Wee Reads: Week One

One of the things I've had parents ask for was something for children who are emerging readers. As I see it, it is not enough to hit the pre-literacy, we really need library programs and services to capture those kids who are just tackling reading on their own. English isn't an easy language to learn or to read. It's a mix of rules and exceptions, phonics and sight words, sounding it out and "why do you pronounce it that way?"

So this spring, with Madame Storyteller's blessing, I put out the idea of an older kid's evening storytime. I planned for 12 kids and hoped to at least half fill it. The response was gratifying--we closed out the "waiting list" at 16 (NO MORE, I announced). The children are between 4-7, with the majority 6-7. Little siblings, though not completely forbidden, are really strongly discouraged.    

For three weeks the youth services aides tackled creating picture boxes for me. I'd picked up 20 8x8x8 boxes a few months ago and I raided the never ending stash of donated National Geographic Magazines. I told the aides I wanted the boxes covered with pictures on all sides.They did a beautiful job. 

There are 20 different brightly covered boxes.

Starting 15 minutes before storytime (now that I've told them about it) and through the first five minutes of "actual storytime"...I invited the kids to grab a box and tell their grown ups a story about the pictures they saw. The kids engaged very quickly with it, as did the parents. I think over time it will go even more smoothly as they come up with wild and crazy stories based on tree frogs, pyramids, buildings, and wild cats.  

We did a hello song.  Always a good way to draw focus.

Then, I got to read them a book I'd never be able to read to my 3 year olds (Wednesday starts my regular Pre-school storytime too):


The Book That Eats People
by John Perry

It's a lot longer than my usual pre-school books, but this crew can handle it.  And while the dark and sinister is giggle worthy, rather than nightmarish. It's a phenomenal read aloud. 

Then I pointed out a whole slew of Mo Willem's Elephant and Piggie books that I'd brought in for the kids to grab. Often parents are looking for "the good easy readers" and I have the chance here to highlight authors and bring in some classics.

For tonight's selection, I read:

I Will Surprise My Friend!
by Mo Willems

I don't think I could ever live up to the reading I've seen the author do of Pigs Make Me Sneeze but the kids, fortunately, are not judging my reading against his. 

And this is a separation storytime, which most of the parents have been pretty excited about ("Ten minutes to go look at adult books all by myself? Really? Sign me up!!").  So after those two books I shooed the parents out of the room. We only had a little anxiety about staying in the room with a book that eats people. I put my chair on top of it so it wouldn't eat anyone.  (We counted 3 times to make sure the book hadn't eaten anyone.)  

During this ten minutes I'm going to do a short activity and then read to the kids from a chapter book. I'm staying away from crafts and snacks, though not entirely ruling either out either. This week's activity was ribbon dancing (ribbons taped to straws) and we started Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka. I only had time to get through one chapter, but that's okay.  What was important was that they listened--clustered around and nearly right on top of me.

We finished by scooping up carpet squares and grabbing Mo Willems books and then our Read to Rover program followed hard on the heels of the storytime. Several of the kids headed out to the children's area to wait their turn to read aloud to a dog, and I saw one boy painstakingly reading aloud an Elephant and Piggie book.

Can't wait to see how next week goes!

There's Got to Be More to Youth Services....

Madame Storyteller and I were recently in a discussion about continuing education, particularly as it related to youth services. This was part of a larger discussion with coworkers and someone from our system about what is needed and can be provided in terms of local continuing ed. It allowed/caused me to raise a point that I see as a major issue in youth services.

Essentially the professional literature, classes, continuing education, and conference presentations we're seeing can be boiled down to three categories:

1) Preschool Storytime and Early Literacy
2) Summer Reading Program (See link for Madame Storyteller's wisdom on this)
3) Teens and Gaming

I'm not trying to devalue any of these. They are all important aspects of what we're doing, service we're providing, youth we're reaching.

But it also means there are huge gaping holes that are going by the wayside. Broad sweeping statement, no? Let me point out some issues I'm seeing--keeping in mind that these are not one-size-fits-all at your public library.

What I'd like to see addressed by continuing ed, conference sessions, etc.:

1) Our public library "children's" websites are primarily for adults.

• Adult librarians are writing for adult parents with the assumption that that's who will be visiting the website. They will but parents can navigate through something intended for kids. If we used that logic, we wouldn't decorate our children's spaces in bright colors, with low shelves and seats, child friendly signage, and puzzles.
  
• Kids are incredibly perceptive and recognize something intended for them isn't really written for them or is written in that condescending cutesy "look at me writing for kids" tone. They'll see, they'll leave, and won't come back.
  

2) We aren't programming for emerging readers.

• I know, they're all in daycare, preschool, K4--but I have had multiple parents ask me for something to keep those early readers going. When I asked one of the professional lists I'm on if anyone else was doing emerging literacy (as opposed to pre or early) storytimes, I was met with a resounding "not here." I felt like the little red hen...
  
• We make an enormous push for pre-literacy and early literacy and then we drop off at that pinnacle moment when the child is finally starting to read. *headdesk*
  

3) There is a gap of about ten years between leaving storytime and becoming a teen--hundreds of educational milestones, thousands of great books--and we're missing out on it.

• But the elementary students have school media specialists: I hear the cry. I'm not disparaging those working in schools: not the work they do, not the value of their work, not the difficulty of it in this economy and the current test-prep focused educational mindset. I'm disparaging public librarians who are resting on the laurels earned by SMS hard work. And let's be realistic: increasingly children don't have a SMS to turn to at school.
  
• How much time are those school media specialists still allowed with the kids and what do they have to get through in that time? One of my regular moms is a middle school English teacher and she was telling me about working with her SMS to get the kids to create indexes to meet a state standard. The year I was at a public elementary school with a library we spent perhaps 20 minutes a week there. In junior high and high school I was allowed in the library on special research visits only. The libraries were closed at lunch and before and after school. The only extended period I spent in a school library was during a six week session my senior year that I was excused from a class for an independent study. In that six weeks, I can count on one hand (possibly on one or two fingers) the number of times the librarian did anything other than ignore me.
  
