Welcome to Cedar Falls Public Library’s adult summer library program! Whether you're a busy caregiver participating in summer reading with your children, or an adventurous reader seeking a challenge, you can earn some great rewards when you log your reading with us!
This summer we challenge you to “Find Your Voice”. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and try something new: read a new genre, try a new format, explore a new place, or test out a new hobby. All types of reading count, whether it’s a physical book, electronic book, or audio book. Read for 45 days (15-20 minutes daily recommended) between June 5 - July 29 to complete the adult summer library program. Collect a prize when you reach the half-way point and upon completing the program.
You can can keep track of your reading & activities through Beanstack or on a paper log available beginning June 5.
PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS
MAY
May 24 | Adult Dungeons and Dragons | 6:00-8:30 pm | Conference Room
Part one of four part series. 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons. We will make characters and then begin a short campaign (that will be the focus of sessions 2-4.) You do not have to attend all four sessions in order to take part. Registration encouraged. Click here to register for this session!
JUNE
June 6 | Lawyers in Libraries: Celebrating Older Iowan | 5:30-7:00 pm | Meeting Room
Join us for the Spring Lawyers in Libraries Program sponsored by the ISBA Elder Law Section in honor of Older Iowans Month. This program will focus on financial power of attorney, health care power of attorney, living wills and the Final Disposition Act. Lawyers in Libraries is a joint effort by The Iowa State Bar Association, the State Library of Iowa, Iowa Legal Aid and the Polk County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project to help provide free legal information to Iowans across the state. This Spring, lawyers will make one-hour presentations followed by question-and-answer sessions at local public libraries throughout the state. Free and no registration required.
June 6 | Walking Talking book group for Adults | 8:30-9:30 am | In front of the library
Every Tuesday morning walk and talk about books/movies/po
June 8 | Drop in Card making for adults | 1:00-4:00 pm | Co-Lab
All the supplies will be available for everyone to create at least 3 greeting cards. Bring along any special supplies you may want to use for your cards. The embosser will also be available for use. Here are 3 examples of the cards you can make or use your own imagination to create your own personal cards.
June 13 | Walking Talking book group for Adults | 8:30-9:30 am | In front of the library
Every Tuesday morning walk and talk about books/movies/po
June 13 | Tiny Art Studio for Adults | 10:30 am or 6:00 pm | Co-Lab
Use your artistic voice to create a tiny work of art on a 3 x 3” canvas at this adults-only, friends-day-out program. Canvases will be displayed in the small first floor display case then for CFPL’s first Tiny Art Show. Canvases, paint, and tiny easels will be provided, but if you want to add any 3-D embellishments, please bring those. Acrylic paint will not wash out of clothing, so please dress accordingly or bring a covering to protect your clothes. Registration required- sign up for only one session. For adults, ages 18+, in the Co-Lab. *Registration is required. Click here to register for the 10:30 am session! Click here to register for the 6:00 pm session!
June 13 | Virtual Author Visit with Sequoia Nagamatsu | 7:00-8:00 pm | Community Center
A virtual visit with Sequoia Nagamatsu, the author of How High We Go In the Dark. Followed by an informal discussion of the book and the virtual visit. Program for adults. The event will take place in the community center, doors open at 6:45.
June 14 | Adult Dungeons and Dragons | 6:00-8:30 pm | Conference Room
Part two of four part series. 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons. We start our short campaign in earnest. Weren’t able to join us for the first session? No problem. 1st level (customizable) pre-gens will be provided or bring your own (subject DM approval). You do not have to attend all four sessions in order to take part. Registration encouraged. Click here to register for this session!
June 15 | Ocean Odyssey Outreach Program | 9:30-10:30 am or 11:00 am-12:00 pm | Community Center
The Mississippi River traveling touch tank brings live ocean animals to you! Break down common misconceptions surrounding sharks and rays, as we highlight the unique adaptations these animals have to survive. The program will also allow participants to explore the important roles sharks and rays play in the ecosystem, learn how the actions of people in the landlocked Tri-State area impact sharks and rays that live thousands of miles away, and discover how people can help protect them. Afterward, participants may get their hands wet and touch some of these animals. For all ages!
