Programs Recommended by Staff Members

Here are a few Program Ideas that have been submitted by HPL Staff Members. These ideas were formally submitted in writing, as the result of a committee assignment, so if you have shared an idea with me and it is not posted here, please remind me. And please submit any ideas that you might have. We have many more programs in development. Stay Tuned!

Sondee Weiss:
Major Programming Idea: FIND IT! AT THE LIBRARY
A fun way to celebrateamazing people, places, &events!How to playfind it!:Using the library’s card catalog and databases, you will locate books and information to complete each square.These forms will be collected as you complete them…let us know where you found your answers, which book, movies, library programs, music you chose.Prizes will be awarded for each row (across, down, diagonal) completed:-a coupon or free admission-a product with the hpl logoif you complete the entire card, the following prize will be awarded:-a pair of tickets to an event-a gift card.

Ann Otto: Access Center Program
“Are You Able?” highlights HPL services, programming and partnerships for and about people with disabilities.
Each year the library will highlight its services to disabled Houstonians in an atmosphere that is both educational to those who do not experience a particular disability, and invitational, encouraging patrons who are disabled to use the library and benefit from our resources and community partnerships.The first year(s) will necessarily focus on Central and then radiate to the branches as we secure funding for additional equipment and programs at branch locations.
1. Kick-off of new Access Center – partnering with organizations that serve people with disabilities in the Houston area, the library will offer 2 structured parties – one for teens with disabilities (particularly sight and sound and mobility) and one for disabled adults. The parties will serve as a structured introduction to the new library for these particular user groups, but will have a definite lounge/evening party atmosphere of socializing – food, music, etc.
2. Ongoing programming for the month will include:a. exhibits, speakers and performances celebrating exceptional people living with disabilities (especially local – for example, Houston has a number of deaf choirs)b. milestones in access/and or awarenessc. events targeted to age-specific groups (i.e., kids, teens, women, elders, etc.)
3. Highlighted information -- will include relevant collection materials, targeted equipment and services, and community partnerships.
4. Fundraising -- the library will host 1 major fundraising dinner during this month for potential donors and community leaders interested in supporting issues of disability access.

Marcia Chapman-September Health Fair

September is a month for several health issues: ADHD Awareness, Cancer Awareness (specifically: Skin Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Pediatric Cancer, Gynecologic Cancers), Skin Care Awareness, Healthy Aging; National Five-a-Day, Mold Awareness. The day chosen for the fair could be close to National Family Fitness Day/National Women’s Fitness Day (Sep. 26th)
Programs include:

*Week long series culminating in a weekend health fair on the plaza and in the library.
*Brown bag lunch seminars during the week with speakers from partner agencies – free lunch to the first ___# people who attend.
*Lunchtime demo/participation of yoga, tai chi, and other gentle exercise activities at Central and a few neighborhood libraries – in the lobby area or on the plaza under an awning for greater visibility.
*Evening and afternoon classes throughout the system on finding health information using two or three of the library’s databases
*Skin Care Workshops for teens at Central (during the health fair in the Teen Room) and a few neighborhood libraries during the week after school and/or on Saturday.
*Health Fair
*Short classes with hands-on- each focusing on finding information on a topic of focus for this month (see above)
*Cooking demos
*1 km Fun Run – (from the Downtown YMCA to Downtown Library (via Louisiana – Lamar – Bagby – McKinney is exactly 1 km) with t-shirts for purchase sponsored by the Friends
Ongoing participation/demos – yoga, tai chi, pilates, etc.

Marcia Chapman: Gay and Lesbian Pride Month (Tentative – Current proposal to move to September in 2008)
Programs include GLBT Book Month, host a series of author talks, GLBT Film Festival, try to be an official venue for the Houston GLBT film festival. Alternatively, we could host a mini-series of two or three classic films and host a discussion Parade – participate with a float, art car or Book Truck Drill Team
Marcia Chapman: National Soul Food Month
Created to recognize and celebrate the heritage and history of the foods of African Americans and peoples from the African Diaspora. Week long series of programs ending with an food tasting/mini-food fest. Series of author talks featuring food historian(s) and cook book author(s). Hands on “cooking” demo activities (can be geared towards any age). Soul food “Cook –Off” (possible fundraiser for the library) .
Marcia Chapman: National Business Etiquette Week, June 4-10
This would be an opportunity to promote the Business Services and the World Languages Centers. Series of lunchtime fun workshops that cover business rules of etiquette: with a focus on cultural differences (Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands: the Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries by Terry Morrison, 2nd ed. Adams Media, 2006.)

Jennifer Schwartz-The HPL Film Series
The Houston Public Library Film Series, scheduled to launch during the month of the Central Library Grand Opening, is an exciting new opportunity to significantly increase library patronage and deliver to our customers the high quality level of programming that will help to define us a truly world class institution. There is a great deal of evidence to show that similar programs in Houston have been extremely successful, most notably, the MFAH Film Series. According to a recent survey conducted by the Motion Picture Association of America, movie attendance reached an all time high in 2006 with $25.82 billion dollars in sales. The fact that people are going to the movies is clear, but until now, Houstonians have not had the opportunity to experience a truly diverse, high quality, and best of all free, film program. In order to make this happen, our film collection needs to be greatly strengthened. The following is a list of just a few of the elements we would like this series to include:

The Great Director’s Series will feature week long series of films by directors such as Fellini, Hitchcock, Kubrick, Antonioni, Bergman, Ford, Allen, and many more. Whenever possible, we will partner with local universities to feature accompanying lectures by film professors.

