Serving our Senior Patrons

Thursday, January 15, 2026
Topic: Serving our Senior Patrons 

Attendance:
Shannon, Hoover
Katie, Irondale
Laura, Springville Road
Holly, Homewood
Natasha, Woodlawn
Sarah, Center Point
Grace, BPL
Jennifer, BPL
Lora, Vestavia Hills
Royce, BPL
Lynn, West End
Saundra, Pratt City
Leslie, Avondale
Grace, West End 

Our Next Meeting: Community Engagement, Zoom Mtg, Wednesday, March 18th at 10 am

View entire meeting here: https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/9MBBw06IMGLQwmsnh0Co_CKcuEtI7PMVQ9W1thVZLosfb3vXaAKHVJAlmUpgJjop.6IlT1Bn7BkbNQ8Ul?startTime=1768494075000 

The senior demographic has changed dramatically over the past decade. No longer do we simply purchase large print inspirational and western books and call it a day. While our senior patrons still love to craft, they also want active and educational programs. This is the largest growing segment of the population and we must meet the demand for innovative and useful services, programs and collections to provide.

The tried-and-true craft sessions are still highly popular and dependable and somewhat cost effective, but why not add something to it? Invite a speaker to discuss nutrition while making pot holders? Or have someone promote self help while crafting personal journals? You've already got a captive audience, why not add an educational component to the mix? If AARP is coming to discuss something quite droll, do a pot luck or add an element of fun to entice the audience into expecting both tough topics plus fun.

Senior Tech Help, either you can do seniors helping seniors or ask high school seniors to come in and hold open tech help sessions with whomever needs it! And why not tap into the wealth of knowledge some seniors have had in their lives? One of your patrons may have been a social worker for 40 years and knows everything there is to know about a topic of interest? Tap them to speak about their work and how they might help others. If you have a patron that is constantly knits or crochets at the library or plays Mahjong, why not ask them if they'd be willing to teach? Making the seniors themselves feel useful to others goes a long way towards uplifting and combating loneliness.

At Hoover, I was very interested in having Mahjong classes and two women from Galleria Woods senior living took it upon themselves to offer six small classes for 8 individuals over the course of three weeks. It was free to us and quite intensive, but an excellent way to get the job done. We had a blast and plan to continue having classes during the summer. Along the same lines, we are planning several "granny" type programs like canning, pickling, bread making, etc. that could all be taught by seniors (perhaps with our guidance!) Any Cottage Core craft/skill would be great to pair seniors with teens interested in learning.

Outreach: Book clubs for active seniors, book talks for less active seniors. Book talks are great for historical fiction or nonfiction because the leader can bring in additional information. Some of the librarians have gone through "TimeSlips" certification - an organization that bring meaning and purpose to the lives of elders through storytelling and creative engagement.

We deal with a lot of eager grandparents that want to encourage relationships with their grandkids through storytelling or sharing - we should have resources on hand for them i.e. best books to read aloud, etc. Collaborative storytelling or how to tell a story for grandparents might be a good workshop. There have also been programs where kids draw portraits of seniors, perhaps while the senior talks about their life. 

Memory Care kits or, again, collaborative storytelling - start with a picture and build a story together based on the picture. Avondale already has a Memory Cafe and several libraries circulate memory care kits - these are a great way to engage seniors suffering from the first signs of dementia or Alzheimer's. This April, Hoover is having a writing workshop based on our Art Gallery in the Theatre downstairs - it's called an "Ekphrastic " Writing workshop. The poem "Ode to a Grecian Urn" is based on a piece of art - writing inspired by art. Collaborative storytelling can occur based on a piece of art.

Big issue: Accessibility for seniors! Consider the timing of your program. Find out when sundown is on your program day and plan to have it end before sundown. Seniors find it more difficult to navigate streets after dark and may attend programs more if they are scheduled with them in mind. 

Written history: interviewing individuals older than 70. Perhaps work with homeschool or your schools to work together to schedule these types of activities. There are guided books available on Amazon that guide the person into telling the stories. 

