It's All About the People

So, there are those that claim librarians are in the book business and there are those that argue that we are really in the information business. I say we are really in the people business. Yes, we know books and we are trained in techniques to make the hunt for information efficient and effective...but we do this to help people. At the end of a typical work day I go home hoarse and tired because I have talked with so many people. Some of the interactions are simple and brief. Some, more like a brief conversation with a friend...and some patrons will be with me for twenty minutes or a half hour because of some complicated reference question...or sometimes just because they are feeling lonely or scared. The people business.

I think everyone who has worked in a library has come to know the people that frequent the location well. There are the patrons that cause staff to scatter when they walk through the door but then there are those wonderful regulars who you come to love. I had the good fortune of running into one such patron this week. Several years ago, when I was a lowly library aide, there was a grandmother who would come in every week and read stories to her grandson. I would usually be nearby shelving books, and would enjoy the stories almost as much as her grandson, who was about two at the time. I would help them find books, and talk to both of them every week. Then I was promoted, and moved to another location. I thought of them often and wondered what they were both up to. Yesterday, I was subbing at that location, and went into our community room to do a head-count for an irish dance demonstration. I came face to face with a woman, who smiled when our eyes met. She said her name and I immediately went back to those days of "Curious George" and "Henry and Mudge." She remembered my name (wow!) and mentioned that her grandson was now finishing first grade and is one of the top readers in his class. It was hugs all around and comments about how much I enjoyed her stories and how grown up her grandson was. We had a very nice chat, I helped her grandson find some books just like old times, and then they were off.

For all of you out there, take heart: we do touch lives. We provide an important service for PEOPLE and make their lives a little better. Yesterday, was a very good day - I'm going to hold on to that feeling and it will get me though the not-so-good days.

Stories, stories, stories

When I set up this blog, I really did intend on writing a weekly post. Honest. But then life got in the way and well, even though I had plenty to say, I just never had the time to sit and write it down here. With the start of a new year (yes, I know that it is almost March...) I am determined to post something each week.

So today's post is all about stories and resources for storytime. When I last posted I was preparing a baby-lapsit storytime for our local military base library. When I started "Tiny Toes Storytime" in the fall, I presented twice a month. In January took the leap to weekly. At first, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to present a quality storytime every week, but so far, so good. I am even starting to have regulars come back every week. Hmmm, that will make it more difficult to repeat programs!

Today's theme was "Shall We Dance?" I read Farmer Joe and the Music Show by Tony Mitton (great rhyme and rhythm), Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton, Brontorina by James Howe (The problem is not that she was too big to learn to dance, but that the studio was too small), Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andrede (everyone can dance if they can only find the right music), and Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig (Kid's guess who belongs to the dancing feet on each page). We did a couple of fingerplays and action rhymes, sang a couple of songs and danced "The Hokey Pokey" and "Dinosaur Stomp." Even though there were only three kids there, everyone had a good time - and took another step in developing early literacy skills.

One thing that makes creating a weekly storytime easier these days is the availability of good resources. Judy Sierra's books on flannelboards and storytelling are terrific. Collections of rhymes and fingerplays are great sources for "storytime extras." My newest discovery, and current favorite, is Storytime Magic: 400 Fingerplays, Flannelboards, and other activities by Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirker. Well organized and current, it has a wealth of useful information for almost any age group or storytime theme. Some of my favorite online resources include the Kings County and Canton Public Library lists of songs, rhymes and fingerplays. Do you have any favorite resources? Favorite books to read for storytime???

Next week's theme will be cars and trucks...to balance out this week's "girl" theme of dance!

Even though I am still not working full time as a librarian, I am working two days a week for San Diego Public Library. So far, I have worked at 22 of the 35 branches in the system. My favorite work days have been the three days I have been asked to present storytime, due to a last minute absence. The first time it was pretty scary to prepare a program in 25 minutes! Now that I have more experience and resources at my disposal I know I can do it. I find myself hoping that I'll have the opportunity to present a storytime and make another group of children a little happier.

And now for something completely different

With apologies to Monty Python - yesterday I did something completely different which was a lapsit storytime. There were 6 moms there and about a dozen children all under two. I hope the mom's and kids had half as much fun as I did! Three weeks ago, I met with the children's librarian at the Miramar Marine Corps Base Library and volunteered to do this...and immediately began wondering what I done! OK, I know kids and I know books and I have done a few storytimes in my time....for older kids - "but what will I do with the baby-o?" (Quoting the title from one of the resources I used to prepare for this event.)

