The LSU Library and the East Baton Rouge Parish Library held a “Cutie Fruity” keychain-making event on Wednesday, August 28th to welcome students back to campus.
A row of tables greeted students as they made their way through the library entrance. Two librarians and bags full of colorful felt, thread, cut-outs and buttons sat waiting for students to craft a fruit-inspired keychain.
Lili Bedoya, the research and instruction services coordinator, is on the Libraries’ Programming Committee and worked with East Baton Rouge Assistant Library Director Tori Judge to plan this event. Judge said the inspiration came from Pinterest.
“I try to come up with an activity that is both long enough to grab the interest of people walking through the Library and not too long that they’ll miss a class,” Judge said.
There weren’t any set instructions for how to make the keychains, Judge said. Participants could look at the reference photos and “follow our hearts.”
Bedoya said she was looking forward to connecting with students this semester.
“Fall is always crazy, but it’s a good time of excitement,” Bedoya said. “We’re ready to reach out to new students.”
Judge said her experience with working at the East Baton Rouge Library is different from Bedoya working at an academic library. She said that welcoming people back to the libraries for a new semester is exciting, but she’s a little more nervous, especially with legislation that affects teenage readers.
“I love seeing them again, and I love seeing them back for the school year,” Judge said, “but there is a lot of legislation going on that always kind of gives you a little bit of anxiety in the back of your mind.”
Act 436, signed by Gov. Jeff Landry on June 28, requires libraries to “adopt and implement policy language to limit the access of minors to sexually explicit materials.” The act took effect on August 1. According to Judge, the library is adapting to the new restrictions, but it has been challenging for visitors to acclimate to the changes.
For instance, the public library now requires a consent form signed by a parent to allow children under the age of 18 to check out material outside the Juvenile Collection, which is recommended for children up to 11 years old.
Judge recalled that recently a child couldn’t check out a copy of “The Hunger Games” because he hadn’t updated his card with his parents. She talked about how this change sets barriers for kids who enjoy the library and that many children may not have an adult to help them obtain the books they want.
Despite these restrictions, Bedoya and Judge still aim to make the library a place all patrons can enjoy. As students created their keychains, Bedoya and Judge told stories about working in the Library and advertised the upcoming programs they are working on, including more arts and crafts.
The next event at the library will be Wednesday, Sept. 4 from 2-4 p.m. and will feature free popsicles for students.