• Private schools may or may not have a school media specialist or even a library. They eliminated the one in an "elite" Massachusetts school last year.
  
• There are an increasing number of students, I think, being home-schooled or attending an online school.
  
• Kids need exposure to books and resources outside of a classroom/school setting. Forcing their only association with reading and information seeking to be school work makes it a non-fun activity immediately.
  
• Public librarians have a lot more programming freedom, depending on budget. I know everyone is strapped for cash, but generally public libraries aren't restricted by curriculum too.
  

4) Teen librarians are being expected to pick up the slack where youth services are failing in outreach and keeping young readers engaged.

• There. I said it. I think there is a failure on the part of many working in youth services, presenting at conferences, teaching new librarians, and leading continuing education to focus on actively recruiting, working with, and reaching out to elementary students. Contrastingly there is a strong expectation that teen librarians will "get the teens back in the library." Rather than giving our teen librarians a solid base to start from, we're requiring them to try to appeal to tweens and teens mostly ignored since they left preschool storytime.
  

What I think we need?

1) Children's library websites written for kids ages 6-12. As much as possible, we should get feedback from those kids as to if the site is helpful and where we can, we should let them be a part of it. We, the adults writing the site, need to remember the different voice and vocabulary we use with kids, certainly not talking down to them but changing the tone from how we might speak to their parents. Let's convene a panel and talk about what kind of language works best on a truly kid-focused website or a have an afternoon writing workshop on blogging for kids.

2) Even if we're not seeing the rate of return that we get for the two year old storytime, it's no reason to slack on helping early readers. If not regular programming, occasional. If not active programming, passive. Would it be that hard to introduce word cards into the room and encourage parents to work with their kids on sight words while they are at the library? Could we gather and figure out how to grow storytimes where the kids talk back in complete sentences?

3) Let's increase the focus on elementary students at our conferences. Let's have sessions on helping parents see how important continued library visits are as their children become increasingly overscheduled. Let us convene panels on the best non-fiction series that are coming out or where to find foreign language materials. Who will lead the forums on how best to explode things in your library without your maintenance crew or director having a coronary (**ahem** Madame Storyteller and Our Lady of Programming, I'm looking at you /**ahem**)? Rather than talk about summer reading, let's have sessions on year round reading; how to overcome the September-back-to-school slump; best books for homeschoolers; and how to pair with your school media specialist and elementary school teachers rather than to be independent of him/her.*

4) Our professional magazine covers can be devoted to something other than teens and gaming in libraries. Really.

5) You already know I think age parameters are not evil. And I know this isn't always an option. I worked at CPL and had to deal with the 9 year old who had to babysit her 6 year old twin cousins and 3 year old brother; I did "storytime" for 75 children between the ages of 1 and 7 and all of the older siblings who tagged along. But let's find, create, and share programs that we can't scale down or force to become "family" programs where the elementary students are relegated to helping the toddlers. Something other than book groups.

6) Adult Services needs to step up too. Families as a whole need to see the value in libraries. If the parents don't see reason/need/value, it's hard to get them to come or to bring their children. They need to see how libraries can help them grow too. But that could be a whole different blog post.


Doing it Right

I was recently pleased to see that ALSC seems somewhat aware of this issue. I got their winter online courses and the majority are focused on elementary age children. So I'm not the only one thinking this. And there are many librarians who are stepping up, reaching out, and scoffing at my list. Are you presenting, teaching, and writing?

Wow...you made it this far. Okay. So prove me wrong, would you? Email me your fabulous children's websites, your amazing articles, and your programming lists that show tons of focus on elementary students and emerging readers. I know Abby has some strong kids reading groups--who else is out there? Let me shine the spotlight (okay, fine, the flashlight) on what you're doing so others see.

And kill the summer library program panels.

*Alright, pipe dream. But hey--wouldn't it be nice if we could get to those elementary teachers BEFORE they assign everyone to read the same two books?

Thanks for the Audios....

It's painfully clear we're a week out from Christmas at the library: all the books are in (except the Christmas books, we still have a fair number but they're starting to look picked over) and the audio books and videos are flying out the door.

People have already begun to travel and parents are valiantly trolling the books on cd, trying to find something that will a) not drive them crazy and b) keep the older children engaged while c) still be appropriate for the three year old. I'm trying to hover with intent a little more by those shelves than usual. There's the various differences in families: age of the youngest child, fantasy v. non-fantasy, series v. non-series...but those are the general parameters.

Audiobooks have greatly increased in popularity, which I think is fantastic. I listened to George Guidall every night in high school, to the point that it was an instant sleep-inducer for the Incredibly-Patient-Mother for a few years thereafter. And yes, I order the kids/teens audiobooks and it's nice to see my collections circulate. Keep in mind I'm trying not to whine about the fact that the fabulous new chapter books that are coming down from tech services are languishing....

With the acceptance that audiobooks are not just something for people with poor vision and the wonderful quality and variety we're seeing of performers and titles, it makes sense that there are some followings of narrators. Among the most recognizable of these is Jim Dale.

Two years ago, if I mentioned the name Jim Dale, someone usually swooned in my presence. No matter the subject previous, I would then be treated to a glowing review of how wonderful he was, how fabulous the HP books were on audio, and how their entire family had listened to those books together. Anything he'd read flew out the door as families coming to the end of book 7 sought something else to appease their ears.

Today I came past my display of new audio books and noticed, not for the first time, that our copy of The Return to the Hundred Acre Woods by David Benedictus is still sitting there. Despite the allure of the sequel to a popular classic and being brought to life by no less than the venerable Jim Dale and being displayed face out on the top shelf of the display area (where other things are going quite nicely)...it's there, wistfully waiting to be popped into someone's "car bag" and taken along.

