The Southington Citizen | southingtoncitizen.com
Friday, March 28, 2014
A29
Librarians’ book features youth activity ‘recipes’ Every weekend for almost a year, local children’s librarians Lynn Pawloski and Cindy Wall worked feverishly writing and brainstorming ideas. Nine months ago the two women pitched a book idea to a national publishing company, expecting not to hear back. They were wrong. “We sent a paragraph and then thought, ‘Ugh, we’ll never hear from them,’ ” Wall said. “They got back to us that night and said, ‘We would like a full proposal.’ ” California-based ABCCLIO, a reference book p u b l i s h e r, l ove d t h e i r ideas and wanted to publish their book called, “The Maker Cookbook: Recipes for Children’s and ’Tweens’ Library Programs.” They got an end date of Feb. 28, 2014 nine months ago with the expectation that they would have 85,000 words finished by then. “That number and that date became real very fast,” Pawloski said. “It just seemed like an insurmountable number, but we just kept doing it and plugging along.” After attending the Connecticut Library Association’s annual con-
Front Wheel Drive Axles $ 95
159
ference last year and making a presentation on iPad programming for children, Pawloski and Wall realized they were onto something. “The librarians were so anxious to utilize what we’ve talked about and start their own iPad programming for kids,” Wall said. The idea was derived from Maker Programming for librarians. Maker Programming promotes hands-on activities in libraries. Wall and Pawloski created experiments and activities to include in the book and inspire other librarians as they did at the conference last year. “The library is the place where people can come and explore new technology, new ideas, new crafts, skills or art,” Pawloski said. “Library Maker Programming is where people are just exploring different ideas or different technologies. We’re moving back to a society where people make things rather than are just consumers.” The book was created in a cookbook format, Wall said. It starts off with an appetizers section that has small activities for librarians. Next it moves on to side dishes. That chapter caters to libraries with a limited staff, space, budget, or a combination of
Lube, Oil & Filter $ 95
21
up to 5 qts.
$
Staring at
149
BUDGET AUTO CENTER
Most Cars
95
747-4552Magna Flow &
T-TECH Transmission Power Flush $ 95
129
Timing Belts Water Pumps Computer Diagnosis
- Free Estimates
Flowmaster
Dual Exhaust $
Staring at
34995 s r
1206 QUEEN ST., SOUTHINGTON
idea was to create an open house with different stations such as art, theater, crafts, and more for children to test out. “It’s huge. It’s extremely exciting,” said Sue Smayda, the executive director of the Southington Library. “They just continued to be really innovative with children’s programs and they got a book deal.” The release date has not yet been finalized, Wall and
Pawloski said, neither has the final count of pages the book will have. They’re excited all the hard work is complete and are anxious to see the final product. “We saw each other every single weekend for nine months. (Wall) should have charged me rent or at least board for all the dinners she’s made me,” Pawloski said laughing. “I think every librarian really dreams of writing a book and it happened.”
Calvanese Foundation presents the:
r
TM
6:30 in the evening
The Aqua Turf Club | Kay’s Pier | 556 Mulberry Street, Plantsville, CT Hors d’oeuvres & Open Bar: 6:30 | Dinner: 7:45 Live Auction & Dancing following Dinner $200 per couple | $100 per person
HONORARY CHAIRS: Bill McDougall & Eldon Hafford from Bread for Life For information or tickets please call The Aqua Turf Club:
860.621.9335
ONLINE: www.calvanesefoundation.org
74371R
Certified for Emissions Repairs Serving You For Over 30 Years Thanks For Choosing Us
the three, Wall said. An example of an activity in the ‘side dish’ section is to create a Zen garden in a cardboard box. The next section is the main entrée section where the book “delves deeper” into subject matter. One idea was creating stop motion films with children using iPad applications. Lastly is the dessert. This section has activities that involve less technology and are fun for younger children. An
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Catalytic Converters
80861R
By Farrah Duffany
Special to The Citizen