Great program suggestion, contact Volunteer Lawyers here in Birmingham to come and offer free advice for anyone, including seniors. They are great to work with and have been at several libraries in our county. They also have programs they do on estates, wills, end-of-life documents too. Sarah from Center Point said they have had Dignity Memorial come and talk about end of life planning in a very respectful way without a sales pitch. They even brought snacks and played BINGO! Information from Sarah: The speaker from Dignity Memorial is Spivey Wilson. Her contact is Spivey.wilson@dignitymemorial.com. We had combined a meeting about estate planning with fun bingo games to lighten a heavy topic! Spivey brought the boards and game pieces and conducted the game and also brought prizes! We did this at the Senior Center because I do outreach there once a month. Other than that having House Plant Collective come and do a presentation went over well and anything with plants is always something they enjoy! 

Leslie from Avondale goes regularly to Fair Haven Nursing Home and she does craft/art and book club. She is developing a STEM program for the seniors - it involves storytime plus a craft, maybe science- or technology-related. She's still developing the idea but there are robotics kits from Central BPL that could be utilized. At Hoover a couple of years ago (2024), I invited Abigail Gwinn-Arakas from the McWane Center to do an Adult Science Cafe. We decided to settle on "what makes us human". Below is the advert we used online. Her contact information:  Abby Gwinn-Arakas, Director of STEM Education, (205) 714-827, agwinn@mcwane.org

Dodd Allee at BPL sent me an email about his experience bringing home improvement and simple home fixes to the general public - after years as a facility manager and working at Home Depot, he shares that knowledge. Although now, he's in Citizen Services and is stuck in the Passport office! Great idea though! I know some of the branches have reached out to ACE Hardware to do programs for them. Perhaps that would be an opportunity too. That and Repair Cafe too. There are plenty of seniors that have the skills to help younger home owners take care of their property.

Put together a Senior Health Fair! With all the nonprofits and the health department, there would be a great opportunity for seniors on fixed incomes to take advantage of such an event.

Add nostalgic music to the mix, perhaps some dancing. Why not have a Senior Prom? I know North Birmingham has done this to great acclaim but it doesn't have to be big. Everyone dresses up, photo opportunities, finger foods, perhaps a craft to make corsages and boutonnieres? Create a playlist, pick a theme, watch the fun begin! Here's some tips!

Back to senior story time ideas: collaborative stories, using pictures to stimulate the creation of stories, etc. Holly at Homewood said they do Seasonal Stories with Red Mountain Theatre groups Seasoned Performers - they come in and read actual excerpts from books. Perhaps create a story circle (like Irondale is doing in above advert) and build a topic to create a story. Here at Hoover, I invited veteran Moth StorySlam and creative writing professor at UAB Haley Cotton to teach a class on "How to Tell a Story" - it was well attended and I plan to bring her back sometime in the Fall.  Here are her contact details: Halley Cotton | English Instructor, SPARK Writing Festival | Director, Department of English, UAB | The University of Alabama at Birmingham, hmcotton@uab.edu.

Memory Care Kits:

If your library is interested, kits for caregivers or for individual check out can be a great way to connect to the elderly community. There are other libraries in the JCLC that offer these types of kits. Here are the ones I found using the term "memory kit" while doing a word search and limiting the search to "Kit." I don't know if the search pulled up all locations that circulate memory kits so there could be others. 

Article about memory care kits in AL libraries. 

Homewood
Trussville
Vestavia

BPL Locations:

Central

Southside
Avondale

Woodlawn
East Lake

Smithfield
Springville Road
Powderly
Pratt City
East Ensley
West End

Five Points West
North Birmingham

*It looks like some libraries have them as part of their Library or Things collection.

Some use the preassembled kits from Penworthy. 

Stay Sharp Kits from APLS, available to libraries throughout the state.

Thoughts after the meeting:

Older Americans are always concerned about their heirlooms and collectibles. Who will inherit/want them? Perhaps a library could have a swap or collectible trade and invite younger collectors to share in the joy? 

Show-and-Tell for Grownups! As mentioned above, people love their stuff! Why not have a time every month where everyone brings something valuable/memorable/precious to them and they tell the story of its meaning? 

What about an Adult Spelling Bee? Share your ideas!!!

