Winter has set in and all I can think about is next year’s Summer Reading Program workshop. I hope this list of 10 displays, programs, and activities will keep you warm.
National Slow Cooking Month
January is National Slow-Cooking Month and to celebrate, Tastefully Simple provides 22 slow-cooker recipes to make life a little easier and a lot more delicious! Display all your slow-cooker recipe books along with a variety of slow cookers. Plan a program where all the participants bring a slow cooker full of their favorite recipe to share.
National Soup Month
January is a pretty chilly month for most of the country, and nothing is better on a cold day than a bowl of hot soup. Here’s a guide to the 50 Soups of America, one for every state. Display your soup cookbooks with soup pots and ladles. Make a list of popular and not-so-popular soups and let your patrons vote for their favorite
Science Fiction Day (January 2)
This date for the celebration was chosen to correspond with the official birth date of famed science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who is thought to have been born January 2nd, 1920. The holiday focuses on a genre of literature that explores the effect of imaginary change through technological innovations, scientific discoveries, natural events and disasters and evolution on people and their relationships. Usually, works of science fiction (sci-fi) are set in the near or distant future, and unlike fantasy, sci-fi tends to stay away from the supernatural and the magical. Make a book display of science fiction across all formats, including novels, picture books, graphic novels, and audiobooks.
National Trivia Day (January 4)
National Trivia Day is observed across the United States each year on January 4.
The word trivia is plural for the word trivium. Over time, the word “trivia” has come to refer to obscure and arcane bits of dry knowledge as well as nostalgic remembrances of pop culture. Host a Trivial Pursuit or a Quiz Bowl-style competition for your teens. Go to your local bar and have a Pub Quiz night.
National Cuddle Up Day (January 6)
Bring in some pillows, blankets, and sleeping bags and offer your young patrons a chance to “cuddle up with a good book” during their visit to the library or the reading corner.
Static Electricity Day (January 9)
This is a day to honor this unexpected, mostly unpleasant, and sometimes hair rising phenomenon. Static electricity occurs due to an accumulation of positive electric charges on an object’s surface. Display your science experiment books and set up these 5 easy static electricity experiments.
Winnie the Pooh Day (January 18)
Celebrate the birth of author A.A. Milne on this day in 1882 with 35 Winnie the Pooh Quotes for Every Facet of Life. Display your Winnie the Pooh books and DVDs.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 20, 2020)
Commemorate the life of the civil rights leader by sharing Freedom’s Ring, an animation of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Display books from all areas of your collection about the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Library Shelfie Day (January 22)
Today’s a great day to celebrate our love of books. Take a photo of your library shelves, holds cart, or anywhere else you’ve got books stacked up, and share it on social media.
Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day (January 27)
Host a collection drive of leftover bubble wrap. Challenge your teens and tweens to use it to design a safe landing pad for an egg dropped from 5–10 feet in the air.