A Month Later...

Here I am.  One month since I left the hallowed halls of Uni High School.  I miss the place everyday.  I miss the students.  I miss my co-workers.  I miss the quaint, comfortable, humble library.  I won't lie when I say my last day was rough.  It was cut short, too, which I wasn't prepared for, and I missed giving it a proper goodbye.  (My poor son had a bad day at pre-school, and I was needed at home stat.)  The ending was abrupt, not what I wanted it to be, and maybe that's part of the reason why I miss it so much.

 My bag, all packed up and ready to go.  :(  Such a true statement on it, too.

 The hallway outside the library.  All clean and ready for the summer.  I never saw it this clean and empty during the school year.

But...the good, no GREAT news is...I have been hired to be a school librarian!

That's right, faithful readers, I have been given the position of Library Media Specialist at Mahomet Seymour Junior High School.  So, not only will I be a school librarian, but I will be a MIDDLE SCHOOL librarian!  This was my DREAM!  I have already met with the principal several times, and she seems very supportive of me.  (However, she does want me to weed the collection down to maybe ten books, so I'll have to work with her on that.  OK, maybe a BIT of an overstatement, but the lady wants the old books GONE.)

Mahomet is a small, but growing town, about 15 minutes west from the Champaign area, where I have lived my whole life and where the greatest public university is housed (UIUC, duh). The school district is very different from where I previously worked in Champaign, and change is always good (although a bit scary at first).  The principal is already being supportive of changes I want to make, and she wants the library to be completely overhauled during the next couple of years.  She wants students to WANT to come into the library to read and research, she wants me circulating throughout the library, involved with students' reading choices and levels, collaborating with the teachers, and making the library a comfortable, safe space.  Hey, I want to do all of that stuff, too!  We have grand plans to tear down a wall this summer and make a reading loft, which if that happens before school starts, will be a dream come true!

Oh, and one more thing: The library has a registered Little Free Library.  AWESOME SAUCE!  I did some research on LFL's last fall, and I've always wanted to be involved in one.  Now, I get to do that, too!  The principal said she bets the students don't even know about it, so that'll be one thing I get to pump up, advertise, and get students to help with. 

It's gonna be a busy, whirlwind first year.  It's going to be scary at times, frustrating, stressful, but above all...IT WILL BE OUTRAGEOUS FUN!!!  Keep tuned, because you know I'll be writing about it all along the way.  :)

SENIORS' LAST DAY!

Here are...Friday, May 15, 2015.  The last day for Uni High's Class of 2015.  I know I've only known most of them for nine months, but my life is better because of them.  Being a teacher and working with kids, teens, young adults, or whatever you call them, is a life affirming and life changing career choice.  I have been blessed knowing some of these students for nine months, and I'm even more blessed because I've known some of them since they were 11. 

One of my former students, who I taught in 6th grade, came up to me yesterday and asked, "Is it weird?  You know, seeing us again and watching us go off into the world?

I replied, after composing myself for a moment so I wouldn't start bawling, "No.  It has been WONDERFUL and the greatest honor to see you again and watch you go off into the world."

I never thought I'd see my 6th grade students who got into Uni again, but this assistantship has offered me the unique opportunity to see them again, as they ready themselves to transition into adulthood and attend college.  This has been the greatest and most humbling part of this job for the past year.

Here is my last bulletin board as a grad assistant at Uni, and it's one I made with the Seniors' help.  I got A LOT of responses, and I think it looks great.  I hope some of the underclassmen check out some of their recommendations.

Today's a GOOD Day!

Look what I found!  Some seniors just hanging out, reading some of our new releases.

This is probably the FIRST time they've been able to read for pleasure ALL YEAR.  I'm so glad we had so many fresh, new books to meet their needs and pique their interest.

 (Seriously...we have SO MANY.  There isn't room for any more...but we have more coming in!)

