I Think I'd Die

I have a new dream.  It's lofty...OH SO LOFTY.  But, I can't get the image out of my head.  What image you might ask?  This image:

My new dream is to have David Tennant lead storytime at my future school library.

On Wednesday, the Unofficial David Tennant Facebook page posted that he visited his sister's school earlier this week.  He praised her life's work of assisting and teaching students with special needs.  They then posted pictures of him with the students at the school and reading to them in the assembly room.

There are so many things here going on that makes my head want to explode.

1.  His sister is a teacher for students with special needs, and he praises her.  He knows what a hard, yet rewarding, job this is.  Swoon.
2.  He chums around with the students.  His sister said many of her students absolutely adore Doctor Who, and he made their dreams come true.  Double swoon.

3.  He said his sister asked him to visit, and he still has to do what his older sister tells him to.  Adorable.
4.  He led storytime.  I'll type that one again: HE.  LED.  STORYTIME.  Brain officially BURSTING!

I kind of want to write him an impassioned plea to come visit my school next year, wherever that may be, and beg him to lead storytime.  I have to start crafting this letter now.  Too bad his latest show, Gracepoint on FOX, is bombing in the ratings.  He might be hesitant to visit the States again.  I'll just assure him he'll receive a very warm reception when he arrives at the library.  I need to make this happen.  And, he needs to wear that Mr. Cool tee again.

Just a Regular Day

It's just a regular old day here at the Uni Library, and a day in which I get some more awesome practice at being a future librarian.

The Subbie (grades 7/8 combined) Group is doing a project on Banned Books before the semester is over, and a student came in today needing some help on finding information on Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho.

So, I got to spend the morning talking with her about American Psycho, looking up primary source documents on the furor that American Psycho caused, and helping her navigate online books and request articles from campus storage.  So, all in all, just an awesome morning.  I even got to exercise biting my tongue as to why a 13-year-old shouldn't be reading that violent, drug- and sex-induced satire.  Yay me!  On that note...

As a librarian I am all for not banning books, freedom of speech, and freedom of access, but if my kid wanted to read American Psycho at 13, we would have a discussion about appropriate book selection for one's maturity level.  Part of the project the Subbie Group is doing is completing research BEFORE they read the book as to why it's been banned, and then they have to present a convincing proposal to their parents as to why they should be able to read it.  Before the student gets cleared to read the book, they must present a signed copy of the letter from their parents saying it's fine for them to it.  This is ingenious, and I wish I would have thought of this as a former teacher.  I would like to read this student's letter about American Psycho, because she really, REALLY wants to read it.

In my research this morning I was also reminded of the London musical adaptation of the book starring Whoniverse's Matt Smith, which has a score by 90s one hit wonder, Duncan Sheik.  I have to get my hands on that recording.

Winter Reads

All of a sudden it's winter in these here parts.  We're bundling up, most are cursing the light snowfall that's already occurred (not me!), and it's the perfect time to talk winter reads.  Cause, seriously, what is better than curling up with a good book, a hot cup of something, and a fleece blanket?  Not much, I can tell you that!  (I'm just sad I don't get to do that too much anymore.)

At the beginning of the semester I saw a bulletin board on Pinterest with the title "I Read a Latte!"  Of course, I've had it in the back of mind to use once it got chilly.  I thought I'd save it for January, but it was just too good not to do now.

Here's the method...I found several lists of winter reads--Goodreads, other Pinterest boards, and my own mind (ETHAN FROME!  THE SHINING!  LITTLE WOMEN!).  I used these as a starting point.  After creating a list of chilly reads (that included MANY genres!), I made sure we had the books on the list in our Uni Library.  Then, the real fun began!  I hunted down book covers of the titles, and I got to make them into lil MUGS!  That's right: MUGS!  For lattes...GET IT!?!

Because I was too cheap to buy new border, I just used a book border I already had.  I justified this to myself, because the title is "I Read A LATTE," so a border with a lot of genres present makes sense.  (I do really wish I had a border with snowflakes, though.  But, like I said, not a lot of cash what with kids' birthdays and holidays coming up.)  The final touch was procuring Starbucks cups this morning for the board.  Those were free (as they should be with all the money I spend there). 

This is one of my favorite boards yet.  I hope you like it, too!

Food & Gaiman

I made a diary entry about how "unfortunate" I was to create displays about food and Neil Gaiman.  I hope you know I was kidding!  I just realized I never posted the finished products.

I've known since the beginning of the year that I would do a food display for the Thanksgiving season.  I had fun just roaming around our collection pulling books that had to do with food: I pulled fiction, graphic novels, memoirs, and non-fiction.  I couldn't fit all of the cookbooks we have, so I tried to put a good variety.  Praise be to the heavens that the Uni Collection does have what I think is my most favorite food book of all time: The Gallery of Regrettable Food.  When I worked at Pages for All Ages, we used to pour over this book at the Info Desk.  It is one of my all-time ultimate favorites.

