Gordon Korman

Today as the finale for our Lunch Bunch program with these schools (3 times this year we went into each of the 7 schools and chatted with the 5th grades about books over lunch). Today, all of the participants are coming to the library this morning where we're Skyping with Gordon Korman!

In some of the bookclubs, we've read the first book in the On the Run series and everyone loved them! I met  Gordon last year at BEA and he was super nice. I'm really excited about his talk today! I can't wait! I hope the kids are half as excited as I am!!!!

I LOVE YA Librarians

It’s National Librarian Week and National Teen Literature Day ! I talked at the HUB earlier this month about a book that changed the direction of my life. While I think books are important and can change lives, I think Librarians who guide readers to the right book at the right time are fabulous! I love talking with everyone about books, but I really love talking to other YA Librarians. 

I love hearing their stories: talking with their teens, talking about books, or a great program idea. The great thing about librarians is we like to share. We don’t mind sharing ideas, booklists, or display topics. With social media, it’s easy to connect via facebook or twitter, but there’s still something about meeting face to face – which is why I enjoy our monthly roundtable meetings.

It’s where we share ideas, joys, and frustrations. It’s nice to know what works at a different library. It’s great to take an idea and tweak it to match your own patrons. Due to poorly timed snowstorms, we didn’t meet for much of the winter. I missed that connection. While we do have a blog to keep in touch between meeting times, it’s just not the same. There's so many more sparks of creativity in our meetings.

I’m so grateful to each and every librarian who has helped shaped my ideas of librarianship, helped me discover a new author, or told me an awesome program idea.   

Thank you for all your inspiring work and Happy Teen Literature Day!

We Read: Miss Moore Thought Otherwise

About the Book: Anne Carroll Moore changed the children's library forever - by making it for children and about children. Miss Moore created the first children’s room at the New York Public Library, a bright, warm room filled with artwork, window seats, and borrowing privileges to the world’s best children’s books in many different languages! Her revolutionary ideas stemmed from her childhood and paved the way for many libraries today!

Jennifer's Thoughts: I first saw this book reviewed in PW - it caught my interest, so I put it on hold. I loved learning about Miss Moore. To be honest, I hadn't given much thought to the idea of how children's libraries came to be. Even though I'm not a children's librarian, I felt a sense of pride after reading this book. Miss Moore wanted what's best for her kids and so do I. I don't think I'll ever be remembered as changing anything in the library world, but I love reading about those who did! This book warmed my heart.


Kimberly's Thoughts: As a Children's Librarian, I may be the true target audience for this book, but I found the  folk-art style illustrations to be lovely and I couldn't get enough of this story. As a true "mover and shaker", Miss Moore was a pioneer! She thought outside of the box and made some everlasting changes that we enjoy today. I think the message is a wonderful one for children and I can't wait to share with some school groups soon! I couldn't help but be moved by this book and be filled with pride about being a CHILDREN'S librarian! Thank you Miss Moore for "thinking otherwise"! 

Love YOUR Library!

It's National Library Week (April 14-20, 2013), so I am feeling especially proud of libraries and librarianship. As a children's librarian in a public library, there aren't many days that I am not advocating the important role that public libraries play in our community. As a child, the public library was our summer go-to place! My siblings and I would gather piles of books to read, go to fun family programs consisting of magicians, stories, and movies, and play with computer and board games that we didn't have at home. We spent many a hour at our library and I remember our children's librarian, Mrs. Butterfield, as clear as day!


This past fall, I was fortunate enough to go the Broken Umbrella's play The Library Project presented at The New Haven Free Public Library. Discovering this performance was truly a wonderful accident, I had picked up a bookmark advertising the performance at a New Haven coffee shop. A special after-hours performance through the halls of the beautiful and historic New Haven Free Public Library, where participants "pay what they can"! I was sold!  (See a Yale Daily News review here.)

"The Library Project" was a true collaboration of the people of New Haven and this evening inspired me greatly. Theater-goers were treated to seven short plays throughout the library lead by a "librarian-guide" with a brightly lit umbrella. Though each performance was unique in it's own way, I was most moved by the performance "Branching Out". This play took place in the children's room where 3 young actors lead you on a walk through the children's department quoting wonderful stories and singing along the way. We were lead to a big beautiful "tree" whose leaves and branches were hundreds of card catalog cards filled with memories of public libraries. As the actors sang their song, they invited each of us to write our own memories of libraries. Questions included: Why is the Library special to you? What is your first memory of a library? What is your favorite nook in the Library? It was one of these moments that made me so proud to be a librarian! My library is an important place in our community and I trust that the families we serve our making memories too. As I stood there listening to the song and watching people happily submit their stories, I could do nothing but cry.What a wonderful job I have!
  

Though months have gone by, I still tell anyone that will listen about Broken Umbrella and "The Library Project". Have your own library story? Go to the Houghton Mifflin website to share a memory! (You might win a copy of the book "Miss Moore Thought Otherwise".) Or even better, if you have memories of my library, Otis Library in Norwich, CT, enter our You@Otis Library Contest! Like us on Facebook and share your memory via a message to us!

My Thoughts on Nonfiction: Part 1

Honestly, Nonfiction books don't circulate well in my department of the library. It's almost nonexistent. I've taken to separating out the sections. I have two bookcases: fun nonfiction and homework help. I had hoped that would improve my stats - but so far it hasn't much.

It makes me wonder if I'm reading it enough, promoting it enough, and if I'm purchasing the right books. I know that teens are gathering information online for reports and projects. They seem to come in to the library looking for something only if their teacher's required a book in the bibliography.

The one subject that generates interest is biographies. Every now and then, a school class needs to read a biography. More than a few people ask for one and that gets my attention. I've recently updated our selection. We had a number of educational biographies, but now we have some pop culture ones.  These have gone out a few times, but nothing spectacular.

We have some fun books too - along the lines of drawing books, beauty and makeup tips, vampires, ghosts, monsters, and forensic books. I wonder if I'm purchasing the right materials.

Are there must have nonfiction titles for a teen collection?

From Page to Screen: Upcoming YA Movies

Mark your calendars -it's going to be a few great years for YA books turning into movies! I love that this is happening! It shows off books to people who might not have read them, plus while they're waiting for that book to come into the library, we can sweet talk them into a similar read. Love it when YA books get noticed for being awesome!

Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - August 23rd

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters: love Nathan Fillion! (August 16th)

Ender's Game: November 1st -Trailer coming soon

Cacthing Fire (trailer to be released at the MTV movie awards - April 14th)

2014:

January 17th: The Book Thief

February 14th: Maze Runner and Blood Sisters (Vampire Academy)

March 21: Divergent

November 21st: Mockingjay part 1

November 26th: Happy Smekday (The True Meaning of Smekday)