Book Review: January 15 Board Book Round-Up

Carter had to take a little break from library books. He figured out how to break a board book. Impossible you might say! Carter's a baby. Board books are indestructible. Well, I'm here to tell you that they are not. In all of my years working in a library, I have never seen a book break like he has destroyed two of his at home. What's even more shocking is he isn't even doing anything out of the ordinary or that destructive to them! He just likes to open them and see how far back the covers can go until it inevitably snaps. It's basic print awareness as he explores the book but maybe a little bit too much. So, no library books for Carter without parent supervision.

We've been reading a lot of new board books together that we get at the library. I'm serving on the Best Books for Babies Committee, so I get to read and review a lot of the new ones from last year. Part of my review process is testing them on Carter. He's a tough critic of books (I wonder where he gets that!). He also is a creature of habit with his books. Sometimes we read Fire Engine Man three times and other nights Llama Llama five times! My favorite is when he has to throw open Pout Pout Fish (and he literally throws it open) just so we can study one page.

Here are some cute books from my committee work and our recent library visit that I tested on Carter. 

Making Faces: A First Book of Emotions

I picked this book up at the library for Carter before I joined the committee but sure enough it ended up on our list. I was drawn to the book because I love baby books with real pictures. To me, the pictures make the reader able to relate better. The baby looks like me or the dog looks like my pet. 

The book shows one baby featuring a different emotion - happiness, anger, sadness, surprise, etc. Then on the next page it shows a range of babies featuring different emotions and the reader has to pick the baby with that page's emotion. At the end there is a mirror, so that the reader can see his own face and emotion.

Carter was very attentive during the book. I wouldn't say he was interactive though with the book. He did like seeing himself at the end and I think if I tried the book again on him I might get a different response. He does seem to gravitate to books with real pictures. He has a similar book at home and he likes to point to the different babies.

Dance by Matthew Van Fleet

I put this book on hold not knowing what it looked like or really even what it was about. It popped up on a list of books for babies. It also then later appeared on our list of books to review for the committee.

I was so excited when it arrived on the hold shelf for me. It's so cute and interactive! There are tabs that the reader can pull to see the animal dance. It seems a lot sturdier than most pop-up/tab books. Of course Carter would probably be a great judge of that but I wouldn't let him touch it. I actually stood while I read it to him. Ha ha!

The sad part is that he completely lost interest. It's very wordy. He liked the animals but was done about halfway through. It's weird because the interactive part works best for a young child while the text is more for an older child I feel. It's too old for babies but too young for preschool. Toddlers would probably enjoy it, especially those that like to dance.

Black Cart & White Cat by Claire Garralon

Carter goes to the library for two reasons in his mind and neither is to get books. He goes to play with the train table and get a cookie. Perhaps this is why he doesn't do well when we go to two other libraries for storytime - no cookie and no train table. So, we were at the library for our weekly visit and I normally pick up any new board books for him. There wasn't much of a selection, so I took this older board book because it looked good and might catch his attention.

I thought he would instantly gravitate to the book because it is about two cats. He was initially excited by that fact. After all, his best friend is a cat. He didn't even get one page in before he was up and walking away off to torment said best friend of course. OK, so not a great book for Carter. Maybe it was the lack of color since it is black and white although the last page is color? Or maybe the lack of words since it is really simple and he's use to a little bit more of a storyline? Whatever the reason, he gave his vote and it was a flat out no.

Regardless, it's simple. I'm sure it's perfect for some babies/toddlers out there just not mine.

So, that my friends, is a board book round up for this week. Head to the library if you don't already with your little one and get them some books and take them to storytime. If you need recommendations of good storytimes, I can give that as well!

Happy Reading!

Where one door closes, another opens...

In life, we often have to make difficult decisions. I made one of those decisions this week when I accepted the library director position at North Versailles Public Library and submitted my resignation from my current position of director of marketing and development and teen librarian at the Western Allegheny Community Library.

 

The decision has prompted a range of emotion. Excitement at the opportunities present at this new position. Sadness at the thought of leaving my coworkers who after three years together have become family. Anxiety at the realization that I'm switching jobs and getting married in the same month. But mostly I'm just happy. Happy to be moving on.

 

When I graduated from Kent State University, I told myself that I wanted to be a library director within three years. I missed the mark on my graduation date but I'm still within a year. I'm proud of the hark work I've completed and the contacts I've made since then and that at the age of 30 (gasp) I will be a library director!

