Ain't ain't a word

I Survived Summer Reading

2009-08-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

Another successful Summer Reading program is over. I can't believe I've been at my current library for three SRCs! Aside from the usual crazy program schedule, this year's reading game was fairly different; SJPL experimented with an online software for logging books and did not give out cheap, lower level prizes. We definitely saw decreased participation, but according to head of Youth Services, it looks like we had more program follow-through. I'm hoping we'll have plenty of time for discussion and evaluation before next summer. However, given serious budget constraints, we may find ourselves using the software again regardless of any conclusions we come to...

So... today we had our second annual "I Survived Summer Reading" librarian field trip in San Jose's Japantown. We had lunch and tropical drinks at the Hukilau (mmmm... poke platter!) then enjoyed pedicures at Sakura Nail Bar, which is excellent because it smells like lavender instead of chemicals (no acrylics).

What colors do librarians choose, you might (not) be wondering: canary yellow, dark sparkly blue, deep violet, Barbie pink, and coral red. We were a veritable librarian rainbow!

Back at work: we'll take a little break (from storytimes and most programming) for a couple weeks before school starts again, then we'll hit the ground running hard. Starting in September, I'll have lots of Back to School nights out at the schools, as well as my own event at the library (a school supply drawing/resource fair), a new storytime schedule, Reading Readiness sessions in English and Spanish (teaches early literacy skills to parents and includes activities with the kids), a 16 de septiembre (Mexican Indpendence) program... then we move into October and crazy (but fun!) holiday programming season.

Will Arnett reads Are You There God, it's Me, Margaret

2009-08-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

Can I request Goodnight Moon next??

How can you resist Yuyi Morales??

2009-07-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

A video she made for this year's Pura Belpré Fiesta:

Who is Señor Calavera?

So talented!

One of my most popular school/class visit books is Just a Minute: a Trickster Tale a Counting Book. The kids love telling Señor Calavera "just a miiiiinnnuuuutttteee", counting in Spanish, and guessing what will happen at the end. One second grader wrote to me, "Señor Calavera es MUY chistoso! I told the story to my mom and she wants to get it from the libary."

Yuyi Morales gets bonus points from me because she's a fellow SF Carnaval dancer!

I always knew librarians were badass...

2009-07-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

...but DUDE!

Clickity-Click: Woman survives plane crash, 2 mile fall, and 10 days alone in the Amazon!

Not precisely abandonment... just severe neglect.

2009-07-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

Oh dear. Has it really been nearly 6 months since I last updated you, Blog?

It's funny how the longer you go without blogging, the harder it is to update, despite the fact that you have so many new things to say!

Since January, I have, in my professional life:

-Survived a long period of anxiety over potential (and narrowly missed) buget cuts that would have brutalized our library system.

-Switched from the ALSC Notable Children's Book Committee to the Carnegie Medal Committee (for best children's video). Short story: ALSC gave me a choice, and after much teeth grinding, I decided to switch. Notables was a two-year commitment, and I wasn't positive I'd have a job two years down the road. I'll very much miss working under the chairmanship (chairwomanship? chairpersonship?) of Eliza Dressang, but I'm quite looking forward to the new challenge of evaluating film. I've been doing my research, too-- more to come!

-Finished my two-year term on the ALSC Children & Technology Committee. It was a productive group of fun personalities-- a great first ALSC committee for me!

-Attended ALA Annual in Chicago and lloooovvveedd it. The conference AND the city. My week included many meetings (Emerging Leaders all day Friday, Carnegie on Saturday, C&T on Sunday), lovely publisher events (Candlewick's dinner at one sixtyblue especially rocked my world this time!), other ALSC-related things (e.g. Newbery/Carnegie/Wilder Banquet--Neil Gaiman!), and tourist-ing (omg, Chicago rules in the summer! Parks galore! Free stuff to do every day!). Next up: Boston for Midwinter Meeting in--gulp--January.

-Continuing to love my job and improve my skillz. =) A couple new things I've been doing:

Bilingual, participatory storytelling for large school assemblies and class visits. Making it work usually involves ad libbing, key accessories (e.g. dorky bunny ears), and making a connection between Spanish verbs and their physical actions. The more I do this, the more it seems like the old improv games I used to play as a theater nerd.

Reading Adventures: Not Your Grandma's Book Club-- a book group designed to attract reluctant readers and boys, involving lots of games and physical activity.

I plan to hold video screenings of some of the Carnegie contenders later on in the year. I can't wait to hear the opinions of my young friends.

Finally, can I just say: I think the key to a happy career is applause. If people could get applauded for writing code or filling cavities the way children's librarians get applauded at hammy kids events, the world would be a happier place indeed!

Midwinter Denver Wrap-up

2009-01-27T18:51:00.000-08:00

Photo by Angie Miraflor

My last meeting was the ALSC Board Meeting on Monday afternoon from 2:00-5:30pm. I was asked to attend so that I could be introduced as the 2009 ALSC Emerging Leader. The thing is, I had already met most of the Board at other events!

Still, I'm glad I went. I learned more about how ALSC operates, had a chance to talk more in depth with some familiar faces, and listened to an interesting (and still pending) discussion about how "prestigious" book award committee appointments are made and the future of term limits on Notable Children's Books.

Since the Notables discussions were (still) taking place across the hall, I also observed a little more during Board Meeting breaks.

------------------

I had a snowy ride back to the airport, a happily uneventful flight back to San Jose (with an AR copy of Sarah Dessen's new book, Along for the Ride), and a late arrival at home. It was good to hug the husband and hit the hay. Huzzah!

