Parkland Regional Library
Winter 2015—Issue 37
Inside This Issue:
4
7
We’ve updated our website and member library websites with a clean and modern look. And mobile-friendly! Huzzah!
Find out how this event run by Howard County Public Libraries has reached upwards of 20,000 people.
10
15 Forestburg Library combined literacy and yoga for a unique family-friendly program.
Techniques to stay positive at work.
Photo credit: Hoar Frost in Sylvan Lake by local photographer Leo Degroot
Petten - Town of
will have to absorb the cost
scription with OCLS ends in
Bentley
if the service is to continue.
June of next year.
Ray Olfert - Town of Blackfalds
Ron Sheppard, Director rsheppard@prl.ab.ca Executive Committee The last board meeting of 2015 is the organizational meeting in preparation for
Janine
Stannard
-
However, at the November 20th TAL Board meeting, a
County of Paintearth
sufficient number of mem-
Michael Wells - Five
bers refused to commit to
Summer Villages of
paying the extra fees neces-
Sylvan Lake
sary to support the service.
TAL Online
Some could not afford the
TAL Online, which has been
amounts and others from
a fixture of the Alberta li-
the academic side of the
brary world since June 2001,
membership have no idea
may be discontinued partial-
what their budgets will even
ly or totally at the end
be in 2016.
of June 2016.
As a result, a motion was
2016. A vote was held to determine the PRL Board
Throughout its history, TAL
made to temporarily sus-
Chair and the Executive
Online has been paid for
pend the TAL policy which
Committee was also ap-
largely
funding
requires all members partici-
pointed. Results are listed
from the Government of
pate in TAL Online and the
below:
Alberta and maintained with
TAL Card program. During
Board Chair:
infrastructure support from
the course of the meeting, a
Debra Smith - Village of
the University of Alberta.
commitment was made by a
Lougheed
The current version of TAL
number of major public and
Executive Committee:
Online was paid for through
academic libraries, including
Jean Bota - Red Deer
to June 30, 2016 with money
Parkland, to put staff re-
County
from the Provincial Library
sources towards the crea-
Tammy Burke - Town
Technology Plan fund from
tion of a new discovery/
of Rocky Mtn. House
the Alberta Government.
request system that would
Subscription fees totaled
be more cost effective and
$808,078 or an average of
ultimately replace the cur-
of Daysland
$269,360 per year over 3
rent TAL Online. It is hoped
Bob Green - Town of
years. Since there is no more
that the new system will be
Carstairs
provincial funding for TAL
implemented by the time
Online, TAL’s membership
the current TAL Online sub-
Deb Cryderman - City of Camrose
Leona Dickau - Town
Linda
Haarstad-
2 • Winter 2015 • prl.ab.ca
through
Exceptional Community Support Award On September 18th, Lindsay McFarlane attended the Book Publishers Association of Alberta conference, where she presented jointly with the Writers’ Guild of Alberta on the Read Alberta Books travelling display. At the awards ceremony, PRL was presented with an award in recognition of Exceptional Community Support.
The times they are a changin’... It’s been a year of transition for PRL and our members: new van delivery systems, new websites, new membership drive. Plus, all the new exciting activities in libraries at the local level. Change is the new normal and agility is the hallmark of successful organizations today. Change is not easy for organizations but it is necessary. Take a moment to acknowledge the changes you’ve incorporated and applaud your success.
GST Rebate filing for JulyDecember 2015 (if applicable)
Mid Caldecott and Newbery Winners Announced
1
Budget due to municipal councils for approval
15
Postage Reimbursement forms due to PRL
Mid TD Summer Reading Club order forms sent to libraries
18 Annual Report bee One-on-one and group support for PLSB annual report (9:30-12) Meaningful Measurement An interactive workshop and discussion
1
Young Canada Works Summer Work Experience applications due
5
Deadline for submissions to Spring Quatrefoil
6
Take your Child to the Library Day
15
Deadline for LAA Continuing Education grants
17
Digital Learning Day
21- Freedom to Read Week 27
(1 - 3:30 PM)
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!
