By Alex Andrasik, Adult Services Librarian<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I love programming for the library.\u00a0 I\u2019d say it\u2019s my favorite part of the job.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing like looking at a fresh, unspoiled calendar page and filling it up with events, classes, concerts, presentations and more, all aimed at catching the interest of you, our library patrons and community members.\u00a0 We do it to teach you.\u00a0 To inform you.\u00a0 To entertain you.\u00a0 Hopefully there\u2019s a little bit of something for everyone, and even if you haven\u2019t attended a library program in a while, I hope you\u2019re pleased with the knowledge that we keep trying new things, keep bringing back successful things, and are doing our best to serve your needs.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There\u2019s only one problem.\u00a0 It\u2019s really hard.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t mean it\u2019s hard in a \u201cI don\u2019t feel like doing this right now\u201d kind of way (although, admittedly, that is the case sometimes).\u00a0 It\u2019s actually a really tough skill to master.\u00a0 Anyone who has ever dabbled in event planning will know this to be true.\u00a0 There\u2019s a certain headspace you have to get into in order to look beyond the pressing concerns of this week, right now<\/i>, and start considering the shape of things a month or two or six ahead.\u00a0 Then there\u2019s the constant need for ideas, and the fact that those ideas don\u2019t always work when you sit down to hash out the details.\u00a0 And actually pulling together the necessary materials and people, at the date and time advertised, in front of a crowd of people can be an exercise in humility\u2014especially when technology breaks down, or material you thought would last an hour only takes up 30 minutes, or, or, or\u2026<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no wonder that I\u2019m about to ask you to take over for me.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I exaggerate, of course.\u00a0 Adult programming at the Penn Yan Public Library will remain primarily my responsibility, just as youth programming will remain the province of my esteemed colleague Sarah.\u00a0 But I really do have pure motives for inviting you, the community at large, to participate in the process of planning events.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
One of my job-related ideals is that the library should be the natural crossroads of the community it resides in.\u00a0 The library is\u2014or should be\u2014the place where ideas are born, meet, and evolve.\u00a0 And ideas can\u2019t get very far without people, so naturally, the people belong in the library first and foremost.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Of course, you are<\/i> here\u2014I see you every day!\u00a0 Checking out books, browsing DVDs, using the computers, attending our (lovingly conceived) programs.\u00a0 But I hope you won\u2019t call me selfish if I invite you to do more.\u00a0 I want you<\/i> to bring more programs to the library.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Everyone\u2019s an expert at something, or a master of some craft, or an armchair authority in some discipline.\u00a0 Your expertise might stem from your job.\u00a0 Your mastery might come from a passionate hobby.\u00a0 Whatever the source of your power, why not share it with the world?\u00a0 Why not call me up, or email me, and say, \u201cAlex, help me plan an event to help everyone else love this one thing as much as I do\u201d?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We already have some patrons and community members who share with us this way.\u00a0 Mary Beth Gamba\u2019s excellent \u201cClassics in Religion\u201d series is one popular example.\u00a0 Our dedicated Library Friends are often involved in programming.\u00a0 Our weekly knitting group wouldn\u2019t amount to much without the crafters who come back time after time.\u00a0 Among others.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But I feel that we\u2019d have even more going on in this line if folks knew they were welcome to propose their own program, group gathering, class or event.\u00a0 After all, how do you know you\u2019re welcome to do something unless you\u2019ve been invited?\u00a0 So consider this your invitation.\u00a0 Show us what you\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t promise every single one of you a spot on the calendar.\u00a0 There are only so many days in a year, after all.\u00a0 But I can promise to listen to your ideas, and help develop them where I can.\u00a0 And maybe together, we can make Penn Yan\u2019s crossroads bustle a little busier.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Have an idea you’d like to pitch me? \u00a0Send me an email at aandrasik@pypl.stls.org, or call the library and ask for Alex.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Alex Andrasik, Adult Services Librarian I love programming for the library.\u00a0 I\u2019d say it\u2019s my favorite part of the job.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing like looking at a fresh, unspoiled calendar page and filling it up with events, classes, concerts,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1022808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adult-services-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pypl.stls.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1022808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pypl.stls.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pypl.stls.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pypl.stls.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pypl.stls.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1022808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pypl.stls.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1022808\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pypl.stls.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1022808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pypl.stls.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1022808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pypl.stls.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1022808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}