Hurricane Hugo Damage (1989)
The State Media Company (Columbia, S.C.) | Richland Library Digital Collection
Boy holds November 22, 1963 issue of Columbia Record (1963)
Photo by Vic Tutte, The State Media Company (Columbia, S.C. ) | Richland Library Digital Collection
Shared Experiences: A Letter from the Director When I was around eight or nine, I was reciting the Presidents' names aloud and my mom, listening while she cooked dinner, stopped me when I got to number 35. “I remember where I was when JFK was shot. I was in Mrs. Bonner’s home economics class when we got the news over the intercom. We all just cried and cried and didn’t get much done the rest of the day.”
“... there are collective events that shape us; that become mile markers on our shared journey and they can be tragic or triumphant.”
I remember thinking it odd that my mom, who to my knowledge had never met President Kennedy, would recall this day, her feelings about it, where she was and who she was with. As a child, events happened in my backyard, not states away to people I’d never met.
We all have personal anniversaries that mark the passage of time. The night I met my husband, the days my kids were born, the last time I saw my dad, the year we moved. I have clear and complete memories of these events, and in some cases, even photos.
Thanks to the work of our amazing librarians and volunteers, we have more than 30,000 objects in our Local History digital collections. Accessible online, these include photographs, books, pamphlets, postcards, and even menus and theater programs. There are more than 7,800 photographs, including The State Newspaper’s Photograph Archive that span from 1875 to 2000. There are photos from presidents and presidential candidates visiting Columbia; from Taft to Roosevelt, Ford and Clinton. Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, Billy Graham, Eleanor Roosevelt all made visits to Columbia, documented in our collection. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, and the photos in our collection are evidence of the destruction. While these photos have been used locally and nationally by authors, news media, and in film documentaries, they are most importantly available to you. Please browse, remember and learn about the events, places and the people that have shaped our communities. Richland Library is proud to be the keeper and sharer of this digital scrapbook of our shared experiences.
But there are collective events that shape us; that become mile markers on our shared journey, and they can be tragic or triumphant. As a library, part of our job is to catalog those events, to make sure that a record is kept of our communal history. Melanie Huggins, Executive Director
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contents
15
23
F E AT U R E
5
27
A New Normal 17
HOW-TO
23
DIY Vespa Balance Bike
5 My Mom Has Dementia Lee Patterson
pg. 7 Moving Forward Nathaniel Smith
C R E AT I V E
Jim & Susan Kruse
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BUSINESS
Off•Book Kim Jones
Hiring Help C R E AT I V E
Bayne Dangerfield
17
FUN
By Design Olivia Bokesch
29
Mix Tape: Back to Cool
pg. 9 R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S
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Required Reading Refresh
3
27
Michael Tran & Keith Brinkman
Richland Library’s Access magazine reflects how we learn, create and share within our vibrant community. Forged on the idea of collaboration, Access connects you with important issues like early literacy and workforce development—all while boosting your literary prowess and introducing you to our thriving creative community.
Community Contributors
Nathaniel Smith
Michael Dantzler
Gerontologist
Photographer
Jim Kruse
Bayne Dangerfield
Olivia Bokesch
Maker
Entrepreneur
Teen Fashion Blogger
Staff Contributors
Heather McCue
Main, Children's Room
Lee Patterson
Main, Social Work
Jessica Bingham
Main, Collection Development
Jocelyn Pettigrew
Main, Programs & Partnerships
Joanna Bixler
Cooper
Morgan Ryan
Sandhills
Keith Brinkman
Main, Film & Sound
Ashley Silvera
Edgewood
Sarah Cameron
Main, Research and Readers' Advisory
Rebecca Thomas
Main, Programs & Partnerships
Taylor Caughman
Wheatley
Michael Tran
Main, Film & Sound
Brittany Crowley
Main, Teen Center
Kim Jones
Sandhills
Laura Morris
Editor
Megan Mathis
Main, Research & Readers' Advisory
Steven Olexa
Art Director
Joey LeRoy
Multimedia Designer
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5
Caring for an individual with dementia while balancing a career, a young family, or both can be an overwhelming, depleting and sometimes isolating task. With one out of six millennial caregivers caring for someone with a form of dementia, and the need for care continuing to rise, it’s important to start thinking about what a new normal might look like for your family.