27
Family Literacy Day and Read for 15 Challenge
25
PRL Board meeting at Parkland (1 - 3 PM)
29
Annual Report and Survey due to Municipal Affairs
prl.ab.ca • Winter 2015 • 3
: Meredith Bratland Parkland Regional Library thanks Trout Unlimited (Red Deer) for another generous donation this year to purchase wetland material for our library collections. The new books have been received and catalogued to get them ready for distribution to member libraries. There are diverse titles in this new set, which includes:
Over the past year, Parkland staff have been working diligently on building a modern new website and finding a responsive website content management system for the region. Parkland headquarters website underwent a major shift and moved to a patron/public focus compared to its previous incarnation that was primarily focused on library staff and board members. Member library websites share the same design as the Parkland headquarters site. Staff worked closely with website development company Fishtank, based out of Calgary, to create a rich user experience based on collected data, previous feedback from library staff in 2013, and a patron survey; along with the goal to have all sites mobile responsive. The websites have the following special features: Events page that will show visitors all of the library programs at their local library, 25 km radius, 50 km radius, 100 km radius, and the entire regional system (that spans 24,000 km²!) New forms, using third party vendor Wufoo, so libraries can now accept online registration and payment for programs.
4 • Winter 2015 • prl.ab.ca
a beautiful photo book on dragonflies
field guides to reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates of North America
great books for families and young readers about the creatures that inhabit freshwater environments
Automatically updating opening hours and location from Horizon with a map using Google technology. Integrated social media to keep the public up to date on the latest news from the library. New eLibrary for easy discovery. High powered search engine for website. We are pleased to announce that 19 member libraries have already transitioned to their new website. With the new content management system, Parkland is now able to update member library websites for them, giving library staff more time to focus on other duties. Parkland would like to thank member library managers and staff for their understanding and patience during this period of extensive change. Staff are confident that the new websites will address the need for mobile responsiveness and the new features will create an enhanced online experience for library staff and patrons alike.
There are also some thought provoking titles on freshwater ecosystems, impaired wetlands, and ways to protect our water. We have been pleased to work with Trout Unlimited over the past several years to help keep central Albertans informed on the fascinating wetland ecosystems as well as their importance to the health of our environment and ourselves.
On November 5th, the PRL Board passed the new Strategic Plan for 2016-2018. The plan has four main goals that are to be achieved through fourteen objectives. 1.
Libraries will have a strong and supportive relationship with local and provincial governments that recognize the value of public libraries and prioritize public library service.
2.
Municipalities will have sustainable and effective library service.
3.
Parkland Regional Library member municipalities will have an effective and responsive system board.
4.
Parkland residents will have a greater awareness of the public library and regard public libraries as an essential part of their communities.
The success in meeting the goals will be measured by comparing the goals to fourteen outcomes. The plan is ambitious but staff and board are feeling optimistic and motivated after the extensive needs assessment process. The goals resulted from the extensive information we gained about the region and people that Parkland Regional Library serves. An accompanying work plan with specific action items is being developed by PRL staff. The work plan will be a living staff document that will not require board approval but will detail activities and their progress as work is undertaken. PRL staff had a facilitated work plan meeting on November 10, 2015.
We're changing the way materials are shipped around the Parkland Region to make it better, stronger, faster...
Feedback on how the process is working is important to us. We want to make the system as incredible as you are!
We’re adding an extra van trip to our weekly schedule so that high volume libraries will have two deliveries per week, starting December 1st.
Interested in doing more?
Parkland is providing libraries with cool new grey bins. We'll send materials to libraries in them and they can send things back to us in them. The bins are solid, so staff won't need to package materials as heavily to protect them. Staff can just flag each item and tuck it in the bin. All libraries received a starter kit with their first shipment of bins. The kit includes transit slips for the system, new process only flags and a caddy to hold them, and padded envelopes.
1.
Take note of how long it took you to ship things using the old system. Once the new system is in place and becoming routine, measure again so that we will know whether the new way of shipping is working better for you!
2.
