April is a busy month at my library…two really, really big events are coming up in the next three weeks:  the Lego Expo and a visit from author T.A. Barron.

The last couple of weeks I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night with panicked thoughts about the Lego Expo: “Ack!  I need to make sure I revise the judging guidelines!” & “Holy crap, I’ve got to make sure I send that submission about the Expo to the elementary school newsletter!” & “What happens if no adults enter the adult category, and my six child judges have nothing to judge?!?!?”

And then there are the worries about T.A. Barron’s visit, as I try to publicize the event to the entire town, not just my usual target audience of children, teens, and their parents.  And I do mean the entire town, not just regular library users. I’ve also spent a lot of time promoting his visit amongst the elementary and highschool teachers (and hopefully their students).  And, of course, both Jennifer and I have been working hard to create excitement for his visit with our 4th, 5th, 6th, and teen book groups.  The three younger book groups will have read two of his books by the time he visits, The Lost Years of Merlin and The Hero’s Trail, and the teen book group will have readChild of the Dark Prophecy. We’ll also make use of his documentary film Dream Big: The Inspiring Young Heroes of the Barron Prize.

It always amazes me how much time is required to sort out all the little details for events like these, details that no one else but I will notice – but without which the event wouldn’t be much good.  But really, all the work is always worth it in the end.  I’m really looking forward to both these events…and fingers crossed that all goes as planned for each of them.