Articles I stole from Programming Librarian:

https://programminglibrarian.org/programs/thank-you-thank-you-very-much-senior-citizens-day-party

https://programminglibrarian.org/programs/portraits-primary-schoolers

https://programminglibrarian.org/programs/community-engagement-healthy-living-outreach-seniors

https://programminglibrarian.org/programs/homebound-services-pilot-program

https://programminglibrarian.org/programs/arts-education-older-adults-brooklyn-public-library

https://programminglibrarian.org/programs/senior-speed-connect-igo

https://programminglibrarian.org/programs/obituary-writing-workshop

Other resources:
https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2024/12/best-practices-for-engaging-seniors-at-the-library/

 

From Movies to Meals: Senior Services and Spaces at Your Local Library

 

https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/national-senior-citizen%E2%80%99s-day 

From Movies to Meals: Senior Services and Spaces at Your Local Library

 

 

 

Adult Program Swap 2025!!

ASRT Meeting Minutes
Monday, September 15, 2025
Topic: Adult Program Swap!

Attendees:
Ellen, Avondale
Molly, Titusville
Kiera, Titusville
Rebecca, Trussville
Reba, Titusville
Ashley, Gardendale
Romellia, Titusville
Laura, Springville Road
Lynn, West End
Leslie, Homewood
Sarah, Center Point
Christian, Trussville
Mary, Homewood
Holly, Homewood
Shannon, Hoover

NEXT MEETING: Monday, November 17, 10 am @ Birmingham Public Library downtown - Digital resources & tour 

Link to full video meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/A4uUtVvNd97-fp9jP7SQ7KbtyCik2Hxi5QOO3KpmHyzuBA-G4MalFCHSvjYsdVbT.TgJ1c45nuON1e6Wu?startTime=1757948347000
(1.22.27)

Link to OneDrive Documents mentioned: Shannon ASRT program swap ideas.docx

Don't hesitate to approach people/patrons/friends about the opportunity to either teach a class, lead a discussion or prepare something more formal at your library! Lots of patrons have interesting hobbies and can bring them to your patrons - and Mary reminded us that our coworkers are also a valuable resource too.

Shawn shared about her ongoing group "Having the Prime of Our Lives" and her efforts to develop interesting programs for them. In February, she did a "BiblioBash" 

• book match game, 
• classic book titles (mix & match), 
• made book page roses, 
• custom bookmarks,
• goodie bags with personalized stuff to leave with. 

This is a group that she sends information as to what she's planning. Another variation done by Holly at Homewood was an event they called "That's Lit!" where they had 

• guessing games for book covers, 
• "judging" a book by the cover, 
• book trivia, 
• book garland out of book pages. 

Here at Hoover, (our) Holly did a Book Tasting - it was fashioned like a high-class meal introducing people to new books, new genres, etc. (more on the handout on OneDrive).

Mary from Homewood did a book themed event for kids "Beyond the Book" that focused on food mentioned in books, serving the kids inexpensive items - this could be adapted for teens or adults - or plan something for parents to introduce them to children's book titles.

I mentioned my wish to have a Senior Prom for elders with music, dancing, perhaps lessons in line dancing or something. This could be done after hours or during the day (you know us elders like it early!!) 360 degree camera, photo backdrop, etc. Another library had a pre-school prom too!! Titusville did a senior prom!! It was very labor intensive but worth it. Reba caters to her VIPs and went all out - she had LIVE music! Another variation is to do a prom for your homeschool groups. Titusville also had a Senior Pageant with 5 participants and it was very well received but did require lots of work. Great community building and lots of fun - their platform was "brains and beauty"! They did interviews, performances, etc. A smaller library could take this idea and make it work for them.

Shawn saw something online called "Taste the Movie" where you show a movie and provide a taste as the movie moves along to match. For example if you showed Matilda, you could serve chocolate bonbons, cake, etc. An adult variety might use a movie like "Like Water for Chocolate" and serve all kinds of chocolate.

Speaking of movies, my favorite thing to plan is Movie + Craft - we've done four events where we show a movie and participants watch and do a craft while watching. It is labor intensive but worth it. Check Swank.com if your library has an active subscription - this database tells you which movies are allowed to be shown in public libraries and also gives programming ideas paired with movies too. You can browse "Ideas" for more information - even if you don't have a subscription. Tenth anniversary of Hamilton anyone??? December is 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birthday, so get ready for some fun Regency program ideas!!

