All posts by Abby

attack of the boogers

Seen today at the library:

cute little boy sitting at the smallest table…finger up his nose…pile of brand-new picturebooks on the table next to him…finger comes out of nose, opens the books and starts reading…ew.

In the words of one of the library’s pages, Miles:  “If this were Sesame Street, the books would have eyeballs on stalks and mouths, and they’d be screaming ‘No! No! No!’”

Book group update

Last Tuesday was the 4th grade Bagels n’ Books group, today was the 5th grade book group.  Our book was Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, a book which I thoroughly enjoyed, despite the giant cockroaches and rats and bats.  This is the last time that the two groups will have read the same book, so the last time that I can compare them head-to-head, and it’s really fascinating to note the differences.

The 4th grade group has dwindled a bit in size from its overwhelming high of eleven participants, one of the unfortunate effects of being a library program, but we still have a good core group.  All great kids, all kids who I’ve gotten to know from their visits to the library on non-book group days, but somehow the group still isn’t quite gelling.  We try, but I have to constantly remind them about “book group etiquette,” such as not interrupting each other, valuing each other’s comments, and staying on topic.

In contrast, the fifth grade group, which has grown a bit in size over the months, has gelled quite nicely.  Like the fourth graders, the fifth graders are all great kids as individuals, but they’ve also reached the next level in their development and in their group dynamic.  At the start of today’s discussion, one of the kids said, “Can we be sure we raise our hands, and not interrupt each other?  I think it would be nice if we made sure we stayed on topic, too, so that we can really discuss the book and not be rude.”  And they were fabulous.  I was the adult in the room, but I didn’t need to prompt book discussion: these kids had really thought about the book and had excellent comments about it.  They had a great dialogue, without much help from me, and I enjoyed hearing their insights.  What a pleasure!

And do read the book, if you haven’t.  Good, original fantasy is hard to come by!

Sneak Preview

Ah, dear blog readers, you are the lucky ones.  You are about to receive a sneak preview of the summer program; details which won’t be officially revealed until June…

Almost all of the following are confirmed and official (just waiting on a final call-back from the Museum of Science):

Massachusetts Audubon, Audubon Ark program:  “Birds of Prey”

I was given a choice of several birds of prey to come visit, and I chose a Red-Tail Hawk and a Great Horned Owl.  This program will be two thirty minute sessions, thirty children able to attend each session.  This is probably my favorite program of the summer, though it’s really hard to choose.

Museum of Science, “Night Sky” program

This program is way cool: they bring a large inflatable planetarium to the library, and groups of twenty-five are allowed in for an orientation of the constellations and basic astronomy.

Professor Readalot, aka Greg McAdams, “Catch the Beat”

I had to ask Greg back, since he was the single most popular program last summer.  This guy is amazing, and while he excels at what he does, I would love to see him teaching a classroom of kids.  He’s inspiring, enthusiastic, educational, and way funny.

David Zucker, “Poetry in Motion”

David brings an old steamer trunk with him, full of props, and in a one man show, introduces children to some of the great poets.  This program comes highly recommended, and I love the way it subtly fits the summer theme of “Catch the Beat at your library.”

Ice Cream Social, featuring the band “Colorblind” playing children’s hits with a beat

“Colorblind” has agreed to play at the Ice Cream Social, and they’ll be performing classic kids songs with a beat and a backbone.  Guaranteed that everyone will have a great time!!!
Then there will be several craft programs for children, craft programs for young adults, four movie nights for children, three movie nights for young adults, possibly a Heifer International program, a donation to Heifer International, great prizes, and hopefully a return visit from our favorite singer/group leader for young children.  I’ve probably left something out, since of course I’m writing this at home, but suffice it to say that this summer will be AWESOME!!!

Today’s plan is…

…to go to one of my favorite stores, the West Concord 5 & 10, and buy Valentine supplies for the “Create A Valentine” program that I’ll be running on Valentine’s Day.  The 5 & 10 is the genuine article, funky layout, lots of nooks and crannies, and every possible type of merchandise.  And the prices are reasonable, too.  Many times people ask me why I don’t go to the superstore craft store that’s somewhere west of Harvard, and I reply that it’s a longer drive than the 5 & 10, they probably don’t really have what I’m looking for, and it’s probably more expensive than the 5 & 10.