One of those seniors even checked out a couple of books to take home and read.  Hope he gets them done fast...tomorrow's (May 15) their last day!  :(

Isabel Quintero Skype Chat

The Uni library had the honor of hosting a Skype event today with author Isabel Qunitero, who wrote the young adult novel Gabi, A Girl in Pieces.  One of the English classes here at Uni focuses on Native American and Latino/a Literature.  (Talk about a class I wish I would've had in high school!  I had to wait until university to get a class that good.)  The teacher, a wonderfully inspired lady named Ms. Majerus (who also teaches creative writing), simply contacted Isabel Quintero and asked if she'd be willing to Skype with the class...and, she said YES!  How awesome (and simple) is that!?  I'll have to keep that method in mind for when I'm a librarian. 

The students came prepared with some wonderful questions, and Ms. Majerus also asked about Isabel's writing process.  I took some notes down during the conversation, and here are some major points I want to share with you (if nothing else, I can even use this as a reminder for when I'm teaching again...):

Isabel joked that she didn't know she wasn't white until college.  In high school, she never saw herself or her culture reflected in the curriculum.  In college, she found classes that focused, upheld, and praised Latino/a culture, literature, and history.  She wanted to write this young adult book, so Latino/a youth can see themselves in what they read BEFORE they reach college.  She also wanted to write a book for them when the characters weren't only depicted as being in gangs or working in the fields all day.

In high school Isabel encountered e.e. cummings for the first time.  e.e. cummings made Isabel realize that poetry doesn't have to constrictive: it can be FREEING!  With cummings, Isabel saw poetry without punctuation, form, sentences, or structure...she saw poetry unleashed!  She started to write poetry in high school, and Gabi was originally written in verse.  However, after a lot of revision and thought, she made the hard choice to re-write it and publish it as a regular prose novel.

Isabel became a teacher at 23, before becoming a full-time writer, and said she was horrible at it.  She didn't know what she was doing, and she looked like she should be a student.  After taking a creative writing course for fun, she was encouraged by her instructor to write full time.  She became disciplined with her writing: she chose topics carefully, committed herself to revising her work, and she thoroughly researched what she would have to do to become a published writer. 

It was wonderful to be able to sit in and listen to this Skype talk.  Ms. Majerus is hoping to have another one in the next few days, but who that author will be...I'll leave as a surprise!  (Let's just say I'm excited.)

Great Ideas to STEAL!

April and the beginning of May got REALLY busy, because of final projects/end of the semester, so I'm just getting caught up on some blogging right now.  I want to quickly post about a couple of great ideas that came to my attention last month.

As I previously mentioned, April is National Poetry Month.  On the last day of April, Paul, our library technician extraordinaire, copied a variety of poems.  He left them out on one of our tables for students and staff to take with them throughout the day.  He wanted to make sure we all had a POEM IN OUR POCKET.  His selections was varied, eclectic, and all around awesome.

All of the poems Paul had ready.  Most were gone by the end of the day!

The Uni Student Council also did a great thing at the end of April.  During the last week, students could come in and write brief (or lengthy) notes of appreciation for the teachers, for the first week in May was Teacher Appreciation Week.

I was so glad they chose the library as their main hub for this activity.  It was great seeing students huddled around the tables writing notes of thanks to their wonderful, dedicated teachers.

 My favorite poem that I carried around in my pocket on 4/30/15 and the Appreciation Station we had at the Circ Desk.

Muwahahaha!  I love being a Library Thief!  I plan to use both of these ideas for my future library...wherever that may be.  I hope you consider stealing them, too!  

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.

Can You Find the Face Out?

It's amazing what a little face out will do.

Our fiction shelves had gotten very uneven: too many books on one shelf, just a few books on another, etc.  Amy has always said she wanted more face outs on the shelves, so I went through and shifted our entire fiction collection to even out the shelves and make room on the ends for face out books.  I think just a simple face out at the end of the shelves make them look so much more appealing:

For the face outs I tried to pick a wide variety of genres, and I also tried to pick books that might not have been as popular as Amy or I think they should.  I tried to find some that should have more
attention than they currently receive.  