Wonder if that will change in the next couple of full court press "we need something for the drive to Grandma's" days...

Kids' Knitting Group: Beyond the Basics

Kids Knitting for the fall ends next week and it's been gone well. New thing implemented this fall: a six week, half hour Advanced Knitting Techniques. I finish the second round next Tuesday and overall I'd say it's been quite a success. I have patterns selected that I'd use again to teach the basics and I've got some ideas on what to change and do better should I tackle this again.

The regular kids group is chugging right along. They bring projects, ideas, and enthusiasm. I show up with yarn, how to knowledge and piles of books for them to read. We average between 10 and 12 kids per week, not a shabby number.

The advanced tech was about growing the kids who were moving beyond the basics. I taught I-cord, different types of increases and decreases, cables, lace, and we went over (in detail) gauge and reading a pattern. The general goal was to make them more confident and self-sufficient. Up to this point, most of them had good basic skills. They could do one type of increase, maybe two. They might pick out a pattern but they weren't confident about reading it and the concept of pairing yarn to pattern wasn't quite kicking in.

Now--they're doing better. Several of them have moved on to more difficult patterns, coming to me only to read parts of it aloud together. At least three have/are tackled/ing clothing and all of them are learning. I want them to be able to go out and do without me. I'm here to help, certainly, but I don't want them to feel like they can't if I'm not available to get them going.

I set up pretty strict parameters to do AKT. It had to be kids I'd worked with for at least a few months--I needed to know their level. They, along with a parent, had to come in and talk to me about what we'd be learning, my expectations of them showing up and doing homework, etc. I wanted commitment and I've gotten it. I also had to call one kid out of the rug in front of a parent when homework wasn't done--but while I came down pretty hard, it was done with the intention of reminding expectations that were previously agreed to by the child and parent.

Watching the kids blossom is incredibly rewarding. They have the skills, they use the skills and twenty years from now, I'm confident that some of them may still be knitting (and probably kicking my tush in the "difficulty" levels). I packed three of them in the car on Friday for the Ewetopia Fiber Shop open house. (Different three from last year) As always, watching their eyes when they see just how much cool stuff is in a really good yarn shop is amusing and exciting. The possibilities and potential leap off the shelf at you--and it's in ways I can't even imagine.

Last Kids Knitting for Spring

Tuesday will be the last Kids Knitting Day for Spring 2009 and it's been a successful third round for me. I'm finishing with about 20 kids who have attended more than once or twice, with an average weekly attendance of 14.

Achievements for this spring:

We had crocheting lessons, and at least one girl took to it like a duck to water.
My lone boy learned how to do stranded colorwork.
We had a really successful competition.
The local newspaper featured the group in the paper.
I was interviewed for a local women's magazine in reference to the kids knitting group as well as the Knitting in Public Day.
I've taught several kids how to knit and myriad other tricks of the trade.
I now have a library of circular and double pointed needles I can use for teaching/loan as needed.
I've managed to acquire a swift (winder will be coming), so they'll be able to use the library one rather than mine.
I've book-talked huge piles of books, encouraging them to try new series, new titles, and to trust me to introduce them to new books. A number of them now seek me out regularly in search of something new to read, or willingly accept when I shove a book at them and say "this one made me think of you."

It's not a particularly aggressive program, which is one of the things that works nicely about it. I'm ready for a brief break after five months but am looking forward to a break as a chance to plan new and exciting things for them. This fall I'm scheduling two sessions of an advanced techniques course.

In the interim, I promised snacks next week. I have to figure out what we're having.

Kids Knitting Group: You Never Know What You're Gonna Get

About six weeks ago I issued a challenge to the room full of young knitters. I held two stuffed animals before them, a floppy looking "dog" and a bear in a ski scarf and cap.

"Knit something for them. " I said. "It's due to me on the second week of April. Prizes will be awarded."

Other than pointing out a couple of new knitting books we'd ordered that had some patterns for stuffed animals, I really gave no further directions. I offered help, yarn, pattern assistance, and said that yes, it had to be knitted or crocheted. But I wanted to see what they would come up with without my guidance every step of the way.

On Tuesday, I saw the results. And they were stunning. Pictures are available here and I really suggest you take a look at them. Keep in mind most of these kids are under 12 and the majority haven't been knitting more than a couple of years. I was blown away seeing a knitted boat, a dress with elaborate separate collar, dresses with trim and purses, a pullover hoodie, it was truly incredible.

This of course meant I got to go to the yarn store and fuss over what kind of prizes to get. It was supposed to be an encouragement competition so yes, everyone is getting something but for those who really made an effort and reached out beyond their comfort zone--I'm definitely recognizing that. And yes, they are all yarn focused prizes, what better way to continue to inspire them to knit? One is getting sock needles and sock yarn, another materials to make a really great purse (including handles). The prizes will hopefully inspire to help them grow at knitters.

And me? Pleased as punch and proud of their work.

Knitting in Public Day: The Results Show

I feel like an episode of a reality television show, only there wasn't any voting.

There were, however, knitters. Back up with me to the last week of March, won't you?

Tuesday evening I picked up Franklin from our local Amtrak station, which is very nice and old fashioned. It's also home to a really good BBQ place, in case you care to visit. We went downtown though for Mexican food (Tres Compadres was recommended) and had a lovely chat. It was unusual to be able to pull out my knitting at a meal and not have the other person look at me strangely. Granted, I'd brought only my "walking knitting"--garter stitch/log cabin afghan squares that yes, I do knit while walking.

Wednesday dawned early and it was off with a bang. By 10 a.m. I was through a trip to the grocery for fruit and veggie trays, had a coworker agree to pick up the coffee that was coming from a local shop, and was charging about the library. The first knitters (and a breakfast/lunch donut, courtesy of same sympathetic coworker) arrived just before noon.

