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.

The Lost Art of Typing

We have typewriters here.

We.  Have.  Typewriters.  HERE!

I think it should be a requirement for all students to take keyboarding.  I also think they should have to take it on a typewriter, because gosh darnit, TYPEWRITERS RULE.  I wish I had one at home.  One student came in today to use one/mess around with one.  He said his mom wrote her thesis on a PC, but his dad wrote his thesis on a typewriter. 

I used to love watching my mom and dad type.  My mom was a no-sight kinda gal.  My dad was a hunter and pecker.  It didn't matter, because I could watch them for hours.  I loved listening to the clackety-clack.  My dad used to school me on how to line up the margins, when to press ENTER, how to thread the tape, and the other fine minutia of the lost art of typewriting.  My mom, well, I just used to hand her my papers to type, because she could type super fast (and edit along the way).

There's something so calming, surreal, therapeutic, and peaceful about a typewriter...even though they're loud.  They represent great writing and great writers.  Can you imagine Papa Hemingway behind a PC!?!  No, I didn't think so.

My new goal: find a typewriter--bring it home--USE IT.   (I guess that's THREE goals, but whatever, you get my point.)  I want my kids to know what a typewriter is.  I want their fingers to be able to glide across the keys, and I want their ears to HEAR their progress, as well as their eyes SEEING it.  I want this to be. 

So, this post, although not entirely focused on Library Land, gets back to the point that libraries should buck the trend of only attaining the latest technologies and help up keep and preserve the greatest technologies, too.  We want to give credit to old and new technologies alike, uphold them, savor them, and appreciate them BOTH--old and new--for what they have to offer.  That's what I want MY Library Land to do anyway.