A new normal 6
Patterson and her mother (1990)
My Mom Has Dementia by Lee Patterson, Richland Library Main
When I picked my daughter up from school today, she had two drawings on colored construction paper. As soon as she got in the car, she leaned over my mom’s seat and presented one of the pictures to her. My mom “oohed” and “ahhhed” appropriately over the drawings of girls with long hair and long dresses. My daughter sat back, pleased with herself, and I just smiled at the beautiful moment I was blessed to witness. Later on that night, all three of us were in the kitchen making dinner together. In truth, my mom and I were cooking, and my daughter was attempting to be helpful to the person who seemed to have the most fun task at the time. My daughter said something funny, my mom giggled, and I realized how much I love her giggle. After dinner my mom cleaned the kitchen, and I put my four-year-old to bed. I’m working really hard to savor these sweet moments. I understand they are a gift—as many times this journey in the sandwich generation 7
is not an easy one. My daughter is four, and my mom is 74. Sometimes, they are more similar than they are different. My mom has dementia. We aren’t sure what type—she has been diagnosed with three different types in the last few years, which is remarkable since there are generally four common types of dementia. I first noticed something was wrong more than 10 years ago on a sunny afternoon in my living room. I cannot remember what we were talking about. All I remember is being confused. My mom was trying to argue a point that I knew she knew was wrong. It was one of those moments where I repeated myself several times, thinking she will hear herself and laugh at how wrong and dangerous this statement was. She didn’t. When I brought it up to her doctor at the time, he had her name 10 animals. She didn’t repeat herself (though I didn’t think saying “Chihuahua” and “shih Tzu” should have counted), and her
doctor told me she was getting old and I was concerned about nothing. Almost two years later, I brought it up to him again—she repeated two animals twice before she got to the seventh animal. I cried. I’m still upset with myself that I didn’t pursue it more initially; he prescribed her a common Alzheimer’s’ medication, told me it wouldn’t cure her, and we never discussed it again. It wasn’t until a few years ago, when I wrote a Facebook post looking for a recommendation for a geriatrician, that a physician friend of mine in Louisiana private messaged me about the same time as a nurse friend of mine, here locally, asked me who her neurologist was. A neurologist? So, at the same time I was looking at nursery decorations and talking out names for our first baby I was advocating for a neurologist. Her disease has not progressed the way any article or book says it should. Her symptoms do not perfectly line up with what any common dementia type says. She has good days and bad days. I’ve had days of more than 15 missed calls from her during my work-day and days when she can completely recall a memory from my childhood. There was a day, a few months ago, when she went into my kitchen to cut up some watermelon for my daughter, forgot how, and sat down at my kitchen table confused. There have been times in the Wendy’s drive-thru when she’s told me she has “never been here before.”
I have watched her realize that she forgot something important and the frustration that comes with not being able to recall simple memories. I have left work in the middle of a Friday, when I can tell by the third phone call that she isn’t having a good day, to take her to the mall where I quietly shed tears on the floor under a collection of Dooney and Bourke purses. However, there has been beauty in this journey, and I pray I keep finding it. Times like watching a colleague welcome my mom into a room and get her situated with snacks while I lead a training. Or watching her make new friends, who understand her diagnoses(es). There is so much beauty in watching her interact with her only grandchild on the swings in our backyard, content to talk about nonsense. She desires that I am never alone and will sit with me at Doctor’s Care on the fourth of July, ride with me out of town for no reason, or entertain my daughter while I’m at a Junior League meeting. This journey has been beyond difficult, but I am so blessed to be here, that she trusts me, and that I still get to listen to her giggle.
Dementia is stealing what it can of her shortterm memory. Yet, in these past 10 years one thing she has never forgotten is her love for me and her love for Jesus. She is quick to hop in the car to support any activity my daughter has, and she speaks my act-of-service love language fluently. She will wander around the library for a few hours, so I can work before her doctor’s appointment. She will say, “I don’t know what I would do without you.” She will mop my floor as a surprise for me, and she will call me six times to remind me to call my dad. I don’t know how to describe how hard it is to juggle nap times, work projects, date nights, and pill schedules, or how frustrating it can be to get three calls within two hours asking me the same question while I’m at the zoo with a friend. I have watched her lose friends who cannot remain in this journey with us. I have watched her be taken advantage of by family members.
Lee Patterson is the Richland Library Social Work Manager and a passionate nonprofit advocate. Throughout her career, she has worked tirelessly to provide fair, accurate, and impartial information to help our community understand their health insurance options, find emergency resources and improve their quality of life. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, she is a member of the Junior League of Columbia and Women in Philanthropy.
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a new normal
Moving Forward by Nathaniel Smith
Your spouse started a new job that requires substantial travel, your child has a science fair project due, and your mom recently received a dementia diagnosis. Now what?
