Airbrush Tattoo Event for Young Adults, La Puente

Our program this afternoon, as described by teen volunteer, John:

"I think all the things that are happening in the library are very fun and I hope there will be better stuff." - Anthony Solano

As the youth get ready to start their fun-filled summer, what can the library do to grab their attention? Another tedious book-and-craft number wouldn't attract too many sightseers. Our innovative way to encourage teens to join the Summer Reading Program would not be considered a bore, to say the least. As referred to by Anthony Solano's quote above, the airbrush tattoo event hosted by the La Puente Public Library seemed to have been a success. The 28 teens and tweens all seemed to be amused by the colorful array of designs printed on their skin. Several young adults even decided to join the Summer Reading Program train! This kick-back summer event attracted the hip teenagers of the community while encouraging picking up a book.
— John K., 17 yrs. old

Papercraft for Young Adults with Mary Yogi, West Covina

The word of the day was FUN, as Librarian of the Year, Mary
Yogi, stopped by the West Covina Library to teach the art of papercraft
to our YA Board, on April 17th. Mary and I also described the joy of
librarianship for the four attendees enjoying Take Our Daughters & Sons
to Work Day. The six young adults, three parents, and four younger
artists discovered the subtle beauty of minimalist design, as they
created elegant Mother's Day cards and bookmarks inspired by the
upcoming West Covina Cherry Blossom Festival.

Evaluation forms stated:

"It was very fun and exciting." -- Anon.
"It was very fun!" -- Carolina L.
"It's fun!" -- Andres M.
"It was fun, thanks." -- Anon.

PS: FYI, the papercraft supplies cost @ $30.

Golden Apple Comics Drawing Class for Young Adults, West Covina

Golden Apple Comics' Dr. Scott offered teens some tips on drawing for
comic books, yesterday, April 10th, in the West Covina Library meeting
room. Attendees (12 YAs and 3 hands-on parents) learned the basics of
drawing, including everything from line value to tool selection to
Disney Studio politics. The young adults enjoyed the program so much
that Dr. Scott continued to teach for an additional thirty minutes, and
then stayed even longer to answer questions! (Ironically, as challenging
as it is to get teens to attend a program *- once there, no one ever
wants to leave!)

Evaluation form comments:
"The presentation was exciting, informing, and fun." -- Austin G.
"Very good." -- Lawrence H.
"It was fun and I would like to come again." -- Anon.
"I enjoyed it. Manga and anime should also be taught." -- Carolina L.
"I like the drawing." -- Andres M.
"Again, please." -- Jeannette A.

Kwanzaa, a Young Adult Celebration of African-American Heritage, West Covina

Young adults and their families celebrated Kwanzaa at the West Covina
Library, Saturday, December 23. The celebration featured a poetry class
and reading by poet, Tajji Samone. Volunteens, Aimee, Alyssa, Genevieve,
Oni, and Daniel decorated the meeting room using black, red, and green
bows, origami, construction paper, posters, and brightly-colored balls.
Informational literature was provided to attendees, as was a poetry
newsletter produced by Samone. Following the reading, approximately
thirty guests enjoyed soul food from Hungry Al's Barbeque, including
saucy ribs and delicious collard greens. For dessert, the teen crowd
gobbled peach cobbler, red velvet cake, and assorted pastries prepared
by library staff and patrons. Thank you to the Friends of the West
Covina Library for sponsoring this educational and fun celebration of
African-American culture!

Evaluation Form Comments:
"Very well presented" M. Curry
"It was very good and I enjoyed it -- very educational. I hope to see
this happen next year." April W.
"Very good, I loved it." Semaj L.
"It was great participating and learning about other cultures. It
should be done more often!" Millie A.
"Thank you. It was very educational." Andrew L.

Halloween for Kids, by Young Adults, West Covina

It looked like rain, so we couldn't bring out the giant TV console. One of the kids thought up limbo instead of karaoke. The West Covina staff party reappropriated the camera from me (so evil!), so I couldn't photograph my FAVORITE part, the pinata-smashing!!! We also had a costume contest that Andy won for his Lakers uniform (his second costume contest win that day). We had 6 or 7 actual tweens or teens, all of whom watched the 4 or 5 little ones (mostly younger siblings) have fun. Of course, the teens did like the smashing part. Target makes a seriously hard pumpkin pinata.

Second Annual Barnes & Noble Shopping Spree for Teen Read Week, West Covina

In celebration of Teen Read Week, teens shopped for the young adult (YA) collection and enjoyed Starbucks at the West Covina Barnes and Noble, Saturday, October 21 st (total cost $350). In shopping, teens earned experience in collection development techniques. YAs also gained expertise in marketing as they promoted the library, speaking one-on-one with bookstore shoppers about turning in a "Love your Library" voucher along with their purchases. Each voucher that was presented at the time of purchase resulted in a donation by Barnes and Noble of 15-25% of the sale to the Library (total donation to library - $500). The teens enjoyed socializing with other YA readers and working with Friends of the Library members. The President of the YA Board, Sami , says of the event, "It was really cool knowing that we made a difference by raising money for the library. It was just really fun and the result feels awesome."