I had the opportunity to attend National History Day festivities in College Park, Maryland last week. Wow, if you ever need some great inspiration about some amazingly dedicated, smart, interesting, and enthusiastic teens, this is a terrific place to get it. It was fun to listen to the side conversations about historical minutia while waiting in the dining hall line. It was incredible to watch the documentaries and performances done by the national finalists–truly amazing what kids can do. And it was super-fun to see the buttons and t-shirts on the folks from Iowa. Their quote: “When in doubt, go to the library.” An homage to Hermione, of course, but also to the librarians and collections that supported brilliant work on the part of students.
Connecting to Resources for Mental Health Programming
I had a heart-breaking conversation with a library director this week who was reeling from a two recent local deaths from suicide, and looking for resources for potential programming to help her community address significant mental health concerns. Lots of...