June 17 | MUSH! with Noggin, the Sled Dog (and her human, Karen Land) | 2:00-3:00 pm | Meeting Rm
Have you ever wondered… What does it feel like to ride the runners behind a team of dogs, steering a loaded sled through mountainous terrain, crossing the vast Alaskan tundra, hugging the shoreline of the great Bering Sea? What does it take to care for a team of Alaskan huskies? Could my dog be a sled dog, too?
Musher, Karen Land, will answer these questions and more when she and Noggin, the
Alaskan husky, visit the Cedar Falls Public Library. Land is a writer, public speaker, and three-time participant in the 1000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race as well as many other sprint and endurance races in Alaska, Canada, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Maine. Since 2000, Land has traveled to nearly every state with
her Iditarod dog sled, mushing gear, Arctic clothing, and beloved dogs, giving over a thousand
school and public library presentations. For all ages!
“Tethered to my string of dogs, trusty leaders find the trail, together we are free…” — from “Into the Northern Lights,” lyrics by Karen Land. www.stringofdogs.com
June 20 | Walking Talking book group for Adults | 8:30-9:30 am | In front of the library
Every Tuesday morning walk and talk about books/movies/po
June 22 | Open Lab | 9:30 am- 1:00pm | Co-Lab
Bring in any sewing/craft project you are working on and we will provide coffee/lemonade and cookies as you work. Of course, you can use any of the resources we have in the co-lab. This program is for adults. Sponsore
June 22 | A Visit From Astronaut Raja Chari | 6:00-8:00 pm | Community Center
Join us for an evening with Cedar Falls’ own astronaut, Raja Chari. Astronaut Chari will share his path to becoming an astronaut and his experience of his time on the International Space Station. For all ages!
June 27 | Walking Talking book group for Adults | 8:30-9:30 am | In front of the library
Every Tuesday morning walk and talk about books/movies/po
June 28 | Make a Fable the Fox bookmark | 10:00 am -8:00 pm | Co-Lab
Stop by the Co-Lab any time before 8 p.m. today and make a Fable the Fox bookmark! For all ages. *Please note, this is an independent drop-in program, so children needing assistance should come with a caregiver.
JULY
July 10 | Mindfulness for Adults | 6:30-7:15 pm | Meeting Room
Need to unwind? Jane Cline will explain what mindfulness is and guide adults through some mindfulness activities. Many book resources will also be available for browsing and check out. Make room on your calendar for this event!
July 11 | Walking Talking book group for Adults | 8:30-9:30 am | In front of the library
Every Tuesday morning walk and talk about books/movies/po
July 12 | Adult Dungeons and Dragons | 6:00-8:30 pm | Conference Room
Part three of four part series. 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons. We start our short campaign in earnest. Weren’t able to join us for the first session? No problem. 1st level (customizable) pre-gens will be provided or bring your own (subject DM approval). You do not have to attend all four sessions in order to take part. Registration encouraged. Click here to register for this session!
July 13 | Easy Sewing Projects for Adults | 1:00-4:30 pm | Co-Lab
We will have the resources to create these simple sewing projects: smart phone stand, sewing machine mat, over the armchair sewing/remote caddy, and a hot pad. More details will follow in case you want to bring in your own fabric.
