BY LINDA GROOT, LIBRARIAN

Bi-monthly, I like to bake banana bread to bring to our boisterous staff to eat during break with their brew. Better yet, I love to book talk the best brand-new books we have bought for staff to borrow for their bunch of students in their classrooms.

But then blasted Covid hit.

We were banished from the break room. No more banana bread. No more bantering. No more book talks. No more browsing books in la bibliotheque.

The future felt bleak and blue.

But We Were Not Beaten.

Beginning last September, we were no longer banned from the staff room. Banana bread could be brought back. But book talks were not being resumed. Many staff were not browsing in the library. They were not borrowing bucket-loads of books.

Bothered, baffled, and bewildered by this, my bright and beautiful colleague and I began to brainstorm the best ways to bring staff back to the library.

Then, bingo! A brainwave!

At break, we would bring the banana bread to the library and book talk at the same time! Staff would fill their bellies, browse, and borrow books for their bunch.

Brilliant!

And so, in November, we began “Book Talks and Banana Bread” in the library, and it’s been beneficial. More bantering, browsing, and borrowing of books.

The future of book borrowing is brighter, to be sure.

By the way, bet you don’t know what’s even better than book talks and banana bread: book talks and banana bread with butter- now that’s a real bonus.  😊