 

So as my final days wind down to a week and I prepare for my replacement (two people!), I'm met with bittersweet feelings. The excitement continues to mount (it probably doesn't help that our wedding is less than a month away!!) but also sadness to say goodbye. As my dear friend Alex says, "It's not goodbye, it's see you later."

 

So, here's to new beginnings (a little closer to home!)!!!

 



Happy National Library Week!

Libraries!  A wonderful thing to celebrate!  Too bad this week has been so stressful and filled with sadness from the events surrounding the marathon that it somewhat got overshadowed.

Libraries are such a fundamental part of society.  Libraries are patrons passport to the world through the magical world of books, innovative programming and state-of-the-art technology.

I could go on and on about how fabulous libraries are but you can read that in my blog post about National Library Week from two weeks ago.  I leave you with these treasures.

What a week!!!

My last post talked about my allergy and asthma interruptions with my marathon training.  I was frustrated last weekend and it didn't help that my cough hadn't subsided by the end of the weekend.  Marathon training wasn't going so well and apparently neither was my week.

The week started not only with disappointment about missing the majority of the inauguration but a bronchitis diagnosis.  I guess I shouldn't have let the cough get that bad but my doctor didn't say anything at my physical the previous Monday.  I was rendered contagious, given an excuse and told to rest.  Although I was completely uncomfortable because I couldn't stop coughing, I did get to watch part of the inauguration.  We all know I live for political events...Democrat or Republican.

By Tuesday, I was back at work.  It was an incredibly long day, which you would think would make me exhausted.  However, I was unable to sleep even with my codeine cough medicine.  So for the next two nights, I had sleepless nights and long days.

Yesterday brought some good news.  Good news does come to those who wait.  Everyone knows that for the last year, if not more, I have been incredibly frustrated at work for a variety of different reasons.  I love my job but I wasn't completely happy.  I received a promotion that will be an excellent stepping stone for future positions in the library field.  It is exactly what I had hoped to do in the library following graduate school.  A position that combines all of my passions and skill sets...  More details to follow later.

Finally, Friday arrived.  I worked today to help my coworker with a big program she was having.  Unfortunately, I have to work tomorrow as well but I will have Tuesday off.  The morning went off fine but then the snow came and my work week ended with a three hour commute in the crappy weather.

Friday is here and the week is FINALLY over!  

I am feeling much better.  I only one more round of my bronchitis steroid.  

Marathon training should be back on track soon.  

I have new job potential at work!

Bring on the weekend of work, rest and a bridal show!

Teen Art

As many of you may already know, the library will be relocating to the new location at the beginning of December.  The teens and I have been anxiously waiting to begin decorating and occupying the new space.

Last weekend, the Teen Advisory Board chose colors (bright blue in the teen area, lime green in the tween area and purple accents).  Then we discussed how we would decorate area.  I have really been pushing for art that they designed rather than posters.  Surprisingly, they agreed!

We decide to make canvases with melted crayons and another with rolled magazine ads.

On Thursday night, other teens got to help with the decorating of the teen area.  We made alcohol ink tiles (another great Pinterest find).

The tiles were surprisingly simple.  All you need is non-porous tiles (only 16 cents at Home Depot), alcohol blending solution (Joann's) and alcohol ink (expensive and I was only able to find it online at Joann's).  You may also use Q-tips or straws for blending.

Each tile turns out completely different.  The teens made one to keep and one to donate to the library for teen room decorations.  They all did a great job and I can't wait to hang them in the new space.  We had 16 teens total and each will now have a special space in the young adult area.

Using My Time and Talents

As if it isn't enough that I spend 40+ hours of my week surrounded by books at work or that I am constantly rearranging my bookshelves at home, I have spent the last year using my time and talents to reorganize the church library.  It has been a long process that came to a culmination last night at the Bethlehem Fallies, a slideshow presentation and fall festival.

I was charged last summer with the task of reorganizing the library by the evangelism committee.  And to be honest, it was a much bigger task than I ever expected.  Realizing that I wouldn't be able to do this by myself, I quickly put together a committee of faithful volunteers to help me with the project. I all of them I great deal of gratitude for assisting with this project.

Our first step was to get rid of books!  My favorite part actually!!  Together we spent an afternoon last fall weeding the collection.  We were able to get rid of an entire trunk full of books.  Now, I'm sure you can imagine the condition of the majority of these church library books - old, vintage looking, yellowing covers, etc., which to a young librarian like myself means TRASHED!

Then my volunteers and I organized the books into categories and did away with the old Dewey Decimal System.  Really?  Who wants to use that in the church library?  Then we labeled the books.  I made shelf strips and some small displays.  I also pulled together a donation list, which brings us to our debut of rave reviews last night at the Bethlehem Fallies.