It's too bad I didn't take before pictures.  Of course I wasn't thinking that far ahead.  :(  It is kind of hard to tell with the pictures, but the shelves look quite attractive, and when you walk into the fiction room, your eye is immediately drawn to the shelves quicker.

Since the face outs have been put in place, I've had to replace three of them.  That means three face outs have already been checked out!  I know that's not hard scientific data, but it gives us some indication that they are actually working!

So, if your shelves look a little drab, just do a little shifting and face outing...you won't be sorry! 

Bulletin Board Fun

It's March.  I've been at the Uni High Library since August.  I just found a third bulletin board to play with.  It only took me seven months, I only pass it as I walk into the library everyday, but I mustn't fret.  No, that wouldn't do.  I just need to be thankful I've found it now and have fun coming up with themes for it until I leave in late May. 

The first totally fun theme for this third mini board (cause it is wee) is Library Memes!  Everybody's favorite, right???  RIGHT!  There are way too many fun Library Memes out there, and I fell down the rabbit hole while looking at them, so I just had to choose a few to go up on the board.

I picked some basic black construction paper, so the memes would stand out more, a fun boarder, and then started stapling like mad.  It was a quick board, a FUN board, and I think it makes the entryway to the library look even better.  I just wish I would have realized that was a board seven months ago!  Wait...I said I wouldn't dwell on that.

I think the next thing I'll post on that board will be Celebrities Reading.  Oh, yeah...that will be AWESOME, too! 

LaterPost: What Did You Do on Unofficial?

Every year on the University of Illinois campus, a couple of weeks before Spring Break, Unofficial St. Patrick's Day "celebrations" take place.  This is basically an excuse for all-day binge drinking, or in some cases all-weekend binge drinking.  Since our school is on the UIUC campus, we can't help but be directly affected by this yearly gathering of green beer drinking yahoos...I mean, celebrants.  This year was different, though: this year the Uni campus was on lockdown.

The students were inside ALL DAY.  This was difficult for these young minds, who are used to being able to roam free throughout the campus for lunch and during their free period.  We did the best to keep them occupied.

We had an impromptu Game Day, which had pretty good attendance.  (And, during which I got to see faces I didn't even know.  Hey, when the chips are down, guess you better go to the library, huh?)

Amy gets in on the Bananagram fun! 

Here's the winning hand.

I also put up a lovely new Author Spotlight display for students to gaze upon.  (Pretty sure I saw ONE student notice.)  This month we're having a Pisces Party and spotlighting five different authors born in March under the Pisces sign.  (That title Amy's awesome idea.)

And, if those two efforts weren't enough, Paul created a new poetry contest to whet the students' appetites for National Poetry Month in April.  He's always had Poems of the Week posted, but few students ever take notice.  He brainstormed with another teacher to get ideas on how to highlight these awesome works of poetry he so carefully selects.  The display is now called Poem of the Whenever, and it comes with a quiz!  We've cleared the library doors of clutter, and the poems are now the focal point of the entryway.  Students can now read the poems, complete a quick quiz, and get a prize when they have all the correct answers.  (Yes, we let them use the poems while they take the quiz.  Yes, we let them correct the answers until they have them all right.)

It was a long day, but we all muddled through.  If anything, the students probably appreciate their freedom even more this week...at least I'd like to think they do.



SPECIAL NOTE: We had one student come in and complete the Poem of the Whenever quiz today.  He walked out with a pencil, a piece of chocolate, and a high degree of self satisfaction.

More New Book Fun

Here is one of my favorite New Book rows yet.  I call this Spirals, Bows, & Arrows.

If you want to learn more about one of these awesome titles, here are some links that will help you decide if you want to check them out from your library:

Ghosts of Heaven
Heir of Fire
Mortal Heart
The Universe Versus Alex Woods

What pairing fun have you been having in your library???

Greensleeves

There's a science project goin' on in these here parts, and it's a science free read.  The Subbie group can read any non-fiction science book they want, so that gave Amy and me lots of room to pull cool books for book talks, displays, and a book cart. 

