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If you’re a teen and use the library, then you might be familiar with Teen Librarian Tasha McCord. If you’re the parent of a teen, you might have heard your own teenager singing Tasha’s praises. Whether it’s from ordering books that teens read or planning programs that teens love attending, Tasha makes sure that the teen section of the library is both fun and welcoming.

It is quite fortunate for the library that Tasha arrived here since she originally had a different career path in mind. As a history major, she had ambitions to be a middle school history teacher, and she began working in a library that is very different from her current one.

According to Tasha, “working in public history didn’t check all my boxes.” Some of those boxes involved working with kids based on the role models she had growing up. Tasha explains, “I had teachers who were really invested in me. I was fortunate to have these adults in my life. I wanted to be that for somebody.”

Tasha came to work for the library in 2017 and since then has worked on and even created many children and teen programs for the library. Her programming skills, however, were put to the test in 2020 when you-know-what reared its ugly, infectious head and the library was forced to close. “I felt that I had to do as much virtual programming as possible because teens were really marginalized during the pandemic. There were all these people talking about the children, how we should take care of the children, but there were not a lot of organizations or people saying how are we going to take care of the teens.”

One of her virtual game program offerings that really took off were virtual games of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), which she herself had to learn about. “I had no experience playing. I taught myself how to DM [be a Dungeon Master who runs the game] without playing the game.” She now hosts in-person games along with assistant librarian, Kaylie Lewis-Connelly.

Tasha believes that D&D offers more to teens, believing it to teach things like “social confidence” when interacting with other players and the DM while giving them what she calls “a safe place to fail. It’s such a safe place for them to just try different things.” She explains that “kids put so much pressure on themselves to never be wrong and to never fail, and in D&D it’s all based on a die roll.” There are many opportunities for adventurers of all ages to play Dungeons and Dragons and let their fate be decided by a roll of the dice.

The library currently offers regular Dungeons and Dragons for teens, but D&D for Tweens (ages 8-12) are coming this summer, as well as D&D for adults. Young or old, if you want to answer the call to adventure, contact the library at 744-5661 for more information.

Our Adult Dungeons and Dragons Game (participants 18 years or older) takes place Saturday, November 12, from 2-4 pm. Anyone interested in signing up should email James Gardner at jgardner@clarkbooks.org

The movie in our Kentucky Picture Show on November 9th, from 2-4 pm, features an adventure for independent widow Helen, who moves into the Pine Grove Senior Community. She soon discovers it’s just like high school: full of cliques and flirtatious suitors. What she initially avoids leads her to exactly what she has been missing: new friendships and a chance at love again with newcomer Dan.

On Monday, November 14, from 11-12 pm, Pageturner’s Book Group will be discussing Sister Stardust, Jane Green’s historical novel about a woman swept up into the glamorous and chaotic life of model/actress/electric personality Talitha Getty during the Swinging ‘60s.