Mary has transitioned to the Circ dept at Homewood and is now doing adult programming. One fun thing she is doing is highlighting their Library of Things (LOT) through programming. For instance, they are having the Homewood ACE Hardware come talk about home repairs, etc. (high impact/low cost home improvement) and she will also feature Library of Things items that are available to the public. Other items in LOT might lend themselves well to finding people to do a program and promote this collection.

Laura at SR mentioned Sarah Neely from Smart Living Skills - she does adult programming on home organization (sarah@smartlivingskills.com, 205-504-6670).

Discussed possibly finding a female auto mechanic that could develop programs showing teens/adults the basics of car repair - breaking some stereotypes and making these things more accessible (what we can still do on our cars without a mechanic like changing tires, checking oil, etc.!) Both Homewood and Hoover have had very successful bicycle repair & maintenance programs using Redemptive Cycles (Hoover even did a bike collection drive for them too!) 

Discussed options for bringing yoga to the library - some yoga schools require community service and it might work to bring them in to teach at the library. This might be a free/low cost option as well. (I have at least three names and contacts for yoga on my handout. Frannie James Yoga does my chair yoga lessons at Hoover and at other libraries.)

Develop relationships with professionals and warm them up to the idea of bringing their work/personal passion to your library - people love to share they just have never thought to do it in a public forum. Works great for community building - they will post on their socials and promote it themselves. Also develop relationships with nonprofits...

Center Pt library recently partnered with Grace Klein to bring a one-day drive-through food pantry. It was a lot of work but very successful. This was a first time thing for a library around here but working with GK, it was a success - an awesome way to serve the community.

Speaking of nonprofits, Reba mentioned that they have a monthly program working with Bundles of Hope to give books to the kids each month. The kids now come to the library ready to check out books. She said, "become an advocate for what your population needs." Very true! Making a meaningful impact is what programming in our community is all about.

Hoover is adding weekly "sound baths" with Dr. Lindsey Smith of SynapticHarbor.com in January of 2026. Dr. Smith has worked with several local libraries to do these programs and she pairs them with "mini" brain lectures. She provides all the supplies. We are registering up to 20 people for each weekly session. Each session is $75. They have been well attended and a different kind of program! (She also does a lot of promotion herself through her site and social media.)

Lynn worked with United Ability to make bird feeders with cheerios and pipe cleaners. Ellen shared some of her favorite arts & crafts items like "bookish stained glass" - lots of great in-library crafts which are always a staple and very popular no matter the size of the library. Speaking of crafts, Trussville has had several successful Craft Supply Swaps which I then did at Hoover to great fanfare. Swaps seem to be all the rage. Some, like a clothing swap, might be very labor and space intensive, but O'Neal library does that well. Others, like a craft supply swap, just need time to organize and collect. Coat swaps, art swap, puzzle or game swaps - all can work at your library. (Trussville's swap gives vouchers to anyone donating so they can come to the supply swap early to get first pickings!) Hoover tried an ornament swap around the holidays but it was ill timed with a very popular children's program and didn't have great attendance but it's still a great idea.

There is a new store called the Craft Room opening on W. Oxmoor in Homewood that will be a "community hub for sustainable creativity" providing a cozy cafe with secondhand crafting. Might be worth checking out if you plan programs and need supplies on the cheap! Their email is hello@thecraftroom.co (just .co not com). 

Holly shared a bunch of great ideas: 

• mason jar crafts, 
• marbled flower pots, 
• magnets, 
• card making, 
• pumpkin painting, 
• jute rope wreath making, 
• sun catchers,
• DIY mugs,
• Pinterest will give you tons of ideas
• or ProgrammingLibrarian.org

Hoover had a very successful program with the Volunteer Lawyers Assn in Birmingham. They've been to several area libraries and hope to do more. If your library is interested, contact Megan Cheek at mcheek@volunteerlawyersbham.org. This is free civil legal advice or referrals for your community.

Trussville had September Reed come in to do yarn pumpkins which can be an easy but nice looking craft. Her contact information is below. She does all kind of programming in area libraries and is easy to work with.

