Happy Banned Books Week

September 18-24 is celebrated as ALA Banned Books Week. ALA reports there were more challenges to books in 2021 than in the previous 20 years they've been keeping track. There have always been challenges to books, especially in school libraries, but the effort has become more organized. At Tuesday's board meeting, we updated our Collection Development Policy and the associated Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form. Phillip is working to update both documents for our website and the digital workspace so you'll have access to the latest materials. Remember that people generally have good intentions and listening politely is sometimes enough. Should they wish to make a formal complaint about an item in the collection, please provide them with a copy of the policy and the reconsideration form. We will only consider requests to reconsider KPL collection items from Kenosha residents. People living in other municipalities should contact their home library with their reconsideration requests.

Also on Tuesday, our library board reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the Library Bill of Rights and its Interpretations.  I encourage you to re-read this document as we prepare to meet book challenges here in Kenosha. Libraries are a forum for all ideas, even the ones we do not like. We serve all people, therefore our collections must reflect the diversity of our culture and our ideas. 

Ever wonder about the architect behind the Simmons Neighborhood Library? Daniel Burnham didn't limit his talents to library buildings. In fact, he only built 2 in his career, and Simmons is by far the most beautiful. Read about Burnham in this article from the Library of Congress. And if you're really interested in knowing more, the Simmons Historic Structure Report was commissioned for Simmons and completed in 2019- ask me for a copy.

Heather and Barb are both taking next week as vacation. Linda is your point person in Heather's absence and Linda or Rob can cover for me.

From Linda:
In addition to our Haunted Simmons Tours, this year we've added kid focused events called Slightly Spooky Simmons. Here is the info:
Slightly Spooky Simmons
Sunday, Oct. 16th and Oct. 23rd 12-4pm
Slightly Spooky Simmons is a frightfully festive event for the whole family. There will be games, crafts, and activities aimed at kids aged 2-12. Pumpkin bowling will be making a reappearance as well as a Halloween scavenger hunt and a super cute cupcake liner monster craft. There will be slightly spooky storytimes at 12:30 and 2:30 with a costume parade and trick or treating following the storytimes at 1:00 and 3:00. Kids are encouraged to dress up and show off their cool costumes!

This week's Bright Spot nominations:

From Michelle:

"My nomination for a bright spot this week goes to Jeremy Erickson. I am grateful Jeremy has continued to provide SW staff with beverage options in our breakroom after the departure of Sandy Bear. The additional selections are fun too! I especially like the caffeinated seltzer. This service takes time and energy and I truly appreciate it."

From Alejandria:

I think Karen R. deserves a Bright Spot. Karen is always finding ways to bring joy to others' lives. 8:00 AM is an early morning for many in our department, but Karen made it extra sweet by providing YFS with a 'chai bar' at our department meeting. She even made sure to get different kinds of milks for those of us who drink something different. Karen is a treasure.
I'd also like to give a shout out to Brandi Cummings. Last Friday, Brandi heard me mention that I needed to make a run to Woodman's to get more teen snacks since we were running low. Brandi offered to pick some things up at Costco and, right at closing, Brandi pulled up with several boxes of snacks to replenish our offerings. As a person who doesn't really enjoy going to the grocery store, I'm so appreciative of Brandi's kindness in offering to help out in this way.

From Barb:

Congratulations and effervescent thank yous to the YFS team for an incredibly successful and impactful summer reading program! Every year they conduct an after-SRP survey to find out whether kids were more engaged with reading and improved their reading skills because they participated. Once again, the caregivers just gushed about how much the kids enjoyed reading and yes, their skills improved just as we'd hoped. As we face year after year of disappointing proficiency test results in our county, our youth and family services team stands as a bright beacon for how to strengthen neighborhoods, inspire learning, and keep kids and their caregivers curious. Thank you for your amazing work, your huge hearts, and your endless creativity! We are so proud of the work you do!