Knitters trickled in. About half of my kids group arrived as well as a machine knitter who has brought her machine the last couple of years for demonstration. One of the ladies brought fiber and a drop spindle and by one p.m. had a pretty good circle going learning how to spin yarn. I'm a little afraid the kids are going to ask to learn that next fall. A lady from the local women's magazine dropped by to interview me about having a kid's group here at the library and encouraging kids to do handcraft. It was a good moment to talk about how knitting helps with self-esteem and self identity. Here's a chance to let a child choose how and what to make and design and to show that they can create. It's a very tangible reward to finish a hat or scarf or washcloth, which makes the craft highly appealing.

Raffle prizes also started at 1 p.m. I was very fortunate to be drawing from strong local businesses willing to donate. Overall we had more than 26 gift certificates, books, packages of yarn, etc to give away. I don't remember who got all of the gift certificates to the yarn stores--one of the mom's from my Mom Knit Mornings got one and one of the kids got another. To keep things surprising--each winner got an envelope. If they got a yellow post-it note, they got a package (book, yarn, patterns, etc). Otherwise it was whatever gift certificate they'd drawn.

The afternoon sped quickly by and I even had a little time to sit with my kids and correct a purling problem. The kids group had gotten a mention and a BIG picture in the paper the day before, so the Knitter Boy Age 10 was getting a lot of questions about his projects.

At 4 p.m. I made the call for yarn. Had you brought yarn for the swap? Many knitters had and it poured onto two tables. Tina helped me sort and pass out tickets. Then came one more question--how were we giving people access? I pulled off another strip of tickets, took note of first and last numbers, marked the backs and let each knitter who had donated grab one. They then picked in order of their tickets. This of course after they had to wait until 5 p.m., drooling over the selection.

And the yarn went!! I pulled last, having brought 30 skeins of my own that needed to leave the stash. What I pulled was for my kids group. I also received two big boxes of partial skeins in donation to the kids group and promise of more, so I'll have a refill of my work stash, which is definitely a good and needed thing! At the end of the swap I had two big garbage bags of yarn that will be donated to a RSVP, a local seniors volunteer program. I also, I looked up to see, had a speaker.

Franklin arrived around 5:30 to mingle and meet and greet. We space checked the auditorium and then slowly encouraged the knitters to go downstairs. (I might have done some herding.)

At 6:30 we presented knitted afghans, a community project spearheaded by one of my coworkers, to Place of Grace and the Salvation Army. And then I handed over the floor to Franklin.

He was wonderful. Amusing, engaging, open and honest about being a knitter, particularly a male knitter, and all the challenges that brings us. He reminded us how lucky we are that I take for granted having 4 (technically 5) stores in under a 30 minute drive. Franklin showed off his knitting (a lace shawl he claims is easy), the "angry baby" hood, and a Victorian night cap which has what was then "retro lace" edging.

Afterwards he signed books (a local bookstore sent over an employee with 2 dozen) and we adjourned for dinner with a small group of the knitting faithful. Even Madame Director was able to join us (she'd had to make an appearance elsewhere in the evening).
(Franklin and I)

Overall it was an incredibly successful day, welcoming a large community group and drawing in a lot of interest from passing patrons. And I'd have Franklin back to speak in a heartbeat. The following morning saw us to one of the independent coffee shops and then off to the train. And me back to work to tidy up before heading out to New York.

One note for next year though--in 2010 I want a dedicated all-day minion. Wonder if I can locate a uni or high school student needing volunteer hours.

Knitting is Part of My Job Description, Right?

I just keep finding new ways to sneak knitting into my day and job description. I've added Mom-Knit-Mornings, a child friendly parents knitting group to encourage some of the pre-school moms who have approached me curious about getting an opportunity to knit. It's a small group thus far, which I'm perfectly okay with. We're putting it in the newsletter for the first time for April.

And then there's the annual Knitting in Public day which is....next week. Wow has time flown since January, when I sent a polite and very hopeful little email towards Chicago. Said email was fruitful and last night I sent out the "one week out" email with details and final itinerary.

It's my fan-girl pleasure to welcome Franklin Habit to La Crosse Public Library next week. Franklin, author of a popular knitting blog, minder of a rather troublesome sheep named Dolores and some sock yarn named Harry, photographer, and cartoonist, is coming up to speak to us. Our theme for the day, coined by co-partner with pointy sticks Madame Director, is Keeping You in Stitches: Knitting and Humor. Franklin published a fabulous book of knitting cartoons: I cried from laughing so hard the first time I read it. I'm so excited about next week.

There will be raffles and snacks, we'll be doing a stash swap, a gentleman who learned to knit in Korea is dropping by to talk about his experiences, it's going to be a crazy fun afternoon/evening. I just have decide if I wear the shirt with the knitting ninjas or the shirt that says "Seize the Wool" in Latin.

Last weekend, all in the name of handing out flyers and talking up the event, Our Lady of the Business Office and I went over to the Madison Knitter's Guild Knit In. Seriously, getting Stephanie Pearl-McPhee to sign the rest of her books for me, catching up for a few minutes with last year's Knit in Public Day speaker Joyce Williams, and possibly getting some of world's squishest alpaca yarn had NOTHING to do with it. Just because everyone I've shown the yarn to has tried to sneak off with it.

I hope I've remembered nearly everything we'll need, the clock is ticking. And unfortunately all this knitting doesn't include the really fast approaching deadlines of knitting I have to do before next week.

My life's been taken over by my pointy sticks--that's a good thing.

Caught Doing a Good Thing!

CNN did a feature on the increased use of public libraries during economic downtimes. I know this comes as a huge shock to all of the libraries and librarians faced with an ever increasing set of patrons and requests. (I'd say demands but that has negative connotations and many of the patrons are polite.)

