This year more than ever, think about celebrating the two big days in Star Wars/library land- Star Wars Reads Day (traditionally in October) and May 4th, which for years has been known Star Wars Day, with May 5th fast becoming becoming more and more known for Revenge of the Fifth, with those leaning more to the dark side having their fun. With the release of Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens this December (yes, breaking from the tradition of May releases), fans and skeptics alike are excited for the franchise, and celebrating everything Star Wars in the library can be a huge push for readers and new patrons.
DISPLAYS
You may not think you have a lot of Star Wars stuff, but do a careful search- check out the LEGO readers, the graphic novels, the science fiction books detailing stories that came after the Return of the Jedi, and all the cartoons that are floating around. Take a look in non-fiction as well: there are books on the science of science fiction that detail how lightspeed works, craft books and cook books with the Star Wars theme, and biographies of the actors from Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams to Harrison Ford and George Lucas. You may even have CDs of the sound tracks. Don’t forget the juvenile fiction section- The Origami Yoda series and Jedi Academy series are excellent.
For posters, check out free sites like dafont.com. Search with terms like “star” or “jedi” and you can download fonts eerily simliar to the original Star Wars font.
CRAFTS
There are some awesome crafts out there that will entice any Rebel loyalist or Empire citizen. The official Star Wars site has a cute Chewbacca felt bookmark:
Pink and Green Mama has some adorable Star Wars Peg Dolls:
And there’s always the cubee route:
Not to mention that everyone’s favorite craft material (duct tape) comes in Star Wars patterns:
If you’re looking for more craft or party ideas, I have a bunch of on my pinterest board, or you can do a pinterest search using “star wars crafts” or “star wars party”
ACTIVITIES
Until a major miracle occurs, there are only two movies related to Star Wars you can legally show in the library: Star Wars the Clone Wars and Spaceballs. That doesn’t mean you’re relegated to crafts the whole time.
- Have a costume party, with separate categories for Rebels, Jedi, Sith, Senators, and Droids.
- Pull out board or video games featuring the Star Wars characters, such as LEGO Star Wars, Soulcaliber IV (Darth Vader appears in PS3, Yoda in XBOX 360), Angry Birds: Star Wars, Monopoly Star Wars, or you could even teach chess. After all, it was an important lesson: Let the Wookie win.
- Go all out and have a Jedi training lab by setting up an obstacle course throughout your programming room. Those who want to test out their skills must complete the course to prove they are proficient in the ways of the force. They could walk balance beams, jump over or crawl through hoops, maneuver through the string caves, and brave the darkness of the swamp in order to prove their Jedi mastery.
- Have themed snacks to go with your party- dipped pretzels can become lightsabers, cheese puffballs can become Death Stars or Endors, teddy grahams become Ewok snacks.
Other posts I’ve done talking about Star Wars programming:
How do you plan on celebrating Star Wars Day?