Get involved and help make it better. We would like to set up a working group to look at best practices for shipping and receiving. If you are interested in participating, let your Parkland consultant know.
prl.ab.ca • Winter 2015 • 5
: Meredith Bratland Library card Sign-up Month was a suc-
across the region. This reverses a six
ful with more preparation time lead-
cess despite the tight deadline for roll-
month trend in which cardholder num-
ing up to the campaign.
out of the campaign. This campaign had
bers were falling month by month.
more tangible results compared to paid
Local libraries engaged in Library Card
entries. We had 4 independent judges
advertising we did for the marketing
Sign-up Month to varying degrees. PRL
from various Lacombe media outlets and
campaign in 2014. I think this signifies
was interested in how the preparation
the City of Lacombe. From the top 5
that people in central Alberta prefer
materials helped libraries participate in
they chose, the public voted on the win-
word of mouth marketing compared to
the event despite the short notice. The
ner. There was a clear victor for first
paid advertising, which we are almost
follow-up survey gave us some very
place with Wojamo Richie’s clever take
conditioned to ignore these days.
important lessons for future regional
on the Myers Briggs Personalities and
Library Card Sign-up month also bene-
campaigns.
second place was a tie between Yasmin
fited from having a recognizable brand
1. Lead up time of at least 2-4 months
Lee and Mya Kingsfield who both re-
ambassador in Snoopy and the Peanuts
is essential for member libraries.
ceived a custom set of Copic Markers for
gang. September appeared to be ideal
2. Tipsheets to aid in preparation are
timing for the campaign because school
helpful for inspiration and made it
Cardholder numbers have been climbing
was back in session and families were
easy for some to participate.
ever since.
thinking about education. From September 1st to 30th there was a net gain of 950 library cardholders
3. Generally, libraries said they would participate in the event again and expect it to be even more success-
Wojamo Richie
Mya Kingsfield
Yasmin Lee 6 • Winter 2015 • prl.ab.ca
The Comic Book contest received 29
their future artistic creations.
to the judges who record the number of correct answers.
: Rhonda O’Neill
Valerie Gross, Director of the Howard County Public Libraries, spoke about their Battle of the Books at the American Library Conference
support of the event. Not only can a school help with recruiting teams from a specific grade level, but a school gymnasium provides a wonderful venue to host the event. Invite local councilors or other community celebrities to participate as judges or appear in other ways (opening remarks, parade marshal, photos with the teams). They can show their public support of youth and literacy and you’ll add to your list of library lovers. Finding a sponsor or sponsors to assist in purchasing books for each team as well as providing prizes to the winning teams and runners up will certainly help in getting the event up and running, though with planning there are ways to hold a Battle on a shoestring budget. Interested in learning more?
I
nterested in demonstrating the power of libraries in a fun way that brings your community together to cheer on literacy? Consider organizing a Battle of the Books competition in your community. What it is in a nutshell A lively competition, Battle of the Books improves reading comprehension, builds vocabulary and teaches teamwork and good sportsmanship. Teams of 5 students are paired with an adult coach and all teams read a set of 15 pre-assigned books. During the “battle” (a 50-question exam) a moderator asks questions that relate to the books. Questions are posed and teams have a short period of time to write down their answer which is then run by spotters
this past June. Their event reaches upwards of 20,000 people with 1/3 of area 5th graders participating. We don’t have to reach that many to consider a local event a big success! If you follow the link to watch the video [https://goo.gl/ qmcQoH], you will see that spirits are high and the teams are excited to participate. The event starts with a parade as students enter the gymnasium dressed in costumes and bearing (often funny) team names. Parents, grandparents, siblings and others cheer on participants from the bleachers, much like you would find at a sporting event. This time the focus is on books and literacy!
In Canada, public libraries and schools in the Durham Region (Ontari0) have partnered to bring the Battle of the Books to area students since 2005. Their program has been sponsored by the TD Bank, who also sponsor the Summer Reading Club. See bookbattle.ca for more information. In the United States, there are a few organizations dedicated to the Battle of the Books including battleofthebooks.org and battleofthebooks.com as well as additional information posted by libraries such as Howard County and Alaska. Rhonda O’Neill attended the American Library Association Conference in San Francisco this summer. This article is based on a conference session.