The Story of Movies is a series developed by the Film Foundation in Los Angeles in conjunction with Turner Classic Movies. The program, which operates on the basis that film is a cultural document, a collaborative art, and a language to be studied, offers teachers and librarians a free lecture guide and teaching kit to accompany Classic films.

Celluloid and Paper will be a book club that combines discussion of a chosen book and a screening of the film adaptation. Genres will vary, but will include “Victorian Film and Literature,” “Shakespeare—Classic and Modern,” and “Fantasy Film and Fiction (kids and teens)”

Family Night at the Movies will provide an avenue for families to bond through quality films, on a level that has not been available to them before.

Our target audience spans the entire community, as we will provide a wide variety of content to ensure “something for everyone.” We especially hope to target demographic groups that we have alienated in the past, such as Young Professionals.

We will promote this series through traditional means such as professional quality flyers, and email lists, as well as increasingly popular electronic formats such as MySpace and Facebook.

Jennifer Schwartz: Program Series for Gen X and Y (Name in development)

New Program series designed to attract the 20-40 age group (or any age interested in the programming we would develop). Programs will be held both at the library and outside of the library, in partnership with the soon to be developed Young Friends group and partner organizations. Ideas include: Cooking Classes (e.g., cooking for two, cooking for a date), History Crawls, DIY, Choosing Wines, Social Networking, etc,)

Jennifer Schwartz: Senior Programming at Central (Name in Development)

Programs: Technology training, safety and security on internet. Buying tickets online, Digital photography that they can share with their families, Using Ipods, Mp3, ebooks.
Gaming—keeps the mind strong—in conjunction with new computer programs for seniors. Hand and eye coordination. Senior Wii tournatmens. Boomers teaching their parents. Training in Nursing Homes. Mobile Outreach. Creative writing and blogging.

Mike Van Campen: Financial Wellness Month January (Originally developed when Central was scheduled to open in January 08)
Hold weekly sessions (possible “Brown Bag” luncheons) with experts on various financial wellness topics (e.g., Getting out of Debt, Buying a House, Saving for College, Investing, Retirement, Financial Independence for Women, etc.) Set up displays and promote materials that support these topics both at the sessions and in the library. Create online bibliography of available resources. Record and Podcast these sessions.
Teach computer classes on various personal finance topics
“Buying a Car” highlighting NADAguides.com, Kelly Blue Book, Edmund’s Automobile Guide
“Personal Finance on the Internet” highlighting Smartmoney.com, Forbes.com, and Kiplingers Web sites and their information on Personal Finance
“Smart Shopping” highlights databases that provide access to Consumer Reports and other consumer-related information
Use this month to really play up the Small Business Center with events, seminars, computer classes, displays, Podcasts, etc. that focus on Small Business Center and the services available to customers. Promote with fliers, bookmarks, etc. and related events throughout the system
Mike Van Campen: MLK Day
Essay, poetry, and/or art contest for children
Film Festival for entire month focusing on civil rights movement and MLK
Lectures and/or exhibits highlighting the civil rights movement
Work with MLK Parade Day Foundation to host some events at CEN on the weekend of MLK Day
Mike Van Campen: Golden Globe Awards
Hold a “Guess the Globes” contest where folks get to guess who will win and whoever gets the most correct wins a prize of some sort. This could lead up to the viewing party
Materials would be promoted and any film-related activities (such as below) would be promoted throughout
Partner with the Angelika Film Center to begin a book club that highlights one of the nominated films (adapted from a book) that is currenty showing at the Angelika
See if the theater will give discounted passes to the folks who participate in the book club
This could be an ongoing monthly endeavor since the Angelika seems to always be showing some book-adapted to film
Working w/ the Angelika is more beneficial than just showing movies at HPL since it gets our name out to folks who already are visiting a downtown venue for entertainment

Mike Van Campen: Super Bowl
Hold a month-long Madden (or some other football videogame) playoff in which kids and teens compete at different age levels. There could be a tournament every Saturday and the Saturday before the Super Bowl there could be the HPL Madden07 Super Bowl in which the two winningest teams square off for prizes. Serve food and make it like a real Super Bowl party. Results of the playoffs would be posted on the Web site. Use every event as a chance to promote materials on football.

Brandon Pope: Food Month March (Originally submitted when Central Was Scheduled to Open early ’08)
March is very much a Food month.During that month, we have Frozen Food Month, Nutrition Month, National Noodle Month, the third week of the month is Chocolate Week, the 1st is Peanut Butter Lover’s Day, the 19th is Chocolate Caramel Day, and the 24th is Chocolate covered Raisin day. It’s an ideal month to have events which call attention to the library’s vast array of Cook Books. Programs on gardening, nutrition, ethnic foods, cooking, desserts, etc. Partner with restaurants, guest celebrity chefs.