Come kick off the holidays at the Faneuil Hall Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, November 21st from 2 pm – 6 pm. There will be live performances, shopping, and lighting the tree at 6 pm with a Make-a-Wish Kid and Santa. If you do swing by, make sure to stop and say hi to me at the Make-a-Wish table by the tree! I’ll be there from 12 pm (to set up) to 3 pm. More information on the event here.
Category: Fun and Social
Brownies for all!
Hi all,
I made brownies and dropped them off in each department for everyone to enjoy.
- Borrower Services – gluten free, on the bookshelf by the windows
- Reference – vegan & gluten free, on the counter by the sink
- Children’s – vegan, on the table in the office
Have a pick-me-up during your shift and enjoy some chocolate! If you have any questions about ingredients please feel free to ask me.
Lucy
MIIA Wellness Healthy Charcuterie 101, Walktober, Webinar Buffet, Fun Days, and More
Healthy Charcuterie 101
Learn about building a beautiful and balanced charcuterie board that’s as nutritious as it is delicious ahead of the holiday season in MIAA’s Healthy Charcuterie 101 class in the Library Community Room on Monday, October 26 from 4:15 PM to 5:15 PM. Register by Friday, October 16.
Walktober
Register now to join Walktober, a fall step challenge beginning on October 1st. Fill your Walktober tree with red (6,000), orange (8,000), and gold (10,000) leaves. Employees and spouses enrolled in an active MIIA/Blue Cross Blue Shield health plan are eligible for the chance to win one of 40 $40 gift cards of their choice by earning at least 20 leaves and completed a post-program evaluation. Help Reading be the municipality/district with the highest average number of steps at the end of the program and receive a one-time free healthy snack delivery from Berkshire Naturals for all employees to enjoy!
Webinar Buffet
See attached for monthly Webinar Buffet offerings from MIIA. These flexible and short pre-recorded 10-minute webinars can be completed anywhere any time during the month from your Reading MIIA Member Portal.
The webinars are open to all employees and their spouses. However, if you are a MIIA / Blue Cross subscriber and complete 5 webinars by early August 2027, you will earn a $50 gift card!
Fun Day Challenges
All employees, retirees, and spouses are eligible to win raffle prizes by participating in monthly Fun Day challenges.
Choose an activity, take a picture of yourself, and submit via MIIA’s online Fun Day form.
Celebrate Collect Rocks Day in September by displaying a creative rock or visiting a famous rock or local geology exhibit.
Ompractice
Ompractice has created a series of on-demand meditations for the school teachers in our community to support the transition into the new school year. Although the library staff are not school teachers, many similarities exist, specifically related to the transition from summer to fall.
There are four new videos in the Back To School Reset Collection to check out, including grieving the loss of summer freedom, meditation for a different season (life isn’t always about reinvention!), preparing for the new school year, and the unfinished list. These are open to everyone with or without an Ompractice membership.
Other Wellness Offerings
Keep an eye out for emails from Avantika at Town Hall regarding other wellness offerings as well! You can also view all other MIIA Wellness Programs for Reading Employees on the Reading MIIA Member Portal
Snowglobe fun!
RPL Bird Buddy YouTube
We have had blue jays visit the Bird Buddy multiple times every morning. My favorite of these visits is this one:
Collective Nouns for Librarians
McSweeny’s posted a list of Collective Nouns for Librarians. My favorite one is “A collection of empty chairs is called an author reading.”
RPL Swag
Just a reminder: I have swag available in my office. These could be used for outreach, welcome bags, programs, etc.
Turtle stress balls
Calm strips
Notebooks
Colored Pencils
RPL mugs
Blue lanyards
If you want to come grab some for programs or events, please do!
Library Lounge Collection
Check out RPL’s new Library Lounge collection in the staff lounge. These books and materials are meant to enhance your learning and professional development.
When you get a chance, please take a look around your workspace and at home to see if you have any materials marked “Workroom” or any other relevant items from your personal collection that you are willing to share. Suggestions are welcome!
Please drop off any materials to Meaghan C. and Andrea H.
Chris P. Bacon
One of our test library cards is named Chris P. Bacon. Please enjoy the following video of his namesake.
Special Staff Shout Out-Olivia Edition
On Saturday morning, Olivia expertly handled an incredible influx of eager caregivers and little ones who wanted to attend the Music with Mara and Motoko event, which filled to capacity almost immediately.
At least thirty additional families arrived late and were unable to get into the Community Room immediately, but Olivia gracefully offered them some options to continue enjoying the music, waiting until space opened up, or encouraging them to play elsewhere in the library. She was kind and gentle, and families were understanding. We even had a phone call from a patron asking what in the world was going on in the library this morning because parking was nigh impossible.
I’m sure she will tell you this was incredibly well attended, an extra delight for families on a hot and steamy rainy morning, so her handling even the disappointed people was especially impressive. She kept everything in control and remained calm, and there were no adult or child meltdowns. She had caregivers smiling and thanking her, and families were really kind about taking turns so others could get in the room when there was a crowd waiting in the hallway.
Just another example of Olivia’s incredible professionalism in a challenging situation. Kudos to Olivia!
From Sara.