City libraries adapting to crush of children's after-school visits
This article from the Capital Times in Madison, WI appears to be in response to the Maplewood library in NJ. While it is great that libraries are finally seen as a cool place to hang, it is sad that this generation doesn't have a good moral background or any sense of how to act in a public place.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Couldn't have said it better myself...
These poems were borrowed from Tales Told Tall, website of children's librarian and storyteller Michael Sullivan. My boss just told me he will be here in late March and will be doing some staff development ;-)
My Storytelling Creed
I believe in fairy tales
I believe they're true
I believe in fairy tales
Do you believe them too?
I believe in wishes made
when stars fall from the sky
I believe if birds can fly
Then maybe so can I.
I believe in magic spells
If you can only make them rhyme
I believe in unicorns
And Once Upon a Time...
I believe that leprechauns
Hide gold at rainbow's end
I believe adventure lies
Just 'round the river bend.
And I believe that every day
There's magic in the air
That heaven's not beyond our hopes
Its just beyond our fears.
My Storytelling Creed
I believe in fairy tales
I believe they're true
I believe in fairy tales
Do you believe them too?
I believe in wishes made
when stars fall from the sky
I believe if birds can fly
Then maybe so can I.
I believe in magic spells
If you can only make them rhyme
I believe in unicorns
And Once Upon a Time...
I believe that leprechauns
Hide gold at rainbow's end
I believe adventure lies
Just 'round the river bend.
And I believe that every day
There's magic in the air
That heaven's not beyond our hopes
Its just beyond our fears.
*******************************************************************************
First Time at the Library
(Published in Public Libraries,
March/April 2003.)
My daddy said that I could pick
Most any book I see
From rows and rows and rows of them
Stacked high as two of me.
The books were falling off the shelves
And piled up on the floor
The lady there behind the desk
Was stacking even more.
I asked if I could take one home
She said, "Take two or three.
I have to put the rest away
And need the space you see."
She showed me every single book
That fell within her reach.
"Here's one for reading on the bus
And one for on the beach.
"Here's fifteen pets piled on a bed,
And here's a flying frog
A girl with pigtails long and red,
A teacher who's a dog.
"Here's one about a pig that sings,
A spider that can write."
So many, many, many books
Without an end in sight.
I trembled as I said, "I want
The one about a horse.
It's blue, I think," I said, "but I
Forgot the name of course."
My daddy slowly shook his head
He didn't see much chance.
But then the lady stopped and stared
Like she was in a trance.
A thousand books piled all around
Ten thousand, maybe more!
Her eyes took in the lot of them
Stacked ceiling to the floor.
I thought that she had gone to sleep
So rigid did she stand
Then smiled so sweet, reached out and put
Black Beauty in my hand.
Found wisdom
People become librarians because they know too much. Their knowledge extends beyond mere categories. They cannot be confined to disciplines. Librarians are all-knowing and all-seeing. They bring order to chaos. They bring wisdom and culture to the masses. They preserve every aspect of human knowledge. Librarians rule. And they will kick the crap out of anyone who says otherwise. --librarianavengers.org
**I pulled this from an email signature off a list-serv I'm on. Aren't librarian's great?**
**I pulled this from an email signature off a list-serv I'm on. Aren't librarian's great?**
Sunday, January 7, 2007
What a difference a day makes...
January 7, 2006
The day my whole life changed forever. The day I met my future husband. (He asked for my number and actually called!!)
July 7, 2006
6 months later, the day I married my husband, my true love, my best friend.
January 7, 2007
365 days of wonderful and amazing blessings... and the best part is it doesn't stop there or ever.
The day my whole life changed forever. The day I met my future husband. (He asked for my number and actually called!!)
July 7, 2006
6 months later, the day I married my husband, my true love, my best friend.
January 7, 2007
365 days of wonderful and amazing blessings... and the best part is it doesn't stop there or ever.
Thursday, January 4, 2007
To Weed or Not To Weed? That is the Question
Hello, Grisham--So Long Hemingway?
With Shelf Space Prized, Fairfax Libraries Cull Collections
It seems the Washington Post has picked up on libraries dirtiest little secret--weeding! That word still makes my skin crawl. As an avid book reader and lover, it breaks my heart to have to send a book to its death sentence. That was the worst part of my internship at HSL-EAR but Maile still made me do it, and explained that you weren't really punishing the "bad" books you were making room for the pretty new stuff. Okay, so that dried my tears a little. I still hate doing it, but once I rip off the bandaid I feel inclined to just keep going.
