Category Archives: Librarianship

Children, Librarianship, Library events

Happy Cookies

Two days ago we got invited to a party with the Stanley Cup at the Garden (the photo of Jim and me with the Cup is here), which was very, very cool.  While we were sitting at a table at the party, I noticed that the kids in attendance were totally jazzed about the special Bruins cookies that party guests could pick up after getting their photo taken.  “Hmmmm,” I thought to myself, “I know Jim and Bill and Judy and I aren’t going to eat our Bruins cookies…what if I brought them to the library and raffled them off to the library kids who come every day after school?  Hmmmmm…”  Especially perfect for a library, since the Bruins were the official sponsors of the Massachusetts summer reading program for the last three summers.

So I carefully carried home three of the cookies, making sure not to crack them or melt the frosting, and first thing yesterday morning I put them on display at the children’s desk with raffle tickets and a bucket (and the photo of me and Jim with the Cup), asking that only kids enter and that each kid only enter once.

And, boy, was that raffle a hit.  I had planned to draw the three winning names at 4:00 this afternoon, but one of my favorite fifth graders came up to me at 3:30 and said, “Abby.  When are you drawing the names for the cookies.”  Not a question, mind you, but a statement.  I told  her I was planning on 4:00, and she looked me in the eye and didn’t say anything.  “Are you leaving before 4?” I asked.  Yes was the answer, so I told her that I would just ask the other kids in the room if they had entered the raffle – to give everyone a fair shot – and that I would then draw the names.

A few minutes of happy chaos ensued, as the dozen or so afterschool kids swarmed the desk so that they could each fill out a raffle ticket.  I had thought that maybe I would duck into my office to quietly pull the winning names, but as I looked around it was obvious that was NOT an option: the crowd wanted to witness the drawing to be sure it was fair.  So I took a deep breath and pulled the name…of a child who wasn’t in attendance.  Time to move fast – the crowd looked ready to turn on me.  I drew the second name – of a fifth grade boy who clearly is a huge Bruins fan.  He chose his cookie (the Stanley Cup cookie) with triumph, and I drew the last name.  This time a sweet third grader won, and grinned from ear to ear as he chose his cookie (the Bruins banner).

Luckily, the non-winners were mostly older kids and all excellent sports, bearing their cookie loss with aplomb.  And joy, too, because it was such a fun spontaneous moment that none of us had expected on a rainy afternoon.  The fifth grade winner let his friends look at his cookie before leaving happily, and the third grader spent a good half hour looking at books on the shelves while holding tightly on to his cookie.

And then an hour or so later, the little girl whose name I drew first came in, and I asked her if she had gotten my phone message.  No, she said, looking puzzled, so I held up her cookie and told her that she had won.  She was so happy that she couldn’t speak – she went over to her mom with the cookie, all smiles and shining eyes.  The family stayed looking at books for a while, and the little girl held her cookie the whole time, cracking it a bit in the plastic bag while she thought out loud about how she would eat it: a little bit each night, with some ice cream.  Kind of reminded me of Frances holding the Chompo bar on her way home from the store…

All in all, it was much, much more fun than if we grownups had eaten the cookies Tuesday night! 

Children's literature, Librarianship, Young adult literature

E-book webinar

Today several of us on the library staff were able to attend parts of the Library Journal/School Library Journal webinar on e-books and libraries.  There were a lot of good statistics about current e-book usage in libraries, and lots of good ideas and lots of questions.  But not many answers.

Many of the questions were questions that I’ve been thinking of myself:  with the rise of e-books, what happens to people who can’t afford e-readers?  What about the different formats of e-readers that don’t talk to each other?  How can libraries incorporate e-books into their budgets and their collections?  How is the advent of e-books going to affect the structure and existence of libraries?  What about the long waiting lists for popular e-books at libraries, when the e-book medium is perceived by the public as being an instant one – instant gratification?  How can libraries explain the need to wait on a list for a certain e-book title, even though that is the way it works for a popular, recently published print version of a book?  And, more specifically for library staff, how to decide which titles to spend limited available funds on?  And which e-book formats are worth investing in?

I had two favorite parts of this e-book summit: several speakers mentioned that libraries will need to change their focus from being solely book-based, and these speakers mentioned that libraries can pump up their programming (storytimes, book groups, etc.) in order to retain a wholly relevant place in the community.  As a programming-ambitious children’s librarian, that’s a lot of what I do.

