Libraries and Halloween: A Perfect Pair

There's a lot of buzz around the perch today since we're all getting ready for our Not-So-Scary Halloween Party tonight.  We're always excited about this event not only because it's our busiest night of the year, but also because it's loads of fun.  We enjoy getting ready for it, putting up the decorations, buying the treats, setting up the crafts, and organizing the games.  And we enjoy actually doing it, seeing the kids (and sometimes their parents!) in their cute costumes going all over the library and having a good time.

Libraries have always had various Halloween materials, such as books, movies, and music, but nowadays libraries are doing more traditional things like actual trick-or-treating.  With candy collecting door-to-door becoming less safe, Halloween programs at libraries are popular with parents and kids who can celebrate the holiday inside the safety and warmth of a building.

So if you're looking for a safe place to strut your stuff in your Halloween costume, get some candy and snacks, and party until the ghosts go home, check out your library for fun programs and activities.  You'll have a ghoulish good time!

Happy Halloween from the perch.

You Like Us! You Really Like Us!

Sadly, as a library on a U.S. Air Force Base, we were affected by the recent American government shutdown.  I and my colleagues were disheartened that the library was closed for about a week knowing that a number of our patrons who needed computers to apply for jobs or books for their classes wouldn't have access to our materials on which they rely.  It just didn't feel right being at home when I should have been working on the perch, assisting all my fans who stop by for help or simply to say hello.

On a more positive note, all of us on the library staff were happy to return to work, and it  encouraged us to hear that we were missed by many of you who told the Powers-That-Be that you valued the library and needed it to stay open.  You were glad to have us back, and we were glad to be back.

Of course, we know the worth of libraries and what they do in helping people enhance the quality of their lives.  If we didn't, we wouldn't be doing what we're doing.  But we're human, and sometimes it's nice to actually hear in words that we're appreciated and that we're making a difference to people.

So what I guess I'm trying to say in this post is thank you all for supporting our library, in good times and in bad.  Your support means a lot to us, and we want to support you and yours, whether it's toward school and career goals or just in finding something fun to do.  Take care and please be sure to stop in the library.  We're always happy to see you!

With warm wishes and gratitude from the perch.