I also made some signage for the display, encouraging students to ask for help if they need to find more food books or want to search for them at one of the public libraries.  I had to use a still from Oliver for this...of course.  This is also how I got a photo of Jamie Oliver included.

The Neil Gaiman display also turned out well and included signage.  Since he's the author of the month, I included info about him: vital stats, his work, his social media sites, etc.  It was great fun collecting his books for the display, but a lot of his books are checked out--no shocker there. 

He's one of the biggest advocates for libraries, and for some great personal stories he has about libraries and being a book nerd, check out these links:

• Libraries are Cultural "Seed Corn"
• Reading Agency Lecture

Library Diary

Dear Library Diary,

What a traumatic day I'm having.  Currently I'm in the middle of two book displays...TWO.  Both of them so hard and tasking to complete.  The first one is a display for food books, aptly titled Food, GLORIOUS, Food.  What with Thanksgiving right around the corner and Christmas, too, I thought our aspiring young chefs at Uni might like some cookery books to peruse.  I've managed to cull fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novels for the display.  But, THEN, when I came in to work today, my thoughtful co-worker, Paul, had placed a copy of Michael Pollan's Cooked on the circ desk for me.  He knew it would be good for the display, and he knew I would like to look through it, too.  I do enjoy Michael Pollan immensely, but now all I want to do is read the book, not work.  Oh, woe is me.  Librarian problems! 

Then, after shifting some displays around, we now have room for THREE different displays to be going at once.  Fun, yes?  Well, sure, but NOW I have to come up with a new Author Spotlight display.  Supervisor Amy suggested Neil Gaiman, which will result in one of the most well-rounded displays I've done, since it will include novels, graphic novels, and picture books.  Neil Gaiman?  Really!?  I have to spend the day looking up information on Neil Gaiman, the man who encourages parents to always read to their children, and everyone to read, read, READ as much as they can. I also have to look up images of him for the display signage? 

UGH!  This job is ridiculous!  Librarian problems ALL DAY, son!

Here's to a better day tomorrow, Library Diary,
amanda

Paradigm Shift: Education Dreams

A lot of people have told me that Uni isn't a "real" library.  Students want to come to the library, they want to study in the library, they're sad they don't get to do enough pleasure reading (because of their rigorous course load), and they are extremely self sufficient.  They still need guidance on finding reliable sources, and they might need some help navigating the University of Illinois online catalog, but they are schooled in this during their first year at Uni.  By the time they are Sophomores, they have a pretty good handle on this.

So, why am I here?  What can I really learn from working in a library where the librarian isn't "as needed" as they might be in a public school library?

1.  I've learned how much students love to interact with their teachers on a personal level.
At Uni I have learned that the gap between teacher and student needs to be bridged.  The conversations I hear between teachers and students at Uni are so much more beneficial than almost any I had with students when I was a teacher.  There still needs to be respect for the teacher, because the teacher is the expert, the one passing on knowledge, but having conversations with students as human beings and not charges is something that I want to encourage and provide in my next step as an educator.  I think this is one reason students love Uni so much: they are respected, and they are encouraged to voice their own opinions.

2.  Students are encouraged to teach others and share their knowledge with everyone.
Every February Uni hosts Agora Days, when staff and students veer off the curriculum map and spend a week exploring things that are interesting to them.  Staff AND students lead sessions during this week of alternative classes.  Here in the library we've started a series called Agora Unleashed, for students who want to get a jump on the February festivities.  This week's topic?  Beyonce and Feminism: The Pop Culture Queen, Her Music, and Her Message.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE working here??

3.  Study Hall is NEEDED.
Remember when you watched 16 Candles when you were little, and you saw Samantha, a Sophomore, in study hall with Jake, a Senior?  You don't?  That was just me?

Well, anyway...study hall is required here, and they are multi-class affairs.  Students getting time to work on their homework and projects during school time is a beautiful thing, and even if they don't work on their homework, they can take a moment, breathe, and read a book of their choice.  Working in schools where study hall isn't required, because we have to be doing curriculum all the time or interventions all the time or making sure we're ready for a test all the time is tiring!  If it's tiring for the teachers, just think how bushed the students must get!  (Oh, and don't even twist this to make it sound students should never get interventions when needed.  They just really, REALLY need a break, too.)

4.  Freedom and responsibility are hallmarks to building student trust.
Students have one free period a day.  They are given the freedom and responsibility to use this time as they see fit.  They can leave the building, study, take a nap, or do whatever they need during that period to better themselves.  I wish I had this.  I wish all buildings could encourage this and build trust between staff and students to make this possible.

