HomeMy WebLinkAboutOPL highlights February 2022
Oshkosh Public Library Highlights
February 2022
1. Submissions are open for two contests that give local writers a venue for their creativity.
• OPL is partnering with the Downtown Business Improvement District to offer the 2022 April
Poetry Walk. Local poets have until Feb. 28 to submit original poetry for consideration. A
curated selection of original poetry will be displayed in storefront windows along Main
Street from April 1-30.
• The annual Lakefly Writers Contests are also accepting entries in several categories through
March 5. This year’s theme is Into the Unknown. Winners will be recognized at an awards
ceremony on May 7, at the conclusion of the Lakefly Writers Conference.
The library is also partnering with Oshkosh Poet Laureate Tom Cannon to offer poetry
workshops for teens and adults in March and April; and children are invited to add their original
poems to the “Poet-Tree” display in the library’s lower level throughout April. OPL is proud to be
involved in initiatives that offer community members the opportunity to develop and share their
creative talents.
2. Prominent Black Wisconsinites was the focus of a talk presented by Community Engagement
Librarian Sandy Toland at the Oshkosh Seniors Center recently. Twelve people attended the
presentation, including a member of the League of Women Voters - Winnebago County. As
a result, Sandy was invited to present the same talk to the League in March.
3. National news coverage about social workers in libraries brought OPL and the work of the City
Library Collective (CLC) into the spotlight recently. Library Director Jeff Gilderson-Duwe was
interviewed about the Whole Person Librarianship concept and staff training that OPL will be
integrating into our new customer service model. An article was featured in the Oshkosh Herald
and a segment aired on WBAY-TV2.
4. Taking the library out into the community creates new opportunities to match people with
the resources and services they need. During a recent Connect Through Tech program at the
Seniors Center, a gentleman asked Community Engagement Librarian Sandy Toland what the
library does to help adults with reading. She connected him with the Winnebago Area
Literacy Council and he has already been matched with a tutor.
5. The library participated in the Downtown Oshkosh Chocolate Stroll on Feb. 12. OPL was one of
more than 20 locations throughout the downtown area handing out chocolate treats to 200+
participants. Adding a literary flavor to the event, staff added wings to gold-wrapped chocolates
to recreate the golden snitches found darting and dashing through Quidditch matches in the
Harry Potter novels.
6. Staff in Children’s & Family Outreach are connecting with students at Lighted Schoolhouse
afterschool sites and the Boys & Girls Club to promote the Wild Winter Read Off (WWRO). To
create buzz about the challenge, staff are leading activities about the amazing world of
honeybees featured in the book Bee Dance. They learned how the bees communicate, made
their own bees and worked with their “hive mates” to forage for nectar and pollen to sustain
the hive. About 340 kids are logging their reading and will receive a free book from the library
upon reaching their group reading goals. Bee Dance was written and illustrated by WWRO
featured author Rick Chrustowski, whose work inspired many of our winter children’s programs.
Chrustowski will visit the library for a special event on Feb. 19.