Well, I did what I have been trained to do - I went to the library and checked out a big stack of resources and possible books to read to this age group. And then I read. I learned about child development, early literacy skills, the difference between prewalkers and walkers...and pretalkers and talkers. I smiled over pages of rhymes, fingerplays and songs. I poured over lists of suggested books and sorted through hundreds of pages of text as well as dozens of websites to help answer questions about the ideal length of a lapsit story time (around 20 minutes), whether it is better to have a theme or no theme and other pressing issues.

Finally, I made my final choices...I decided on a theme: "All About Me" and chose 4 songs (all short) three fingerplays and four books. (Ten Little Fingers by Annie Kubler, illustrator; Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault; Whose Knees Are These? by Jabardi Asim and Whose Nose and Toes? by John Butler) The theme was all about baby and baby's body. I encouraged (and for the most part got) participation and everyone left, 25 minutes later, happy. The program was...about 5 - 10 minutes too long.

I will do another of these programs in two weeks - the theme? All About Me - Dressed for Halloween. I have a few Halloween books that I am thinking about using - mostly about dressing up and going trick-or-treating. If anyone out there has suggestions for the perfect lapsit read aloud or rhyme/fingerplay please let me hear it. I'll trade - here is a great early literacy web resource: http://www.hclib.org./Birthto6/EarlyLit_Choosing.cfm. I especially enjoyed seeing the videos of the fingerplays.

It has been very discouraging having this shiny new MLIS degree and not having a job. This was a great reminder of why I went to school and why I enjoy working in public libraries. Let's hope I get the chance to do this on a regular basis soon.

Phones...not just for making calls anymore

So, here is my first "official" blog entry for class. The assignment: blog about anything related to technology. Where to start? Just for fun I asked my kids what their favorite technology is...I got blank stares from one...a raft of questions from another, "what do you mean? Can I say a teleportation device? Do you mean computers??" and from my youngest (the smart-aleck) "I would have to say it's a toss-up between the wheel and fire." All three are "digital natives" having grown up surrounded by computers and have never known the pain of DOS commands or the world before the Internet. (Yes, it really did exist).

In the past two years of library school, I have been exposed to more technology than I ever thought possible...I have several blogs...I built a website...I can use words like "user experience" as well as bandwidth and processing speed with ease. I have over 100 friends on Facebook and have even built a Facebook page for my library branch to allow us to communicate with patrons that way.

And I have an Android phone. While I do use it to make calls, I also use it to go mobile with everything I can do on my computer. What freedom! What power! What efficiency. Questions can be answered instantly from anywhere, issues are easier to resolve and it has never been easier to communicate. Watching the news and wonder where some international location is? I can pull out the phone and check the Internet for the answers. Library accounts, the catalog and databases are all available 24/7 to anyone with a phone that can access the internet - reference services, too. According to the Pew Internet Project studies - more and more people are "going mobile" and they are doing it at younger and younger ages. Increasingly teens are using Internet search engines for information...but they don't have the experience and knowledge to effectively evaluate, organize and use the information that they receive. Libraries need to combine the convenience of the Internet with training in information literacy. Libraries have always provided meaningful access to library materials - we need to embrace mobile technologies and social networking to continue to reach members of our communities and provide services where and when they need them. For an increasing number of teens - that is out in the ether...

There is always more to learn

More than twenty years after I donned cap and gown to receive a bachelor's degree at UCLA I returned to the 'scene of the crime' for a master's degree. In the intervening years many things have changed, yet at the UCLA campus many things were eerily the same. My first week of classes I was sitting on the edge of the inverted fountain waiting for the class - looking around not much has changed physically in this spot on campus. As I looked closer, though, almost every student passing by was either talking on a cell phone or wearing a pair of earbuds. These were not common student accessories when I was an undergraduate. We did, however, wear the same overloaded backpacks! On June 12, 2010 I was in cap and gown again, this time to receive my MLIS from UCLA. One might think that would be enough...however, here I am, one month later, taking an on-line class in library services and kids. I will be participating in ALSC's pilot course 21 Things for 21st Century KidLibs. Lifelong learning? Yep, I got that. #alsc21things