Every year, Wisconsin’s Farm Technology Days draws tens of thousands of people (this year, the estimate was 35-40 thousand people). The event moves around every year, and this year, it was held on a farm near Barron. The Barron Public Library teamed up with IFLS to staff a booth, which turned out to be a huge hit! Here’s what Patti Becker (AKA Miss Patti), the youth services librarian (and interim library director at the time this event was all arranged) had to say about the experience:
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| Kathy Setter from IFLS, and Susan Queiser, new Barron Library Director, staffing the booth |
We had a great time in the Youth Tent at Farm Tech Days. About one month before Tech Days I did a big weeding in the children’s area of the library and those books we gave away one of these books to each child who visited our booth and used their fingers to walk through our Corn Maze:
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| Corn maze is serious business when there is a free book at the end! |
Yes, they loved the funky pencils, magnets and directions on how to create a seed tape, but, the free books were the big winner! The parents enjoyed the opportunity of the free book and the information they received about our library system and the statewide library system.
Throwing the booth together took about a week, but, the Tech Days staff contacted me last summer to join in the fun. They did ask for a signed agreement between myself and the Tech Days for participation. We also participated in the stage activities by performing a StoryTime that included 2 stories and a readers theater (crowd participation) story.
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| Kathy, Miss Patti, and a volunteer work the crowd |
Watch for this opportunity when it comes to a farm near your library! With a minimum of expense, the library promoted amazing services, literacy, and fun to a LOT of people.