so i'm trying to use my guitar during storytimes... and yesterday, my theme was halloween. i picked out the rhyme/song ten little witches, which can be sung to the politically incorrect tune of ten little indians. the kids weren't following along; a few of the parents sang along -- i passed out copies of the lyrics...
and during the last round of the song, i screwed up and started singing ten little indians. there were only about 4 kids there with their mothers who were east indies indian. i cringed, stopped, and apologized. no one took offense. 
i've got start prepping my songs earlier, and i learned an important lesson. stick to easy popular songs that the little ones will know.

i've finally got things settled for my where the wild things are program. four branches will be visited by carol, and i'm going to call next week to see if any school are interested in a school visit. i did a display for banned books week that was pretty successful.





i'm currently displaying a coin collection in the display cases. we were really fortunate. the owner of a local coin shop allowed us to borrow $200 worth of coins. he also gave us wheat pennies and foreign coins to distribute to kids. i'll post pictures of that display later.


the thing i'm super excited about right now is librarypalooza. i want to do a small festival to kick off summer reading program with t-shirts, music, a rock climbing wall... my boss is sold. i just waiting to see if the powers that be will sign off on it.

things are still going pretty well for me. i'm so excited about the possibilities of my new position as a children's librarian. also, i have the coolest boss on the planet. she totally has my back and allows me a lot of freedom and flexibility

my co-manager mentioned a storytime series that she used to do; it was called action storytime. she and the kids would read a beginning reader version of a classic, such as 20,000 leagues under the sea, and then reenact battles and voyages. it sounds awesome!
i'm responsible for trying to do more tween programming, and i'm thinking about trying to start a book club centered around the magic treehouse and magic school bus chapter books. maybe we could have a brief discussion of the book of the month and then do a scavenger hunt or something. i'm still trying to figure out where i want to go with it, but i may be able to start it in the spring.

another interesting development... i had no idea that so many people would bring their children into the children's wing and either drop them off or let them run wild. after a few coloring sheets and a visit to the kitchen/play area, the little ones follow the staff around, tear up things, or start playing rowdy games of hide n' seek or worse... i'm interested in trying to find some other activities to keep younger kids occupied.

yesterday, i had to collect the entries from the word of the day contest and sort through them.
what is the word of the day contest? my staff and i post a different word nearly every day, and children define the words to enter the contest. at the end of the month, we draw two winners.
i made the phone calls yesterday evening, and one of the winners actually answered the phone. when i said that ___ ____ had won the contest, the girl started screaming, "i won. mom, i won!" it was super cute, and it made my day.

state library of louisiana is offering public libraries an opportunity to partner with local schools with a donation of the lyrc books. i came up with a plan to promote the books. i really think i could get this grant award. my boss told me i'd do well if even two schools participated and five are interested schools... so far. i have to make the rounds with five more schools tomorrow. i'm really excited.

i did my first storytimes at my new branch/home this week; they went pretty good. i did "discovery hour" yesterday; it's a science and math storytime for ages 3-6. the theme was shapes. i need to work a little harder to be more organized next time, but i didn't completely bomb. i'm nervous again because it's a new group of parents and kids.
today, i used my guitar for twinkle twinkle little star and if you're happy and you know it. i screwed up the chords a few times but the kids totally didn't care or seem to notice; though, one kid seemed horrified by my singing.

i had a low turnout this week; i'm accustomed to having 2 or 3 regulars, but i averaged about 12 kids a week for most of the summer. i was told that attendance drops after fourth of july.
i was so anxious and so excited about a storytime with my guitar for summer reading program. i practiced and practiced. i  even discovered that i am capable of singing while playing, though not very well.
of the two talking children at storytime, one was excited about the guitar and the other not so much... of course, that child's mother is far more enthusiastic about storytime than the child. i'm planning on using my guitar for storytimes this fall, and now i'm nervous. maybe i'll just try using music before and after as filler?!?

bonus: i got a super cute homemade thank you card from one of my storytime babies.

