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!

Trick or TREAT?

This Halloween Week I got a big TREAT in the Uni High Library: I got to look at, hold, and check in a 1967 Viking Press copy of S.E. Hinton's YA classic The Outsiders.  I don't know if this is a first edition, but knowing that this library is part of the UIUC library and that today we get fresh, new books hot off the presses, I am going to make the assumption that it is.

I am also going to confess that it was very, VERY hard to put it back on the shelf and not slip it into my bag to take home forever (librarian problem #283).  But, that would be beyond unethical.  That would be taking away the enjoyment of others to hold, read, and possess that 1967 copy, if only for awhile.

Received in 1967!

As I mentioned in one of my first posts, I do love looking at original, vintage covers of books.  It tells a story of the book and its history.  I was beyond thrilled to see this copy when I came in earlier this week.

I recently read a New Yorker interview with S.E. Hinton and how she "gave birth" to the young adult genre.  She said when the book was published in 1967, there was no market for a book like hers, and it was a flop at first...until teachers started to use the book in English classes across the country.   All of a sudden, a new genre was born.

"About teen-agers...For teen-agers...By a teen-ager"

Priceless!

I love YA.  There is definitely a need for this genre, too, for teens to see themselves reflected in the written word in genuine, powerful, awesome ways.  I only worry about the YA genre when it becomes the butt of pop culture jokes.  Twilight comes to mind instantly.  It got so many young teen girls reading and devouring books, but it led to a less than optimal film adaptation and an explosion of vampire-erotic series.  I still enjoy the series, and I won't back down from that, but I'm sad of some of the negative YA press that has popped up because of it.

Anyway...I digress.  I got to handle a 1967 copy of S.E. Hinton's classic novel, widely considered the first YA novel.  It's one reason I'm here, one reason why I love to teach YA novels, and because of it, I'll never give up on YA (even though Hinton herself says she doesn't read the genre anymore or feel compelled to write more YA), even when the media and others say grown ups shouldn't read YA. 

Teen Read Week!

It's Teen Read Week!  

I promised I'd let you know about the shenanigans I'm trying to get our students to participate in, so here we go:

1.  FLASH US YOUR BOOKS!  I'm collaborating with friend Kristi Danger Murray Costello at Arkansas State University Writing Center for this one, everybody.  Her group had the great idea that everyone should flash their favorite books.

They are meeting at their campus' fountain, by the student union, on October 22 at noon.  Everyone will read aloud the first line of their favorite book.  Sounds awesome, right?  Well, we might not have a fountain to gather round here, but I am hoping students AND staff will come take a picture holding up their favorite book, so I can create an iMovie/slideshow.  So far we don't have any takers, but it would be a great way to participate with A-State's Writing Center, and I'd upload the iMovie to our YouTube channel at noon on 10/22, as the A-State students are reading.

2.  RECORD A BOOK TRAILER!  Supervisor Amy and I are hoping that this week's recorded book trailers are just a jumping off point for a year-long trailer drive.  We want to post these on our YouTube channel.  We ask, however, that the students have a small index card to consult during their reading/recommendation recording, so it's not just a bunch of rambling.  We'd like them to have a bit of structure and to have their book with them.  We want to continue to record these throughout the year.

3.  TEEN READ OUT!  We want to end the week with a read out.  During our Uni Period on Friday, we want students to come in and read their favorite poem, short story, or the first chapter of their favorite book.  We will have snacks to try to lure those teens in....MUHWAHAHAHA!

Didn't like my ideas?  Well, for Teen Read Week Inspiration, visit the official website.  There are programming ideas, products for purchase, and other information for this awesome week of reading.

I'm super excited about all of these activities, and I hope there's a high level of participation.  I'd love to have at least ten students present for the Teen Read Out on Friday.  We'll just have to wait and see!  Read on, Teens!  Read on, EVERYBODY!!!

Halloween Storytime!

It's never too early to start thinking about Halloween storytime!

I may be working in a high school library, but I want to sing the praises of one of my favorite Halloween books, which just happens to be a picture book...by Jerry Seinfeld.

Seinfeld took one of his best bits and, with the help of illustrator James Bennett, created a Halloween book that should be in every library--personal, public, or school.  The illustrations are childlike, whimsical, full of color, and lil Jerry Seinfeld is adorable.  The font is engaging, big, and bold.  Even if you haven't seen Seinfeld perform this bit of stand-up live, you can still create voices/sound levels and movements that go with the text.  I feel it's the perfect read for Halloween storytime.