Given my many years of running a small independent toy store, I’m also a huge advocate for supporting local businesses.  It makes me pretty angry when I hear people complain about dying town centers, and then in the same breath claim that all independent stores have higher prices than the chain and online stores.  Actually, it makes me REALLY angry: a good independent store is highly aware of being price competitive, and is very responsive to its customers’ needs.  Chances are that the product these small stores carry is of far higher quality than what you find in the chain stores, too.  Not to mention the ecological benefits of shopping close to home, since you burn far less fossil fuel driving to a local store (and if you’re lucky enough to live within walking distance, then you don’t have to drive at all).

Since I’ve gotten on this soap box, here’s one more comment: maybe the real problem is that we Americans buy too much STUFF that we don’t need.  How about only buying what you really need, and buying it at a local store in order to preserve town centers?  Certainly Jim and I have been pushed in this direction, due to budget and home size, and now that we’ve gotten into the habit of only buying the essentials, no junk, there’s no way that I’d ever go back.  It’s a cleaner way of living, and also much easier to get a thrill (I splurged and bought myself a magazine the other day, and it felt like a real treat – for only $3.50!).

One more thought: when living simply, there’s much more call to visit your local library and take advantage of all the fabulous free materials available there for you to borrow and enjoy.

And to think that this all started with me talking about buying Valentine supplies.  Does this count as stream-of-consciousness?

Today’s plan is…

…to go to one of my favorite stores, the West Concord 5 & 10, and buy Valentine supplies for the “Create a Valentine” program that I’ll be running on Valentine’s Day.  The 5 & 10 is the genuine article, funky layout, lots of nooks and crannies, and every possible type of merchandise.  And the prices are reasonable, too.  Many times people ask me why I don’t go to the superstore craft store that’s somewhere west of Harvard, and I reply that it’s a longer drive than the 5 & 10, they probably don’t have really have what I’m looking for, and it’s probably more expensive than the 5 & 10. 

Given my many years of running a small independent toy store, I’m also a huge advocate for supporting local businesses.  It makes me pretty angry when I hear people complain about dying local town centers, and then in the same breath claim that all independent stores have higher prices than the chain and online stores.  Actually, it makes me REALLY angry:  a good independent store is highly aware of being price competitive, and is very responsive to its customers’ needs.  Chances are that the product these small stores carry is of far higher quality that what you find in the chain stores, too.  Not to mention the ecological benefits of shopping close to home, since you burn far less fossil fuel driving to a local store (and if you’re lucky enough to live within walking distance, then you don’t have to drive at all).

Since I’ve gotten on this soap box, here’s one more comment: maybe the real problem is that we Americans buy too much STUFF that we don’t need.  How about only buyig what you really need, and buying it at a local store in order to preserve town centers?  Certainly Jim and I have been pushed in this direction, due to budget and home size, and now that we’ve gotten in the habit of only buying the essentials, no junk, there’s no way that I’d ever go back.  It’s a cleaner way of living, and also much easier to get a thrill (I splurged and bought myself a magazine the other day, and it felt like a real treat – for only $3.50!).

One more thought:  when living simply, there’s much more call to visit your local library and take advantage of all the fabulous free materials available there for you to borrow and enjoy.

And to think that this all started with me talking about buying Valentine supplies.  Does this count as stream-of-consciousness?

Weekly update

It’s been a busy week at the library.  Here are some of the things that have been going on:

A local newspaper is working on an article about the teen volunteers who run the Saturday Storytimes and the Games Hour.  The reporter was at the library yesterday, interviewing some teens, witnessing the joyful roar that is Game Hour, and she’ll drop by on Saturday to interview more teens and sit in on the storytime.