Community Involvement The Battle provides an excellent opportunity for libraries to build a relationship with local schools in prl.ab.ca • Winter 2015 • 7
: Colleen Schalm
H
ave you heard of colouring book clubs? Does your library have a colouring club – or program – for adults? This is a low-cost program that is growing in popularity among public libraries across the continent. Spurred on by the popularity of Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford’s 2013 Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book, which has sold more than 6 million copies, the colouring club craze is starting to take hold in libraries. All the library needs are a few colouring books, or even free colouring pages printed from the internet and a good variety of crayons, markers, or colouring pencils. Planning is minimal: clear off table space, make sure pencils are sharpened, markers are not dry, and that there is a selection of colouring page styles available. There are a wide variety of styles available from abstract mandalas and tattoos to animal mosaics and country living scenes. What makes colouring so popular with adults? It is a creative activity that helps people relax and relieves stress. Many adults enjoy opportunities to be creative. And it doesn’t require any particular skill set, simply the desire to express your
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individual creativity. What makes this an ideal program for even small public libraries? It provides social, mental health, and creative benefits. Colouring clubs create a safe space in which to socialize with other adults. It’s stress free. Participants chat with each other and laugh with each other. It can be a terrific way for newcomers to the community to meet new people and, even if those newcomers do not have strong English-language skills they can still enjoy a creative activity in the company of others in a relaxed atmosphere. Unlike a book group, the participants don’t have to do any prep work before they arrive – such as reading the book. As Ann Daigle of the Central Ridge Library (Beverly Hills, Florida) says: “It’s all a part of offering what they need in their lives: library programming. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do, to reach out and get people to participate and be creative and be a part of life and enjoy, whether it’s a book, whether it’s a craft?” Who says colouring is just for kids!?
prl.ab.ca • Winter 2015 • 9
: Lindsay McFarlane Lindsay attended Fern Richardson’s course “Positivity, Motivation, and Happiness at Work” through Metro Edmonton Continuing Education. These tips have been adapted from Fern Richardson’s content.
what you do? There are three main sources of workplace motivation: Extrinsic – do something to get something else (e.g. your pay cheque).
person’s happiness can be predicted in the following way:
Intrinsic – love of the work itself (e.g. purpose, pleasure, enjoyment).
50% - Set point (how a person is naturally)
Relational – need to connect with and help others.
10% - External circumstances (what a person has, such as a coveted job, house, car, or success, etc.)
All of these motivations can exist in many of our workplace tasks. If you have a task at work that is extrinsically motivated, look for the other motiva-
A
40% - Intentional activity (a person’s approach to life, and their actions and choices)
How can we each change our approaches to increase our happiness? Some simple suggestions to start off:
Do random or conscious acts of kindness – making others feel better increases personal happiness. Reframe activities you dislike – if you’re faced with an activity you dislike, do it and try to think of three things that make it interesting. Want to learn more? Check out Shawn Achor: The Happiness Advantage TED Talk Beyond those simple changes, start to look at your motivation – why do you do 10 • Winter 2015 • prl.ab.ca
Of course, there will always be tasks you don’t want to do. Try to build your willpower muscle, so that those tasks become easier. Take on the challenge of doing something you’d rather not do every day. Finally, how do we deal with negativity? We keep track of our positive and negative moments to determine the quality of our days. It is human nature to recall more negative actions than positive ones and recall negative ones more intensely and in more detail. We fixate on the negative.
Ultimately, 40% of an individual’s happiness is completely up to them and how they approach each day. So here’s the question:
Practice gratitude and reflection – write down three things every day that you are grateful for.
What is it in your work that brings you joy? How can you develop mastery in that area?
tions, like what will I learn from this task and how will it help with some of the parts of my job that I love? (Intrinsic) And who am I helping by completing this task? (Relational) Want to learn more? Check out Dan Pink: The Puzzle of Motivation TED Talk Mastery, a desire to improve, is a type of intrinsic motivation. Mastery requires effort. Mastery is impossible to fully realize. There’s always something new to learn, but the joy is in the pursuit.
The magic ratio: receiving four positive comments to every negative comment will make for a positive day and greater connectivity between people. (Depending on your relationship with the person and your personality, this can vary from 3:1 to 5:1, positive to negative.) Personally, I was initially focused on me and my happiness – but now I’m thinking about how I impact others and their positivity for the day. Pay attention to the way you provide people with feedback and the way you react to difficult circumstances. Making small changes will affect others, and hopefully increase their positivity and yours too!