When I was a 6th grade reading and writing teacher I would read this every Halloween.  (And, I'd be so sad if Halloween fell on a weekend, because I couldn't perform it for them.)  My students had never heard of Jerry Seinfeld, but they still loved the book, because of the energy and enthusiasm I put into the reading of the text.  And, please, PLEASE let's not forget that picture books are for everyone.  Think about doing this awesome book for a Halloween storytime.  It doesn't matter if you're in a pre-school or a high school, it's sure to be a crowd pleaser and totally awesome!

And, if you haven't enjoyed Seinfeld's original stand-up bit, watch it NOW!

It's Ally Week! It's Teen Read Week!

Time to double down on 11, folks.  We have TWO big things going on in Library Land this week.  Will I be able to handle both competently?  Will I be able to give both their due?  We'll just have to ride out the week and see.

The first thing we'll focus on is Ally Week.  Ally Week started in 2005 by the Gay Straight Lesbian Education Network (GLSEN).  Franklin Middle School in Champaign, where I used to work, participated in that first Ally Week, thanks to the backing of a few supportive staff members, but mostly due to the fact that students who were allies of LGBTQ friends and family members brought it to our attention.

Here's my method for this awesome display.  I consulted the winners and honorees for the Stonewall Book Award, which was first awarded in 1971.  I also went to your good friend and mine, Goodreads Listopia.  There was a list for Popular YA LGBT Books.  Finally, I consulted our friends at the University of Illinois Center for Children's Books' LGBTQ Teens List.  (If you're a librarian and haven't checked out the plethora of Bibliographies on the CCB Website, you NEED to.  I think that might be a future post!)  I started cross-checking titles from the three lists with what we have at Uni and what developed was my favorite, most well-rounded display yet.

The display includes popular fiction YA reads, a couple of classics (like, Annie on My Mind), contemporary classic LGBTQ authors (David Levithan), short story and essay collections, and non-fiction.  I know we have more books in our collection, but I pulled as many as I could fit in our display area.

It is vitally important to make every student welcome, at home, comfortable in the library.  I hope the students I work with always see me as an ally, and not just because it's Ally Week or because I have a display up for a few weeks with books centered upon them or there needs.  I am excited to share this display and these books with the Uni students.  I will continue my celebration of Ally Week no matter where I might end up, and I also hope to compile a reading list of LGBTQ literature for the Uni Library.

That's all for Ally Week...for now.  Next up, we'll explore Teen Read Week and the shenanigans we have planned.

Let's Go to the Movies!

It's here!  It's finally here!  We finally figured out where to put our monthly movie display.  My supervisor, genius that she is, suggested just making a small, mini-display SIGN and placing it on the circ desk.  Each month we can put the book that might be the most popular read/movie next to it.  NOTE: We had our one copy of Gone Girl next to the display for about 30 seconds before an undergrad student requested it.  :(  We had to ship it off to them.

Methodology, you ask?  Well, here it is: Each month I'll replace the titles portion of the board.  I envision just gluing the new sheet on top of the old.  I hope this works, so I don't have to mutilate and shape new cardboard every month.  (It took way too long for me to cut this cardboard from a huge tri-fold we had lying around.  More librarian problems.  Note to self: Learn how to better use an exacto knife.)

With this mini-display, we are publicizing the book to movie selections (like the student advisory committee wanted us to do), and we are utilizing the circ desk to have another layer of information (and fun!) available from where the students check out and ask reference questions.

So far I have already caught several students checking out the display...and mercilessly mocking Nicolas Cage's Left Behind effort.  (There's a grassroots student movement here where they post pictures in each other's lockers with Nic Cage's visage photoshopped on top of cats, princesses, or anything else.  Yes.  It IS mildly disturbing.  Upon seeing the display, one student exclaimed, "NICOLAS CAGE!  YES!"  I wouldn't be surprised, though, if a couple check out the movie just to laugh at him the whole time.)  This is awesome news!  Yay!

Oh, Canada!

Happy October, everybody!  It's been a great start to the school year here in the Uni High Library, and today I got to put up another awesome display to try to keep our readers reading.

You might not know this, but the second Monday in October is Canada's Thanksgiving.  What better way to celebrate the awesome Canadians that have shaped pop and literary landscapes than to devote a book display to them???

To say I had fun doing this is, well, an understatement.  Here's the method to my madness...

I searched various online sites for Canadian authors.  Goodreads' Listopia is always a good place to start, and I also did a basic Google search.  I also found a great site which listed a lot of famous Canadians, aptly entitled Famous Canadians.  From there I started to make scratch notes in my Thinkin' Notebook.  (Yes, that's what it's called.)

