EVP. Found this group on meetup.com. Really interesting. Estate planning I found while taking an Adult Education course at the local college (and she currently continues to present at the library). The Importance of Saving I found while manning a library booth at the 2008 Veteran Celebration and the IWOSC began with a local author who walked in one day, presented his book to me, had the book club read it in which he so graciously attended for discussion and resulted in his establishing an IWOSC chapter in Orange County. Free programs can be easy.
Fall programs. Finding the right design is an ongoing challenge. How do you get the word out if you have no budget. Eventually the word will get out to check out the library and its events. So far, I've been able to organize a variety of programs. The Ayn Rand Institute was suggested by a patron and to this day, we continue to partner with them as Tustin's patrons seem to have an intellectual interest in this area.
The BookBite has become a stable library book club. When I arrived, the struggling book group was slowly fading away. Then I went on vacation to China for a couple weeks and returned to a note from a passing patron expressing interest. We discussed it and she volunteered to lead the first few discussions. Since then, our group as overgrown to 25.
Speed Dating. This was a tricky one as we soon were faced with Risk Management about the potential dangers of attracting leering stalkers. We were able to change the dynamics of the dating game. I can now say, I've done it.
Perhaps the most interesting and most popular program this summer was the Mystery Night at the Library - "Last Train to Paris". From marketing to cleanup was a total experience. As soon as the flyers were posted, excited patrons signed up and received an official ticket and explanation for character roles, time and place. 3 staff covered the event; branch manager Sharon acted as the Gastapo stationed at the door welcoming the visitors. Kim and myself took care of food table and I directed the groups in conversations and dinner times. 3 hours later, the mystery was solved. A week later, a telegram was emailed out to all the participants. Click on it and take a look.
Summer Programs 2008. Childrens and Teens are always busy with Summer Reading Programs and I tried my hand in this in Adult programs. We have the financial assistance of the Friends of the Library, however, financial help is still limited. I went out to the local businesses and asked for donations and we all looked in awe at the goods we received from the community and staff: gift certificates to salons, restaurants, medical supplies & services, pet grooming, See's Candy, goods & cash from the Smoke Shop, gift shops, hardware store, jewelers and from vendors selling at the City's annual Chili Cook-off. What a treasure find. This was the last time I went "soliciting" as I soon found out that this job belonged to the Friends group. Hmmm?
After March Madness, I organized a few Spring programs with Ikebana and Art of Hula. Aside from the creative and craft side, social services can provide free services for the needs of the community. We were fortunate to have a very dynamic speaker from the Social Security Administration clarifying the myths of Social Security.
I received my MLS in June 2006 and was hired straight way at the Tustin Library. I would be focusing on the adult collection and library operations for the first year and half before getting into the programs. In Summer 2007, we were invited to participate in the city's Veteran's Celebration at the local PepperTree park. The library had never set up a booth before and Alex and I designed and put one together. It was there I met my first program contact and booked the Vexilologist for a February Black History Month program. Did you know California was named after the California Amazon, Califa?
Shortly thereafter, we entered into March Madness with three programs running throughout the month. The Childrens department was busy with Reader's Rally & Food for Thought while the Adult program participated in the The Big Read. I would soon have fun designing all sorts of flyers for our programs.
Great to partner with the local Atlas Shrugged Instituted which was suggested by a patron. 
This one here was a hidden gem. A remarkable story and a wonderful presentation by the author. I wish she'd get picked up by a major publisher! 
Let me tell you about this one here, the "I Do Love" author program was a lesson in itself. I don't remember how I got in touch with her. I designed th fun looking poster and she had a room full of women waiting to hear what she had to say. She came in flip flops, set up her room, and began. Two minutes into the presentation, she got into her marketing gear and started saying "in this book" ... "if you read my book" ... "it's all here in my book" ... etc, and then confessed that she has a relationship with a young gay man. I don't know what kind of love that was, and I sure learned my lesson. Do your research.
Great to partner with the local Atlas Shrugged Instituted which was suggested by a patron. 
This one here was a hidden gem. A remarkable story and a wonderful presentation by the author. I wish she'd get picked up by a major publisher! 
Let me tell you about this one here, the "I Do Love" author program was a lesson in itself. I don't remember how I got in touch with her. I designed th fun looking poster and she had a room full of women waiting to hear what she had to say. She came in flip flops, set up her room, and began. Two minutes into the presentation, she got into her marketing gear and started saying "in this book" ... "if you read my book" ... "it's all here in my book" ... etc, and then confessed that she has a relationship with a young gay man. I don't know what kind of love that was, and I sure learned my lesson. Do your research.