And the other favorite part for me of the webinar was M.T. Anderson’s closing address.  It was very similar to the closing address that I heard him present at the children’s literature summer institute at Simmons this summer, but I was glad to hear it again.  Anderson is an intelligent, wise speaker, and his talk on e-books is dense and packed with information and meaty thoughts to digest; a second hearing only helped my understanding.  I won’t attempt to summarize his nearly one hour talk in a few sentences here, but I will say that I left both hearings of Anderson’s address feeling hopeful about the future for books and libraries and authors and literature.  Change is nothing new, and change could bring great things to our culture.  It could also bring unpleasantness, but despite Anderson’s balanced presentation (both hopeful and pessimistic), I came away feeling good about my career and my passion for books.  A good way to end an enlightening day.

Librarianship, Library events, Spare time - Culture, Storytime

A better year

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For various reasons, today is my own personal New Year’s Day, and I have a bunch of resolutions for this coming year:

–  I’m going to attend my first highschool reunion, which makes me simultaneously cringe and wonder at the possibilities.  Maybe I’ll reconnect with some cool people.  Maybe.  And hopefully there will be good food.

–  I’m going to step outside my comfort zone (I hate that term, but it does describe the feeling well) and get trained in the “Every Child Ready to Read” program from the American Library Association, with the intention of presenting the program to parents in a series of seminars.

–  I want to, and need to, add some new lesson plans to my repertoire for the Storytime for 2’s and 3’s.  I already have a list of themes that I want to develop, and I’ve already ordered some cool puppets to supplement those themes.  Now to just put in the time to create and develop…

–  I’m looking forward to exploring some additional afterschool programs for the library.  I’ve already got a lot of ideas, so the thought is to schedule these programs and see how they run.  (And no, I’m not going to preview these ideas here first!  But I will let you know how they do…if they’re a success.)

–  I’m looking forward to spending some more time making jewelry.  If only the price of silver would cooperate with my plans and drop to a reasonable level.

–  For this year’s book groups, I’m going to insist that the kids of the older groups trust my judgement and let me pick half of the books (they get to pick and vote on the other half).  I feel like we haven’t been reading enough new fiction lately, and our reading has also been far too fantasy-heavy.  Time for some different genres.

–  And maybe this year will be the year that we “finish” work on our house.  We’re sooooo close, and I really think that we can do it.  It would be nice to transition into maintenance mode from renovation mode.  (And even nicer to have guests over without feeling like we need to apologize for all of our unfinished projects.)

–  Oh, and yeah, I’d like to write a best-selling novel, first in a series, that will enable Jim and me to live in the manner in which we’d like to be accustomed.

Happy New Year!

Children's literature, Librarianship, Spare time - Culture

Boston adventure, upcoming

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From Liz’s comment on my last post, I can see that maybe I made too much of my upcoming visit to Simmons – it’s nothing huge and exciting like grad school (though it would be heavenly to go back to grad school), nor as amazing as having a teaching gig at Simmons (wouldn’t that be something!), but I am pretty psyched for it.  I’ll be attending the Children’s Literature Summer Institute this week, which I’ve only done once before, when I was enrolled in the children’s literature graduate program at Simmons.  I have vivid and terrific memories of that institute all those years ago, and I’m really looking forward to this one, though for different reasons.  The first time around, I was a starry-eyed children’s literature theorist in the making; this time I’m a pragmatic seasoned children’s librarian who spends more time running programs than thinking deep thoughts about children’s literature.  So I’m hoping to get my love of and enthusiasm for children’s literature reinvigorated, and I’m also hoping to meet some new people and make some “professional connections” at the breakout sessions of the same name.  And, of course, listening to all of those incredible authors and getting to meet a few of them isn’t bad, either.  And I’m sure I’ll be toting home a few signed books (though Abby-on-a-budget already bought several at the used book store in order to prevent full-price impulse purchases at the event).

Now if only I could remember how to get to Simmons…it’s that pesky little part after exiting Storrow Drive east at the Fenway exit that’s got me stumped….

Librarianship

Why Libraries Are Awesome

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I took an adult education class on wire wrap jewelry making a couple of months ago, and I am now officially addicted to my new hobby.  I’m still a rank beginner, and most of what I make is for myself, since the finished product is usually a little too wobbly and imperfect to give to another person.  But I’m practicing, practicing, practicing, and am ever eager to learn more ways to use my new skill.

Yesterday I got an offer in the mail for the magazine Step by Step Wire Jewelry (clearly one of the catalogs I’ve been ordering jewelry making supplies from sold my name – humph), and I kind of started salivating as soon as I saw that there was a whole magazine devoted to new wire wrap projects.  And then I went online today to investigate if the magazine is any good – and, sadly for my coffers, it looks like it’s fabulous – and that led me to look at some of the books that the magazine editorial staff has written…and all of a sudden I was on Amazon, ready to spend quarts of money that I don’t have.