Now the real fun started.  I created a powerpoint to be my visuals for the display.  The powerpoint is all about the things we wouldn't have without Canadians.  My favorite is, "Without Canadians We Wouldn't Have...Hey, Girl! Memes."  Oh, Ryan Gosling.  Thank you for being Canadian.

The display is made of books we have in our collection, and this time I got to integrate a non-fiction source (even though I know no one will check it out, it makes the display well-rounded) and a few graphic novels.  (I had no idea the guy that wrote Scott Pilgrim or the guy that wrote Shoeless Joe is Canadian.  Thanks, Google search!)  I was sad we didn't have any Michael Ondaatje in our collection, because The English Patient is one of my favorite books, but I did learn about some new authors (the aforementioned Bryan Lee O'Malley and the crew behind Kill Shakespeare), so that makes this display very satisfying and worthwhile. 

One last observation: Canadian authors like to use their initials--L.M. Montgomery, E.K. Johnston, W.P. Kinsella.  Just a Canadian thing I guess.

Need Laser Disc?

Yeah, we got that...Or, at least we got access to that.

That's right.  Yet ANOTHER perk of being part of the second largest library in the country (second only to those Hah-vud Bunnies): We have access to glorious laser discs.

(And, it's the CRITERION COLLECTION, y'all!!!!)

A student group is doing a project on 2001: A Space Odyssey.  They are reading the book by Arthur C. Clarke, and they want to view Kubrick's movie as well.  The student in charge of getting the movie accidentally requested the LASER DISC instead of the DVD.  Well, that meant I got to do a little joyous happy dance this morning when I got in.

I instantly had flashbacks to watching films on laser disc at my friend's house when I was in high school...and having to wait while her dad flipped the disc over to the other side.  Her dad is somewhat of an amateur movie nut, and he also belonged to the Columbia VHS/Record/CD club.  She would always have the latest and greatest movies at her house before anyone else.  (And, her CD collection was outta this world thanks to those Buy 7, Get One for a Penny deals). 

Anyway...I digress.  The point is: Libraries are awesome.  We are curators of artifacts both timely and historical.  I know not many people use VHS or laser disc anymore, but it's cool to think if one really  needs either of these items they can turn to their library for help in gaining access to them.  This is why I fear libraries becoming totally virtual.  Until it can be proven everyone is out of their VCR's or laser disc players or cassette players, maybe, juuuuuuuuuuust maybe, libraries should still be responsible for helping out the members of their community who still want access to these seemingly outdated technologies.  

"You're Not Cool Anymore"

At the University of Illinois' Graduate School of Library and Information Science, you meet some pretty amazing people.  People who fight for intellectual freedom, academic integrity, and well, COMICS.

I have been lucky enough to have class with Carol Tilley three semesters in a row now.  Carol Tilley is a comics and youth services rock star.  She's just amazing.  She teaches classes on media literacy, graphic novels, cataloging, and youth services.  Not only does Carol share her stories of growing up down the street from a library, serving in a high school library, and her fight to declare comics safe for everyone, she also loves to keep it real.  (And, use Ryan Gosling Hey [Librarian] Girl memes in her lectures.)

At my most recent class with Carol, she reminded all of us in the room that we're not cool anymore.  No matter how hard we try, we'll never be cool enough for the kids we help and teach.  This made me laugh, cause she's so right.  I am not cool enough for the kids at Uni, and I know I'll never be cool enough for the kids I end up teaching...especially if it's in a high school.

I've been thinking about this statement a lot today, and not in a woe-is-me way but in a bemused way.  Yes, I've been thinking, and I've come up with this conclusion: I might not be cool enough, but I AM AWESOME.  I am totally awesome, because I believe in myself, I wear dresses with Brontosauruses and banned book tee-shirts, and I carry a TARDIS lunchbox.  I am awesome, because I drink way too many triple mochas and lattes, I cook awesome food, I love my kids and husband an insane amount, and I discuss YA books with so much enthusiasm that I sometimes scare kids.  (All this girl wanted was a recommendation for a follow up for David Levithan's Boy Meets Boy, and I literally skipped back to The Future of Us and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Will Grayson Will Grayson.  I'm pretty sure she wanted me to calm down.)

Yup, I might not be too cool, but I am awesome, and I cannot wait to share my awesome sauce brand of self with kids in my own library one day.  I just hope they forage through my old exterior and quirks to find out how awesome I really am.  ;)