The 5th grade is doing a complex project on motion and design, and many 5th graders have come by the library for help in doing research.  It’s relatively easy to find materials for some of the projects – the Wright Brothers, history of the wheel – but for other projects, it’s terribly difficult – the history of load-bearing vehicles, cars of the future, Mars exploratory vehicles.  Nicole, Lisa, and I have been working hard to assist these students, but sometimes it’s tough to find what they need!

The stomach bug has been making the rounds among the staff.  Between the bug and a cold that is starting to raise its head, we’re dropping like flies.

The budget for summer programs seems to be balanced, so now I’m just trying to find a few free moments to make the necessary calls.  Hopefully that will be done today, so that I can reveal the fabulous programs that will be coming this summer!

And one last thing: I’m searching for ways to get donations of paperback books to use as prizes for summer reading.  The books need to be classics, and noncontroversial.  Anyone have ideas of where to go, who to ask?

More preparation for the move

I’m continuing to work on replacing books that are ready to be retired, especially before we make the move to the new building.  It’s a financial juggle, and tests my frugal New Englander skills, but I’m able to still order some great new books, replace the yucky old books, and stay within my monthly budget.  Sometimes I amaze myself!!!  (good thing, since it’s not likely that anyone else will be so thrilled by my frugality…)

I’ve found many, many Newbery award-winning books that are in desperate need of replacement, replete with boogers and mysterious stains and who-knows-what-else stuck within their ancient pages, and I’ve been able to track down attractive replacement copies for all of them.  The old books have no monetary value, for those of you who are wondering, since they’re filthy and have been rebound, and those old books have extremely low circulation.  My goal is to get those replacement copies on the shelf so that today’s kids will have a clean, pretty copy to entice them to read some classic, quality literature.  Because, after all, it’s about getting that content, those words, into the hands of children, and for those children to have an opportunity to read those words for themselves.

The Pats

What a bummer…seeing the Pats lose to the COLTS just now.  And it seemed like we might be able to have a fun Superbowl party this year.  Guess not.  Sigh.
But congrats to Tom and Bill and all the Pats for a great season.  Thanks, guys!

Sand Dollar Summer

I’ve had to put Larklight aside in favor of the teen book club book, Sand Dollar Summer by Kimberly K. Jones.  There are two sessions of the teen book group that will be meeting simultaneously on Tuesday, one for ninth through twelth graders (facilitated by Lisa), and the other for sixth through eighth graders (facilitated by me).  I chose this book, a bit quickly, and based mostly on its cover, which is really cute.  After this meeting, the group will be choosing their own books (with guidance, of course, so that all books chosen are age-appropriate), which is the way it should be.

So what about Sand Dollar Summer?  Initially, it didn’t impress me.  Rather self-consciously written at the start, with the twelve-year-old protagonist frequently commenting on how she hates when adults do _________ (fill in the blank, she uses that phrase a lot, too much).  But it gets better, and by the half-way point the book has grown on me.  The voice of Lise, the protagonist, grows more authentic as the plot progresses, and her mother is beautifully flawed, as many mothers are.  Suffering, introspective, yet loving, Lise’s mom experiences a life-changing automobile accident that is, in turn, changing Lise’s life and outlook on life.

Had I read this book as a middle school student, I would have loved it.  Especially if I had read this summery, ocean-based tale in the middle of winter: Jones’s descriptions of sand ingrained in your hair and sand crunching in your toothpaste are vivid and evocative.  Hopefully the girls in the book group will also like this book…I’ll post an update on their reactions to the book later in the week.

Board plans

I figure that I have time for one last bulletin board display in the old library building.  I’ve checked with Mary, my library director and boss extraordinaire, and she agreed with my idea for this last board display: a preview of the new building.  I’m not quite sure how I’ll pull this together, but my sketchy thought is to post photos of the interior of the new children’s room, give the highlights of the new facility in terms of children’s programming and collection space, and, when we know the exact timeline, post a running countdown to the move.  I know I’ve said this before, but this new building is beyond belief, and I’m beyond thrilled by the future of the Harvard Public Library.  Come in and see the new bulletin board, to be installed in the next couple of weeks!!