Library Board Picks Innovative Cool Award Winners for September 2016

BPL Board with three award winners
 (l-r) Kim Richardson, Mark Skinner, Eve Parker, Fontaine Alison, Dora Sims

Storytellers at the Five Points West Regional Branch Library will soon have a huge machine producing lots of bubbles to keep kids entertained while listening to stories. At the Avondale Regional Branch Library in October, four new art programs will expose children to various artistic styles. And at the East Ensley Branch Library, wooden planks called KEVA (Knowledge, Exploration, Visual, Arts) will be used to allow kids to use creative exploration to erect structures such as buildings and bridges.

The three awards, presented during the September 13, 2016, BPL Board Of Trustees meeting, are the latest recipients of the Birmingham Public Library's (BPL) Innovative and Cool Award, a program set up earlier this year to encourage library staff to come up with unique ideas to serve their communities.
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The BPL Innovative and Cool grant recipients for September 2016 are as follows:

• Five Points West Library, Bubbles at Storytime – storytime with a twist: bubbles to keep kids entertained as books are being read to them.
• Avondale Library, Art Attack – four art programs during October designed to expose children to different artistic styles including modern color block painting, American folk art, and Aboriginal dot painting. Participants will get canvas artwork to take home.
• East Ensley Library, KEVA (Knowledge, Exploration, Visual, Arts) Planks – KEVA planks are thin rectangular blocks that can be used to erect structures such as buildings, bridges, and formations. This program will allow patrons an interactive experience for creative exploration and cooperative learning.

“The board is proud of employees’ participation in the Innovative and Cool Award initiative. We look forward to the display to showcase all programs that engage patrons of all ages," said Dora Sims, chair of the BPL Advocacy Committee.