STEAM Room – Meinders Community Library

Look What Blew into the Library

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Meinders Library

We are consistently amazed at and eternally grateful for the unexpected support we receive from our awesome community.

We were delighted today to be visited by the wonderful staff of Michelle Cheeseman’s State Farm Insurance Agency (for the second time!). Their support and generous donations to Pipestone Area Friends of the Library have been instrumental in creating the Meinders Community Library STEAM Room.

Our maker space was initially funded in its entirety by a $25,000 grant from State Farm. We were able to purchase storage, supplies, and tools to create a space where patrons can come and explore the world of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math through hands on activities.

Since its inception in 2018, thousands of students and community members have enjoyed spending time in the STEAM Room or attending related programs that are supported through donations from local organizations, individuals, and PAFL, as well as through grants such as Legacy funding and the Pipestone Area Community Foundation.

This current $1,000 from State Farm was a matching grant, with Michelle Cheeseman’s agency donating $500 and State Farm providing the other $500. These funds will help us continue meeting the needs of our community’s ever-evolving interests in the STEM field.

So many thanks to those who share our vision in making Meinders Community Library a “community hub focused on enriching lives and supporting success.”

You touch so many lives in so many unique ways.

know you are appreciated~ library staff

Camp, Community, and School Collide at the Library

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Meinders Library

Library Camp is in full swing with fourteen youth spending their days reading, crafting, tinkering, and experimenting.

On Monday, our campers solved our Bugged Escape Room puzzles and saved Dean from an uncertain fate.

4-H stopped out on Tuesday with hands-on projects, while Max the Magician awed an audience consisting of campers and the public on Wednesday.

This morning, campers read to visiting summer school students and a few public patrons who just happened to show up at the right time.

library camp reading — Nothing like sharing a good book with friends.

Rounding out the camp experience will be a mini-concert: “Strings Across the Ocean”. The public is invited to join us at 10:30am for this inventive musical collaboration. Strings

We are blessed to have the support of parents who send their children to us, the school for participating in educational events held at the library, the Pipestone Area Friends of the Library who~ along with the United Way~ provide us with the financial support for summer reading programming and supplies, as well as the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund for our musical performers.

Many thanks to them and our community media sources who share our Meinders Happenings.

News, STEAM Room

New to the Children’s Section at Meinders

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Meinders Library

In preparation for Full STEAM Ahead this Saturday, we have rearranged our children’s section, as well as added a few things to round out your tiny tot’s experience at the library.

new kid space

With our already wonderful collection of picture books, our new STEM toys create an engaging atmosphere for our youngest learners. From Airplane Engineering to Gears, Gears, and more Gears, little hands and little minds will delight in our upgrades.

Stop in this Saturday between 10am and 2pm to check out what we’ve done.

Also, please consider joining us each Tuesday for Story Time at 10:30am.

Individuals of all ages and interests are encouraged to stop by the library for part or all of our Full STEAM Ahead event during this open house program.

Full Steam Ahead 2018 We have over 30 hands on activities for those 1-101. Inspired by the maker space movement and the tinkering opportunities it provides, Meinders Library is thrilled to be able to offer innovative tools, kits, and supplies to all members of our community.

A huge thanks goes to the following for making this 2nd Annual Event happen: Pipestone Area Friends of the Library, Coborn’s, Hank’s Foods, Pepsi, and State Farm agent, Michelle Cheeseman. Thanks to the generosity of these individuals, lunch will be provided.

#OnlyinPipestone!

Events and Presentations, STEAM Room

3D Printer in Motion

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Meinders Library

Thanks to our partnership with Pipestone Area Schools and Mr. D, we have a new 3D printer at Meinders Library.

Thanks to State Farm’s Neighborhood Assist grant, we also have three library pets. Our tiniest robots are solar powered and are in much need of names. Our frilled lizard, Joanna, responds to her environment through artificial intelligence, though it took the intelligence of PAS students, Lucas Winter and Carson Wipf to build them for us!

Library Pet Robots

Stop in any time during open hours and see our printer in motion as we gear up for Full STEAM Ahead this Saturday.

Visit us on May 19 between 10am and 2pm to put your suggested names into a drawing for our tiny warthog and cricket robots.

