Oklahoma Librarian

You may have heard that on March 14, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order  directing some federal agencies to reduce functions outside the scope of what is required. This inculdes the Insititute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) as well as six others.  I want to share some information with you so we can be well informed and feel inspired to to reach out to our representatives. Most of the information I have comes from the American Library Association (ALA) , , the Oklahoma Library Association (OLA), the  American Alliance of Museums , and various news websites.   What does IMLS do? Established in 1996 under a Republican-led Congress, IMLS provides critical funding, research, and policy support for museums and libraries across all 50 states. It helps strengthen these institutions through: Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grants – Funds distributed to state library agencies to support public, school, and academic libraries. Grants to Stat...

One of my most viewed posts on this blog is about scavenger hunts , so I’d like to give an update since I have been doing them for about two years now. Everyone has adored the hunts at my library. The teen and adult librarians have even created their own hunts to go along with the children's ones. We consistently have three hunts available for different age groups, and sometimes, we have four or five if special events are happening. I still design everything in Canva because it’s easy to reuse and create new designs when they’re all in one place. All of the items are about the size of my palm, and most have some sort of background to help make them more visible. Since most guests know about the hunts now, I haven’t had an item go missing in a long time. I also make sure to keep them away from the play area, since those tend to get picked up by little hands. Last summer, I decided to host extra hunts since the kids were complaining about doing the same one over and over again. I ask...

February was a very busy month! The biggest news? I moved to a new place! I’m excited to settle in and start making it feel like home. With all the packing and unpacking, I didn’t have as much time to read, and I even returned all my library books ahead of the move just to make sure none of them got lost. I still have lots of unpacking to do but I’m finally getting back into my TBR with a few audiobooks. So, let’s take a look at what I managed to read this month! February TBR Revisited This is my list from last month.  The Reckoning  by Caroline Peckham Love in Focus, Vol. 1  by Yoko Nogiri Cat + Gamer, Vol. 5  by Wataru Nadatani Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 4  by Aidalro I read 2 of these books! Not too bad, all things considered.  Reading Stats Books Read in January 2025 Set Fire to the Gods by Kristen Simmons and Sara Raasch  ★★★★ ☆ Abstract: A gladiator that controls fire and a boy with a forbidden power have to kill their unkillab...