About a month ago, my boss politely suggested (okay, she flat out told me) that my shelves were too full and I should start by removing multiple copies of books that aren't so popular anymore. Of course, that made no dent at all. So I started a rigorous weed. It seems I'd already done one in August but by December I again had 2 huge carts full of YA fiction materials that hadn't circulated in 12-18 months. I don't know the exact weeding schedule for other areas, but because teens are a selective crowd, anything that hasn't circ'd in a year is a goner (unless I find some reason to keep it). It was nice to have clean shelves and space for all my new books, although mysteriously the shelves have already started creeping fuller.
It is always funny to me to look at the covers of the books I nix. It is almost a guarantee that any YA book stricken with bad cover syndrome ends up in the Friends book sale pile. And that also keeps me going. We get a chunk of the Friends money and these books find new homes. So it isn't so bad..... Until your teen shelver who is also a huge book lover sees the cart and wonders what happens to those books. It was like telling a child there is no Santa, Tooth Fairy, or Easter Bunny. I wonder how many of those books she tried to save from the guillotine!?!? (Sadly, what she didn't realize is that if it comes back and still sits there, she was just delaying the inevitable.)
With Shelf Space Prized, Fairfax Libraries Cull Collections
It seems the Washington Post has picked up on libraries dirtiest little secret--weeding! That word still makes my skin crawl. As an avid book reader and lover, it breaks my heart to have to send a book to its death sentence. That was the worst part of my internship at HSL-EAR but Maile still made me do it, and explained that you weren't really punishing the "bad" books you were making room for the pretty new stuff. Okay, so that dried my tears a little. I still hate doing it, but once I rip off the bandaid I feel inclined to just keep going.
About a month ago, my boss politely suggested (okay, she flat out told me) that my shelves were too full and I should start by removing multiple copies of books that aren't so popular anymore. Of course, that made no dent at all. So I started a rigorous weed. It seems I'd already done one in August but by December I again had 2 huge carts full of YA fiction materials that hadn't circulated in 12-18 months. I don't know the exact weeding schedule for other areas, but because teens are a selective crowd, anything that hasn't circ'd in a year is a goner (unless I find some reason to keep it). It was nice to have clean shelves and space for all my new books, although mysteriously the shelves have already started creeping fuller.
It is always funny to me to look at the covers of the books I nix. It is almost a guarantee that any YA book stricken with bad cover syndrome ends up in the Friends book sale pile. And that also keeps me going. We get a chunk of the Friends money and these books find new homes. So it isn't so bad..... Until your teen shelver who is also a huge book lover sees the cart and wonders what happens to those books. It was like telling a child there is no Santa, Tooth Fairy, or Easter Bunny. I wonder how many of those books she tried to save from the guillotine!?!? (Sadly, what she didn't realize is that if it comes back and still sits there, she was just delaying the inevitable.)
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Teens rebel.... Library closes. WHAT?!?!
Lock the Library! Rowdy Students are Taking Over
In New Jersey, one library has grown frustrated by middle schoolers’ mix of pent-up energy, hormones and nascent independence.
Believe me. We have all no doubt felt this way about one patron or another. They drive you crazy, make you want to pull your hair out (or any other bad habit--drink Mountain Dew, smoke, etc), even go as far as kick them out for the day or eternity. But this library in Maplewood, NJ has decided to close it's doors after school from 2:45pm to 5pm, not only banning the "bad" teens but everyone, young, old and in between. The only people who don't get kicked out for those 2 hours and 15 minutes are the librarians. (That's totally not fair!!!)
I first saw this article on the YALSA-BK list-serv and then received the link from Lillian. I've seen other librarians responses, all of whom had great ideas to try to resolve the problem. Hire a security guard, partner with other youth organizations, help to create a teen center in a separate location. I realize that the problems these teens are causing are distressing. But there has to be a better, more positive way to reach them.
I'll admit that when I first started working as a part time teen librarian I was a bit apprehensive. I still remember high school and how teens can be. But as I eased into this job and eventually became a full-time teen librarian, I realized that I liked teens a lot. Not as much as the cute, cuddly little guys but enough. You have to see them as "BIG" kids and be consistent and firm while being friendly and open. I try to make my programs fun and inviting but I still ask them to follow the rules. I even had coloring sheets at my holiday open house because even mature, hot-stuff teens need a chance to relax and have fun.
I have a hard time believing that this solution will actually fix the problem. Who's to say those "bad" teens won't show up at 5 and cause the same amount of trouble or that they won't hang out on library property and be destructive during that block of time. Give them a voice. Let them be the ones to help fix their problem. The teens in our community were the ones who helped design our Teen Zone. My four teen shelvers help me with programming, anything from making copies to set up to helping at the programs. If you keep them busy, they won't have time to be destructive and if you make the library theirs, they won't want to destroy it.