Events and Presentations, News, STEAM Room

The Evolution of an Idea: Full STEAM Ahead

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Meinders Library

One year ago, we had the great idea to re-purpose our back room as a maker space where patrons could come to tinker. During our first ever Full STEAM Ahead event, our STEAM Room looked something like this:

Steam Room 2017 in Use

Full STEAM Ahead was a hit. People of all ages loved trying new things such as spinning yarn, using the cricut machine, coding our ozobots and stamping cards in the STEAM Room.

In fact, it ignited a community movement and this happened:

3004

Thanks to the wonderful support of countless people across the nation, Meinders Community Library won a $25,000 grant to expand our STEAM Room and our offerings to include more technology and more tinkering.

So, we got busy. We painted, we ordered storage furniture, we put together robots, and we organized, transforming our old work space into a functional maker space.

We invite you to join us at the library on Saturday, May 19 from 10am-2pm for our second annual Full STEAM Ahead. You will have the opportunity to drop by for the day or a few hours and enjoy over 30 different tinkering stations that hit all areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math.

If not, you may forever be stuck with this image in your head–our disorganized maker space mess that’s stuck halfway between a good idea and the realization of that dream.

Steam Room mess

Come tinker in our super organized STEAM Room and see for yourself what a community can do in such a short time.

Events and Presentations, STEAM Room

Gear Up for Full STEAM Ahead

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Meinders Library

Science + Technology + Engineering + Arts + Math = a day of fun for all ages and interests!

Full Steam Ahead 2018

Join us at Meinders Community Library for our Second Annual Full STEAM Ahead and our STEAM Room Open House.

Spend an hour or the day at the library tinkering, making, creating and exploring the world around you.

Thanks to our State Farm Neighborhood Assist grant, we were able to stock our STEAM Room with some cool new gadgets that make learning fun. Participants will visit stations and engage in hands-on activities during their time at the library. A few projects follow a make-it take-it format, while others are experiential. Everyone will go home with new knowledge, new memories, and possibly a new hobby!

10:30am: STEAM Story time (toddlers through early elementary)
11:00am until the food is gone: hot dogs, chips, and a drink.
10am-2pm: Summer Read Program sign up.

Full STEAM Ahead is free and open to the public–no library card needed to join the festivities. Come alone, come with a friend, or bring the whole family. We have something for youngsters as well as for those still young at heart.

Mouse Maze — Code Jack the mouse to run the maze and find his cheese.

A big shout-out goes to State Farm for the wonderful grant of $25,000, as well as to all our community members who shared and voted for us last year (or coerced family and friends to vote). This maker space and all the goodies within it would not be possible without you.

Another huge thanks goes to our Pipestone Area Friends of the Library who rallied the troops (and the food) to make this event awesome. Our Friends group is always looking for more members to support our library and our community’s literacy. If you are passionate about either of those things, your time and talents could be put to good use!

Coborn’s, Hank’s Foods and Pepsi deserve our gratitude for their generosity in donating lunch. Our community is lucky to have you!

If our iPads come in on time, everyone will be thanking the Pipestone Area Community Foundation. In December we received a grant from them for $5,000 to go towards a digital maker space. These iPads will allow for more flexible programming and greater digital opportunities for our community members.

Please share this event widely with everyone who has a kid, knows a kid, or was a kid.

Events and Presentations, News, STEAM Room

Big Hearts, Big Check!

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Meinders Library

Despite the rain and all the other wonderful events occurring on Saturday, Meinders Library had a great turnout for our Patron Appreciation Open House.

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A huge thanks goes to Michelle Cheeseman, her staff, and State Farm for the proof that small towns can accomplish big things.

Of course, we would be remiss in not thanking our patrons for attending this event, voting #fullSTEAMahead, and/or using our library each and every day in myriad ways. It is through your use that we remain viable. Without patrons, there would be no need for a library, let alone a library with big dreams.

Our undying gratitude goes to our Pipestone Area Friends of the Library who support us financially, by helping out at events, hosting speakers, and providing the never-ending supply of delicious treats that accompany many of our programs.

I would like to thank our Library Board members for their direction and support, as well as Superintendent Kevin Enerson for providing school support. A shout out goes to Mr. D and the tech office who will be my new best friends when it comes time to understanding all my options for technology and helping me make good choices! I look forward to working together to make our STEAM Room a success for all patrons–public and school.

