EASIEST Halloween Bulletin Board EVER

Favorite Character Pumpkins

WOW!! WOW! That's about all I can say after receiving the most creative, adorable pumpkins I have ever seen this week in the Library.

Book Character Pumpkins - Round Two

We have a fair amount of Hispanic students and one thing I really love is the richness of their culture. Nino Wrestles the World is a FUN way to explore Lucha Libre and Mexican folklore. Nino was a no-brainer for my favorite book character this year.

This year our STAFF is getting in on the fun - a Librarian friend of mine introduced the idea of having the Staff vote on Student pumpkins and vice versa. Kids are thrilled and I can't wait to see everyone's favorite characters!!

Student pumpkins arrive Monday, I will keep the pictures coming!

OMG!! When I ordered this pair of books (not sold as a pair) I had NO IDEA how adorable they would be!! Little Owl is usually up at night but one morning stays awake to see all the wonders of the day.

In Little Owl's Night, the nocturnal lifestyle is too cute through her eyes.

Fall, Nocturnal Animals, Owls, Raccoons, Possums, Bears, Forests, Habitats - take your pick and them some!! If you buy any books for your Library this year, make it this pair by Divya Srinivasan.

If you do not own Octopus Alone by Srinivasan, I highly recommend that title as well.

Create your own FREE, AMAZING posters with POSTERAZOR

As much as I post about bulletin boards, you would think I love them.  Quite the opposite, actually. I really can't stand changing bulletin boards. It is one of the most time consuming parts of my job!!

I believe in the impact of BIIIGGGG signage - unfortunately, our district does not believe in the impact of BIIIGGG library budgets.

But it's OK - I have PosteRazor, a FREE downloadable program that takes ANY image and prints it in your customizable proportions.

To begin, have your electronic image ready. All copyright laws apply, so be aware of that and make sure the image you use is your own or available for use. I love picmonkey for creating quick, adorable signs and graphics. I will show you how I printed the 2' by 2' HOT sign to post under our new 3D Printer.

I created this image on picmonkey using the design function and adding text. I saved this image as a jpeg to my desktop.

After going to http://posterazor.sourceforge.net/ you will find this page:

 

You will need to download the program (TOTALLY FREE). After you are all set up, the fun begins!

 You will add your image to this "magic box" and follow the prompts. Pay attention to the quality of your image - when these images are blown to larger proportions it can be frustrating seeing it pixellated. If you use a good image though, your finished product will be beautiful.

There are 5 steps before you have your "poster" and can save. Each step is an easy point and click menu.

Your poster will save as a PDF and is ready for printing. Sometimes I will open the poster, check out the pixellation and repeat the process for a smaller size.

Here is the print preview of my new poster, the first of 6 pages. Almost there!!

After printing, the most difficult step arrives. Assembling the poster is a puzzle piece that does require patience and a steady hand. And lots of glue sticks!! Laminating is the best way to make sure the pieces stay together, but sometimes my posters are too big for our laminator. The more you assemble your posters, the easier it gets. You will develop your method for sure.

I LOVE the ability this program gives me to create fast, colorful FREE posters for all of the crazy things we sign in the Library. I prefer using this program to cutting out individual letters for bulletin boards by far.

Here is the finished product under our new printer - nothing super fancy, but it IS exactly what I needed. It was free and I was done start to finish under 30 minutes.

Last Minute Bulletin Boards

EVERY TIME!! I plan, plan, and PLAN boards and then switch at the last minute!! 

Back to School with the CREEPY Lovecraft Middle School!

We all know we should not judge a book by it's cover, but has anyone told 4th and 5th graders that? These creepy, FUN books caught my eye at the public library this summer with their HOLOGRAPHIC covers. Above you see the "creepy" version of the cover- a normal, human character is on the cover with the tilt of your hand.

The story lines are eerie, fun, and totally appropriate for solid 4th and 5th grade readers. I anticipate a long hold list for these titles!

The BEST Library Bulletin Boards from Pinterest in One Place

I know that we are all sorting through Bulletin Boards right now. Some years I have even made a Board outline for the year. Good in theory but wasted time because I either see something else I love or time runs out ....or SOMETHING!!

My intention was to "curate" these boards and list the original site. After two boards and 30 minutes, I gave that up - if I know the original source, I list it but most of these have been pinned dozens of times at least.

NONE of these are my original boards - I have created variations of some of these but mine are not pictured. Here's to early August and getting up those boards!