: Meredith Bratland
A
straight forward, yet detailed communications plan can be incredibly helpful and keep your library ahead of the curve whether you have a staff of many or just me, myself, and I. Creating Parkland’s Communication Plan for 2015-2016 was very helpful for me and now I’m in the process of creating another one in light of our new strategic plan. While in Dallas, Texas for the Library Communications and Marketing Conference this November, I also gleaned a few ingenious ideas from Mid Continent Public Library. Creating a plan takes effort, but the creation and organization of the document will save you hours of work in the future, give your library a path to follow in times of chaos, and provide guidance in decisionmaking. Prepare Your Tools There are a few documents that are vital to your initial research. When the time comes to write your plan, it will be a breeze if you have done thorough research. Dig in your file cabinets and have these documents nearby:
Library Plan of Service,
Schedule of library programs and events,
Inventory of Communication tools (social media accounts, local newspapers and newsletters, local news blogs, etc.),
Library Advocacy Plan,
List of existing community partners,
Budget.
If you have staff, invite your programmer and marketing assistants to the table. They should be able to provide you with helpful tips and reflections on what programs created a buzz in the community and what promotional activities were best received. Read through your Plan of Service and identify any communication tactics that could help your organization reach its goals. Sometimes the obvious will leap out at you but be sure to take some time to think “outside the box.” Mid Continent Public Library (MCPL) suggests organizing a meeting with media to negotiate a partnership at the beginning of the year. They also look for media outlets with a digital platform as well to increase the publicity reach. If you have statistics from your social media account, analyze the progress of each channel; determine which is most effective and which ones you would like to develop more. Ask community members, whether or not they are library patrons, which platform they prefer. These two audiences could have different answers and you may be able to reach a whole new set of people in the community with this information. Identify Your Goals After reading, reflecting, and brainstorming you’ve likely identified some big goals that you would like to achieve. I would suggest choosing up to four main goals to focus on and creating a key message for each of those goals. When developing the wording for your goals, try to use the SMART method to ensure measurable results at
the end of the year. The only way to determine if your efforts were successful is measurement and data gathering (both qualitative and quantitative!). Remember that key messages are a simple and easy to remember sentence about one idea. Refer to your advocacy plan for help with key messages. Name your Target Audiences Ask who you are trying to connect with. For example, Parkland as an organization has both internal and external audiences. Internal would be PRL staff for workplace communications. Our external audiences include the PRL Board, municipal library managers and staff, library trustees, as well as municipal council and administration. It would also help to list who influences decisions such as media, elected officials, and community organizations. All of your messages and tactics must be applicable to the audience you wish to connect with. Think about the three E’s of content strategy: You’re aiming to engage, entertain, and educate each of those audiences who are interested in different topics and deliver it to them in a communication method they prefer and prl.ab.ca • Winter 2015 • 11
that is manageable for your workload. Outline the Strategies Now comes the fun part: deciding on objectives and activities to reach your goals. In a activity schedule (a.k.a. a table in MS Word), I begin with Tactics and Components, respectively. Then, dedicate columns to the frequency or dates that the tactic is to be started, who the task is assigned to, and the priority of the project to your plan. I also leave a column blank so I can update the status of each project throughout the year. Your tactics are typically general and the components will list specific actions that need to be done for the project. It doesn’t have to be an exhaustive list of activities, just something that will spark your memory and give you guidance to get the project going and completed. Decide on a Measurement Plan Since your goals are SMART, identifying data to evaluate success will come with a bit of creative thinking. Be sure to write down your intentions because once the year is finished, your ideas might be a little hazy. I find that listing exactly how I plan to evaluate my goals really gives me focus during the end of year crunch. It holds me accountable to continue with my plans from start to finish. Here are some ideas of data you may want to collect for goal measurement:
Social Media statistics (I collect monthly statistics that create a full profile for end of year reporting)
eNewsletter statistics
Program attendance
Cardholder numbers
Circulation numbers
Wifi usage
Website visits
If you would like some help developing a communications plan for your library, please contact me (mbratland@prl.ab.ca).