1 Make Self-care a Priority
step
Believe it or not, self-care is the first step and the greatest step you can take as a person caring for your children and your parent while also balancing a fulltime job, social life, romantic life, and personal life. The saying about not being able to pour from an empty cup is true: we cannot give what we do not have, and we cannot be of service to others if we have not taken proper care to really do good self-care. Dementia is a progressive, terminal illness and a diagnosis your loved one will have for the rest of their life. By making self-care an early priority you can establish a routine that will carry through the times when you need it most. Self-care comes in many forms. It doesn’t have to be costly or take up a lot of time. Sometimes a hot cup of coffee or a satisfying round in the batting cage is all you need. Here are a few other ideas to get you started:
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10 min
20 min ď ˝ 1 hr
Grab an adult coloring book, sip a hot cup of tea, meditate, rock out to your favorite music or roll down the car windows.
Read a book, take a hot bath, double down on exercise, watch a funny TV show or splurge on a delicious meal.
step
2
Make a Plan Usually, we notice something is not quite right with our loved ones about a year to two years prior to receiving a diagnosis of dementia— grooming habits decline, more bumps and dings on their car, forgetfulness, difficulty with language, mood and behavioral changes, etc. When we get our loved one in to see their primary care physician, they may perform a battery of tests to look at memory loss, as well as other tests to rule out other causes for these symptoms, and eventually we get the diagnosis of dementia. Once we receive this diagnosis, it’s time to get a plan together. Reach out to your local Alzheimer’s Association for resources about new diagnoses, and then start planning. In the thick of dementia care,
it’s hard to think about your loved one needing a health care power of attorney, as well as a legal power of attorney, and who your loved one would want to carry out their wishes. Not to mention, what exactly are their wishes?
like Five Wishes, which speaks to all of a person's needs: medical, personal, emotional and spiritual. Five Wishes also helps to guide and structure discussions with your family and physician, making conversations easier.
This can be a very difficult conversation to have, but things like nutrition and life support should be addressed while your loved one can still make their wishes known— this will save you from having to make guesses when the time comes, and can often help ease tensions between family members with varying view points on care. Your loved one will be grateful you all had these conversations.
Planning should also include what will happen when your loved one is no longer able to live independently—will they move in with you? Is a long-term care facility right for them? If so, which one?
An easy way to get started is to use an advanced directive document,
This is a personal decision and should be made as a family unit— remember: we are not all made to be caregivers, and sometimes the best care we can give is to find a place that is safe and designed to care for those living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias.
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a new normal
Find a Support Group
3 Start a Conversation
step
Spend some time educating your friends and family—including your children— on the diagnosis and the changes that will occur as the disease progresses. A little bit of education will make them more comfortable engaging with your loved one.
c h i ldr e n ' s bo ok s
Talking with a friend who is going through something similar or someone outside of your immediate family can help ease stress and provide a safe and neutral outlet to express what you’re feeling or needing in that moment.
Talking to Children and Teens Books are one of the best ways to open the door on a topic and start a discussion with your children about tough issues. While there are many books out there, below are some of the library’s recommendations to help get the conversation started for your family.
While a group session might not be for everyone, or fit into your already busy schedule, other options are available. Check out Alzheimer's Talks, a free podcast/teleconference series from UsAgainstAlzheimer's and sign-up for their live online discussions, which feature your questions at usagainstalzheimers.org.
t e e n bo ok s
Dad's Camera
Unbecoming
The Remember Balloons
One Stolen Thing
Just Like Jackie
How to Not Disappear
Forget Me Not
The Memory Book
Ross Watkins
Jessie Oliveros
Lindsey Stoddard
Nancy Van Laan
Jenny Downham
Beth Kephart
Clare Furniss
Lara Avery
Find more book selections at RichlandLibrary.com/access. 11
step
My companion has dementia Please be patient with us.
My companion has dementia Please be patient with us.
Thank you.
Thank you.
My companion has dementia Please be patient with us.
My companion has dementia Please be patient with us.
Thank you.
Thank you.
4
Socialize
The key to not letting dementia make you feel like you live on an isolated island is socialization—for both you and your loved one. Social engagement is great for those living with dementia, and in the early stages of the diagnosis, there may only be forgetfulness that is noticeable.
Care Cards
Conversation Boxes
Planning Ahead
You can keep your loved one engaged socially by discreetly letting people know about your loved one’s condition.
Busy social settings, like restaurants, can be overwhelming for someone living with dementia. By simply packing a few items related to a particular topic of interest to your loved one, you can help ease their anxiety and transition the conversation back to their comfort zone.
Going to a restaurant? Review the menu ahead of time and narrow down the options to two things your loved one enjoys. Then simply present these two options in a question format to help guide them to an easier choice.
