday Gourmet: Master Outdoor Cooking course (on Kanopy) Steak. Asparagus. Pineapple. On a pleasant day when family or friends are near, nothing beats firing up the grill for a great meal. Not only can the grill provide a savory seared crust on a juicy steak or add smoky flavor to some barbecue chicken, the grill can also enhance salads, side dishes, and a variety of meats beyond your traditional hamburgers and hot dogs.

Eating Well magazine (on Flipster) Check out the July/August issue for 50+ summertime recipes, with a focus on burgers, melon salads, and new ways to cook zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes!

Raw Food: A Complete Guide for Every Meal of the Day (on OverDrive). From creative salads to spicy burritos to chocolate mousse, every recipe will broaden your raw-food horizons. Complete with recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts, and side dishes, Raw Food is an innovative approach to a wholesome way of eating.

Saladish (on Hoopla) A ‘saladish’ recipe is like a salad, and yet so much more. It starts with an unexpectedly wide range of ingredients, such as Japanese eggplants, broccoli rabe, shirataki noodles, Bosc pears, and chrysanthemum leaves. It emphasizes contrasting textures-toothsome, fluffy, crunchy, crispy, hefty. And marries contrasting flavors-rich, sharp, sweet, and salty. Toss all together and voilà: an irresistible symphony that’s at once healthy and utterly delicious.

Write an Ode to Colorado Beer

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Audrey Glasebrook in Library Blog, News

Calling all poets

Ode: A lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject, often elevated in style or manner and written in varied or irregular meter. Often sung.

The 2020 Fort Collins (Virtual) Book Festival celebrates 5 years of showcasing Fort Collins’ favorite pastimes: craft beer, music, food, science & technology, and the outdoors. We are calling all poets to help us celebrate our world-renown craft brewing industry by sending us “odes to Colorado beer.”

The winning odes will be read/performed at the virtual festival by local and regional beer aficionados and brewing celebrities in an online session that will include at-home beer tasting and singalongs. Other prizes TBA.

The 2020 Fort Collins Book Festival will take place over two weekends October 9-11 and October 16-18, 2020.

Ready to express your love for beer? The deadline for submitting a poem is Tuesday, September 15 before midnight. Winners will be notified by September 30.

To see all contest rules and submit your ode, visit the Ode to Colorado Beer Poetry Contest webpage.

Sidewalk Chalk Fun – Gnome Zone Weeklong Challenge

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Library Staff in Book Recommendations, Library Blog, Library Programs

Tactile experiences for children — like sidewalk chalk art — support brain development through self-expression, hands-on visual and motor skill involvement, and creativity. Plus, when done with family and playmates, it’s a great way to share positive social emotional exchanges.

Remember to share your final project on social media and tag us @PoudreLibraries or use the hashtag #PoudreLibraries.

Supplies needed:

chalk
a sidewalk
tape
water (either in a cup or spray bottle)
a brush of some kind

Here’s a few ideas of what you do:

Create a design on the sidewalk with tape and then color in each section – like this:

Make a fantastical “piece” of art straight onto the sidewalk like this:

Create a fun background scene so when you or another person lays on the sidewalk you can put them in a silly scene like this:

Challenge Extensions:

For the little ones

Adult crush up a piece of chalk and “dust” the sidewalk and then get their hands wet with water and let them smear it around similar to fingerpainting. They can add rock,sticks, or flowers and other design objects to their “picture” after it dries. Or draw on the sidewalk and let them sprinkle water and then fingerpaint

For the older kids

Start with primary colors, red, yellow, and blue and then create a color wheel and then sprinkle water between the colors to start blending the colors. Use a wet paintbrush, wet cloth, or your fingers.

“The Why” behind the Challenge:

Tactile experiences for children support brain development through self expression, hands on visual and motor skill involvement, creativity, and when done with family and playmates a way to share positive social emotional exchanges.

Check out these books for more fun!

Picture books:

Chalk by Bill Thomson

The Case of the Missing Chalk Drawings by Richard Byrne

Miss Amy reads aloud “The Case of the Missing Chalk Drawings” by Richard Byrne (available on our YouTube Channel with this link)

Beginning Reader:

Amelia Bedelia Chalks One Up by Herman Parish

Nonfiction:

Chalk on the Wild Side: More than 25 Chalk Art Projects, Recipes, and Creative Activities for Adults and Children to Explore Together by Lorie King Kaehler

Sidewalk Chalk: Outdoor Fun and Games by Jamie Kyle McGillian

Award-winning Comics in Time for Fort Collins Comic Con

You can find the full list of Eisner award winners here!

Hot and Hungry? Check out these 6 resources for Outdoor and No-Heat Cooking

Write an Ode to Colorado Beer

Sidewalk Chalk Fun – Gnome Zone Weeklong Challenge

Supplies needed:

Here’s a few ideas of what you do:

Challenge Extensions:

“The Why” behind the Challenge:

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