Some things you never forget. I remember the first time I heard Pearl Jam, the first time I ate a roll of Sprees, and the first time I experienced Mad Libs. My mom brought a Mad Libs booklet on an airplane to entertain my sister and me. To this day, I still wonder how she ended up on the cutting edge of childish humor by knowing about this fun activity before we did. But, she WAS a newspaper editor after all, and Mad Libs helped with those tricky parts of speech that we needed to know when we were still required to diagram sentences.
If you don't know what Mad Libs are, we invite you to come to the library to experience them for the first time. Basically, you fill in the blanks of a story without knowing the context. For example, think of a noun...a person, place or thing. Now, use that word to complete this sentence. "I wish >BLANK< grew on trees." You wish bacon grew on trees?? Hilarious!! (If you're eight years old.) As a teen, it might be mildly entertaining. But, as an adult, that image is the stuff that dreams are made of. No matter your age, Mad Libs are retro fun!
As we continue along our long-range planning timeline, we're ready to get out there to engage you, dear patron, in conversation about YOUR public library. Our launching point is Mad Libs. We think you're more likely to talk with us if we start with a fun activity. So, keep your eyes open for your friendly library staff as we appear in various spots around town. Stop by the community booth at the farmers' market, or pick up a sheet at the library. Try Mad Libs for the first time, or the umpteenth time. Either way, we ask that you "do it for fun, then do it for real."
Lynn Hobbs
PCL Director