But they featured a very special library: Lebanon Public Library where the Head of Reference (one Sibling-the-Elder) set up a new Business Collection to encourage small businesses in her town.

Bravo!!!

Librarian: One Part Personal Shopper

A part of being a librarian that I really enjoy is collection development: a.k.a. shopping. Getting to go through reviews and select books, music, audiobooks and finding the occasional DVD that I hop up and down and beg the DVD selector for...it's fun! And I'm not spending my money.

However, with that freedom of not spending my money comes the responsibility that I'm spending yours. I'm spending money from the taxpayers and that means I need to choose wisely to meet the highly varied needs of your children. This is why occasionally I'm cross-eyed from wading through reviews and going through my "possible purchase lists", trying to round out the collection. There needs to be a balance of "good literature", classics, popular fiction, mysteries, hard stuff, and snack food reading. And that means that while I have multiple copies of the 2009 Newbury award winning book (Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman) and the latest by Laurence Yep, I'm also going to order the Daisy Meadows and Captain Underpants books--because your third graders are passing those last two around at school, sharing them, and coming to me to ask for them. And often, if I can get them in looking at the snack food books they'll grab something else while they are here. Come on --> the cool books are here at the library....

This morning, for the first time, I ordered books that were a memorial. Money was given to the library children's department in honor of a woman who passed away and it was my responsibility to purchase items that will get a bookplate with her name in them. It sounds simple, order books, insert name plate, shelve. But I spent time considering what I would purchase--items that would circulate, ones we needed, but also books that will have a shelf longevity greater than the Tiara Club or Bionicle series.

I'm in the middle of a heavy weeding project, trying to breathe life and love back into a chapter book collection that hasn't seen it in a while. This means I'm handling every single book, putting holds on ones that are checked out so I can see condition, making the decisions about getting rid of Mary Kate and Ashley, Babysitters Club, or that book that was really popular eight years ago, but hasn't circulated of late. Part of the weeding means that I am replacing a lot of our well-loved and used classics and it was to this list I turned for the memorial.

For the memorial gift I ended up ordering Black Beauty (Anna Sewell); A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Madeline L'Engle); Hard Gold (Avi); and Little Women (Louisa May Alcott). Of the four, only Hard Gold is a new title, but the other three continue to have strong circulation, and they are books parents consistently ask for when looking for something they remember reading as children. And in competition with all of the new and exciting titles I'm buying, classics sometimes go by the wayside because of dull covers--which is why I spent time not only considering titles, but appearance of those titles. How it will appeal to the casual browser is important: we're all book-cover magpies.

So that is part of my day--being a personal shopper of literature and music. Hmm...I wonder if I've included that on my resume.

And now....off to read School Library Journal and pick out some more titles!

A Mild Sense of Vindication

One of the tasks that has landed on my plate over the past year is the care and feeding of our Overdrive collection. I am part of a state-wide group that meets every quarter to decide what audiobooks we'll make available to our patrons. The last two orders, we've been able to start adding mp3, rather than the DRM-laden WMA files. I don't listen to as many audiobooks as I'd like--I can't listen and re-design database forms for the 5th time this year. But that's another blog post.

On the last selection, I noticed that one of the authors available for mp3 selection (it's a short list) was Christine Feehan. I'm a big fan of her "Dark" series, it's one of the few series I own the majority of the books. Knowing she's been on the bestseller list within the past year for at least one of her books, I thought she'd made a good choice for Overdrive.

In the meeting, which was probably 8 or 9 of us from the different library consortia, I learned that apparently I'm the only one who reads paranormal adult romance. But they were willing to take my word that Feehan should circulate and the orders went in. Today I went back to Overdrive to put another hold on a title and I did a quick search for the Feehan books.

All of them are out with multiple holds on them. Granted, demand is slightly skewed because we don't have that many mp3 books yet, but I feel a little bit vindicated. I'm not the only one in Wisconsin listening to these books. (Actually, I don't listen to them, I prefer text for her stuff. But that aside...)

Have to Keep Hopping....

There's an interesting sorta-meme going around called "Day in the Life of a Librarian." While I will refrain from a full minute by minute, I thought I'd share an account of yesterday, so you have an idea.

Times approximate

8:35 --Call WebGuy to let him know that I will be a few minutes late for the meeting: I have to drop the car at the shop because the power steering has decided it doesn't want to play nice.

8:37 --Since the walk from the car shop to the library takes me right past the doughnut shop...well....

9:05 --Hustle upstairs, box of doughnuts in hand (people in my dept duly doughnuted)

9:06 -- Meeting with RA and WebGuy. Discuss some details for new website. Conclude with need for me to draw squares and return them to WebGuy as promptly as possible.

10:20 -- Turn on computer, check email, check intranet for new incident reports and blog posts. Send emails to Madame Director and Madame Immediate Supervisor asking them for five minutes when they get it (separately--different topics/times); Add patron request to acquisition system; Email title to Teen Librarian to confer if I should buy a book or she should.

10:50 --Get call from Acquisitions Guru to understand that this particular sub-series in American Girl does not come through on the standing order but will be ordered today for patron requests. Bow to the wisdom of the Acquisitions Guru. Get call from machine knitter-- should she bring machine again? What day? Yes, March 25.

11:00 --Write out children's dept requirements for registration module for new calendar program

11:30 - 1 -- Draw physical layouts for children's website--where I want editable boxes for staff (draw squares--write in content specifications); Confirm some money details for Knit in Public day; Rewrite current to-do list and attempt to figure out what I can wade through in afternoon.

1 -5: On Desk- Answering reference questions, walking patrons to shelves, putting books on hold, pulling a teacher collection, create registration form for upcoming children's program, reseting children's game computers that require log out to get a game to end (several times), registering patrons for storytimes. Yes, we have tongue twister books --No, all of our copies of the Sneetches are out, can I put it on hold for you?