Screeching mental brakes.  Wait a second, wait a second, I told myself.  Why am I thinking about buying books that I can’t afford and don’t even know much about?  I might well spend precious money on some books that are worthless to me, and then I’ll just be grumpy and pissed with myself.  GO TO THE LIBRARY CATALOG, my inner voice screamed.  You’re a librarian – you know how to order some interesting looking wire wrap jewelry books via interlibrary loan, and then you can audition the books and try out all kinds of cool projects.  FOR FREE. 

And, you know, you don’t have to be a librarian to do this.  All you need is a library card and internet access, and you can sit in the comfort of your own home and request books for yourself.  And lo and behold, in a week or so those awesome books will arrive at your home library for you to pick up and check out for a few weeks.  And guess what?  If you don’t have internet access at home, or if you would just like a little additional help, you can visit your local library and ask a nice librarian (like me!) to find the books that you’re looking for and request them for you.  And you might just be surprised at how many books are at your local library, meaning that you don’t have to wait a week for them to be delivered from another library in the system.  Wow.  That is cool, huh?

So now I’ve requested six wire wrap jewelry books on my library card, and before you know it I’ll have those books in hand and I’ll be acquiring all kinds of new skills and techniques and ideas.  For free.  Libraries ARE awesome!!!

Children, Librarianship

Happy Holidays!

There have been lots of sweet and thoughtful holiday gifts arriving on my desk this week:  a lovely bookmark with a quote from Thoreau; bath gel and lotion; enormous olives stuffed with feta cheese; a sweet little picture frame; heavenly homemade cookies; homemade marshmallows; a pretty mug with Ghiradelli cocoa mix in it; and all kinds of other awesome stuff.  And then today a cute first grade girl shyly came up to me with a picture that she had made for me (she also inscribed it “To Abby – From Jane Doe,” which I cut off in my photo to preserve her anonymity).  Click on photo to enlarge and to see all of the details, which do get cut off in the thumbnail:

She took a minute to tell me about her picture:  Santa’s bookcase has books, and also Santa’s hat and an elf’s hat.  Then there’s a roaring fire in the fireplace, and Santa’s desk and desk chair.  I LOVE this picture!  It’s on our fridge, in a spot of honor.  I also LOVE that so many people have taken the time and energy to let me know that they care about me this week – it’s really, really nice to be reminded once a year that what you do matters, and that other people notice.  Thanks, everyone, and right back at ‘cha!!!

Children's literature, Librarianship, Young adult literature

One of my favorite links…

As a children’s librarian, I’m constantly bombarded with patrons (both adults and children) who present me with odd-sounding pronunciations for difficult author names.  Eoin Colfer????  I can’t tell you how many different ways I’ve heard his name pronounced.  Rick Riordan???  Almost as bad.  And, until about a year ago, I was just as in the dark about the correct way to pronounce these authors’ names.  But then I discovered one of my favorite reference websites:  the “Author Name Pronunciation Guide” on TeachingBooks.net.  I love that they have an extensive resource of author name pronunciations, and that many living authors have recorded the correct pronunciations of their names, often with fun anecdotes to help the rest of us remember.  Go ahead – give it a try.  I guarantee you’ll be surprised by the right way to say some of your favorite authors’ names!!!

Librarianship, Storytime

On puppets

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While watching The Muppet Movie last night, I was reminded of how great an influence Jim Henson and his compatriots have had on me.  I learned all of my puppet skills from them – and from my older brother and sister – and those skills are one of the most important tools in my children’s librarian toolbox.  Not something you’d think to put on a resume (“Puppet skills: Consistently and competently emulate the Muppets when using puppets”), nor ask about when interviewing a candidate for a children’s librarian position (“That’s great that you have an MLS and ten years of experience, but can you use puppets???”), yet those puppet skills are completely and totally essential to the success of any children’s librarian.  If you can’t use puppets well in a storytime, it means that you’re maintaining too much of your adult ego, and you’re not really living in the moment and letting go – letting things flow.

Which is not to say that I’m perfect at it, because I’m definitely not.  But there are those days, or even just moments, when I bring out a puppet in storytime and forget about Abby and simply focus on the puppet, like I would if I were horsing around with my brother and sister and puppets.  In those moments, something magical truly does happen.  I can see out of the corner of my eyes that the adults, as well as the kids, are transfixed and amused and caught up in the puppet performance.  The irony, of course, is that as soon as I am aware of the audience’s reaction – then I lose the moment.  It’s much like meditation:  you’ll be going along great, meditating really well, and then you realize, “Hey, I’m doing this meditation thing great today!  I’ve totally forgotten about everything else!!!”, and guess what?  You’re not meditating anymore.

