School's Out Forever! (?)

Wednesday, August 5, 2015,marked my last time in a GSLIS class.  I was so full of emotion and gratitude that I cried.  That's not hyperbole.  I actually cried.  It's been a dream come true to be a part of the GSLIS family, and it's something I am going to miss immensely.  I've been in the presence of greatness many times, whether it be with world-renowned faculty teaching me (Christine Jenkins and Carol Tilley to name ONLY two) or spending time with classmates who challenged me and pushed me to worker harder than I ever have before and inspired me to approach problems and topics from new angles.  I will think of them fondly and often as I make my way into my own library.  (Well, sort of my library...it really belongs to the kids, let's not forget!)

I had to take a few photos on that last day, so if you'll indulge me...

 

 One of my instructors, Betty Bush, would always do a trivia question at the beginning of class.  You could write down what you thought was the correct answer on a piece of paper, put it into a drawing, and whomever she would draw WITH THE CORRECT ANSWER would get a rubber duckie.  I was in her class for two consecutive semesters.  I NEVER won a duck.  She brought me this graduation duckie on my LAST CLASS.  And, THAT'S why I cried...in front of EVERYONE.

 With my two instructors for my last class.  Georgeann Burch, on the left, was also one of my advisors, and I had her in the Spring of 2015 for Youth Media Center.  The infamous Betty Bush is on the right.  I was told how awesome she is before I even got into the program, and I had her for Youth Fiction and Youth Informational Texts.  She's the one who brought me my duckie!

 On my way out.  :(

 Where I've spent the last two and a half years.

Four full semesters and two summer sessions later...here I am.  All done.  Smiling and sad at the same time.  As always, I am looking forward to the next stage of my life with GREAT excitement and anticipation.  

I hope GSLIS will welcome me back at some point.  I'd love to share my knowledge of the field with others.  Who knows?  Maybe after getting a few years under my belt as a school librarian I can be a guest lecturer.  (That would be aces!) 

After earning a Bachelor's Degree from (English/Education, 2002), a Masters of Education (C&I/Literacy, 2003), and Masters of Science (Library & Information Sciences, 2015)--all from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign--you might say school's out forever.  But, with me...well, you never know.  I don't think I have any desire to earn a PhD: research is not for me, and with my attention span, neither are countless dissertation revisions.  I might go for my Certificate of Advanced Studies in LIS, though.  In fact, I might have already made early plans with another school librarian buddy to do just that.  UIUC, you might not be done with me yet.  As for now, though, you've given me nothing but pleasure: challenging and rewarding coursework, inspiring mentors, and the ability to pursue my dreams (once again).  I thank you, dear Alma Mater.

To Tell or Not to Tell

Ever wonder how librarians spend their Saturday nights?  Well, I'll tell you one thing we sometimes do: particpate in or attend storytelling festivals! 

It's one thing to tell a story around a table to a group of friends or family members.  It is quite another thing to tell a story to a group of strangers.  I got to do the latter this past weekend, as I was asked to participate in the annual Storytelling Festival put on by the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library & Information Science.

 The amazing chalk art mural students from Uni completed for the Storytelling Festival!

It was quite an honor to be a part of the storytellers on Saturday, April 4, 2015.   I feel like the others did a much better job than me: they were steady, professional, extremely well practiced.  I got up there to just have a little fun and tell a personal story about an NSYNC concert I dragged my husband to (my boyfriend at the time).

 The portion of the mural dedicated to my story.  A pretty good chalk rendition of Justin Timberlake with his head set if I do say so myself!

I believe you are never too old to hear a story, and I believe storytelling should be present in every library--public and school.  Not storyTIME...storyTELLING.  We have a master storyteller at the Champaign Public Library, and she is calm, centered, focused, and intense (in the best way) when telling her stories.  Her tongue never trips (as mine often does), and she is as steady as a river when unfolding her tales to the audience.  She is a magnificent site to behold when telling. 

Telling stories might seem like an easy task, but it can actually be quite daunting.  Here is my super fast list of things to think about when setting out to tell a story: 

• You have to consider your audience.  Will they be of a serious nature?  Will they be ready for a good time and some laughs?   Are they an unknown entity that is causing you to stress out even more?
• Then you need to pick a story to tell.  Maybe a folk tale or fairy tale...maybe a personal story...maybe a story you've adapted from a favorite book, TV show, or movie.  
• You'll also need to think about your tone.  Do you want to be lighthearted and whimsical or serious and dramatic? 
• Let's not forget about practicing/rehearsing.  What if your schedule is jam-packed with activities, but you still want to tell a story?  When will you find time to rehearse?
• What if, after all of this thought and consideration, you did not choose wisely, and your effort falls flat on its face during the performance!?!  Wait, don't think about this.  It won't happen!  You'll be great!
• Above all, you should be telling a story because you enjoy it!  The audience should be able to see or feel how much you want to tell a story.  They should be excited as they listen to you unfold your tale of woe or happiness or magic or mystery.

I have found over the past year or so of practicing my storytelling technique that I have a definite style: it's one of laid back comfort.  I want to put you at ease and tell you a story that will usually make you laugh or chuckle...or at least smile a bit.  There are so many dark, serious things going on in the world that I take storytelling opportunities to lighten the mood and transport you to a good time, a fun event, or a warm, inviting place that will let you forget your cares for a moment or two.  As I said earlier, it was an honor to tell a story at this annual festival, and I can only hope to have the opportunity to do so again.

"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.  ;)

Hello! I Want to be Your Librarian!

Today, August 25, 2014, marks the beginning of my second year in the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library & Information Science.  Now.  Before you read any further, I want you to say that three times super fast.  It's kind of hard, huh?  Yeah, that's why we have annoying acronyms: It's a lot quicker to say GSLIS (Giss-Liss).

I know that librarian blogs are a dime a dozen, but I do this more for my own sake.  Kind of a journal, you'd say.  I don't think anyone will really read this.  (Except for my Mom.  She's the BEST, MOST SUPPORTIVE Mom the world's ever seen.  I hope I can be half as awesome as she is at parenting.)  I'm fine with that.  That means I'm just kind of talking to myself (and my mom) at this point.  Let me remind my old self, who is reading this after a long and hopefully fruitful career as a school librarian, what it's been like so far.

I don't really know when I set my heart on being a school librarian: I think the idea was always kind of stuck there in the back of my head.  I had ten wonderful years teaching sixth graders at a public middle school in Champaign, IL, but things started to get a little rough.  I loved my co-workers, the kids, the subject (reading and writing), but I got frustrated with the emphasis placed on testing, making every student--even those with special needs--succumb to the stress of standardized testing, and I felt that it wasn't about student-teacher relationships and respect anymore but how many kids can you make meet this number that others think is an acceptable measure of intelligence.  I am not ignorant: I know that school librarians will also have to be involved with Common Core, and I look forward to my participation in instruction, but I like to think in the library kids can experience a freedom to explore what they want to explore.  I will encourage them to do this and to think outside the box.

The center, or CENTERS, of my life are my husband and our three kids.  They are supporting me on this journey and staying strong through my late night writing/study hours, my spats of irrational mumbling during stressful times when projects and papers are due, and by enduring one too many pizza nights during the week.  (My son and daughter actually don't mind that third pitfall too much.)

I am a wife, mom, teacher, and in-progress librarian.  I love this crazy, busy life God has blessed me with, and I hope you enjoy my crazy adventures in Library Land.  I know I'm going to love sharing them with you (Mom, cause you're the only one reading).