Programs at the libraries

My department at the library has been doing many programs geared towards the public utilizing our collection. These programs are used as vehicles to advertize what is in our collection and how library patrons/customers can take advantage of them.

Program titles included, but not limited to, Small Gardening; Patent Your Million Dollar Idea; Quilting 101; How to Enter and Present Your Best Science Fair Project; Weatherization & Energy Conservation; African-American Health Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow; Mathematics; Skywarning; Winter Weather Hazard; Tuskegee Airmen; Investment Club; Small business, etc.

We have always had great attendance and feel proud to be the pacesetter in organizing and executing some of the best programs at our Main library outside of our Special Collections and the Childen's Library departments.

In addition, each month a colleagues set out a table display of books, props and other materials highlighting a particular subject or season such as Tea, Men's Health, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mathematics, Women's Health, Computer, Black History Month, Winter, Fitness, Gardening, Quilting, Moon, Science Fair and Cooking.

The way we go about choosing our program is for someone to come up with an idea, look for a presenter [mainly someone from outside with good knowledge of the subject - sometimes an honourium is involved], submit a program request to our service director for approval, submit flyer designs and publicity request to our Marketing department, request patrons/customer call in to reserve a seat, request poster advertisement, provide refreshments [they are the stuff that draws the crowd], reserve a room or use the departmental space [we have a large reading room of which we use a section], and reserve all the technical aids.

Anyone who has other topic ideas of programs, improvements or can offer success program stories, please .