Simply slip the above care cards to service providers, like doctor’s office receptionists, restaurant hostesses and store clerks to help them understand behaviors or actions that may be perceived as unusual.
Cooking: Include pot mats, wooden spoon, spices, and recipe card.
“Mom, I see they have chicken tenders and hamburgers. Which one are you going to have tonight?” 12
a new normal
re
an
alz.org
•
• • •
Leeza's Care Connection
803-888-7525
Leezascareconnection.org
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• • •
SC Office on Aging
1-800-868-9095
GetCareSC.com
• • • •
SC Department of Health and Environmental Control
803-898-3432
scdhec.gov
•
Central Midlands Area Agency on Aging
803-376-5390
centralmidlands.org
• •
SC Dept. of Health and Human Services / SC Healthy Connections
1-877-552-4642
scchoices.com
ca
1-800-272-3900
pr
South Carolina Alzheimer’s Association
lo
WEBSITE
fin
PHONE
ed
ORGANIZATION
•
5 Ask for and Accept Help
Often people don’t know how to help, and we are so busy caring for our children, parents, and whole household, that we don’t know what to say to people when they ask.
Don’t be afraid to ask for and accept help from friends and family. People want to help, or at least I believe they genuinely mean it when they ask to help.
Use the notecards at right to help relieve some of that burden. Simply jot down the things you need help with or use some of the sample cards we’ve included.
step
Nathaniel Smith is the Corporate Director of Memory Care Programs for Discovery Senior Living. He has dedicated his life to improving the quality of life for those living with and those caring for people living with dementia. He is a graduate of the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California, and a dedicated, volunteer crisis counselor for the Crisis Text Line.
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giv
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ms
ca
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og
ng
-te
cia
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uc
at
ion
al
re so ur l a ce id
s
There are a number of organizations that offer various levels of care and support for families affected by dementia. We’ve compiled them in the simple chart below to get you started:
pl ac em d a en ct er su t i v s pp i u t pp ies or or t g t ro up s
lo ca l r e s ou rc e s
I could really use help with mowing the lawn.
I could really use a home cooked meal.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I could really use help with picking up groceries.
I could really use help with watching the kids.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I could really use help with watching my loved one.
I could really use help with
Thank you.
Thank you.
I could really use help with
I could really use help with
Thank you.
Thank you.
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Portrait of Tammaka Staley, Gardens for Equilibrium Collection
Photo by Michael Dantzler
OFF BOOK •
8 Things You Don’t Know About Michael Dantzler Interview by Kim Jones, Richland Library Sandhills
Biggest photography influences?
Last book you read?
Definitely Gordon Parks, Ansel Adams and Richard Samuel Roberts.
Let Love Have the Last Word: A Memoir by Common
Favorite local place to shoot? The Main Street District in downtown Columbia Go-to equipment and software? A Nikon full-frame and Adobe Lightroom. Best advice for aspiring photographers? Find images you like and that you gravitate to. When you look at a magazine, website or newspaper, what images speak to your soul? That is typically the type of photography you might want to do. If you got one do-over, what would it be? I think one of my biggest mistakes, in the beginning, was giving out too many pictures. When you give clients a lot of pictures, they don’t value the work. They tend to share the worst picture, so it’s best that you share a smaller amount with clients.
Greatest work to date? My Garden’s for Equilibrium project because when I did the Eastover Community Garden it was very close to my heart. I wanted people to connect with nature. In the garden there were sunflowers and vegetables, and I used those as props. I wanted to show people at one with nature—as a reminder to humans to not forget about nature. What’s the one thing you want to say to the world with your art? Talk to your neighbor. Build community. Face-to-face village is key. We are so much stronger when we work together.
Connect Freely: Instagram | @michaeldantzlerphoto
Michael Dantzler has been capturing the Midlands through the lens of his camera for nearly a decade. A self-taught photographer and successful entrepreneur, his work spans a variety of formats from photography portraits to documentation, painted map murals and beyond. A recipient of the Leo Twiggs Leadership Award and Riley Institute Diversity Scholarship for the Midlands Diversity Leaders Initiative, Dantzler regularly shares his passion for connecting people from various socioeconomic backgrounds through library and community programs.