I am blessed that I had the opportunity to assist the church in this often forgotten ministry but still needed none the less.  The church library often provides resources not found in the public library, those niche to the church, religion and their beliefs.  In addition, it is the archive for a very fundamental institution in the community. 

So my gift to Bethlehem, a church that has been the pillar of my faith journey, an organized library using my time and talents.

And here my friends...the final pictures of what I have been doing the last year.

On a side note, I found some real gems while cleaning the library this weekend.  Pictures of my sisters and best friends over the years at camp, church picnics and other youth group activities.  Priceless.

Using My Books As Art

With all the buzz on Pinterest about using books as art, I've had the urge to reorganize my books and do something fun with them.

 

So, earlier this week I decided to rearrange my four bookshelves by color.  It took me approximately four days but I finished.  I'm not sure how I feel about it.

 

Before my books were organized by category, so all of my fiction was on one shelf, Christmas books together, presidential administrations in the same place and so on.  Now I'm struggling with the fact that my books are in no apparent order except for color coordination.  For a librarian, this is killing me not to have my books in a specific order.

 

Here are some before and after snapshots.  Let me know what you think.

Before:

After:

"May the odds be every in your favor."

Today, I challenged the teens with a Hunger Games scavenger hunt.  I had hid 24 "survival items" throughout the park.  These "survival items" were pictures of items that would be found in the cornucopia, such as a tarp, water or medicine.  On the back of these pictures I wrote a word.  So the first part of their quest was to find all of the pictures (only two teams) did and then unscramble the words found on the back of the pictures to form a quote from the movie.  A few of the teams struggled with this but two teams got the quote almost exactly right.  I won't make you do the scavenger hunt but let's see if you can unscramble the quote.

Words:

I, can, heart, in, of, do, nothing, and, imminent, you, embrace, probability, Abernathy, death, that, Haymitch, the, your, know, your, there's, save, to

The two teen girls that once received Hunger Games bookmarks and a tribute guide or movie guide.  You just get the satisfcation of knowing your Hunger Games trivia.

ArT pArTy!!!

As a librarian, I often struggle to find programs that are appealing to all teen ages and interests and are not repeat programs.  This summer I realized that the teens are really into anything "party."  So basically all I needed to do was pick an idea and call it party.  With that being said, we are having a Glee Party, Glow Party, Zombie Party and on Thursday night, an Art Party.

It was really well-received and registration numbers were great; however, getting them to walk in the door is another story.

Either way the teens that did come had lots of fun.  I divided the room into different stations.  There was the nail polish blotter art (thank you Pinterest); rock painting (I had to bring a little Lakeside to the library); origami lucky stars; self portraits using water colors, duct tape and construction paper scraps; and a photo booth.

The teens were so creative and definitely used their imaginations to explore these artforms and create one-of-a-kind pieces of art.

Looking forward to this week's Glee Party!  All Gleeks welcome!

You Can't Always Get What You Want

As a librarian, I always hope that attendance number will remain high and consistent throughout the entire summer.  Last week was amazing and I had hopes that we would maintain those numbers.

I guess my hopes were too high.

On Monday, we had 14 teens signed up to dissect owl pellets.  Now, that's not a huge number but I was happy with it because I scheduled it because I was hoping more boys would come.  A few hours before the program, however, the township switched our picnic grove.  With the confusion, only six teens ended up coming.  What a let down...

Then last night, I had 25 kids signed up to make glow-in-the-dark t-shirts.  That's a big number and glow-in-the-dark paint in that quantity is not cheap.  Well, seven cancelled within the hour before the program, which is fine because it became a more manageable number since my volunteer wasn't coming either.  It turned out that only eight showed up.  Where were the unaccounted for 10?

I don't know if it was the weather - not wanting to leave the pool or air-conditioning but it was frustrating.  Every teen gets a reminder call to, so they knew about it.

Here's to a better week next week, which actually starts tonight with a sleepover of 30 tweens at the library.  I'm feeling tired already.

All in a week at the library...

People often ask what a typical day in the life of a librarian consists of and the answer is that every day is different, which is one of the reasons I love my job so much.  Each week is no different.

For instance this week, we used our creativity, practiced relaxation and learned crime scene investigation skills.  What a week!

On Monday, the girls made magazine picture frames by rolling colorful pages from magazines into tubes and gluing them on to a shoebox lid.  I was worried they might have trouble but the frames turned out awesome.  They are pretty expensive to buy in the store.

