Welcome, everyone, to Midday Magazine for this January 12th, 2024.
Have your host, James J. Mayloff here.
At 330, we're going to welcome in Ashley Henson.
She is with Special Olympics.
Going to talk a little bit with her about the organization
and about the polar plunge coming up.
Right now, one of our favorite people to talk to,
Catherine Eckhart, director of McMillan Memorial Library.
Catherine, good to have you with us.
Thank you so much, James.
It's always such a pleasure to be on.
We really enjoy talking with you, and I have to apologize
to start off with, Catherine.
I don't know if your ears were really, really on fire.
Yesterday, if they were burning a lot.
But I was talking with my mom, one of your biggest fans,
and I told her you were going to be on the air with us.
And she just got so happy.
It was talking about you, a mile a minute for like a good 20 minutes.
So I know you got to give your love to my love to your mama.
We'll do.
We'll do.
Thank you so much for being with us.
And actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to start with this coming Monday.
You guys got something fun going on over there.
Yes, actually, so we are close to the public.
Every so often, we do close for an all day staff training.
Because the library staff is our biggest resource at the library.
It's one of the ones placed.
You can kind of walk in as a patron with any sort of question.
And hopefully, my staff will either be able to answer it
or get you on the right path.
So that obviously takes some training and some learning.
So we're going to take the day as a team
to learn about the new thing and get trained.
So we can help our community in even more ways.
Yeah, Katherine, I say fun because I
know that when you guys have done these kind of things,
that the staff yourself, you love learning.
That's a big part of why you're in this industry
and why you love doing what you're doing.
And also seems like a real chemistry builder,
a team building kind of an idea as well.
Exactly.
Because we're open from 9 to 8 pm,
often our staff don't get to see each other on a regular basis.
So it's just a nice day where we can reconnect, figure out
what we need to plan for, what we're hearing about
from our patrons, what we want to learn about.
And I'm really excited.
I love hanging out with the team.
So it is going to be fun.
You're right, Jane.
And these days, while we're going to miss you on Monday,
of course, we know how doing this makes all of us better,
makes our library better, makes the staff better,
which makes our community better.
Exactly.
And I'm hoping that we can kind of set the example
for our community, right?
Lifelong learning is essential to being a well-rounded human
being on this planet.
Well said.
I know that tabletop game gathering was scheduled to go on
tomorrow at 10 am at the all-purpose room.
Any update on that?
Is that still going on?
Or it's kind of a, it's Wisconsin.
It's a hitter.
We're going to have to wait and see kind of thing.
It's still going on.
I'm hoping that we are open tomorrow,
as long as it stays for our community.
But yeah, the tabletop gather game is so fun.
You can bring your own game, or the library
has lots of games as well.
And you just kind of get to hang out
with some other humans that like to play games.
Basically, it's on all ages events, so.
Yeah, everybody's welcome.
I've heard a lot of great things about this.
And one of the things that I think is kind of cool about it
is how much people have gotten back into board games.
Like, it happened some years back,
but it hasn't, it stayed very steady.
People just really love board games.
They love the camaraderie and the opportunities
to play it, especially with other people.
Yeah, completely.
And it's just, yeah, kind of a return to simpler times, right?
Games are so fun.
Yeah.
The studio at McMillan, Open Fridays, 10 to 5,
I was going to check see if that is open today or not.
And how is that going?
Because I know that you and I are big fans of that studio.
We are.
So yes, on Fridays during the day, and actually,
some Saturdays now, if you have a project
that you need to be working on, if you've
been bad in different equipment in the studio,
you can come into the library and kind of make, open make.
And that's been going really well.
We have people that are coming in that
have completed like the woodworking classes,
doing like incredible whittling.
James, we have people that are a badge on the GlowFords,
which is like a fancy laser cutter that
are doing really cool things.
Starting in January, you can now, on Monday,
evenings get badgeed on the 3D printer,
because I know a lot of people have
been excited about that.
So basically, if you want to get involved and do
some cool things at the mega space,
you can get badgeed on certain equipment.
We're not just going to throw you into the deep end,
but you'll sign up to be kind of like a little class.
And then once you've been badgeed,
you can kind of come and go during those make and take hours
and work on the projects that you'd like to.
It's a fun one.
And we appreciate you guys having something like that there.
Catherine, I want to get to what you want to talk about,
but I really want to make sure that we talked about this,
reconnecting with our foods and seeding the future
with Jessica Green, dear, that is coming up Thursday,
January 25th.
This is a wonderful guest.
Yes, we are so excited.
So yes, everybody should come.
We are so excited to have Jessica come and really
talk about how we as human beings can impact our future,
but also our daily lives with organic farming, keeping
seeds, and how seeds can carry history, which
is just such a fascinating concept, James.