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BY DESIGN Teen Influencer Olivia Bokesch Spills the Secret Behind Her Creative Process
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by design
Finding inspiration is key in the brainstorming stage. Apps, like Pinterest and Instagram, are great for everything from outfits to locations to poses to makeup. Searching key words that go with your photo shoot ideas (examples being “tennis court photoshoot” or “glam makeup look”) can make the hunt for inspiration simpler. Other times, inspiration can be found through music, books, movies, or daily life. reativity is one of the most elusive, yet fascinating topics on this planet as everyone’s version of creativity is different. In today’s world, creativity thrives on social media platforms with influencers, artists, musicians, and others sharing their unique and original content for their followers. Over the years, these platforms have grown from a place to share quick snaps to a curated feed with a heavy focus on creative direction. In a nutshell, creative direction is all the jobs that go into content creation; from planning to styling to location choosing to directing the shoot to editing. Although large fashion corporations have teams of people running their creative direction, it can be too difficult and expensive for those starting out in the content creation realm to replicate that sizable operation. With that being said, creative direction can be just as successfully a one-person show as it is a multi-talent team. It seems daunting, especially for a beginner content creator, to have to handle all phases of the creative directing process yourself, but with practice and time, the skills needed will evolve with you until you have them down to a science.
Brainstorm The first step for creative direction is just like any other first step in a project: brainstorming. This is as simple as pulling unused ideas from before to asking questions, like: What has inspired me lately? Is there a certain style I’m excited to shoot? What mood am I in and how can I portray that through photography?
While searching for inspiration, keep the concept and mood in mind that you’re trying to achieve for the shoot. For example, if you want more mystical shots, use key words and save photos that go with that idea. If you want strictly beauty shots, use key words and save photos to go with that vibe and so on. By being specific with searches and saves, the process of collecting inspiration becomes easy and efficient. Another part of the brainstorming phase is to create a written format of your ideas. Create a timeline with dates for when the styling, the shoot, and the post-processing need to be completed. Underneath each date, write the specifics of each phase, including the exact outfits, locations, props, pose ideas, and whatever else you deem important. This helps with time management and getting a solid grasp on the entirety of the shoot from start to finish.
Styling Thinking outside of the box is most important during the styling stage as this phase is creating what fashion photography is all about... the fashion! The first thing to do when styling any and every shoot is to head to your closet, your neighbor’s closet, your friend’s closet, or the store to begin pulling pieces that fit the end goal of your shoot. Never disregard pieces that have been previously used in a shoot or don’t fit your exact creative vision because there are endless ways to style anything.
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Pull up to 20-35 pieces of clothing for styling. This number can grow or shrink depending on how many different looks you are aiming to style, then narrow down pieces from there. When narrowing down, ask yourself questions like: Does this piece fit the mood or could it be styled to fit the mood of my creative vision? Could this piece be styled with any of the other pieces I pulled? Is this piece too basic or too flashy? Is it the wrong color palette? When you have your final clothing items (8 -14 pieces) narrowed down, it’s time to style looks. Ask yourself: What would this shirt look like layered under this dress? What if instead of tucking in this blouse I belted it twice? What if I paired these two bold patterns or colors together? Styling is a process of trial and error. Through fitting pieces together, trying on, changing the look, then trying on again, it can take upwards of 30 minutes to style a single look.
Choose a location Locations can make or break a shoot, especially when you’re going for a more professional fashion photography feel. If the location isn’t right, something will seem out of place in the final photos—no matter what. Location can be chosen before or after styling depending on your personal creative process. Sometimes the location is what inspires the shoot, whereas other times, the outfits inspire the shoot location. Keep a running list of locations that you come across while driving around your neighborhood and city, so you then have a reference sheet to turn to when brainstorming locations.
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Prepare for the shoot When getting ready the day of the shoot, focus on the beauty aspects first, then move on to the props and accessories. Hair and makeup are essential to any editorial shoot and can create the mood of the shots. If your creative vision is edgier, braid one side of your hair or rock a messy pony. If your creative vision is softer, go for a loose braid or natural waves. The same goes for makeup—always match it to the mood of the shoot. After the makeup, hair, and outfit are finished, it’s time for last minute add-ons like accessories and props. These should be planned during the styling phase and ready to go the night before. Just like for the beauty portion, it’s important to choose accessories that fit the creative vision you are trying to bring to life. When choosing props, ask yourself: what could make these photos more enticing to look at? What props could I pose with that fit the theme? Always refer back to your inspiration images the night before the shoot. This allows your creative vision and goal to be in the forefront of your mind as you head out to shoot the following day.
Know what shots you want Knowing what shots you want goes hand-inhand with referring back to your inspiration before the shoot. Knowing the photos you want beforehand means knowing the angles, poses, action shots, locations, etc. that you want to shoot. This makes the photo shoot itself less stressful for you and for the other people involved—there will be less time spent setting up for a photo and more time spent taking photos.
by design
Ask yourself: Do I want low angle shots with the background framing the subject? Do I want running or jumping shots? Do I want wide angle shots that show more landscape or do I want close-up portraits? Do I want detail shots that showcase the styling without the model’s face?
for in-depth editing. When starting out, play around with filters and photo settings like exposure, contrast, and saturation to get a feel for the possibilities of editing. Trial-and-error is the best way to find your editing likes and dislikes.
