I listened to an interesting College of DuPage teleconference on programming last week – Targeting the Ages: Programming that Hits the Mark. Participants were encouraged to share their best or most unique programs. Some of my favorites –
Using Skype (this free web phone service with video is great for those with military relatives)
Duct Tape Madness
Senior Brain Fitness (staff takes laptops to senior housing to address this #1 concern for seniors)
Bark in the Park (read to a (nice) dog, but in the park)
Wii Bowling for Grandchildren and Grandparents
Speed Booksharing (like speed dating, but each patron has just a few minutes to give an oral review of their chosen title)
I love the new trend where libraries bring some programs to patrons instead of making them come in. Another great idea is forming Senior Advisory Councils (similar to the fairly common Teen Advisory Boards) to determine desired programming for this age group. And next time you’re brainstorming, check with reference staff to find out what people are looking for these days – my guess is programs on investing during a bad economy would be a big hit.
So how about it? This is your chance to spread the wealth and share some of your favorite programs with readers of this blog.
3/13 – I just found a website with some really different programming ideas – check it out!
The Librarian is IN 
That speed bk sharing sounds good. Thank you for putting these ideas up front. Is there a way to access the rest of the ideas?
Unfortunately you need to pay for the teleconference, which is why I reported on it but didn’t link to the teleconference itself, but if you email me at jshaffner@bcr.org I can get the names of the people involved and you could email them to see if they’ll pass their resources on to you. – Justine