Going Green-Celebrating Earth Day @ RPL

At Richmond Public Library we are doing so many things to stay GREEN. The People's Library paper and book making project is going strong. This project has been mentioned through all sorts of media outlets. The program was made possible through the VCU undergraduate research grant and the books that have been recycled by the library. Mark Strandquist, the VCU student conducting the project, will be at the Main Library on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 pm in the Outside of the Box area in General Collection.

Interviews and Articles about the project:

• http://rvamag.com/articles/full/19984/the-peoples-library-project-creating-a-diy-historical-record
• http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/pageviews/2013/04/in-richmond-va-you-dont-have-to-be-famous-to-have-your-story-in-the-library

Earth Day Art Display @ Main

Last week, people from the community had the opportunity to help with the recycled creations seen below. Carter Anderson, founder of the local organization Save the Trash has created several sculptures to display in Main's Library Park. The purpose of this display is to share the love for the earth by being creative and have people from the community to contribute in the process. 

Gardening programs @ RPL

For the start of spring, there have been several gardening programs throughout the system. We have had a Container Gardening workshop at Ginter Park, a Vegetable Gardening workshop at Belmont, a Growing and Cooking with Herbs program with RTD columnist, Clare Schapiro at Main, and there are more to come...

The Main Library is starting up the Gardening Club for teens. We have been using resourceful materials to build our garden and allowing children to be exposed to horticultural opportunities. The name of our garden at Main is "The Secret Garden".  We are grateful for organizations like HandsOn and other volunteers for helping us with this process.

Earth Day shouldn't just be one day. Let's celebrate Earth Day year around. I know the library is!




Interested in Learning more about Earth Day? Here are some book titles and other resources.

Children and Teens:

What's the Point of Being Green?, by Jacqui Bailey 
The Berenstain Bears: Go Green, 1st ed. by Jan Berenstain 
Make it!: Don't throw it Away--Create Something Amazing!, by Jane Bull 

47 Things You Can Do for the Environment, by Lexi Petronis 

Ants in Your Pants, Worms in Your Plants, by Diane DeGroat 
Every day is Earth Day (Fancy Nancy), by Jane O'Connor  
Earth Day Escapade (Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew), by Carolyn Keene 
Earth Day Hooray!, by Stuart Murphy 
Arthur Turns Green, by Marc Brown 
Judy Moody Saves the World, by Megan McDonald 
Mallory Goes Green, by Laurie Friedman 
Just a Dream, by Chris Van Allsburg 
Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life by Linda Sivertsen 

Adults:

Sewing green: Projects and Ideas for Stitching with Organic, repurposed, and recycled fabrics : plus tips and resources for earth-friendly stitching, by Betz White

The Resourceful Renovator: A Gallery of Ideas for Reusing Building Materials, by Jennifer Corson
The Recycler's Handbook: Simple Things You Can Do, by EarthWorks Group
Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying, by David Bach
In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart, by Alice Waters
Green Metropolis: What the City Can Teach the Country About True, by David Owen 
DIY Projects for the Self-Sufficient Homeowner: 25 Ways to Build a Self-Reliant Lifestyle, by Betsy Matheson 

75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make A Difference, by Glenn Croston

Young Adults-Changing the World with Volunteering

I was inspired to write a blog post based on my wonderful experience with the teens I’ve been working with at the library this summer. On July 26, a nonprofit organization, HandsOn, orchestrated a week long program with a selected group of teens who showed interest in volunteer work.

The program is called,Teen Impact, and each day the group would work with other nonprofit organizations to give back to the community. I've been working with the HandsOn organization for their Teen Impact project, and I am thankful that the Richmond Public Library was one of the facilities chosen to be a part of their project!

I met the group at 9 a.m. and I could see the tired state the teens were in. They didn't look like a happy group at first. I guess teens are not morning people! They each staggered out of the van and had some type of Starbucks drink in their hand. The teens were unenthusiastic at first, but when I asked if I could take a picture they gave in.

When the teens got settled in, the program started with the group learning about how to conduct a story time with Ms. Beth, our Children's Library Associate at Main. They learned about puppetry, presentation, and using expressions when conducting a story time.

The Teen Impact group had an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned during a story time for preschoolers. The kids loved the special treat they received from the group of teens.

After the story time, I gave the group a tour of the library.The teens were very fond of the Children's Department. I even shared a special moment with one of the kids when I helped her find Eric Carle's popular book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar (I love this book!).

"When We Were Young," featuring portraits by 
photographer Mark Mitchell of World War II veterans.

They also enjoyed our art exhibitions here at Main.

Observing the work of the late photographer, Louis H. Draper.

The teens also went outside and viewed our garden. They got the opportunity to taste the different varieties of mint. Later on that day they made signs/labels for the garden.

Another part of the Teen Impact project was to get the teens involved with the arts, and this included a session with the group making bracelets out of magazines, which was part of my summer recyclable crafts programs for teens.

Over all I hope the teens enjoyed themselves at the Main Library.

A group picture after they made a mess of themselves from painting signs for our garden.

If you are a parent or a teen and looking for volunteer opportunities, just go to this website for HandsOn: www.handsonrva.org

 
Main Teen Volunteers and the Mayor's Youth Academy Interns

I also would like to mention our other teen volunteers and the interns from the Mayors Youth Academy. They were a great group of teens who helped with shelving, programs, and even help conducting programs.

What a silly group of kids!

Some of the teen volunteers and Mayor Youth Academy members.

Helping out with a craft project

There are still opportunities for teens to volunteer in the library, too. Check with your local branch to see what opportunities that are out there. Also, the Main Library is starting a Teen Advisory Group (TAG) and teens can use the hours for volunteer credits.