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by Stephanie H., Sprague Branch  If you have been to Sprague Library’s Teen Space you may have noticed a large tank filled with plants. This is our bioactive terrarium. A bioactive terrarium is a replication of a natural environment inside a tank or aquarium. Often people create these as habitats for reptiles, spiders or other insects. The terrarium at Sprague is home to a colony of Dairy Cow Isopods, which are larger spotted cousins of roly-polys you may find out in your yard.  The terrarium consists of four levels. The first level is LECA which are clay balls that retain water and act as a drainage layer. Over that a screen sheet is placed so that the substrate is separated so that it does not get messy. The substrate is a mix of soil and moss so that plants can be planted. On the very top is leaf litter which breaks down and adds nutrients to the soil.  After that we added plants to the terrarium. A variety of philodendrons, peperomias and ferns are in our terrarium as they do well in humid environments. Finally the isopods are added. We started with 10 isopods and their colony has grown since then! The isopods eat leaf litter and decaying materials, which help keep the terrarium clean and free of mold. The terrarium also has a row of LED grow lights on top to ensure that the plants get the full spectrum of sunlight.  Bioactive terrariums are a very fun hobby to get into. Make sure to check ours out the next time you come to Sprague!
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by Claire, Anderson-Foothill Branch  Learn a new computer coding skill with one of Anderson-Foothills Branch's most savvy Teen Squad members! In this new series, called Community of Coding, teens and tweens can learn computer coding skills in monthly lessons. Sessions will take place on the 4th Saturday of each month at the Anderson-Foothill Branch, from 1–2 pm, from January to April 2023. Registration is required for each session and is limited to 10 people! Click on the session title below to register for that date. Sat, Jan 28, 1–2pm · Make Your Own Pong Game with P5.js     by Christine, Chapman Branch  Have you ever wondered about the spookier side of Salt Lake City? Join us for a spooktacular City Library Scavenger Haunt! From September 26–October 31, teens and adults can stop by any City Library to pick up a spine-tingling zine and bingo card. Inside you’ll find the gory details about hair-raising haunted places around the city. Complete a bingo by participating in different activities from the bingo card, such as creating a D.I.Y. haunted house, checking out a scary movie from the Library, or visiting one of the reportedly haunted locations in the zine! Once you complete a bingo, bring your card into any City Library and pick up a prize. Go for a blackout to earn your very own paranormal investigation logbook.  Speaking of activities on the bingo card, don’t forget to attend the Chapman Ghost Hunt in October! In its 100+ year history, many strange occurrences have been reported at the Chapman Branch. On Friday, October 14, at 5:30pm, teens and adults will have the chance to learn about ghost hunting from Advanced Paranormal Services, then join an investigation to try to uncover Chapman's ghosts. Attendees can also enter a drawing to win ghost hunting tools. Will an eerie apparition reveal itself? Will books go bump in the night? We'll find out on this chilling October evening! To learn more and register click here.  Helpful equipment to bring with you when visiting Salt Lake City’s haunted spots: a pen and paper to track your observations, voice recorder, camera, flashlight, extra batteries, and a mobile phone for emergencies. As you gain more experience and interest, you may wish to invest in video cameras, digital laser thermometers, even electromagnetic radiation detectors! Locations that traditionally have more paranormal activity include: battlefields, forts, cemeteries, schools, and houses. If you’ve completed the scavenger hunt and would like to continue your investigations, start with some of those locations. Before you go: do some research on your location. What is its haunted history? This will help prepare you for potential challenges and learn about any reported paranormal sightings in the area. Check out the location during the day so you will be familiar with it. Never investigate alone! It’s safer and more fun to work with a partner or group. And as an added bonus, if you see something interesting, you will have witnesses! Be respectful of property owners and spirits. Always ask permission to conduct a paranormal investigation and never trespass after hours or on private property. Talk to the spirits, let them know you mean no harm, and ask permission to take pictures. When you leave, thank them and ask them not to follow you. Leave the location as you found it. Follow your instincts. If you feel like taking a picture of something, do it. If you feel an overwhelming need to leave, follow that instinct. by Becca, Main Library  Are you a teen who is doing great work in our community? Do you spend your weekends volunteering? Are you in a school club? Do you pick up trash while you’re hiking? You should apply for Teens Talk! Teens Talk is a social media series in which we highlight local teens who want to share their perspective on social justice issues through The City Library’s social media. These talks are short, pre-recorded, 1-minute videos that will be featured on The City Library’s Instagram Reels. If you’re camera shy or don’t want to be recorded, we can find other ways to highlight your great work! We just want to show our community how incredible young people are and highlight the amazing things that you are doing to contribute to the wellness of Salt Lake City. If you are interested in sharing your experiences with our community through Teens Talk, please apply at slcpl.org/teens-talk. If you are interested but have any questions you’d like answered before you apply, please email the teen services librarian at the Main Library, Becca, at rwest@slcpl.org or 801-524-8200. by Stephanie C., Main Library  Every once in a while The City Library creates a new library card design. For years and years we had a white card with a black logo. Then, around 10 years ago, we got a new design with green lettering and our new logo on it. When the Glendale Branch opened in 2015, we made a special library card to commemorate the occation, featuring the tile artwork that hangs on the outside of the building. We even created a special edition library card featuring an ice dragon for our huge Game of Thrones Celebration in 2017. But, as far as I know, we've never chosen a library card design voted on by the public. So, the next thing I'm going to tell you is very exciting... We are doing a vote for our next library card design! What makes this vote special, is that it's specifically for TEENS to choose a new library card design that they would like to see in the card collection. Later on we will create some new designs that adults and kids can vote on, but first teens get to have their say. The window of opportunity is short, just two weeks, so if you'd like to help us decide which new design to pick, please cast your vote by clicking the button below. There are five designs to choose from. And don't worry! If you're not a teen, you can still vote, but we will be weighing those teen votes more heavily. The selected design will be announced here on the blog later this fall, and we'll let you know when the new cards are available for you get at the library. One more thing, don't worry if you don't have a library card. You can still vote! But seriously, you should get a library card. There are so many benefits, and it's free! You can apply for one here or stop by your local branch, and when the new design is ready, you can come trade in your card for the new design. See you at the Library! by Lexi, Day-Riverside Branch  Cleaning out your closet anytime soon? We all have clothes we grow out of, be it size or style. When we throw clothing away in the garbage, it can take more than 200 years for the materials to decompose in a landfill - where textiles tend to generate greenhouse methane gas and leach dyes into the soil. Want some alternative solutions? Here are … great places to donate clothes. Not only will you be cleaning out your closet, but you’ll be protecting the environment and contributing to the community if you bring your old threads to any of the following:
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