Jean Darnell: Awaken Librarian

 This month has been back to back celebration of all the excellence Black trailblazers, innovators and Ancestors contributed to our nation. I couldn't be more proud to share snippets of the library's efforts to honor Black History then  and now . In honor of BHM then the library sponsored a Quilting Bee where we worked on patches to add to our "Dessau Unity Quilt" that the wonderful Mrs. Vickie West will compile into a wonderful quilt to display in the library. Here's a video highlighting excerpts from the day! Because so much of African American's history is riddled with unfortunate hatred and bondage, it was imperative that the BHM now centered on understanding the struggles of those ahead of us who fought the good fight. Therefore, we made a "light-hearted research" activity (light = research w/o a paper) and combined it with art to create a unique twist on our "Family Tree." This is what happens when you collaborate w/...

Here's my last post of the year...I think! Lol! It's been a rough year, but the good news is that I've inspiration for a wondrous 2018! With that being said, I bet it would surprise most of you to know that I wanted to be a park ranger when I was younger. It's was a "wildling wish" that I abandoned after thinking I was too chunky for a ballerina and had altitude sickness to prevent me from piloting a plane! I wanted to learn about the plants and surviving with the earth. I knew it would inspire my writing and creativity. Plus, I could connect with nature without the cages of the zoo. But then the thought of crossing paths with a cougar reminded me of the need for cages and pushed me away from that aspiration too! Fear is such the motivator! Where am I going with this? Though this city girl talked herself out of one of her dreams, doesn't mean you should. When you're looking for direction, don't let fear guide your compass. Self-doubt eats a...