Then on Tuesday the tweens relaxed and learned some new yoga techniques. It was the first time for many of them and they all had a great time, especially during the wall hands, which even the librarians did!  We were supposed to try it outside but it was too hot.

And finally on Wednesday, all of the teens went to PTI to learn crime scene investigation skills from one of the department instructors there.  They learned how to match fingerprints, analyze handwriting samples and determine what evidence was used for a break-in.  I learned that I have a rare fingerprint, which only 5% of the world's population has...interesting.

It was a fun week and I'm excited for next week - owl pellet dissection lab in the park and glow-in-the-dark t-shirts!

Summer Kick-Off: Tie Dye and Paint Party!!

Last Tuesday, the teens officially kicked off summer reading with the annual tie dye program.  This year I added some other colorful elements, including squirt gun painting and crayon art.  The weather was perfect, so the teens were able to work on their projects outside. 

Some of the teens made tie dye shirts first...

...while others used squirt gun and paint to decorate a sheet.  It turned out awesome!  The original idea was to hang the sheet in the teen department at the new library but the teens were so attached to their masterpiece that now I have to very carefully cut it into 20+ squares.

Then others worked on making crayon art with old crayons and a hair dryer (thanks Pinterest).  It was a bit messy but the canvases looked fabulous.  I wanted to keep these for the teen department too but we raffled them off to three lucky participants.

The teens I work with continue to surprise me with their creativity and eagerness to try new things.  Today we made magazine picture frames (I will write a post about this later) and many of the girls had their tie dye shirts on or said they turned out really well and were going to wear them to the next program. 

Summer 2012 is off to a great start at the library!



I think I need a bigger library!

Since October, the library board and staff have been waiting patiently to hear about the possibility of a new library.  Its actually been a 21-year process for some of the staff, since we have continued to outgrow our current space every year.

It's a good problem though when you have a collection that no longer fits on the shelves and programming rooms that are too small for the amount of people attending.  However, after some setbacks in recent years, my coworkers and I have learned deal with these issues.

When I was in graduate school, we learned in some of the classes about moving a library collection or designing a library space but I never dreamed that as a librarian in this economy I would really ever have that opportunity.

Well, after nearly nearly nine months of anticipation...

WE GOT OUR NEW BUILDING!!!

It was official last Friday - May 25.  We will be moving sometime in the near future to a much larger space (three times the size of our current facility).  It is exciting to beginning "a new chapter" and thinking about the possibilities will now be able to offer the community.

I am thrilled to actually be able to offer programs without limits on participants; get my own work space (I finally have a desk, so I'm not really complaining); and have an actual teen department with display space, couches, study tables, etc.  The architect said we can dream big to start!

The new space is a former office/industrial building, so major renovations are needed to make it usable as a community library but even minor updates will be a big improvement to what we are currently working with.

I am so thankful to be a part of this "new chapter" and hope that the youth services department (we are pushing for a combined children's, tween and teen) will be able offer bigger collections, provide better programming and continue to make a difference in the lives of our young patrons.

So here's to a "new chapter"...

I would be lost without my volunteers.

Sometimes, I forget to say thank you but I am blessed with a dedicated team of volunteers at the library who help with programs.  I say I need help...they sign-up; never asking what they will be doing.

Yesterday was no exception at the summer reading kick-off.  The board, staff and teens graciously stepped up to assist with the event.  It would have been impossible without them.

They made cookies.  They registered participants.  They montiored program sign-ups.  They painted faces.  They served pizza.  They watched the moon bounce.  And they dressed up as a character.

With no complaints!

It's not just last night either.  Those same volunteers help me periodically throughout the year and the teens volunteer all year.  Libraries would not function without volunteers.  We are so lucky.

Those who can, do. Those who can do more, volunteer. 

~Author Unknown

Happy Summer Reading!

June 1

For many, this date is insignificant but for me is the start of an event that defines the next three months for me. 

TEEN SUMMER READING!

For the last six months, my colleagues and I have been planning for summer.  We have experienced a range of emotions from stress to excitement.  We have anticipated June 1 since January. 

The evening went well overall.  We expected a bigger turnout but the weather, graduation and another major event in the area prompted different results.

Now, that it is over I'm met with those same emotions - stress and excitement for three months of three-four programs a week. 

Let the summer begin! 

An Accidental Drain Death

Back in October, the children's librarian and myself decided to add a fish tank with tropical fish to the decor of the children's department. So I happily pulled my old fish tank out of storage, a treasured birthday gift from my late grandfather, and donated it to the library. Much to the dismay of the circulation ladies and director, we named those original fish after them. We quickly filled the tank with a collection of zebra danios, mollies and platys. It looked wonderful and the kids absolutely loved it.