It's a really interesting conversation.
She is incredibly good at not only what she, her field,
but she's a great speaker.
She's very engaging.
I've seen a bit of her work and a really, really great brain.
I mean, just an incredibly intelligent human being.
And on a topic that is very noteworthy nowadays,
lots of people not only wanting to do more of this
and we've seen the rise of foragers and a lot of that,
but almost everybody nowadays, even if they don't
do those kind of things, Catherine, they
everybody looks at what's in their food nowadays.
What are the ingredients?
What's going on in there?
And I want to know more about that.
We've come to an age where we do want
to know how the sausage is made.
We do want to know those things.
Jessica does a great job of explaining some of that all
along with some great history and plenty more there.
She's a wonderful speaker.
Yes.
So yeah, it's in our Fine Arts Center
so the big movie set up.
So we have plenty of seeds.
We're hoping everybody can come on down.
And if this is something our community would
like to see more of, we're thinking about,
I'm thinking about when it be cool to start a seed
library, James.
Ooh, yeah.
When does that be neat?
Oh, that is a great idea.
Yeah.
So again, we want to make sure it's something
that our community is interested.
So if that's something you, our listeners would be interested
and let us know.
Because yeah, just like you were saying,
I think this is becoming more and more important
to people just in their daily lives.
We are going to get that information
of how you can reach Catherine and her team
before you wrap up, but before I kind of take my hands off
the wheel, let you take over the show.
I did want to note one thing that I've noticed.
And I've been waiting for the opportunity
for us to talk again to be able to share this with you,
Catherine.
I have so many different community members come on the year
during this show or during the morning shows.
And whether it is one of them or my mother,
people have been very, very appreciative
and have noticed the work that you have done.
And you and your team, certainly not just yourself,
but everything starts from somewhere.
And it's got to start at the top.
And the work that you have done here, the impact you have made,
while you haven't been here that long,
it has been very noticeable from the community.
You are appreciated.
Thank you James.
I mean, it's an honor to be at the library.
We have an incredible team
and really just the sky is the limit.
We haven't been busy little bees.
So, you know, we like to stay busy at the library.
So that's wonderful to hear.
And yeah, anything we can do to kind of serve
our community in new ways, thoughtful ways.
Catherine, what we're here for?
I don't want to put you on the spot.
I apologize, but you and I are very similar in this.
We can't take compliments.
We immediately deflect.
As soon as somebody tries to compliment us,
immediately deflect me, that's just,
I love that about you.
That's like, I'm the same way.
I'm the same.
That's so fair, but we do appreciate it.
I appreciate that note.
You got a great team over there
and appreciate the work that you guys are doing.
I wanted to touch on the winter reading programs
available.
Those are coming up soon.
They are.
So we love reading.
Obviously, that's library.
That seems obvious.
Now, we want to encourage everybody
to read some things, to do some activities.
So we do have reading challenges for all ages.
People just think they're for kiddos,
but I love a reading challenge.
I actually do a couple just throughout the year, James.
So I'm kind of reading outside of my comfort zone.
Nice.
And that's like such a good way to kind of expand
your empathy for the human beings around you.
So we have like an adult challenge that's basically a bingo.
So you just read a bingo and then you're entered in
to win some prizes, which is really exciting.
The teens have a winter reading program
that's starting in February, and then also our kiddos
are going to be having different reading challenges as well.
So we highly recommend it.
They're very chill.
You don't have to be kind of reading all the time.
But just kind of setting yourself some time
to kind of connect with the world around you
is really, really thoughtful and valuable for your own,
just like personal and mental health well-being.
But also, you get prizes, James.
They're so fun.
Very cool.
Anybody that was on the fence immediately
kind of came over on that now.
Oh, yeah, you had about prizes.
That's a good idea.
You know, it's never a bad idea.
I don't think it's so bad to have a carrot
in front of the rabbit, to give a little bit of a push,
if you will, sometimes with this.
And often our carrots are more books.
We give away what you do.
It's even better, even better.
I like that.
I think it's a fun program.
And again, that is coming up in February.
Yeah, well, so different ages start
at different times.
So they're going to be plastered around the library.
They'll be available online on our social media too.
So you won't be able to miss it.
One of the things that we love about our library
is not only reading the kids, but in the encouragement
of reading, but things like baby story time, things like this.
And this is a really nice one that is going on
on Tuesday mornings.
Yes, so this is a brand new story time.
We recently hired a new library staff member.
Her name is Claire.
She's wonderful.
And she is so good with baby.
Now, James, I don't know if you'd realize this.
But some people, myself included,
can't you baby story time?
Just because I'm too excited and I.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I had to learn that one, yeah.
Really great.