The above questions are good to ask before shooting, but deeper ones like what are unique poses the model can try and how do I want my photographer/model positioned are just as important. You can’t think outside of the box without asking outside of the box questions.
Just like every other aspect of creative direction, editing is a time to make images your own, in order to grab the viewer’s attention. Dig deep into your original creative vision one last time and post-process until the final product is something you are proud of and want to share with the world.
Take and give direction
What to remember
Once at the shoot, be ready to not only give direction, but take it as well when other people besides yourself are involved. Since it is your creative vision, it is up to you to make sure it all comes together within the shoot itself. Don’t be afraid to let your photographer/model know the shots you want that pertain to your end goal. Trust in your photographer/model to be able to bring your vision to life and know whether or not the shots align with your vision. Give and get ideas throughout the photo shoot, and make sure to go through the photos every so often to make sure you are getting the right shots. If not, adjust and try again!
Edit the photos The post-processing period (otherwise known as editing) takes the longest, but is the most rewarding. This is when you finalize your creative vision and make it as unique to you as possible. From overlays to borders to collages to simple filters, editing can transform a photo to portray a feeling or mood the raw photo could not. Post-processing relies on personal preferences and is the finishing touch for creative direction. First, narrow down your photos from the shoot to a manageable amount and export them into editing software. For beginners, the free apps VSCO and Snapseed have easy to learn programs and edits can be easily created. For the more advanced, Adobe Lightroom is fantastic
Throughout the creative direction process, it is essential to keep in mind that this is your creative vision. It’s not another influencer’s vision, another photographer’s vision, or another model’s vision; it is yours and yours alone. Take charge and make the shoot your own. Ask yourself: how can I make this shoot more unique to me? To my page? To the world? The whole process of styling and location choosing is for naught if it is not done with the end goal of your shoot in mind. Don’t get sidetracked, but continue to stretch your limits and think outside of the box. You’re never stuck with how you started when brainstorming, as the creative process is ever-changing. Remember that perfection is never guaranteed! Letting go of control and trusting your photographer/model and your creative direction as a whole is vital to the shoot process. Not every shot is going to be the money shot, especially in the beginning. A quick fix for this is to just take a lot of shots while always keeping your creative vision in mind. Play around and try new things, you’ll never know if something great is going to come of it if you don’t try it. In the end, creative direction is not only about having the images connect to those viewing the photos—but having the images connect to you and your creative side.
Olivia Bokesch is a student at A.C. Flora High School. Outside of her studies, she runs a fashion and lifestyle blog called Absolutely Olivia, where she shares everything from the latest trends to thoughts on current events. Olivia also recently co-founded Faces of Feminism, a media site that focuses on showing feminism is for everyone. In her free time, Olivia writes articles for Retrograde Magazine and poetry for herself.
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IF YOU ENJOYED
IF YOU ENJOYED
IF YOU ENJOYED
Huckleberry Finn
The Scarlet Letter
MacBeth
The Journey of Little Charlie
Allegedly
Christopher Paul Curtis Recommended by: Morgan Ryan, Sandhills
Tiffany D. Jackson Recommended by: Jocelyn Pettigrew, Programs & Partnerships
Akata Witch Nnedi Okorafor
Recommended by: Jocelyn Pettigrew, Programs & Partnerships
Enter Three Witches Caroline Cooney
The Boyfriend List
Recommended by: Ashley Silvera, Edgewood
E. Lockhart
Required Reading
REFRESH Pique your teen reader’s interest by recommending these fresh takes on the required reading from your glory days.