UAB Lung Health Center does a great program on Anti-Vaping that would interest parents, and hopefully, teens. Ours wasn't well attended but the information is needed in the community. Crystal Stevens was a great presenter, ctstephens@uabmc.edu.

Hoover has invited Vallean Jackson, the author of a self-healing through journaling book. She's been great to work with and has already been at a couple of libraries. Hoover is tying it to the new year/new you along with vision boards which are very, very popular January program. authorvalleanj@gmail.com

Hoover did a great Paint Your Partner program combined with after-hours cocktails - some very serious fun was had! Several couples used the opportunity as a date night (and some misguided souls thought they were actually going to paint ON their partner, goodness!)

For the winter, a library could do Warm Up Wednesdays and offer hot beverages perhaps with a community talk or a brain teaser. A local coffee shop might want to get in on helping with something like this.

Don't forget the intergenerational ideas too: in January, they have International Lego Day which might be a great way to get families involved. There is a Yellowhammer LUG (Local Users Group), yellowhammerlug@gmail.com, (850.803.9888) - Melissa Chanslor, Builder-in-Chief (President) - they have done exhibitions of their setups and they are quite a spectacle! Perhaps a Lego swap to coincide?

At Hoover, we are doing a Sourdough Clinic where I have a friend/chef leading the discussion on upkeep for sourdough starter plus recipes and everything. It will be a chance to highlight our cookbook collection too. Plus, everyone will leave with the dry ingredients for starter in a mason jar! I found this idea on Programming Librarian (here's the article).

Center Point has been doing a Spice of the Month club, as well as Avondale library. Seems to be very, very popular with patrons. Staff takes time to bag up bulk quantities, recipes are included along with maybe the history of the spice. Not sure if it would work for a bigger library but this is such a wonderful idea! Could maybe work with teas or something similar too. Patrons wait to see what is posted on Facebook about the upcoming spice and come to pick them up.

We had a short discussion about the explosion of Mahjong and the need for teachers. If anyone knows teachers, please share contacts. O'Neal has a teacher that introduces the concepts but not outright classes. Hoover is having lessons for a lucky 8 people using volunteers from the community to teach. Seems to be very popular right now!

Ideas were solicited for Christmas programs, perhaps a Wrap & Yap? People could hang out together and wrap gifts. Hoover does provide a table where we provide wrapping paper and accessories if patrons want to wrap them on site. Others plan cookie swaps. At Hoover, I teamed up with the Youth department on a Yule Book Flood, officially called Jolabokaflod. It's based on the Icelandic tradition of giving books to loved ones the night before Christmas. We planned it as a "cozy" event with cozy crafts and activities. I took over the library plaza area and set up three couches with comfy blankets and pillows and a big screen tv tuned into a roaring fire. I also provided hot beverages and cookies and two adult crafts. It was a huge success - so I'm doing it again this year just for the adults! We also included what was essentially a "blind date with a book" element to the event too that proved to be popular.

Shawn shared her plans for Holiday Hoppers - the idea is to hop around the globe and explore different cultures - there are new foods and traditions from other countries. There is usually an icebreaker activity with, like, the 12 Days of Christmas, along with rebus puzzles and it ends with "global bites" catered by KFC (because that is a huge tradition at Christmas time in Japan!) and wassail, churros, gingerbread and more. They also get to learn about the different cultures and customs! What a great idea!!!

How many of you are using AI to generate ideas or program titles? I will be from now on!!!

Shawn was seeking more ideas for her senior group, planning ahead. Anything specific to seniors like fraud avoidance, dealing with grief and depression, help with finances, all have been successful but it's hard to get the group to give input for what to do next! Also a good angle would be to have tech classes specifically tailored for seniors too. Perhaps something on self-defense or disaster preparedness would work. And don't forget the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service - it's not just agricultural programs either. Homewood had something called "Masters of Memory" that was very well attended - about strengthening your memory for all ages.

Alabamahistory.net (Alabama Humanities Alliance) has lots of program ideas for bringing history topics to the public and their funding was cut but their lecture series is back up and running. One library had a speaker come talk about the Tuskegee Airmen and that was popular. (Dr. Lisa Bradden, I believe.) 