So yes, this is a traditional babysit,
baby laughter story time.
So basically stories, songs, rhymes, and then a family play time.
So the babies can play, but we're also
hoping the grownups with the babies
can have a built-in community and can talk.
Because often, when you're at home with your little ones,
it can be very isolating.
So we're very excited to offer this.
Both four are babies, but also for the grownups attached
to those babies.
Mom and dad, or however the pairing may match up,
are great.
And it's very important to talk to your kids.
And kids are listening.
Obviously, their brains are sponges.
But we have the stats and the data to prove
that kids are only, their brains are only
expanded and able to learn more and smarter
when they hear other people reading,
especially people that they may not hear all the time.
Yes, yes, yes.
And it's so important to kind of get out of the house,
get to some places where it's a family
place for everybody.
So we're very excited about that.
So that's the new baby story time.
And that's going to be every Tuesday at 9.30.
We're speaking with Catherine Elkert, director of McMillan
Memorial Library.
And Catherine, on January 25th, there's
a couple of big events going on over at the library.
Yeah, oh, we always love having lots of events
where busy bees, as you know, James,
we're going to be doing online gaming with Miss Alisha.
So she's our team librarian.
So for all those teams, she has created
kind of like an online gaming club.
So they'll be able to play online games.
So that's PlayStation or you're streaming.
And then for the adults, we also have the right night,
which is basically writers.
It's a writers group basically gathering
to discuss and give thoughtful critiques to others
sharing their writing so you can kind of all learn
and grow together.
And then that event we were talking about before
with Jessica Greendeer talking about reconnecting
with our food and seeding the future.
And that starts at 6.30 and it goes until 7.30
on January 25th at the Fine Arts Center.
So it's going to be a busy day.
Yeah, we've touched on that.
That's a great speaker.
And we're really looking forward to that.
And Miss Alisha is wonderful.
She does such a great job over there
that online gaming is going to be a lot of fun.
I encourage people to check that out.
The right night, if I could just take a second on that.
And I am a little biased on this one.
I am a writer and my daughter is a writer.
She actually won an award with you guys about a year or two ago.
And as somebody who, I've been a writer since I was 12
and I've lived in this area a lot about that amount of time
as well.
And I didn't know when I was a kid how abundant this area is
with creatives and how many great writers
and that there are in this area to have a hub a place
to kind of go to not only share ideas and that,
but just have some camaraderie.
Just other people that know what it is like what you were doing
and what you were trying to accomplish as a writer.
Being able to bounce ideas off each other.
One of my favorite, like I would waste a time
machine, Catherine, if I could go back in time.
And I don't know if you knew this or not,
but JR, Token and CS Lewis were roommates at one time.
Oh yeah, they were close friends.
Yeah, yeah, I figured you probably knew that.
To me, I can't imagine what it must have been like
to be in that room.
To those two bouncing ideas off each other.
I got this idea, what do you think of this, man?
A closet that you open, you go in, and it's a whole new world.
Like, oh, that's pretty good.
I got this story about these guys with little feet,
they're furry, they're awesome, they're going for a ring.
I remember really horrible cliff notes version
of these books, but it speaks to the idea of writers
being able to share ideas with each other
and the confidence that can build off of that,
the leaning on each other, so many great stories,
and so many great things can come up from that.
It's a really nice thing that you guys offer.
Yes, I mean, it's very chill, it's very supportive,
but James, you're right.
I think it can be really isolating to be trying something new
or to be working on your craft and just, you know,
without any feedback or without any people
that you can share your passion with.
So that is really what we love to do, right?
Make spaces for different groups that maybe
wouldn't have those spaces outside of the world of the library.
So, yeah, right night is every month.
It's a really dedicated group, but everybody is welcome.
Yeah, and Katherine, I did want to remind everybody as well
about, you know, while we're talking books,
we're talking about a lot of great things over there.
There is also a photography that is celebrated
and supported over at the library.
Yeah, we're having a photography exhibit as of right now.
We, three times a year usually,
there's a call to submit some photos for a photo contest,
so patrons can submit their photos,
the library staff frames them,
and then there's an exhibit.
Right now, it's pretty funny, it's a silly photo.
Yeah, yeah.
It's so good.
And they're so cute.
But yeah, it's, again, like trying something new,
a new hobby, it can be overwhelming,
but this is a really great way to kind of put your toe in
and get comfortable with something new.
It's, and it's one of those hobbies or passions
that what I love about this one is nowadays,
almost all of our phones have incredible cameras on them.
So anybody that has ever wanted to get into this world,
you don't need to buy, I mean, I encourage you,
if you want to buy a nice camera and all that,
but chances are you might have a nice one already on your phone.