i got a wand this week!
a few weeks ago, i did a magic storytime and the accompanying craft was a wand. i asked my colleague for suggestions, but because of time and available supplies, i ended up improvising.
turns out, my colleague asked another library employee who does woodworking as a hobby if he could make a wand, and he gave her one this week, and she gave it to me...

i got another reminder that i need to work on learning more spanish this week. a woman was browsing our summer reading program display, and i asked if she needed help. she said no and kinda stated that she didn't speak or read english well. i tried to tell her we had books in spanish, but i don't know if i even said that right...
i hate when i can't assist a patron because of a language barrier. i don't think my library system has many bilingual individuals on staff, so i'm trying to learn some basics.

i think i'm going to have to speak with the summer workers about their performance tomorrow. i'm nervous. i don't want to be the mean lady, but i hate when people are slacking. of our three summer workers, one is outstanding, one is middle of the road, and the other refuses to shelve, sometimes cops an attitude when asked to do things, and sketches at the circ desk...

summer reading program has been going great this summer. i spent a lot of time planning my story times so that they would coincide with the overall theme. this past week, the theme was painting. i read i ain't gonna paint no more, lily brown's paintings and look! look! look! we got through all three stories; my goal is usually two.
of course, the craft was painting. i had about seven kids, one of which was the two year-old little brother of a four year-old girl. in the middle of painting, he decided to taste the paint. i was confident that the paint was washable and non-toxic but i still got nervous. the kids really liked painting and it was my first time trying that activity. i had to bribe them with stickers to get them to stop, which reminded me of a few story times a year ago, when i had no stickers, and i bribed them with stamps. i used the same stamp designated for the newspapers, but they didn't know the difference.

i had such an insane day at work.
and don't get me wrong.
i'm still super in love with my job, but i'm still working at two branches multiple days a week. on top of that, two employees recently quit and it directly affects me... i get to keep doing storytime at lakeshore with my babies! i was really emotional today b/c i thought it was gonna be my last storytime and i've gotten attached to the kids. i got picture books for my two regulars -- bats at the library for the boy and twenty-six princesses for the girl.
we had a program tonight, dance dance revolution in the children's department. it was hit, so i'm going to move forward with plans to have a regular game night. we have ddr, rock band, and should be getting nintendo wii soon. i'm hoping i can throw in some board games, too!
i ended up staying an hour past closing, because i'm determined to get the july schedule done tomorrow. the schedule isn't as much of a pain as i'd thought it'd be after i figured out the closings for 4th of july weekend.

i landed my first professional position yesterday. i'm officially a children's librarian.
though it may sound cliche, words cannot express how excited i am.
during the interview, i had the opportunity to ask the head of the library's children's department a couple of questions. her answer to my second question was thought-provoking. i asked, "if time and money were no object, what would be her vision for children's services in our library system?"
she shared that of approximately 100,000 children in our region, 10% sign up for summer reading program, and only half of those complete the program. it was also indicated that we generally have poor turn-outs for evening programs. it's really started the wheels turning in my head.
i know i can't single-handedly change this, but i really want to have an impact. i want to lay low when i first start and observe, but i'm really interested in researching what other library systems are doing and have done. i want to contribute to upping those numbers. i just have to figure out how.

i landed an interview with the library for a professional position. i got an e-mail yesterday asking me to come interview on monday. it may seem automatic to some people that i would just slip right in, but i'm excited.

what would you do if a verbally abusive patron disorganizes half of your library's DVD collection?
and then claims he/she did not know they were arranged in any particular order?

i hate that i haven't posted anything here in a long time but i've had a really rough semester...

i had to comment on the louisiana ethics board. st. tammany parish has come under fire because their library employees have officially been barred for accepting any gifts from patrons, including cookies?!?

i work at -- what often feels like -- the smallest branch in the world, but i can't imagine telling our elderly patrons that we can't accept a tin of shortbread cookies. and my favorite storytime kid (and his mother) gave me a homemade card and chocolate. i don't even celebrate christmas, but i like how sometimes it brings the best out in people. sometimes, you discover someone appreciates you and you had no idea... and maybe it makes your day?