July 17 | Author Linda McCann | 7:00-8:00 pm | Meeting Room
Linda will share information abo
July 18 | Walking Talking book group for Adults | 8:30-9:30 am | In front of the library
Every Tuesday morning walk and talk about books/movies/po
July 18 | Smash Journals for Adults | 10:30 am or 6:00 pm | Co-Lab
Find your artistic voice by decorating the cover of a journal with a collage. Smash journals can be used for just about anything: as a daily journal, a reading journal, a record of your thoughts, as a scrapbook of mementos, or responses to prompts, for example. Participants will be provided with the journal and supplies for creating a collage on the cover, but if there are personal or 3D elements you would like to add, feel free to bring your own. Once you’ve created your collage cover you will protect with either a coat of Mod Podge or clear tape (if you don’t want to wait for it to dry). Participants will also receive a list of topics for writing to take with them. If you are planning to participate in the adult creative writing workshop that begins on July 25 (registration required), you can use your journal for that as well. For adults 18+ years old, in the Co-Lab. Registration required and limited to 20 participants per session. Sponsored by the Friends of the Cedar Falls Public Library. Click here to register for the 10:30 am session! Click here to register for the 6:00 pm session!
July 19 | Who Ya Laughing At?: Minoritized Women in Cartoons by Reginald Green | 7:00-8:00 pm | Meeting Room
Structured around sociological study as well as a dash of humor, this session will explore the intersectional connections of the presentations of gender, race, ethnicity, and culture in cartoons and animations. Take a ways: discover little known artists who presented women of color in cartoons that played against stereotype, practice a couple of useful cartooning techniques, learn to watch the cartoon representations of people in a new light.
July 20 | Open Lab | 9:30 am- 1:00pm | Co-Lab
Bring in any sewing/craft project you are working on and we will provide coffee/lemonade and cookies as you work. Of course, you can use any of the resources we have in the co-lab. This program is for adults.
July 25 | Walking Talking book group for Adults | 8:30-9:30 am | In front of the library
Every Tuesday morning walk and talk about books/movies/po
July 25-28 & 31 | Creative Writing Workshop for Adults | 10:00-12:00 pm | Co-Lab
Join Iowa Writing Project consultant Kirstey Ewald for a five-day workshop that includes exploratory, self-contained writing activities for those who want to exercise their creative writing. The library will provide you with pens and a flash drive for saving your work, and all you have to bring is your creativity! For adults, ages 18+. Co-Lab. Registration required and limited to 20 participants. *Please register only if you can attend all five days of the workshop. Registration will open June 5.
AUGUST
August 9 | Adult Dungeons and Dragons | 6:00-8:30 pm | Conference Room
Part four of four part series. 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons. Our final session: will your adventurers gain fame and riches or will they discover the meaning behind the acronym TPK? Weren’t able to join us for the first session? No problem. 1st level (customizable) pre-gens will be provided or bring your own (subject DM approval). You do not have to have attended any of the previous sessions in order to take part. Registration encouraged. Click here to register for this session!
How does Beanstack work?
First, you need to create a Beanstack account. Parents can also create accounts for their children. Beanstack will automatically direct you to the appropriate challenges for which you can register based on your age. There are challenges for kids, teens, and adults. If you wish to be contacted about prizes and drawings, please include an email address as part of your Beanstack profile. The Beanstack app is available for iOS and Android. If you experience technical problems with the app, please contact Beanstack at usersupport@zoobean.com.
Getting Started
- Go to cedarfalls.beanstack.org
- Click on the blue “Register an Individual or Family” button.
- Fill in the information! If you are a parent registering a child, be sure to enter
your information in under “Adult Information.” Beanstack allows families to
be linked together, so that all family members can be accessed with one login. - Once you are registered, you will be taken to your account page. This is where
you will log your minutes and activities and track the badges you earn!
How to log reading & activities
- Go to cedarfalls.beanstack.org or download the Beanstack Tracker app for Android
and iPhone! - Click on the blue “Log Reading and Activities” button in the upper left
corner or on the blue plus sign in the app. - Follow the prompts on the screen to log whatever you’ve accomplished.
- When you hit a reading landmark, you will receive a badge and may be
eligible for a prize!
Funding for the Adult Summer Library Program is provided by the Cedar Falls Community Foundation: Robert and Shirley Berg fund for use by the Library and the Friends of the Cedar Falls Public Library.
Questions? Email: reference@cedarfallslibrary.org or call the library at 319-268-5543.