But I’m hoping that with more practice I’ll reach that perfect level…puppet nirvana, maybe…and that I’ll be able to sustain my puppeteering for longer periods of time, while being truly conscious of the performance.  That would be awesome.  For now, I’m just happy that I’ve been using puppets more in the Mother Goose on the Loose Storytime.  Instead of using only stuffed animals for the song “When the [hen] gets up in the morning, she always says [cluck],” I’ve started using a rotating selection of puppets, too, and it’s been incredibly cool.  The stuffed animals are very cute, but also static.  The puppets, on the other hand, are animated and engaging: the moms who are chatting at the back of the room stop chatting, and the children who are getting wiggly stop wiggling.  Everyone looks at the goat puppet as I sing to him, and everyone maaas along with him, with some happy giggles here and there in the room.  Best of all are the Folkmanis stage puppets, which have truly malleable faces like Muppets; my favorite stage puppet is the horse, which has quarts of personality, but the lion and the sheep are a close second.

And all this thinking about puppets has inspired me to learn a story to tell with puppets for Thursday’s Preschool Storytime.  It’s not often that I have the time available to memorize a story to tell with puppets, but this week I’m going to make the time (at home, I’m afraid – there’s never the time to do this at work) and Thursday’s storytime is going to be fun.  Puppets rule!!

Blog administration, Librarianship, Library events, Storytime

Reapproaching normal…

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After this long blog hiatus, I’m finally feeling like I’m reapproaching normal (though I’m sure my two siblings will argue that I’ve never been normal…), and it seems like a new blog entry is in order. 

August and early September were a bit tough for me, and that’s all that I’ll say here, but since returning to work on September 7 I’ve been working hard and getting myself caught up.  I have lots of goals for myself this year, some of them my “official” goals for my annual review, others just things that I’d personally like to accomplish:

  • I’ve been creating all new lesson plans and feltboard stories for my Toddler Storytime, so that I can feel more excited about the storytime myself, and hopefully pass that excitement on to the kids and their parents.  I’ve also renamed this storytime, since it turns out that the word “toddler” has negative connotations for parents of three-year-olds; by the time a child is three, a parent no longer thinks of him or her as a toddler, though the age combination of two and three year olds in this storytime has been fantastic.  The two year olds are just learning the drill, the three year olds are serving as role models for the younger kids while gaining in confidence themselves.  It’s a really wonderful age grouping, and I decided that the name of the storytime needed to be less limiting – so it has been renamed, rather blandly perhaps, but descriptively, the “Storytime for 2’s & 3’s.”
  • All those new lesson plans for the Storytime for 2’s & 3’s have inspired me to create some new feltboard stories for exclusive use in the Preschool/Pre-K storytime.  These kids LOVE feltboard stories, and I realized that I need to be using feltboard stories every week with them, rather than every third week as I had been doing.  And, while the feltboard stories that I use for the younger group serve well for the kids ages four and up, the older kids deserve to have some feltboard stories of their very own.  I’ve created a list of books that will translate well to felt, and now I’m going to chip away at creating new feltboard stories on the weekend (as always, in my own time, with my own materials, so that the feltboard creations belong to me and not the library). 
  • With my library director’s enthusiastic blessing, I’ve created a new once-monthly Scrabble Club, inspired by the many, many other libraries in the country who already run successful Scrabble Clubs.  Our first meeting is on a Saturday afternoon in mid-October, open to all ages and all ability levels, and I’m really, really excited about it.  Hopefully there are enough Scrabble enthusiasts in town to get this program rolling, and to sustain it for a long time.
  • Jennifer and I got inspired recently, and rearranged the children’s room, moving the Advanced Reader collection (for grades 5 & 6 and up) to a corner location in the high-stacks section of the children’s room.  This collection was starting to outgrow its original spot in the center, low-stacks portion of the children’s room, so a move was necessary, though labor and sneeze intensive.  A nice side benefit of this move is that the Juvenile fiction collection, now located in that center section, is receiving more attention and more traffic that it did previously.  And another nice side benefit was that a lot of shelves got dusted in the course of the shift.  (We won’t talk about the asthma attack that came later…dust mask next time!)

Of course, these four items are but a few of the things that I’ve been working on this past month, but they are the most interesting and notable.  On this weekend’s schedule:  re-reading Tuesday’s Teen Book Group Book, Mortal Engine by Philip Reeve, making a feltboard story for the “Playing” storytime, and enjoying the gorgeous weather that they say is coming for the weekend.  And maybe a blog entry or two, to get me back on schedule with my blogging…