Author, Author, Author

Contributed by NVC Library’s Linda Reeves

NVC Librarians do more than select, purchase, catalog and read books; they also write them. Our librarians contributed two chapters to a new book, The Library Outreach Cookbook, published by the Association of College & Research Libraries. Each chapter focuses on a particular program or strategy to help libraries connect with their communities.

Librarian Amanda Gorrell and Library Director Norma Velez-Vendrell contributed “Add a Dash of Tuscany: Book Discussions that Go Beyond the Book.” The chapter describes the librarians’ contribution to Northwest Vista College’s Academy for Lifelong Learning (ALL), a program in which community members aged 50 or above are invited to campus once a month for enrichment programs.

Amanda and Norma created programs involving a book and movie discussion and a related hands-on activity. For example, after reading Under the Tuscan Sun and watching the movie, participants put together a book comprised of their own favorite recipes. These activities have been well received by participants in the Academy for Lifelong Learning.

Art Librarian Renata Gibson’s chapter, “Library as Gallery Space,” focuses on how a library can become a place for art exhibitions. Gibson discusses her collaboration with art instructor Paul Northway and the Art Department to provide a space for students to formally exhibit their art.  Students from Art Appreciation classes, many of whom had never created art before, were able to see their art exhibited in the Quiet Study Area of the Library and be proud of what they had created.  At the end of the semester, students invited their families and friends to come see their art at a gallery talk, where students explained their process and what they learned. This gallery space helps contribute to the library’s role as a social and cultural center on campus.