The students can find books in one of three ways: look on the shelves, look on a designated cart in the main room of the library, or seek help from Amy, Paul, or myself for a reference interview.  Amy requested a lot of texts from other libraries on campus, and then she asked me to go into our own collection and seek out interesting titles to face out on the shelves.  This was more fun than I thought it would be.  Here's me being totally honest: I didn't know how many interesting science books there are!*

Three of my favorite science books I pulled, covering three of my favorite topics: Harry Potter, time travel, and Buffy.

Amy started the collection for the Subbies to peruse, Paul processed all of the books and created "temporary" statuses for them, so they're properly acknowledged in the online catalog, and I, well, I had the GREENSLEEVES FACE OUT idea. 

We've put greensleeves on each of the books for the Subbies, and then for each shelf in our collection, I picked one or two texts to cover with a sleeve and do a face out.  We cannot cover each and every non-fiction science text in our collection, but I pulled several I thought were super interesting to do as face outs.  These sleeves draw the students' eyes, and if they like the subject/topic, but not that specific book, they can look down the shelf to find a book with a similar topic.  I will admit that I was proud of my idea, and it has worked.  Students were much more confident looking on the shelves knowing that there would be suggested face outs.  In fact, it worked so well that Amy, Paul, and I only did a few reference interviews. 

This is just another example of collaboration, and how a simple thing like a colored piece of paper can make all the difference in the world for a student to gain confidence in the library.




*CONFESSION TIME...I am not a great scientist: Science is my worst subject on Trivia Crack, and I wanted to enroll our daughter into a STEM school, so she would be sure to have a lot of science instruction in elementary school.  (When I was in elementary school, science was always THE LAST subject my teachers made room to teach.) 

Treasures from the Uni High Library

Well, you just never know what you're going to find in the Uni High library.  So far this year I've found some treasures: a vintage copy of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, cool old covers of class literature by Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and the awesome Uni in-house archives are just a few of the cool things I've found.  A few weeks ago, I found two other treasures. 

The first one was this:

I think what I like best about this find is the fact that it was a face out.  Magic Johnson's seminal account about AIDS avoidance, acquired in 1993 and last checked out from the Uni library in 1996 (see below) is a FACE OUT.  I don't know who made this a face out; probably a student who thought it would be funny.  I don't mind a time machine book, so I haven't changed its face out status since I found it.  If any student checks it out, I WILL take their picture holding the tome, and I WILL ask if I can post the photo. (I would also want to know why/how they plan on using the text.)

Acquisition date in red; mail-away form to order the audioCASSETTE

The last due date for this seminal text?  November 25, 1996--I was a junior in high school at the time.

I probably should read this book to find out exactly how I can avoid AIDS.  I would love to read the 1993 ways in which I can avoid it. 

Another find is this miraculous art tome:

 

I'll make a confession: on Saturday and Sunday afternoons I used to tune in to PBS programming toward the end of the half hour (like 1:25 or 1:55) to see if they'd squish in a Sister Wendy art informational before the next program started.  My dad got me hip to her.  I'm still sad she isn't on PBS anymore (just like I still grieve the lack of Bob Ross).  But, when would these students have ever heard of or seen her?  I mean, I'm glad the book hasn't been weeded, but I don't know how much authority it would hold with the student population of Uni.  I actually made this a face out when a student came in asking me for an art book with brief blurbs about different types of art.  I didn't get her to check this one out, but I encouraged her to search for Sister Wendy shorts on YouTube.  Here's a link to one Sister Wendy program.

Those are the treasures for now.  I hope I can find some more soon!

Revamp & Revise

We loved our Question Board.  It was, and IS, a great idea.  Supervisor Amy felt it needed a bit of a revamp, and boy oh boy was she right.  Our new effort is even better than our original:

This was an awesome collaborative effort with input coming from all three library workers.  Amy wanted to focus on our library mascot, the Dragon which hangs from our ceiling, and now the students have a specific "thing" to talk to.  Paul thought it would be cool to ask the Dragon about its umbrella wings.  I thought it would be awesome to add our completed questions to the new library blog, the Digital Dragon.