Will I be able to do these four things in my library?  Probably not, because they are school-wide initiatives.  Will I be able to encourage a mind shift in my colleagues to experiment with these things that I've learned?  Maybe I could with a few.  I wish that schools would start to rethink education for students, though.  I wish that some teachers would stop thinking of school as a place to cram curriculum down students' throats and to complete timelines.  I think if we could shift our thinking to education as a joyful lifelong pursuit and to instill this in our students, a lot more genuine, authentic learning would take place in public schools.

Encouraging others to think in a new way, to stand up to what has always been, is not easy.  It's scary, intimidating, and I don't know if I can do it.  Maybe this really is just a dream I have, that I'll never see come true.  But, with ideas I'm gaining from Uni, how can I not at least try when I get a school library placement?  With Beyonce telling me I can do it, how can I resist at least trying???

ALL the New Fiction

Remember all of the awesome new fiction books we got last week?  Well, we got even MORE this week!  We have no room for all of the new books in the New Books display.  So, Amy wanted to try something new.

I took a portion of the new books and put them on the "back book display."  This is where I put most of our bigger displays.  We want to see if the books go faster from the back display as opposed to the New Books display that the students see as they walk into the library.

I've been creating informal tally sheets for each display to keep track of which books are checked out from each display.  I've done the same thing for this "display race."  Both displays have some pretty spectacular new books, so I hope a lot of books get checked out.

WHO WILL WIN???

VS.

For the back display, I did create some signage, so students would know what was up.  I even decided to use some Snoopy, because new acquisitions always make me want to do my happy dance.  Winning.

Finally, our awesome library technician, Paul, came up with some great yellow tags to put in each new book to flag it for students. 

Students here at Uni work so hard in their classes, but several do come in to check out books for pleasure reading.  A lot of them tend to check out the same authors: J.R.R. Tolkien, Tamora Pierce, Kristin Cashore.  All are fantastic, but I hope all of this teamwork to push the new books works, because they are awesome and deserve to be read, too!

Monthly Updates

Just a quick update on our ongoing monthlies!

It's NOVEMBER!!!  Which for me means gearing up for my birthday and Thanksgiving.  I love Thanksgiving.  I ADORE Thanksgiving, but I know some people are too hip with it anymore.  (I'm not even going to go into it, because I love giving thanks and spending time with family, but whatever hyper-politicals.)  Instead of focusing on a cute Thanksgiving theme for our suggestions board, I went with an American theme to commemorate Veterans Day.  It's fun, bright, and in your face.  I just hope students aren't confused and think it's a 4th of July display.

I also updated our Books to Film mini-display. 

We're highlighting Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay this month (of course), and I included a few books we don't have in our Uni collection.  I am hoping students will ask how to put the books on reserve at the public library or to request them from one of our other campus libraries.  If this happens...Yay for teachable moments! 

Under the Influence

A couple of weeks ago I sat and thought and thought and THOUGHT about a new bulletin board, but nothing was coming to mind.  I must have thought about it for over two hours.  By the end of my think tank time, my head hurt.  I got home and told my husband of my toiling, and in two seconds flat, he said, "Why not do a board about author influences?  You know, like what other authors have influenced authors?"

Yeah.  He's that good.   I was in awe.  I don't know if that was collaboration, though: just my husband being awesome and thinking of a great idea off the top of my head after I had tried to do the same thing for hours. 

This was the most in-depth and detailed bulletin board I've done yet, so I'll try not to bore you too much with the method.  It took a lot of little steps to get this board done!

• STEP 1: Create a list of relevant YA authors that students at Uni actually check out with semi-regularity, and also include new authors that they should get to know.
• STEP 2: Start reading and researching the authors to find out what has influenced them.  The influences range from TV to art to music to other authors (of course).
• STEP 3: Create a list of what/who influenced whom.
• STEP 4: Hunt down and print pictures of all the authors and influences.
• STEP 5: NEVER LOSE YOUR LIST of influences and try to keep them organized.
• STEP 6: Start creating your board.  Space out your authors, try to group the influences by type (I have TV in one area, movies in another area, etc). 
• STEP 7: After everything is on the board, get lots of strings and lots of thumb tacks and start creating your lines of influence. 

The result might look something like this:

In the end, I'm kind of satisfied with the board.  It looks too crazy-busy for me.  I wonder if the idea would work better with a bigger board?  Because I LOVE the idea, and I'd love to do it again.  I had fun researching all of the authors, and I feel like I know them better now, but I don't think the board is having the WOWZA effect I hoped it would.  I really wish I had colored yarn for the lines, but I needed to get the board done, and all we had in the library was butcher string.  HOWEVER, this was definitely a learning project, so even if it's not perfect, it was still a great experience.