I have had to kick several teens out for the day or longer. Last year we had an ongoing ordeal with two teen boys and the computer. We had to start by asking them to give up the computer for the day to kicking them out and calling parents. It even got as bad as one boy telling my director to "F*%# off". But after the summer (and a meeting involving the director and an apology) that teen has been back and is polite and well behaved. [side note.. as I'm writing this the other teen involved showed up to use the computer for the first time in 8 months... small world!].
I also realize that lots of people still have that notion that the library is a "quiet" place with dusty shelves, books that serve no purpose but looking pretty, and librarians with buns in their hair, horn rimmed glasses and a frown. Let's not forget the "SHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh!" But libraries have changed and have evolved into a quasi-community center. It is possible to get people to settle down without shushing them. We had a wonderful staff development day with Warren Graham, author of Black Belt Librarians. He was a library security guard for many years and has some great ways to talk to people. It is amazing how well people respond to the phrase "I don't know if you realize this but..."
I'm just glad I don't have to be the librarian at that library that has to kick all the regular patrons off their computers for those 2 hours. If they think the teens are bad, they'd better watch out. The weird thing is that they do have several teen programs scheduled for after school that aren't being cancelled. I can't imagine what kind of chaos will go on when they are letting those teens in but no one else.
In New Jersey, one library has grown frustrated by middle schoolers’ mix of pent-up energy, hormones and nascent independence.
Believe me. We have all no doubt felt this way about one patron or another. They drive you crazy, make you want to pull your hair out (or any other bad habit--drink Mountain Dew, smoke, etc), even go as far as kick them out for the day or eternity. But this library in Maplewood, NJ has decided to close it's doors after school from 2:45pm to 5pm, not only banning the "bad" teens but everyone, young, old and in between. The only people who don't get kicked out for those 2 hours and 15 minutes are the librarians. (That's totally not fair!!!)
I first saw this article on the YALSA-BK list-serv and then received the link from Lillian. I've seen other librarians responses, all of whom had great ideas to try to resolve the problem. Hire a security guard, partner with other youth organizations, help to create a teen center in a separate location. I realize that the problems these teens are causing are distressing. But there has to be a better, more positive way to reach them.
I'll admit that when I first started working as a part time teen librarian I was a bit apprehensive. I still remember high school and how teens can be. But as I eased into this job and eventually became a full-time teen librarian, I realized that I liked teens a lot. Not as much as the cute, cuddly little guys but enough. You have to see them as "BIG" kids and be consistent and firm while being friendly and open. I try to make my programs fun and inviting but I still ask them to follow the rules. I even had coloring sheets at my holiday open house because even mature, hot-stuff teens need a chance to relax and have fun.
I have a hard time believing that this solution will actually fix the problem. Who's to say those "bad" teens won't show up at 5 and cause the same amount of trouble or that they won't hang out on library property and be destructive during that block of time. Give them a voice. Let them be the ones to help fix their problem. The teens in our community were the ones who helped design our Teen Zone. My four teen shelvers help me with programming, anything from making copies to set up to helping at the programs. If you keep them busy, they won't have time to be destructive and if you make the library theirs, they won't want to destroy it.
I have had to kick several teens out for the day or longer. Last year we had an ongoing ordeal with two teen boys and the computer. We had to start by asking them to give up the computer for the day to kicking them out and calling parents. It even got as bad as one boy telling my director to "F*%# off". But after the summer (and a meeting involving the director and an apology) that teen has been back and is polite and well behaved. [side note.. as I'm writing this the other teen involved showed up to use the computer for the first time in 8 months... small world!].
I also realize that lots of people still have that notion that the library is a "quiet" place with dusty shelves, books that serve no purpose but looking pretty, and librarians with buns in their hair, horn rimmed glasses and a frown. Let's not forget the "SHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh!" But libraries have changed and have evolved into a quasi-community center. It is possible to get people to settle down without shushing them. We had a wonderful staff development day with Warren Graham, author of Black Belt Librarians. He was a library security guard for many years and has some great ways to talk to people. It is amazing how well people respond to the phrase "I don't know if you realize this but..."
I'm just glad I don't have to be the librarian at that library that has to kick all the regular patrons off their computers for those 2 hours. If they think the teens are bad, they'd better watch out. The weird thing is that they do have several teen programs scheduled for after school that aren't being cancelled. I can't imagine what kind of chaos will go on when they are letting those teens in but no one else.
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