Barrington Area Library celebrates the creative spirit in February

Libraries around the country often sponsor "One Book" community reading events, and the Barrington Area Library has done so for several years. As staff members gathered to plan for their 2016 "Barrington Reads" choice, it quickly became clear that everyone needed a change.

"The only books and program ideas that seemed appealing had to do with creativity, making, trying new things, learning from doing," reports Adult Services Librarian Liz Kirchhoff. "We realized it was time think outside the book, and develop a new community-wide initiative."

This February's Barrington Creates series is the result of that new approach.

Most events are free and open to the general public, although use of the library's MakerLab is limited to Barrington Area Library cardholders. Complete details and registration may be found on the official website: http://balibrary.org/Barrington-Creates

Barrington Creates truly offers something for every community member, as the activities were developed by adult and youth librarians. Adults can enjoy sampling craft beers and small-batch spirits, learning how to mix creative cocktails and fancy lattes, decorating cookies, experiencing drone videography, and joining in an old-fashioned singalong. Families will enjoy a snow building competition, a dance performance followed by lessons and live music, and "Make It Saturday," a full day of interactive STEM activities.

3-D printing is all the rage, and visitors can see the library's 3-D printers in action at several events, including workshops on 3-D selfies and 3-D architecture. Looking for some old school fun? Artist Sara Michaels has drawn a beautiful mural of Barrington scenes, and the library will provide crayons so that visitors can stop and "color your world" for awhile.

Local artists and makers will be featured at special "Experts in Residence" events in the library atrium. The public can watch artists at work and ask them questions about the creative process. The full schedule of Experts in Residence may be found on the library website. The library's own staff is highlighting its creative expertise with a hand-crafted Barrington board game made using 3-D printer technology, miniature painting, papier mache, and other techniques. The game will be available in the library all month, so try a spin and see if you journey through all of Barrington's best spots or get stuck at a train!

The month of events will be capped off by a CreatorFair, featuring local artists and craftpersons displaying their works and discussing them with attendees. "From beaded jewelry to cut paper to vegan lip balm, we've got a fascinating group of creators who want to share their artistry with the community," says Kirchhoff.

The Barrington Area Library is located at 505 N. Northwest Highway in Barrington. The library is open 7 days a week and features a museum-quality interactive learning space for children and families, a MakerLab, digital studios, and public meeting and study rooms. Explore the library at http://balibrary.org