More ideas:

• Jan Mattingly "The Science Lady", Dynamic Education Adventures, science programs for teens or adults
• Ivy Brook Apiary - will bring bees and honey / contact: ivybrookaplary@outlook.com also on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/ivybrrokaplary.  Looking to book them in Spring/Summer 2024
• Live Well Alabama - AL Extension Service - lots of ideas for bringing them to the library.
• Dr. Andy Coleman @ Urban Turtle Project, atcoleman80@gmail.com - great for all ages.
• Mandy Trott, Astrologer, contact: ecstaticastrology@gmail.com, works with libraries.
• Jessica Watts from Houseplant Collective, 256-283-5157, jessica@houseplantcollective.com
• Joe Hobby, comedy writer and storyteller (adults and teens) contact: 205-568-2559, mylifeasahobby.blogspot.com
• September Reed, artist, (recent program creating yarn pumpkins) zentangle & henna programs at various libraries, www.whimmmsy.com

Topic: Adult Passive Engagement

ASRT Meeting Minutes

Thursday, July 17 via Zoom

Topic: Adult Passive Engagement

Attendees:

Shannon, Hoover
Tamara, Irondale
Ellen, Avondale
Sarah, Center Point
Romellia, Titusville
Olivia, North Avondale
Lynn, West End
Daniel, BPL
Erika, Powderley
Tara, Vestavia Hills
Ashley Bertram
Royce, BPL

Our next meeting is Monday, September 15th at the Hoover Library for our Annual Adult Program Swap! 10 am at the Hoover Library or we will also try to include a Zoom element! Bring your ideas to share, your contacts to share, and your open mind! 

View the full video (in case I missed an important nugget of info!) 50.02m 

https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/UeB0sL50muVVm7jD4-kfeK4u2WIQmLarq0Khv3ceJEHcK_AXnXmsTaeTQZaHplqa.rBFmILQl7L0ZoocW 

Ideas from around the web: 

  

  

  

 

  

  

Welcome to Sarah who has been hired at Center Point Library as the new Adult Services librarian! We hope to provide you with some helpful hints and tips for moving forward in your role. 

Today's meeting is to discuss a variety of passive ways to engage adults without breaking the bank or taking too much of our time. We can take a lot of ideas used from Youth librarians because they are always thinking up great ways to keep kids active and distracted. Hey, that should be the tagline for this: Active and Distracted!

The Avondale library already does many things on a regular basis such as take-and-makes and in-house activities. Our Teen Department at Hoover has also utilize "Stick Together" posters (first picture above) that I think adults could enjoy as well. These are black and white outlines with blank squares - then patrons fill in the colored stickers to form a picture. Check them out. We also have a very active Puzzle Exchange at Hoover and I know several libraries are doing that. Tamara noted that they had regularly a puzzle out on a table for patrons to assembly at their leisure but invariably a child walks over and destroys the whole thing. Frustrating! I suggested perhaps getting a taller, maybe bistro, table for puzzles so they are higher up and possibly inaccessible to kids but good for adults. An active ongoing puzzle is a great idea though.

I have tried once at Hoover to create a wall size crossword puzzle that stuck on the wall (during summer reading kickoff) and within 1 hour it had been defaced by teens. I guess that is the gamble we have to face!  

Sarah told us more about Center Points ongoing "Spice of the Month" takeaway. They buy bulk spices, then make the individual packets to give out with perhaps a history of the spice along with a recipe. This is an awesome idea! It could also be a way to highlight certain cookbooks in your collection. The idea might not work for a busier library but feasible for smaller audiences. Make up some, then when they are gone, that's it. We also tried to think of other things that could be done in this manner: chai, tea, perhaps coffee -- all with recipes & history. You could even utilize QR codes to direct people to more information. 

I read about a library that did "Warm Up Wednesdays" where they (specifically during the winter months) had coffee and tea for patrons to make - perhaps some chill activities could be paired with these warm up mornings. Might not work if your library already has a coffee service or cafe. We did a program last December that was astonishingly successful for Jolabokaflod, Yule Book Flood, which is an Icelandic tradition during Christmastime. What we did for the adults was create a cozy sofa area with Squishmallow pillows and blankets and a big TV showing a roaring fire. Off to the side we had a full hot beverage station for tea or coffee or hot cocoa with all the trimmings. People came through all day on a Saturday and we got fantastic reviews for it! (I also had a passive Christmas craft set up in a meeting room.)

