[OYAN] How do you holiday?

[Lisa Elliott]

Hey people! It's that annual day of spookiness so beloved by so many. I'm sure many of your libraries try to avoid obvious celebrations of dominant culture holidays, but Halloween seems to get a bit more flexibility. I mean, it's so fun, and what kid doesn't love wearing a costume to the library? I too relish any opportunity to incorporate ridiculous sartorial choices into my professional life. It's worth pondering, though, who are we excluding when we don the slay apparel and slap pumpkin stickies on our spines? What about the next holidays? You know, the annual colonialism commemoration feast and the day of gift-giving with dubious ties to the birth of a particular resident of Galilee...

I'm curious to know how your libraries handle holidays: Do you let them pass without remark? Do you decorate? Do you put on programs? Do you put out displays? What holidays do you choose to acknowledge? Do you have holiday spine labels in your teen collections? Do you have a written policy? Have you worked with community partners or your staff to plan culturally competent celebrations? Please, share!

And a bonus question in recognition of the day: What is the gnarliest YA horror book you've read? I know Hell Follows With Us<https://wccls.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S143C4064744> has made a lot of people queasy. There were some delightfully gruesome moments in Half Bad<https://wccls.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S143C2066338> and The Honeys<https://wccls.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S143C4094922>, and this isn't YA, but there was a scene in Mexican Gothic<https://wccls.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S143C3774660> that was so gross and surprising I had an audible response.

Happy hauntings!
-Lisa

Lisa N Elliott
Young Adult Librarian
Tigard Public Library
(503) 718-2654
lisae at tigard-or.gov<mailto:lisae at tigard-or.gov>
she|her|hers

Work Schedule
Tuesdays-Saturdays

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