Marketing – finding out the needs and wants of your community, delivering the services applicable to the library and then evaluating how it worked. Public Relations – connecting with the public and keeping the library in the public eye. This is organizing the message, managing earned media attention, and crisis communications. Advertising – creating ads and purchasing ad space (e.g. Newspaper ad space or social media boosting) Advocacy – raising awareness and building relationships to allow others to act on your behalf. Branding – establishing the link between your library and its image. Outreach – providing service to populations who can not reach your facility. Collaboration – organizations working together to achieve a shared goal.
12 • Winter 2015 • prl.ab.ca
: Colleen Schalm
O
n October 26th, Marilyn Jones of RiverCity Productions provided a half-day workshop to LAG meeting attendees on media relations, focusing on traditional media channels (print newspapers/newsletter, radio, and television). Naturally, the level and types of media any library may work with is influenced by the size and location of its community. Nevertheless, most of the principles apply to organizations in small or large communities. Some of the takeaways reported by attendees include:
Don’t focus on the negative.
Know your three key messages.
Provide a good quote / sound bite that contains emotion.
The audience always hears (reads) the answer not the question. Develop a communication plan that includes both social media and traditional media.
All of these ideas mirror Marilyn’s three key learning points:
Be proactive with your media relations. Be prepared with key messages
(sound bites) before talking to the media.
Tell your story with statistics, anecdotes, and examples.
Be proactive Media relations can be proactive or reactive. Proactive is easier to manage and helps foster a positive view of the library. It does take time to develop proactive relationships but the benefit is that the media will already know about you and it will be easier to work with them if a “problem situation” arises which could lead to poor publicity. You can build relationships with your local media by engaging with them in prl.ab.ca • Winter 2015 • 13
person and/or online. Remember that they have a job to do that can be made easier or more difficult through your dealings with them. Traditional media is a closed system with topdown control; it is passive, one-way communication that is controlled, pre-produced and scheduled. It is less flexible than social media and the more you can work within these constraints the better your relationships will be.
redirect the conversation to get your message across. For example, “Yes, but the important thing about …”
If you think you are doing everything right but you are not getting sufficient media coverage, ask the publisher, “What do we have to do to get published?” Tell your Story Develop three key messages. Translate those three key messages into sound bites that are meaningful to your target audience. That means that you need to know in advance who your target audience is, including these three factors about them: demographics (facts about people); psychographics (interests, passions); and technographics (how technological they are likely to be). Every library should have a communications strategy that includes media relations. The communications plan, like all other library plans, needs to be based on SMART objectives: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound. You can’t know when you’ve achieved success if you haven’t defined what success looks like. Be Prepared Stay on your key messages during the course of an interview. This ensures that you are the editor of your content, not the reporter. You can present your key messages by using a bridging technique so that when a reporter asks a question you can
14 • Winter 2015 • prl.ab.ca
If a reporter contacts you for an interview, asking the following questions will help you prepare:
What is the story about?
Who else will you be interviewing?
When will it be published (or aired)?
Is there anything else you need from me (such as background information, graphics, photos, supplementary documents, etc.)?
You do not need to answer reporters’ questions or provide an interview at the spur of the moment. If a reporter calls at 9 am for a deadline at 2 pm, he’d rather you call back at 1 pm with a well thought out message and talk to you for five minutes than talk to you for an hour at 9. In preparing for an interview, also determine what is the worst question (or the three worst) the reporter can ask and how you would respond. If you do not know the answer to a question, you can say: “I don’t know that, but here’s what I do know….” It is important to have a single individual in the organization that deals with media – whatever form it takes in your community. This person should be as high up in the organization as possible (an authoritative voice) who is well spoken and a good communicator. Marilyn shared some excellent handouts, including a media relations workbook. If you want more information or need access to those documents, contact Meredith or your consultant.