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Recommended by: Ashley Silvera, Edgewood
Bruja Born
Zoraida Cordova Recommended by: Jocelyn Pettigrew, Programs & Partnerships
IF YOU ENJOYED
IF YOU ENJOYED
The Crucible
Lord of the Flies
Children of Blood and Bone
The Explorer
Tomi Adeyemi
Recommended by: Jocelyn Pettigrew, Programs & Partnerships
The Bone Witch Rin Chupeco
Recommended by: Morgan Ryan, Sandhills
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Elizabeth George Speare Recommended by: Morgan Ryan, Sandhills
Katherine Rundell
IF YOU ENJOYED
To Kill a Mocking Bird
Ghost Boys
Jewell Parker Rhodes
IF YOU ENJOYED
Pride and Prejudice
Pride
Ibi Zoboi
Recommended by: Morgan Ryan, Sandhills
Recommended by: Heather McCue, Children's Room
The Maze Runner
Jasper Jones Craig Silvey
Prom & Prejudice
Recommended by: Brittany Crowley, Teen Center
Recommended by: Heather McCue, Children's Room
Recommended by: Ashley Silvera, Edgewood
James Dashner
The Lost Cipher Michael Oechsle
Recommended by: Morgan Ryan, Sandhills
Recommended by: Brittany Crowley, Teen Center
Elizabeth Eulberg
Dreamland Burning
Jennifer Latham Recommended by: Heather McCue, Children's Room
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Jim Kruse and granddaughter with their Vespa balance bike
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DI Y
Vespa Balance Bike
When Jim and Susan Kruse moved back to the States, they knew they wanted to share the spirit of Gaeta, Italy with their two-year-old granddaughter. With homemade plans, a little grit and a whole lot of love, they built an original Piaggio VESPA-style balance bike fit to cruise Rome’s Piazza Venezia. Get the scoop on their maker project at RichlandLibrary.com/Access.
by Jim Kruse, Maker
INSPIRATION:
CHALLENGES:
The bike was modeled on the iconic Piaggio VESPA scooter that we saw everywhere when we lived in Gaeta, Italy. At the age of 14, teenagers are able to ride the 50cc version and they were everywhere, constantly zipping in and out of traffic. We would also see families of four (and their dog) on an overloaded Vespa crawling down the streets. The Vespa makes us smile!
The steering mechanism was the most difficult to design and implement. I looked at lots of plans for balance bikes online and chose the hinge technique because it seemed to be the simplest…but it was still a bit tough to mount the hinges and drill the hole for the steering rod. I enjoyed the challenge of imagining this bike, seeing it come to life, learning about woodworking and using the different tools in the Woodworking Studio—but seeing the smile on our granddaughter’s face was the best part!
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TOOLS
MATERIALS & COST Frame & Fork:
Library:
Headlight & Fenders:
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One 4x8' sheet of 3/8“ thick Birch plywood ( $25 )
• Belt Sander
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One hinge ( $4 )
• Drill Press
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One metal rod ( $4 ) (cut to size with Dremel)
• Orbital Hand Sander
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Bolts and Locknuts ( $5 )
• Pneumatic Stapler
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Two 12” pink replacement Strider Ultralite Wheels ( $35 ) (includes tires and axles)
• Band Saw
• Hand Drill
• Router (table-mounted) • Saber Saw • Silhouette Machine
Seat: 06
Home: • Dremel Tool • Hand Tools
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¼ Yard simulated leather ( $5 )
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¼ Yard foam ( $3 )
• Clamps • Paint Brushes
One 12” piece of 2x4 for seat post I had a scrap from another project.
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One piece 1/8“ plywood ( $5) I used scrap from another project—you don't need much.
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Adhesive vinyl for letter decal ( $5 )
Handlebars: 11
One dowel rod ( $1 ) (sized to match grips)
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Pink handlebar grips ( $5 )
Paint & Glue 13
One pint pink paint ( $5 )
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One bottle quality wood glue ( $7 )
TOTAL ESTIMATED SUPPLY COST
$100–150
Timeline I started sketching ideas for the bike in mid-June, and we gave it to our granddaughter on August 12. So from idea to completion, it was about two months and four trips to the library's Woodworking Studio. * Work done in the library Woodworking Studio. 25
JULY: 12
24*
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Wheels arrived.
Cut and sanded the bike frame.
Glued two pieces of 3/8” plywood together to have a 3/4” piece for the fork.
diy vespa balance bike
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08 11 06
01 03 10
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AUGUST: 1*
6*
8*
9
11
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Cut and sanded the fork and used the router to create a smooth edge on the frame.
Drilled the fork; cut the fenders and headlight; attached the seat to the seat post; cut the Letter C vinyl decal.
Dremeled the fork to improve range of motion, then finished drilling and assembly. Upholstered the seat.
Painted the bike.
Assembled the bike for photos. Disassembled and packed it in luggage to take on the plane.
Gave the bike to our granddaughter!
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Hiring Help
How to Get Your Time Back and Scale Your Small Business by Bayne Dangerfield
In early 2015, I had just taken my sewing and embroidery business full time, while doing a part time work-from-home job for another company on the side, and taking care of a new baby. By October 2015, I found myself staying up all hours of the night to get orders for my business finished and ready on time. The huge influx of sales was a blessing, but I knew I couldn’t handle it all by myself anymore. But hiring was so overwhelming! Four years later, I can tell you that hiring help (in all sorts of ways!) has been the best decision I’ve ever made. Here’s what I did!
