Anythink blog
The wonder of wordless books
Apr 25 2014
I love to read wordless picture books – books with little or no text. Sounds a bit like an oxymoron right? I mean, how do you “read” a wordless book? Well, I’m sure you’ve heard the saying "a picture is worth a 1,000 words" and, when it comes to wordless picture books, that could never be more true...
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Big ideas for personal change
Apr 21 2014
Both professionally and personally, I am a life-long learner. I seek out knowledge and new ideas because I know I can be better. Additional knowledge allows us to communicate better, reach new goals, understand ourselves and others better, and even expand our professional opportunities. I was...
Redesigning the library
Apr 17 2014
What makes the library a welcoming place in the community? What does your ideal library look like? Along with Anythink's commitment to delivering superior customer service, our physical buildings are designed to invite and encourage discovery and conversation. Over the years, the physical library...
Taking wing with words: Poetry in April
Apr 8 2014
April is National Poetry Month. It’s time to find, flutter, fly. You can take wing, with words.
What is a poem? “A poem is when you have the sky in your mouth,” says Lolo, a character who is always in...
'Game of Thrones': Catch up on the series before the Season 4 premiere
Apr 2 2014
The cultural sensation that is Game of Thrones continues April 6, 2014, with its highly anticipated Season 4 premiere on HBO. I was one of the lucky few to attend an advanced screening of the show on March 27 here in Denver. The event, sponsored by HBO, held a costume contest, a photo op with the...
Spring break, Colorado style
Mar 27 2014
I am fairly new to Colorful Colorado and my spring break is quickly approaching. Instead of traversing to the beach or home, I decided to thoroughly explore all of the places and adventures avaiable here in my new state. After talking to some awesome co-workers and friends and consulting various...
Made happy at Camp Happiness
Mar 27 2014
About a year and a half ago, we here at Anythink set on a course to create at least 12 "Experience Zones" a year at each library location. An Experience Zone is a place/space in the library where our guests could engage with information, learn something new, do something hands-on and hopefully...
Make the most out of your Anythink requests with these tips
Mar 19 2014
You’ve seen the notice: “Boy, do Anythinkers know what they want! Requests are now limited to 60 per customer, per year.” You may wonder why there is a limit on how many items a customer can suggest the library purchase. The answer is simple: volume. Our customers are eager to read, listen, watch...
Singing a different green: Exploring evergreens in springtime
Mar 17 2014
Spring has many poets. I hear birds, wordless and articulate, building nests among new leaves. I listen to people, speaking with delight about warmer winds and greener trees. Here, I hope to add a slightly different note to the seasonal chorus – not as resistance to the emerging season, but in...
Official registration number 11,110: Strasburg's newest Little Free Library
Mar 10 2014
I did it! I sent in the required $35 and my future Little Free Library is officially registered worldwide. Number 11,109 already existed and now 11,110 is being constructed! I received my...
Literary March Madness: Pick your book bracket
Mar 7 2014
March is known as the month where even non-sports fans fill out brackets predicting which college basketball teams will win based on a team's players, coaches and match-ups (or more accurate indicators like the cutest mascot or best team color combinations). March Madness brings together the 68 "...
Lost homework? 5 books to help develop kids' organizational and brain-based skills
Mar 3 2014
Here’s some good news: If you're a parent who is frequently frustrated by your distinctly disorganized child, this struggle need not be permanent. Even kids who are particularly challenged by what can seem to be simple materials management tasks, such as turning in completed homework papers or...
Camp Happiness: Taking an Anythink experience to PLA
Mar 3 2014
How do you take a space and turn it into an experience?
In 2013, Anythink concierge Justina Wooten had an idea. After watching the documentary Happy, Justina wanted...
STEM reads: Unleash your child's inner scientist with these 4 titles
Feb 28 2014
Parents: Do you have a child who’s always asking “How?” or “Why?” If you do, you have a budding scientist on your hands! This is great news, because according to the U.S. Department of Education, jobs in science, technology, engineering and math...
5 Action-Packed Movie Trailer Reviews
Feb 27 2014
Originally, I was going to write a 5-star review for the new box-office hit, The Monuments Men. However, numerous reviews are already available (check out: MetaCritic). Thus, let us take a different review adventure:The Monuments Men...
'New' Favorite Picture Books Worth a Look
Feb 24 2014
I recently wrote a blog titled Lucky Me, in which I reminisced about how lucky I felt because of all the time I had spent reading and rereading some great picture books to my children when...
Gold Medals (in Russian Reading)
Feb 24 2014
Over the past few weeks you have probably watched more hours of curling and ice dancing than you would ever admit in public. Now that the Olympics have concluded, you might be feeling a bit down, wondering how you can possibly replace those hours you spent on your couch cheering on the athletes....
Lutie Had a Great Idea: Little Free Libraries
Feb 14 2014
Lutie Stearns was a librarian who believed that books have the power to change readers' lives. She fueled this belief by taking books to nearly 1,400 locations in Wisconsin through traveling little libraries between 1895 and 1914. Her cause was picked up in 2009 by a young Wisconsonite who built a...
Cheers! A Toast to Superb Wine Films
Feb 7 2014
The numbers aren't in yet for 2013, but 2012 was a record year for wine sales in the United States. More than 360 million cases of wine valued at $34 billion were sold in 2012. With numbers like those it's not surprising that here at Anythink we have hundreds of materials about wine. We have...
Start Again: Without a List
Feb 5 2014
All too often I find myself creating "to read lists" because I feel pressured. Sometimes I think I should read more literary fiction. Other times I feel like I should read everything on the New York Times Best Sellers list because doesn't everybody else? And then other times I feel like I should...