1:05 Madame Immediate Supervisor swings past desk to review layout of website main page and primary sub pages. Brief discussion on what will need to be updated, how often, and by whom. Meebo WebGuy to say I have my layouts ready.

1:15 Zooming on the computer screen doesn't mean it's going to print out a full sized page. It will print the original size of that image. No, we don't have a color printer down here. There is one upstairs in reference.

1:30 p.m. Review Knit In timeline and other details with Madame Director. Get approval for some purchases, discuss possibility of interviews with unique knitters in the community, debate where to get snacks from and where we can keep snacks for least amount of mess.

3:00 p.m. Is it three already? I've been sending out emails and confirming with my speaker, hammering out other details, begging for flyer expertise from Sibling-the-Elder [a graphic designer: I am not], WebGuy makes flying pass through children's to pick up layouts and point out immediate problems. I promise to discuss next week and have Parents/Educators site mapped out. As he leaves I advise not to lose my square layouts-- he just took my master copy!!

3:30 Visit from one of my pre-schoolers who is in day care now and can't come to storytime as regularly. I hear that the Mike Myers version of the Cat in the Hat movie was "Icky" and was turned off after ten minutes.

3:40 Teen Librarian comes by to discuss book purchases, make a recommendation, talk about Teen website layout, debate the hiring of new Gaming Assistant now that Former GA has moved across an ocean. Teen Librarian exits stage left serving as pied piper of gaming teen boys.

3:45 [phone] No I haven't seen your brother and we've talked about the fact I can't give out information like that over the phone --two minutes later brother walks out of the stacks--Your sister is looking for you. Brother mumbles okay and settles down at game computer with headphones on.

3:50 -- Who's working the weekend? Me. Learn of mayoral candidate to be in children's room on Saturday for meet and greet. (We're having all the primary candidates in for this little gathering. Not a debate, just a chance for voters to come by and ask questions in separate spaces in library.) Note to self: put on a little extra make-up Saturday morning--the press will be probably be here.

4:00-- Attempting to locate various picture books for 3 themes a day care provider is looking for. Success on most of the books. One appears to have vamoosed somewhere between circulation and the shelf in the past 24 hours.

4:40 Do NOT vault over the side of the boat. [3 foot drop] You could get hurt and I don't want anything happening. Alright? Look at me...alright? Okay.

4:42 Okay, off the boat. Yes I know it was him this time and not you but I just spoke to both of you and you're done for the day on the boat.

5:00 Hello Reference? Me. Is Head of TS still up there? This computer won't let me access the F: drive from a website. Yes the F: drive is functioning. On his way down? Awesome.

5:06 [phone] Hello Youth Services....yes, that was me calling from my cell. Five minutes? Okay...

5:10 He's off the boat, she's waiting for Head of TS--he'll be down in five, this teacher collection isn't fully pulled, I've got to get outside for the nice person driving me home. Would you list me on the intranet out until Saturday?

5:11 This pile on my desk; this pile in my bag. And there was no weeding done today. But I did get four things crossed off my to-do list!!

Kids Knitting, the update....

I know you were all frantically wondering how my kids knitting group was going. After today, I think you deserve an update.

Thoughts so far: it's going to be a good crop. All of my kids from last session have returned and I'm trying to encourage them to think outside the garter stitch square. Three of the four "brand new knitters" from week 1 have really taken off. The other one hasn't come back but might yet. It doesn't seem to be a problem that I'm only teaching "intro" on the first week of the month and I haven't had to say "No, I'm not teaching basic knit stitch" today. I've had to sort out some funky knitting and do some refreshing but nobody starting at ground zero.

Unexpectedly: It's going to be a BIG crop. I had 15 kids today. 14 girls and one diligent boy (who is a heck of a knitter, I must say). And they're active knitters. I'm highly encouraged by this. Knitting is good for math skills, creativity and, to paraphrase the Yarn Harlot, I'm passing to a new generation the ability to take sticks, string and your cleverness and create something useful.

Today: We had a slightly disastrous first round of pom poms. Suffice to say I just didn't have enough stuff prepped. But they got the instructions and they got to see how to do it...and I promised we'd do it again next week. So next week don't be surprised if there are a ridiculous number of pompoms emerging from the children's department.

I told them about the Knit in Public Day, details of which are about to spread far and wide and will be reported here once Madame Director and I hammer out a few more things. In the interim...much to do and less time to do it in.

Popular Fiction = Future Classics

Apparently it's a week for people to grab blog post ideas from the conversations raging over at NewLib-L. I might not have ducked back into the fray but for Colleen, who, as always, writes witty and interesting blog posts reminding us that if you behave in an unprofessional manner on a listserv--people will remember. And since we're all human, we'll probably judge you too.

But I have a little lighter fare today, focusing more on whether or not society is falling to pieces because *gasp* popular fiction is what most people are reading. (See NYT Best Seller Lists here for the horror)

I asked the question: "I wonder if there was ever a time that librarians or "the learned" weren't dismayed to find out that patrons/regular people liked to read exciting adventure stories. "

Overall, many of us are amazingly regular reading creatures. We like adventure, a little bit of the fantastic, surprise, romance and the potential of a happy future at the end of the book. The bad guys are captured, the good guys rewarded. And this is, to a great degree, a lot of what happens in popular fiction. A detective finds the missing money, a marriage is proposed, a killer is stopped/discovered, friends are hanging out again, there is hope for the future. I could point to any number of popular authors or syndicated television shows that follow this pattern.

What then becomes "classic literature?" What are the "great books of the ages?" As I mentioned in my post about Dr. Crichton's passing, this is a topic I like to revisit occasionally. What that the lofty among us consider "mere popular fiction" today will ascend to "classic" in one hundred years? What will our great-grandchildren's grandchildren be forced to read that we couldn't get enough of when it first came out?