Hire Independent Contractors I create handmade clothing from fabric, so up to an hour of work can go into each item sold. To reach my goals, I needed to have help cutting fabric, sewing and finishing garments. So, I found independent contractors to help me cut fabric and sew from their homes. If you can find creative ways for people to help you from their homes, and get paid per project, independent contractors can be a simple, straightforward way to hire.
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I have small business friends who hire independent contractors to sand wood, hot glue items, package orders and “weed” vinyl. No job is too weird as long as you have clear, detailed instructions: some of mine had no experience with fabric before I trained them on the simple jobs I needed done. I prefer hiring local independent contractors who pick up and drop off from my front porch, but I have friends who ship the jobs to their contractors too! Typically, independent contractors are a great first hire because there are no payroll taxes. You will issue them a 1099 at the end of the year, but as far as taxes for them, that’s about it.
Hire Employees The next logical step is hiring employees who come to your place of work (or home) to work on your business. Setting up payroll was not nearly as hard as I had feared. I recommend using a website like Gusto.com to set it up as they will direct deposit paychecks and automatically submit any state or federal taxes for
hiring help
an employee (around $50/month). Note that hiring employees can be more expensive for an employer than contractors because you need to cover their payroll taxes. Therefore, when you pay someone $10/ hour, your out-of-pocket spending looks more like $11/hour after taxes. Another thing to consider: In South Carolina, if you have four or more employees, you may be required to get workmen’s comp insurance. All in all, great employees are worth every penny! My employees iron, package, trim shirts, cut fabric, do minor website updates, run errands, and perform all sorts of different tasks every day. I love the flexibility of having them work on whatever is needed that day, as opposed to the contractors who work on things that will be finished in a few weeks. You will also be surprised how quickly the right employee can learn to do what you do—some of mine are faster than I am now. Take the time to find and train the right person, and your business can really scale.
Hire Help from Professionals in Your Weak Spots The pros know! Consider outsourcing your social media accounts if they are not your strong suit or aren’t making you enough money. In these cases, spending the money to hire a professional not only saves time but also creates much more revenue. Think about your website, marketing, social media, and graphic design. All of these jobs may be better suited by a pro who knows what they are doing, leaving you to focus on what you know best—your business.
Hire Childcare For many moms, the dream is to work from home while raising your kids. But it’s very, very hard to make a full-time salary AND take care of the kids full time. Someone or something gets short-changed. I decided to hire some childcare help, so I could continue working from home. It’s actually pretty refreshing to get a break from little kids to work, and I find it makes me a better parent when I am with them! My first step was a nanny for three hours a day. I also carefully choreographed nap routines, and between naps and nanny, I carved out five to seven hours a day to work. She also worked on home or business things while my son was asleep or while he was happily playing.
She packaged orders, folded clothes, or went grocery shopping with him many days, so I really felt I was getting a ton of value from hiring her. When my son was a little bit older, he started going to a part-time preschool (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.). He loved school, learned letters and numbers quickly, and it was very affordable (mine was only a few dollars an hour). Even if you decide to send your kids to day care full time, or hire a full-time nanny, your kids will still benefit from the flexibility of you being an entrepreneur. You’ll never miss a school play, and you will be available when they are sick.
Hire Help with Personal Duties Time really is money when you have a growing small business. If you can work in your business and make more money than you can pay someone for a job—always do that. Our time is a finite resource, and if it makes sense, buy back your time in creative ways. Hire out house cleaning, lawn care, home repair jobs, painting, and more. Just because you CAN do something (clean, paint, mow the lawn) doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Think of the free ways to save time as well. Utilize online shopping, grocery pickup, and the drive through pharmacy. Your time is pressed, so don’t spend it doing things that don’t serve you best. I hope this helps you consider some ways to hire and outsource to find more time to spend growing your business! Feel free to email me any questions you have about my experience. Getting help has been the best decision I’ve made for my business, and I hope it can do the same for you.
Bayne Dangerfield is the owner of Soda City Sewing— an online boutique specializing in handcrafted, personalized children’s clothing. Richland Library’s first Entrepreneur-in-Residence, she started her home business in 2012 with an embroidery/sewing machine combo from eBay and a collection of thrifted cloth. In just six years, she has scaled to numerous online retail outlets and employed seven local craftswomen.
Connect Freely: Instagram | @sodacitysewing Email | Bayne@sodacitysewing.com
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Mix Tape:
Back to Cool Michael Tran and Keith Brinkman, Richland Library Main
We’re turning the hubs on your old cassettes to bring you 150 unforgettable tracks and deep cuts from 1984 to 1997. Stream all 10 hours and 48 minutes of utter coolness at RichlandLibrary.com.
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