The pictures we're able to take and do with our phones nowadays
are awesome and embrace the funny,
embrace the fun in life, everybody.
This is a great opportunity not only to, like Catherine said,
dip your foot in the water, see if you like photography,
see if you like sharing your photography,
but have a little fun with it as well.
We can all use as many laughs as we can get in the winter months.
That's exactly right.
You can see these photography,
this photo collection of these photos,
not only at McMillan, but on their website,
there's some of them, McMillanLibrary.org.
We'll give you that again before we wrap up.
Catherine, we've got a good five, six minutes left here.
Is there anything you want to touch on
we haven't had a chance to?
Yes, so we're starting a really new cool program
called A Thousand Books Before Kindergarten Game.
Now, this is an activity for those with families,
with kiddos at home, or grandparents
that kind of want to help build their early literacy skills
in the kiddos lives.
So basically, I think we're trying to combat that idea
that reading starts at school,
but kind of like you've talked about James,
it starts immediately, it starts day one.
So the idea is to help your kiddo prepare for Kindergarten
you can read a thousand books together as a family.
And that feels like a lot, it does,
but we've broken it down to make it really easy.
There's little, so basically you can come to the library,
get a bookmark, pick out some books,
and then every time you read a book at home,
in the car while you're waiting at the doctors,
you screw a little checkmark on your bookmark,
and you keep track of your books that way.
It's just an easy way to encourage kind of that
continuous reading at home.
Just a couple of books a day will do wonders
for your kiddos development.
And when you kind of get to the next level,
there's like this beautiful window display
at the library so kids can put a little sticker
to indicate where they are on their reading chart.
And it's just kind of a way to celebrate that reading
and to make sure that parents know
that we're all in this together,
but you definitely need to be reading at home
with your kiddo to get them ready for Kindergarten.
Yeah, I think it's an awesome program
and I love the thousand books thing.
What I like about that too is,
hey, reach for the stars.
And if you don't hit a thousand,
what's the side effect?
What's the negative side effect to that?
I don't know, you read a lot of books.
There's no downside to that.
And if you do accomplish it,
that's gonna be a good feeling going into the,
good in the grade school and all that.
Yeah, well, and it sounds like a lot,
but that's three, not even three books a day, Dan.
So over five years, you can get that easy.
And people are always worried like,
oh, you know, we read the same book six times a day.
Like does that count?
Of course, kiddos brains need that rhythm and routine
and making those patterns of pathway is to really start connect.
Yeah, you know, love the way you're worried about that.
Yeah, our brains love routine
and no more, especially when we're young.
And even if you are reading them the same book,
one of the things I know we didn't have a,
with my kids, we didn't have a whole lot of books.
So, you know, then like any kids,
even if you got a thousand of them,
they got stories that they really like.
When I would redo those stories,
it just changed the voices a little bit sometimes
or that kind of thing.
You can always spice things up a little bit
and have some fun with it.
Exactly.
Well, in the recent, there's picture books
at the library with no word.
So people are like, what do we do with those?
But again, like really what's important is the kiddo
and the grown up interacting over that material, right?
Like pointing out, oh, can you find the fire truck?
You know, what does the animal, you know,
here's a cow, what does the animal say?
And just kind of those conversations
that loving connection is really what we're trying to foster here.
And the winter book bingo of 2024, that is coming up.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's the adult winter talent.
Right, right, right.
And that's a, so just again, that's the name of it,
just to put that out there again.
And where, if you want to find out information
about it on the website, where you can find it.
So you can find that it's going to be posted
on that front page.
So there's going to be boxed downward
like all the different little resources that we have.
But you'll also be able to get it at the information desk.
The one upstairs.
Excellent.
Catherine, we love talking with you.
We got to get you back a lot sooner this time.
Next time, it's been too long.
I miss you, guys.
I'm really missed you too.
If people have follow up questions,
one of the more, how can they get in touch with you?
You can always call me at the library at 715-422-5136.
You can stop by.
I love chatting with humans.
I'm even thinking about creating a little office hours
like cringles with Catherine or something like that.
So people could just talk to it.
Yeah, I think it'd be fun.
I miss talking to people.
So calm down, come to the library.
You can always email us at askatmicmillan.org.
Or we have social media, we have a website.
We try and make it easy for everybody.
I think you do a good job of that.
Be sure to follow them on social media.
It's a great follow, great way to keep up
with your community.
Our library is our hub.
Be sure to take advantage of that
and to share information with the library as well
so that we can reach as many people as we can
with our information and things that are important
in our community.
We love talking with you, Catherine.
Thanks so much for the time.
You have a safe, fun weekend.
You too, James.
We'll talk soon.
We'll have a more midday magazine coming up
for you right here on WFHR, locally grown radio.