Tara talked about their Tiny Books - they keep a number of the reject books and they also have a book cutter (more savage than your average paper cutter!) to cut pages. She creates take and makes for patrons that have instructions and book covers. Link to Take and Makes via Sharepoint. These are extremely cute and popular. Here's a Christmas take and make she created in Canva for a tiny book ornament.

Libraries got good at Take and Makes during the pandemic but the daily grind might have made some of us lag on being creative in this way.  Lynn shared with us a webinar called "The Candy Corn Question: Passive Programming That Pulls People In" where more of this is discussed. Thanks for sharing this, Lynn!

Don't forget that there are several helpful books in the county's collection that can be useful to kickstart ideas. Two from Hoover are The Passive Programming Playbook: 101 Ways to Get Library Customers Off the Sidelines by Paula Willey and Andria Amaral and Librarian's Guide to Passive Programming by Emily Wichman.

Ellen from Avondale shared lots of their ongoing ideas and their philosophy of getting folks engaged. She took us on a visual tour of some items they have out. They utilize a lot of free things and copying on regular paper - to make things easier and cheaper. She also said they take advantage of sales to buy things in bulk for future ideas or take and make kits. For instance, they bought these cute watercolor painting bookmark kits (like this on Amazon) when they were cheap - once they are gone they are gone! Avondale also shares pictures of their Grab-and-Go kits on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AvondaleBranchLibrary/

Here are some items Ellen shared - pictures of the adult activity kits:

And here are examples of the constellation luminaries and book page roses:

 

She showed us a gorgeous constellation luminary - she printed the constellation on the printer and patrons prick tiny holes and put a tiny light inside. Very cute and if you add a QR code you could teach them about the stars! She also had some great summer fans that patrons could assemble too. They also had book page roses kits - complete with a QR code to a video on how to make them. Very smart!

Avondale adult activity kits - this month theme is artists. (They've been putting them out on a different theme almost a year now.) They put together a packet that contains a variety of activities ranging from crosswords, word search, coloring sheets, also utilizing QR codes to link to things like the Craftsy app or how-to videos or additional resources at the library on the month's theme. I've fully credited Avondale and their staff for my version I have in process for an activity kit that will go on our Bookmobile and with our adult outreach team, hopefully celebrating Jane Austen's 250th birthday in December!! When I asked Ellen if they would start fresh once the year was over, she suggested they might keep the theme for the month but change up the information within the packet - for example in September of 2024 the theme was Agatha Christie but maybe they could do "Cozy Mysteries" this year. You never want this kind of thing to become a burden so keeping it fun and fresh can be something to look forward to.

Print out your own Origami paper designs and include folding instructions! Easy & cheap. Community/temporary art projects might also be something to look into for adults or possibly inter-generational. (Like Yayoi Kusama dot art!)  Or hang black paper up and give patrons sidewalk chalk to create a mural. Perhaps have a box with rocks for patrons to paint and create a rock snake outside the library. Ellen has also created tiny art kits, then asked for posts on social media and a show inside the library - what fun! They had about 30 submissions up in the atrium.

Tara mentioned, not passive programming but still very cool, Vestavia Hills had artist-in-residence this summer with a partnership with the Arts Council. They had weekly artist demonstrations talking about their process - these have been well attended.

Links found on passive programming:

https://cslkits.cvlsites.org/let-em-be-passive-programs-for-adults/

 

https://www.slj.com/story/DIY-to-the-rescue-10-librarian-tested-passive-programs

 

https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/Nothing-Passive-About-It-Self-Directed-Programming

 

https://youtu.be/o-eg4O87KWc?si=o4g_dOmT3jmIoHa1

 

https://ideas.demco.com/blog/6-easy-engaging-ideas-passive-programming/

 

What about passive programming via social media? I hadn't thought of that before but it could engage those not in our building!!!

 

Our next meeting is Monday, September 15th at the Hoover Library for our Annual Adult Program Swap! 10 am at the Hoover Library or we will also try to include a Zoom element! Bring your ideas to share, your contacts to share, and your open mind!