Librarian Archives: October & November 2020 *Being a Librarian During COVID-19*

It’s been a while since I’ve updated on how things are going at the library during the dumpster fire that is 2020…

In October and November we saw a decline in patrons coming into the building. This is not surprising since Ohio has seen a dramatic increase in COVID cases since the middle of October. Nevertheless, our library staff is working hard to serve our community and bring a smile to our patron’s faces.

I had the pleasure of working on Halloween, so I dressed up as “Wonder Librarian.”Banned Books Week took place September 27th through October 3rd this year. I work in a very conservative town, so my display had to be more “G” than I would have liked.

Halloween is a big holiday in my book. I had a wonderful time adding some spooky touches to the library…

Of course my book displays centered around creepy & atmospheric reads.

October was the first month I launched my Teen Virtual Library. As part of my virtual library, I included a virtual book display. Each book cover was linked to our library catalog where teens could read the book descriptions and request the book.

On November 1st, down came the creepy and up when the turkeys!

The turkey wreath was one I made out of tulle & felt YEARS ago. It fit in splendidly at the library.

Who doesn’t love a good book turkey?

For my virtual book display in November, I featured YA books for Native American Heritage Month and new (to our system) YA books for teens to “gobble up.”

Like I mentioned above, October was the first month my Teen Virtual Library went live. Below is my October virtual programming “room.” Activities included a virtual scavenger hunt, a Halloween candy poll, a horror character to movie match, and a craft tutorial video.

In October, I started offering take & make craft kits for teens & adults. These kits include all the materials & instructions needed to complete the craft for patrons to grab and create at home. I also created a tutorial video they could watch for step-by-step instructions.

For my November virtual library, I decided to run a teen photography challenge, a virtual art show – accepting submissions to run the “show” in December, a “would you rather” quiz, a virtual service project – making holiday cards for homebound individuals, and a craft tutorial video.