: Kristin Kells, Forestburg Public Library
Literacy in Motion introduces preschool children (age 3-5) to a new kind of library programming. A program that relies on the strength of its instructors to deliver sessions that are engaging, energetic, educational and professional. Literacy in Motion combines Family Literacy theory and practices with Kids Yoga to deliver a strong 1 1/2 hour program that enhances the love of learning and movement. A main component is storytelling combined with yoga to not only stretch and strengthen the body but also to cultivate the mind of children. The program is facilitated by Joanne McMahon and Bridgette Ponto. Forestburg Library trustees, Kristy Jackson and Caitlyn Prehn, had previous connections to Joanna and Bridgette and initiated contact for the partnership with the library. Each session has a different theme. For example, one day it was based on Eric Carle's book Brown Bear. The book was read, Bridgette showed yoga poses for each animal, how to breathe deeply to calm down, and follow the leader exercises. Joanne had exercises for the kids which included matching, cutting, gluing, and colour sorting. We've also had a session all about feelings. Joanne has a Bachelor of Education with 20 years teaching experience in Battle River School Division and countless professional development courses and workshops focusing on Early Childhood Development and Learning. Bridgette is certified in a
variety of Yoga including Rainbow Kids Yoga / Yoga for Classrooms; Hatha, Vinyasa and Bikram, Yin Yoga; Yoga specific for Athletes; Yoga specific for Seniors; Pre/Post - Natal Yoga. This program teaches a multitude of skills to preschool age children ranging from fine and gross motor skills to balance and coping skills that benefits both child and caregiver. As program participant Krysta Keufler describes, “Me and my daughter, who is 3 and a half years old, really enjoy the program. It's really nice to get to do projects with her and see how she interacts with the other children. She really enjoys doing the crafts and the hands on playing that they offer.” My kids (Noah & Emma Kells) love it and continue to sing the songs once we're home. Two favourites are 'gray squirrel' and 'head, shoulders, yoga pose'. They also like to show off their yoga moves to their older sister and dad. The Literacy in Motion program has accomplished more than the instructors could have imagined. “The program has been a complete success,” Joanne and Bridgette elaborate, “We have appreciated the flow and rhythm of the sessions and appreciate the Mothers who have so actively participated. This program has focused on increasing body awareness, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, social skills and early literacy and numeracy. “We, the instructors, feel this program has absolutely accomplished these things in an environment of fun and trust.” prl.ab.ca • Winter 2015 • 15
: Tammy Nischuk, Olds Municipal Library Olds Municipal Library recently expanded their book clubs to include a cookbook club called Tasty Pages. Founded by one of the staff members, Tammy Nischuk, as a solution to the doldrums of cooking for one. “I knew our library had a great selection of cookbooks and I wanted to cook more at home. However, it was hard staying motivated when cooking by myself. Starting a cookbook club was a natural way to find other enthusiastic cooks in the community. Each month we encourage each other to experiment. It’s been fun being challenged to cook from new recipes each month.” Each month the attendees get to vote on a broad topic, and everybody picks out a cookbook that reflects the theme. Past themes include Cookies, Celebrity Cookbooks and
Vegetarian Recipes. Once everyone has a book they like, each cook attempts three recipes during the month. Next session everyone critiques their recipes and gives an opinion overall on the book. So far the club is small but enthusiastic. Without being prompted, members have been bringing samples of their recipes to share. Shared dishes have ranged from homemade Indian pudding to vegetarian burgers and chocolate mint cookies. December’s meeting is another chance to test out holiday recipes instead of using the family as guinea pigs. Tammy has plans to partner with the Olds and Area Good Food Club in order to grow Tasty Pages in the community.
Tasty Pages recommends these cookbooks. For authentic English recipes: The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah Bucholz For celebrity cooking: Gordon Ramsay’s Great Escape: 100 of My Favourite Indian Recipes by Gordon Ramsay For a Canadian experience: You Gotta Eat Here! By John Catucci
Sometimes the best recipes are ones passed down from generation to generation. The origins of this recipe are lost to time. Yielding tender, puffy, moist cake like cookies with light golden brown tops what follows is a Nischuk family favourite at Christmas time. It was passed on to me, scrawled on a yellow post-it stained with food residue. –Tammy
Lightly mix 2 cups extremely ripe persimmon pulp (may substitute pumpkin) 2 teaspoons baking soda & set aside Cream together 2 cups shortening 2 cups sugar Mix 4 cups flour 2 cups nuts 2 cups raisins 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg Alternate mixing together wet & dry ingredients. Scoop 2 tablespoons of batter for each cookie. Leave space for spreading. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Yields close to 5 dozen cookies. 16 • Winter 2015 • prl.ab.ca