Personally, I'll still argue for Neal Stephenson and Michael Crichton. The former as being able to blend epic story with more math and science than I ever faced down in the classroom; the latter for heavily researched tales that took on all manner of scientific possibility. I could see Tom Clancy joining the ranks, though more as an example of period literature that could be studied for insight into governmental happenings, international relations, etc rather than perhaps a true classic. And don't make me answer what a true classic is, I'm not really sure. (This after not only an MLS but also a BA in English Literature.)

But I have found that there is nothing like sticking a Newbury or other award winning sticker on a book to sink the circulation rates. Kids don't respond especially well to the implied condescending tone of a group of adults telling them it's a Good Book that they Should Read. And yet, we assume adults are different? Granted, adults are a smidge less likely to let a gold sticker turn them off (and certainly as parents they look for those stickers when choosing for their own children) but the condescension remains. Librarians often get the joy of trying to explain that no, really, just because it's a classic story it's not that dry. I promise the original Three Musketeers is a delightful romp of manly men doing manly things in a time of men being men and women being....spies among other things. I have a harder time with Moby Dick but that's just my inability to get past the first 100 pages...

So I appeal to you--what will become our future classics? What will go by the wayside? Shoot me an email or a comment and I'll post a summary of responses in the coming weeks.

Weeding with a Vengeance: The Last of the Music CDs

(The first part of the saga.)
Ahh the tracking of the elusive music cd. It's a slow hunt. A REALLY slow hunt.

My latest printout was about 40-50 sheets long. Truth be told, I didn't count. I just found out the hard way that it is taking me on average about 10 minutes per page to track down the cds that weren't on the shelf if there is nothing else distracting me. And I have 12 pages left at present count.

The process for each cd that isn't checked off yet:

Is the cd checked out?

If no, when did they get returned? If within last 10 days, I will assume it is actually here.

If they are recently returned or checked out--do I need to see them/pull for replacement? If yes, mark on list in green (if in) or place hold (if out).

If they are "in" but haven't been touched in a couple of months and weren't on the shelf when I went through it--go to another screen and mark them as missing. If someone returns/checks out the cd, they'll go back to regular status. If not, we'll look around a few more times and then there will be some pruning. Either way, once in a missing status patrons can't put holds on them, so there are fewer disappointed patrons and consequently, fewer frustrated staff.

One line at a time--and some of these pages have a full half page of stuff. The good news is that a surprising number of the cds that weren't on the shelf were checked out. I was envisioning a far greater number of missing records. I hadn't realized that many parents and kids were picking up music. Yay that.

And that money I got to replace cds? Well....let's just say I went a little over budget. So I have a healthy "back up list" that I'll pull from once we know final prices on the cds and probably well into next year's budget.

It's been a pretty hefty amount of work but, all in all, once I finish, it will have been just over a week. Not a bad time investment considering the return is happier staff who can find cds patrons ask for and hopefully happier patrons who can find enjoyable music on cds that are in good shape.

So I think it's worth my time, even if I still don't understand why the previous selector bought five copies of the Chicken Little soundtrack.

(For that matter--neither does she)

About the Canada story....

There's a story going around about how a knitting group has been ousted from a library.

Several people have passed this on to me as I happen to not only have a little yarn issue but I have a pretty healthy knitters group here at work. (And in the interest of full disclosure, we're going on a four month break after today-- we're going to do scrapbooking for a few months. Knitting will resume in January.)

I have a feeling we're not getting the full story. It's unclear if the knitting was library sponsored or was an outside group using the space. The Yarn Harlot mentions in today's post that this is a small branch open only part-time without a lot of programming space or staff. That is a very different space to try and coordinate as opposed to my children's department, where we have several spaces we could use for programming and I'm fortunate enough to have the time to take ninety minutes out of my schedule to supervise a small group of attendees while other staff is available to help patrons find books/check things in and out/etc. I have a solid group of knitters but not a huge one and that can be both positive and negative in the eyes of those higher up or in the community.

It is always difficult to know what to cut, what to change and what to promote. Libraries have missions and mission statements, with a focus on literacy and information literacy. Most libraries have increasingly restricted budgets and sky-rocketing materials costs, with patrons who think they should never have to wait more than five minutes after a release date for the latest best-seller or block buster movie. It's a delicate balance of buying copies to meet a need and spending all your money in one place. And trying to make space available to public groups while still having space/time for library programs is an even bigger headache.

I hope the library is successful in being able to create more literary focused programs and events that will appeal to their community. I hope the knitters step up and create a book group. I hope people understand this isn't about hating a specific craft or punishing anyone but trying to meet their mission and the literacy and information needs of their community. And for that book club may I recommend:














Shall I Knit You a Hat?
by Kate Klise

and













Chicks with Sticks (Knit Two Together)
by Elizabeth Lenhard


and













At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much
by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

to start?

(Stephanie even has audio books--they might be able to get together and listen to her read!)

Thought Challenge Response

As yet, I have had the good fortune not to have a book challenged specifically to me. Occasionally, if asked, I've discussed more controversial books with parents (why was there so much fuss about the Higher Power of Lucky?). I've also found myself explaining a suggestion to a parent and seeing them shut down on me when they realize the book has a quality they find unacceptable. This I usually don't take personally--there are books that would have deal-breakers for me as well. But generally, I've been pretty fortunate.

Blogger/Librarian Jamie Larue provided the transcription of a challenge response for a new picture book that he expects will be challenged over the coming year. I share the link with you and strongly encourage you to read it--even if you're not a librarian. It's thoughtful, open minded, and practical. And I hope that I am able to be as thoughtful and considerate should the need arise.

Official Posting Notice for Youth Service Manager Job

Madame Director informs me that the formal job posting is up and I've seen it on a number of job boards. To the resumes!!

Seriously, if you are interested at all, I do recommend applying. There is a lot of potential for growth and development of this department. There is also a lot of potential for baked goods and (if I'm productive) occasional knitted surprises.