My appreciation continues for all those involved in promoting our library as a whole, and our cause for this grant in particular. The Chamber, the newspaper, the radio, local businesses, organizations, individuals and groups. The sheer volume of genuine interest in our library is overwhelming. It’s a huge motivator.

Many thanks to my wonderful, amazing, smart, energetic, organized, and compassionate staff. Big dreams and big checks cannot accomplish anything without great staff–of which Meinders Library has in spades. Enough said.

And lastly, Maggie. Our library is beautiful through your daily efforts. Crumbs. Spills. Dirty feet. You take care of all the big (and little) messes and make coming to work every day a pleasure.

Events and Presentations, News, STEAM Room

Nothing Says Thank You Like a Party

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Meinders Library

Please join us this Saturday for our Patron Appreciation Open House.

Between 2:00pm and 4:00pm, we will celebrate our community and the support provided to our library with homemade treats from the Pipestone Area Friends of the Library.

Michelle Cheeseman from State Farm will present the grant check from the Neighborhood Assist program. We would love to share this moment with you.

Throughout the afternoon, we will provide information regarding the grant and how we plan to use the $25,000 to strengthen our community. As a sneak peek into what types of events, programs, and services we hope to offer through the grant, tours of the STEAM Room will be given, hands-on activities will be available to try, and Escape Room puzzles will entice code crackers of all ages.

All community members are invited to join us for this monumental event, as it is in your honor that this party is given.

News, STEAM Room

We Did It!

Posted on September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 by Meinders Library

Thanks to all the wonderful support from our family, friends, and community, Meinders Library is the joyful recipient of State Farm’s Neighborhood Assist grant for $25,000.

To view our big moment, please check out our Facebook page and share the news.

To celebrate, please stop in today while we are open and enjoy some homemade treats from our staff.

To learn more about our cause and check out our pre-grant makerspace, pencil us in on October 14 for our Patron Appreciation Open House. From 2:00 until 4:00pm, we will share our vision of making Meinders Library a community hub. Michelle Cheeseman will present a check from State Farm, and refreshments will be served.

We wouldn’t be here without you. And it is with you in mind that we push into the future #fullSTEAMahead.

STEAM Room, Teen Time, Writer's Group

Fall Events Set

Posted on September 20, 2017October 10, 2017 by Meinders Library

Overall, our programming goals at the library are simple: to bring community members together to learn, share and enjoy common experiences.

This fall, our focus is on you. Through a variety of speakers and events, we aim to show that everyone’s story is unique, important and worthy of being noted. This doesn’t mean everyone needs to become an author. Rather, it means everyone needs to become the author of their own lives.

That’s the beauty of living. Every moment provides opportunity. And every opportunity provides a moment for growth.

Here’s how you can grow with us this fall:

Join the newly formed writer’s group on the 2nd Monday at 6:30pm.
Attend Doug Wolter’s author event this Saturday at 2:00pm.
Stop by on October 14 for our Patron Appreciation Open House between 2:00 and 4:00pm.
Read Andy Steiner’s book, How to Survive: the Extraordinary Resilience of Ordinary People, and discuss it with others at our Community Read book discussion at 6:00pm on October 30.
Sign up for Clue-less: an Escape Room Adventure and figure out who dunnit, with what and where. Pre-registration is required and will open on October 2.
Learn a new perspective by visiting with journalist and publisher, Andy Wahlberg. He owns Think Piece Publishing–Steiner’s publishing company.
Craft with us on the second Saturday of the month from 10:00am-1:00pm. Our first craft club will be held on October 14. Bring your crafting supplies and/or passions to share with other crafty people. We will be using our STEAM Room.
Brush up on your work force writing skills on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. From 4:00pm to 6:00pm, this Adult Writing Lab time is the perfect place to hone your resume and cover letter skills. Registration is not required.
Encourage your teen to join Teen Time on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 7:00-9:00pm for some supervised fun. (Think Escape Room, Movie Nights, Indoor Golf, etc… and snacks. Always the snacks.)

Still convinced I’m talking about writing your life story? This fall, I might be, as November is National Novel Writing Month. Meinders Library has officially declared itself a Come Write In! location for area writers. Throughout the month of November, we will host several writing sessions, get-togethers, and other crazy writing stuff with the sole purpose of helping you pen the book you always dreamed of writing.

So, if that includes you, please ask Jody all about the ins and outs of NaNoWriMo or check out their website at nanowrimo.org and start outlining your book now.