Throughout the last six months, we suffered some mass casualties in our happy little fish community. At first we attributed this to a number of different reasons: the big fish were eating the little fish, the fish had ick (ironically the librarian got the flu this same week), the tank was too clean, the tank wasn't clean enough and the list goes on and on. After much thought and frustration after about thirty fish deaths (try explaining all of those to a preschooler), we realized that one fish NEVER died and SURVIVED every mass exodus, Rita, the lone zebra danio from the original fish family. Rita, named after a sweet, older woman who works at the circulation desk, either had a strong will to live or was the culprit in all of these deaths.

Early this week, I decided that the best decision would be to kill those last two fish, including Rita, and start fresh with a clean tank and a brand new set of fish. As today approached though and I prepared to clean the tank, I did not have the heart to murder Rita and her unnamed little fish friend, so I talked one of the other circulation ladies into taking them home for her grandchildren. Knowing that Rita was going to a good home, I put the two fish in a cup in the library kitchen until I had finished cleaning the fish tank, not thinking there would be any problem with that for a few minutes. Well, I cleaned the fish tank and then the hermit crab tank and took the hermit crabs for their weekly walk around the library (yes, I walk our hermit crabs) and went to check on Rita.

I let out a shocked "Oh know" when I saw to my dismay that Rita was no longer in her cup. At this time, Laura and the real Rita joined me in the kitchen to help find the lost fish. The three of us were laying on the floor looking under counters, in repair supplies and behind boxes. We feared the fish had become the latest victim of the library's most unwelcome inhabitant, a mouse or that she had fallen into the repair supplies and the woman who works on those would soon find a dead fish amongst her replacement cases. Just when we were about to give up, we found Rita the fish covered in dust under the counter. Alive! The real Rita grabbed her namesake and headed for the sink to wash her off. At this point, thinking the worst was over, we breathed a sigh of relief.

Wrong! The unnamed friend decided to jump ship and attempt a suicidal plunge right then, so Laura and I jumped around the kitchen trying to catch the fish. We caught him just as the real Rita let out a cry. Rita the fish had squirmed out of her grip and taken a free fall down the drain. So much for our attempts to save her life and find her a new home, she just wanted to continue ruling her watery kingdom in the library fish tank. So, now our little Rita is swimming through the sewers of North Fayette I suppose...

Ah, all in the day of a librarian.

Finished. Finito. Terminado.

However you want to say it...I FINISHED!

What did I finish you might ask? Two grants for $250,000 that were due today. In the end both ended up being nearly an inch thick! Unbelievable! That would explain my absence from life. I should be more relieved I suppose but I feel more like this...

One more grant application to go in the next week and maybe I'll relax.

Keeping my fingers crossed. If these go through....BIG THINGS!

National Library Card Sign-Up Month

In honor of National Library Card Sign-Up Month, a bit of friendly advice from your favorite librarian.

"Get a library card, if you don't already have one!!"

A library card is a passport to the world, the key to unlocking a wealth of knowledge and the ticket to your imagination...

So, you might ask, what will the library card offer me? Well, here is a list of 10 things that your library card can do besides checking books out that you might not have known.

1. Access to e-books for your Nook.

2. Learn a foreign language using a database.

3. Offer periodic discounts at local museums.

4. Get a book from any library in the country!

5. Survive the washing machine.

6. Participate in the summer reading program and win lots of great prizes.

7. Check out books even when the power goes out!

8. Get free Wi-Fi access, even from the parking lot! We like when you come in though!

9. Meet a new friend - the person who signs you up for the card.

10. Educate the future of our communities. Kids can get a library card at three at some libraries.

Yes, that little piece of plastic really does a lot. No they aren't paper anymore! And, we will even give you one for your keychain!

What are you going to do tomorrow then? GET A LIBRARY CARD!!!

Happy National Library Week!

As a librarian and a nerd, I feel it is my civic responsibility to promote the public library and all of the wonderful and FREE services offered there. It is the hidden gem of many communities, an untapped resource just waiting to be discovered.

For instance, the small but aWeSoMe library that I now call home has free yoga classes for everyone, tax assistance for those of us who are numerically challenged and access to a wealth of interesting resources. Imagine what the possibilities are at big libraries then!

So, in honor of National Library Week, I encourage you to get out there and explore your community's library, you may be surprised at what you find!! Get a library card, check out a book, attend a program or say hi to the librarian...we won't tell you to shhh!