The first question...or QUESTIONS...posted were created by us.  Paul brainstormed the wing question, and somehow, I don't even remember how, Amy and I eventually landed on a question about everyone's favorite gonzo food Rocky Mountain Oysters.

I admit, I am very proud of our collaboration and the Dragon's Response (which I helped it write).  The new, revised board is already getting noticed, too:

 Is it a caped crusader?  Nope.  Just an interested Sophomore during Spirit Week reading about Rocky Mountain Oysters.  (Sophs had to wear RED.)

Don't ever stick with an idea if it's not working.  Don't be that silly and stubborn.  Everything we do is an effort, a try, and sometimes after thinking on it, we can revamp, revise, and make something even more fabulous. 

QB is Ready for Uni!

Nope.  No.  That is not quarterback, if you were wondering.  QB is short for Question Board.

Here at Uni, Supervisor Amy is taking a little bit of inspiration from our friends at the UIUC Undergrad Library and starting our very own Question Board.  This will replace our Suggestions Board, and we are hoping for two outcomes: 1) students still feel comfortable to request books for the library, and 2) students AND staff will feel free and excited to fill up the envelope with questions for QB to answer.

QB has been a long-standing tradition at the Undergrad since 1972.  During my brief stint at the UGL as a grad assistant in the Fall of 2013, I got to answer some questions for QB.  Questions there run the gamut from the mundane (Why do public toilets have a U-shape?) to the fantastical (Is Santa Claus real?) to the just downright silly (Who would win: Dumbledore or Gandalf?).  We are hoping the Uni students will have some fun questions, too, and we hope they will look forward to the responses QB will give them.  QB can't guarantee to answer ALL questions, but QB sure will try!  (QB does not believe in gender status, so QB just goes by QB!)

QB does believe in research and citing sources.  With each answer QB will tell what sources were consulted and give any necessary citations.  So, for the Santa example above, QB couldn't just answer, "YES!"  QB would have to provide the research done and some background on how the information was found as well.

The UGL QB started as part of their reference services over 40 years ago, and it's a favorite of UGL staff and patrons.  Our QB is an homage to the original, the biggest, THE BADDEST reference & info board on campus.  We hope we do the original QB justice!

New Year, New Displays

After a sluggish start to the New Year I finally got up two new displays this week.

Our January Author Spotlight is on Isaac Asimov...& Friends!  I found out a few interesting facts about Asimov in my research:

• His date of birth could be anywhere from October 4, 1919-January 2, 1920.  He chose to celebrate his birthday on January 2, hence the Author Spotlight status for this month.
• He died from complications from AIDS.  He contracted HIV from a blood transfusion, but his doctors advised his family not to publicize this at the time of his passing in 1992, since there was still extreme prejudice about AIDS at the time.
• Amy suggested making the display "& Friends," which is perfect, since Asimov is considered one of the "Big Three" of hard science fiction (sci-fi that is steeped in scientific accuracy).  The others of the Big Three are Arthur C. Clarke and Robert A. Heinlein.

I finally took down our trilogies display.  I was sad to see it go.  I replaced it with a display called By the Numbers.  When I was weeding the fiction collection way back in August, I noticed how many books we had with numbers in the title.  It's been in the back of my mind to do a numbers display since then, and I thought now was as good a time as any.  In addition to YA fiction titles, I also pulled a couple of graphic novels and Shakespeare plays (only three of them, even though there could be more).  Most genres are represented as well: realistic fiction, sci-fi, classics, historical, mystery.  I think this display is very well rounded.

Finally, I updated our Let's Go to the Movies display sign.  This month I re-introduced some titles from November and January that are still in theaters.  In lieu of the recently aired Golden Globes, I also indicated which titles were nominated or won. 

This is just practice for the BIG SHOW at the end of February...the Oscars!  I don't know quite yet what that display will be, but I'm excited to start thinking about it!

I can't wait to see what other displays come to my mind in 2015.  If you're interested in them as well, keep checking back!