What do I think we're looking for? Someone dynamic, enthusiastic, leadership, whimsy, forward thinking, and ready to experiment. Are we willing to look nationally? Absolutely. I came from IL/NY, another reference librarian from OR and a new hire starting next month in another department is from FL. So there's an interesting mix between people who have lived here their entire years and people brand new to the area (and yes, brand new lasts the first 10 years of residence).

Please check out my other post and the job ad. Again, please feel free to send questions my way (email on the blog site) and pass to those you think should be applying.

Want to Work With Me? Head of YS at LPL Position

I've been given a green light to start circulating this information though I don't have a formal job posting available for you as yet.

My immediate supervisor, our Head of Youth Services, will be retiring the first week of August. We are beginning a search for a replacement.

La Crosse, WI is a town of 50,000 on the banks of the Mississippi with a Main Library and two satellite branch libraries. Our youth services department is very lively, with highly attended storytimes and I've got a healthy knitting group that meets on Wednesdays. Our teen librarian does a lot with gaming, which draws in a high number of young men, and we're doing a lock-in in August. The community heavily uses the library and loves coming into our bright and cheerful children's area, where we have computers, puzzles, highly beloved bean bag chairs, and a vintage giraffe. It's a space built and intended for children and has the added benefit of being a little bit separated from the rest of the building, allowing for children to be a little noisier.

The youth services staff (head, 4FT, 2PT, 5 aides) is based at the main branch with forays to the branches for programming and collection development responsibilities. We had a dozen at tie-dying at one of the branches last week and eighty for a program on bi-lingual bugs. We are supported by the community and are blessed with an extremely dynamic director. The staff as a whole is coming to embrace social networking tools with internal blogs, wikis, etc. Our current website is being revamped, yours truly is responsible for the new youth and teen sites when they go up (October).

As many of you know, I came to LPL from Chicago Public Library last November. The staff has been very welcoming. The winter was one of the harsher ones I've survived--but the natives were saying that too, so apparently it wasn't just me. Three local coffee shops within a ten minute walk of the library--one of which makes good soup, another good donuts. If you want to buy there are a lot of houses for sale or there are a number of nice apartment complexes. And I know where to get good waffle fries but have not yet explored the banana splits.

If this sounds interesting, please email me questions and I'll be happy to answer what I can (my email is on my blog website). If you know someone who would be interested, please forward this on to them.

Once the official job posting goes out, I'll let you know.

And, as I said with our last position: We've got a hedgehog and a raccoon-- what can you add to the mix?

A View from the Pigeon Hole

A bit of rant this morning.

As noted before, I have to re-up for ALA this week and I'm not especially pleased about spending another year getting my email filled with yet more ads and having them send me shiny magazines with, at best, two articles each that are written with someone obviously other than me in mind. I understand not everyone has the fascination with RSS feeds that I do but the fact that I'm still seeing a proliferation of "understanding the very basics of xyz 2.0" articles and presentations scares me a wee bit.

I'm still frustrated at the base price of ALA, which provides me with said shiny magazine, a membership card, and discounted prices at conferences where I still have to pay to present. Assuming, of course, that I'd like to spend $1500+ hauling off to each of the bi-annual conferences. [Have you seen airline prices these days?] But what really irritates me is that there is very little place for involvement that doesn't shunt one into a division (at least $35-$50 extra dollars per division) based on library type. I could just join roundtables, which I've done in the past, but I feel like I'm not getting enough out of all of this library networking that we young professionals are supposed to be doing.

Others have tried to argue to me that "you can get cross-library experience in any division." I'm sure that may be true to some degree. However, I generally disagree. In a division you're focused on the problems and needs of that type of library and while some of those problems are universal (funding), many of them are not (best in early literacy). And really, if you're an academic librarian hiring another academic librarian, are you going to be looking with more interest at a resume of a public librarian who was in ALSC or an academic librarian whose name you've heard through ACRL? We are a profession of networkers and that still primarily comes through our divisions. Nothing says pigeon-hole to me like the ALA divisions.

I understand the necessity of grouping like things with like. Certainly college libraries are faced with different challenges than public libraries. But this strongly forced wedging of us means that it is at relatively great expense that we try to branch out to other types of librarianship. Also--my business card says Youth Services Librarian, La Crosse Public Library. Tell me, how many people on appointing committees for ACRL and RUSA would take me seriously? Would I truly be welcome in those divisions? Am I the only one hearing the sound of "Oh, well, she's just a children's librarian" with a polite pat on the head and shuffling me off back more appropriate divisions for my current work? I've already encountered professional condescension because I just work with children. It seems to baffle quite a lot of people that, while yes, I enjoy working with children, it might not be my only aspiration in my professional career.

Librarianship is supposed to be a flexible profession. And certainly I have met, heard of, and talked to librarians who have worked in all manner of libraries. They seem to be, however, the exceptions. Perhaps this is the choice of the professionals. But without our national organization (ALA) strongly encouraging and providing opportunities for us to find what else is out there, isn't it shunting people into neat boxes?

Though not presently job hunting, it is a concern I've had in the past and a legitimate barrier that I've run into that people get hung up on my current job title and forget the flexibility of the training we all underwent. And while I think there are many people in PLA who would be amazing to work with and fascinating to learn from, I wonder as I contemplate that check box on my ALA renewal if it will make me that much more pegged into a specific job type. Of course, professional involvement and professional development will always be what you make of it. I know that and I know I can only reap whatever I'm willing to put into my participation at ALA. I just wish there was a better way to explore more of ALA and more of librarianship without spending the equivalent of a month or two's rent, or at least more easily realized returns which made the investment feel worthwhile.

For those non-library people:
ALA --American Library Association
ALSC--Association for Library Service to Children
ACRL--Assocation of College and Research Libraries
RUSA--Reference and User Services Association
PLA--Public Library Association