why are we even having this argument? the ethics committee is supposed to be stopping people like william jefferson and eddie price. there's a huge difference between showing someone you care and buying their favor or services.

most patrons have needs that a librarian or associate can meet within five to fifteen minutes. it may be finding a nonfiction book on a particular topic OR a historical fiction novel OR checking out. no problem.
i want to do a good job and i really try to remind myself why i'm there and that i'm not there to judge; i'm there to meet the patron's informational, etc. needs.

but every branch seems to have patrons that are extremely demanding. i'm the unofficial children's librarian, and i'm bothered by parents dropping their kids in my lap for storytime without participating. storytime isn't myspace/facebook hour for parents, especially if you have an ill-behaved/needy child.
but the thing that's driving me bonkers is one parent who is determined to make me tutor his child. i hate that the kid is behind -- five years old and does not know the alphabet, but i don't have enough of a background in pedagogy to help the kid. i can make some suggestions... like books or videos, but if that's not working for you... i'm out of ideas.

i find that i probably wash the top layer of my skin off by the end of a shift at the library. i'm a germophobe and nobody knows where those books, dvds, and magazines have been or who touched them with something gross.
i may wash my hands frequently throughout the day, but what do you do about coming into contact sick coworkers? you just saw jane sneeze/cough and now she's handing you a book to check in or shelve. perhaps you remind yourself not to touch your face? or go wash your hands again?
but what do you do when the germ factory is a small child?

i've shifted the weekly storytime at my branch a few times to find out when is the ideal time. i did try talking to parents before i started the program, but there was no consensus on a good time, so i guessed...
months later, summer reading program is over and school is about to start (for me). i decided to do two storytimes -- one earlier in the day and a later one/repeat for working parents. yesterday, one of my regulars came in after being away for awhile and she said she needed to talk to me; i was nervous and taken aback.
but all she wanted to know was if i could move storytime, because she and the other moms had been talking and the kids get out of school at 2pm and 6pm is dinnertime.
problem solved.
a rapport with your patrons = priceless.

there is a patron, JOHN DOE, who comes in on nearly a daily basis with his son. the patron is physically challenged; the best description i can offer is that it appears that he had a stroke, even though he is only in his late 20s or early 30s, and sometimes we resort to pen-and-paper to communicate with him. 
they're nice patrons but the little boy likes to come behind the counter, play with the scanner, and basically demands a lot of attention. my coworkers have indulged the little boy out of pity, but i've been frustrated. i understand that his father has a disability and that may make his life more challenging, but i feel that it is a basic life skill -- when you enter an institution or place of business -- not to wander behind the counter, play with the stapler, and scan other patrons. 
yesterday, i decided to try to entertain him rather than say "stop" a million times. i had some leftover material from this weeks' storytime craft. so we began making a monkey mask when two other children -- a little girl and her younger brother -- entered the building. the little girl joined us. JOHN DOE said a few things to his son, who pretended not to understand and was silent when asked to translate his father's speech impediment. the little girl started asking questions like kids do, but she asked why JOHN DOE spoke like a baby and asked JOHN DOE, Jr if he understood what was being said. 
to make a long story short, i feel like i should have said something. JOHN DOE handled his son, but i feel like i should have asked some questions or shared some pearls of wisdom about differences. there exists this invisible, unspoken fine line with other people's children. who am i to discipline someone else's child? who am i try to teach someone's else child tolerance? who am i to be silent when someone is being mistreated, misunderstood, or threatened?

at ala, a publisher promised
to send me
a box set of barefoot gen
if i gave him my business card.
he came through.
unfortunately,
the graphic novels
were sent to another branch
by mistake.
my boss
asked the other branch
to forward the books
to cataloging.
so why were they
DONATED to the Friends of the Library?

a little over a month ago, i responded to an article by tony greiner called diversity and the mls. i looked last month to see if my letter would be published and i just found out through a friend that it was published in the most recent issue (7/15). i'm not in love with the title given to my response, but it was published!