ALSC Award Winners

2009-01-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

I decided to skip the ALSC book award announcements early Monday morning because my body was begging me for sleep. But I was excited (and, quite frankly, surprised) to hear upon waking up that The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman had won the Newbery! I loved the story, despite the fact that it has, I feel, a somewhat fuzzy plot exposition. The supplementary illustrations were both terrifying and mesmerizing, and I also appreciate that the book will be (and has been) such an easy sell to the Vampire Generation.

(P.S. This Guardian article about Gaiman's win is unfair and uninformed. I'm happy that Graveyard won, but I don't agree that the win is--or that we need--a revolution in the way the Newbery is selected. Sometimes popular books are the most distinguished, and sometimes they're not. Also, it's obvious the writer didn't actually READ most of the books she's describing. After Tupac & D Foster an "examination of Tupac Shakur's music filtered through young women"? I don't think so.)

I was also especially happy to see that KT Horning was asked to give the 2010 Arbuthnot Lecture! She was a key figure at the Bill Morris Seminar, and she's been a mentor to so many people in the world of children's literature. I hope an institution from California fights to host her so that I can attend!

Finally, congratulations to my Palo Alto neighbor and Emerging Leader colleague, Cheryl Lee, a recipient of the 2009 Penguin Young Readers Group Award!

Congratulations to all the award winners!

More Midwintering

2009-01-25T16:32:00.000-08:00

Midwinter indeed! It's snowing, which popular culture tells me sometimes happens in this season we call "winter". It's a little disconcerting... because the stuff is COLD, see, and falling from the sky... but it doesn't get me wet.

Still, I think an umbrella would be useful. Why don't people use umbrellas in the snow? Pile-up? (This very question probably betrays my California native-ness.)

Oh well.

Since my last post, I've been too busy to blog. I attended:

Saturday afternoon: Notable Children's Books Committee discussion of picture books. I sat in on the meeting for almost three hours to learn how the open discussions are run. Before attending, I felt rather intimidated by the prospect of having to speak eloquently before a sizeable audience. But my fears were somewhat relieved Saturday afternoon when I learned that committee members come well-prepared with book introductions and notes to back up their critical statements. Also, despite this level of preparation, the meeting has a mostly informal feel to it. I'm looking forward to starting my term!

Saturday evening: Nap! More recovery from altitude sickness. (Bleh...)

Saturday night: Penguin Young Readers Group dinner at the Hotel Monaco. I truly love these publisher dinners. Cocktail hours, seeing friends and meeting new people, free food, information about upcoming titles, goodie bags full of ARs. What more could a girl ask for?? (Also: I have a special place in my heart for Penguin having received the PYRG award last year.)

Sunday morning: Woke up bright and early to attend the HarperCollins/Greenwillow breakfast. More free food! More galleys to see! Yay! For some reason, Harper has been sending me its 2009 ARs, so I was already familiar with many of the materials they brought. Our names haven't been released to publishers for the Notables committee, so I must be on another list.

Sunday afternoon: Lunch with Amber, Lauren, and Bethany, Children & Technology friends! C&T kids are awesome! We went to a cute Cuban restaurant with an amusingly eager server and a mango mojito to die for!

Sunday later afternoon: More Notables observation. This time: Biography and a few Non-Fiction books. I met our 2010 Chair, "Wonder Woman" Eliza Dressang and two other continuing members. They gave me some great tips for how to survive a reading load of about 2,000 (you read that right: TWO-THOUSAND) books a year! But ultimately, it seems that everyone develops their own system for managing the load.

Sunday evening: Finish blog.

I have one more meeting tomorrow, and then I fly back to San Jose tomorrow night. I'll try to update again before I leave.

-Maddy

P.S. Three people have announced their pregnancies at Midwinter so far! That's a lot of baby librarian buns in the oven!

ALA Midwinter 2009

2009-01-24T11:47:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Denver!

The last couple days have been a little rough (altitude sickness, a fever that I broke last night), but I seem to have adjusted to the thin air in the Mile High City, and things are looking up.

I attended the Emerging Leaders workshop all day yesterday and met my project group members (Group M, AKA the Candyland Winners!). We'll be helping ALSC strategize new ways to attract professional award applicants. My group members have a wide variety of talents, and everyone seems like a hard-worker, so it shouldn't be hard to come up with deliverables for Annual in July.

I also attended the Disney/Hyperion dinner at the Brown Palace Hotel last night. It was lovely-- thanks Hyperion! I saw some friends from the Morris Seminar (most of us, one year later, are now serving on book award committees!) and I met some awesome new people, including another incoming Notables colleague. Unfortunately, I was feeling pretty out of sorts last night, so I wasn't able to fully appreciate the food/beverages... I left a little early so I could get plenty of sleep.

This morning I represented the Children & Technology Committee (as Acting Chair) at the ALSC Division Leadership Meeting. Most of the meeting was spent discussing new ways to include ALSC members who cannot attend conferences (through virtual membership, etc.) and streamline current ALSC business. I know the economic situation has been tough on our committee--half of our group (our Chair included!) was unable to attend Midwinter.

I had lunch with a friend (and the Chair of the Penguin Committee when I won the award) and now I need to run to another meeting. Hopefully I'll have more time to write later!

Confession and Discovery

2009-01-14T18:45:00.000-08:00

Confession: One of my favorite ways to decompress after work is to pop a cheesy chick flick (library copy, of course) into the ol' DVD player and let 'er whirl. I tend to enjoy all but the most terrible of this genre, yet I rarely list chick flicks among my top favorite movies. Still, if I could combine all romantic comedies into one giant love fest of a movie, it may very well come out on top.

Anyhow, I was engaging in this guilty pleasure tonight, and I came upon...

A Discovery: A 28 minute mini-documentary on young adult literature entitled "How to Deal with YA Literature". Experts discuss the history of YA lit, important titles, trends and writers in the genre, and teens/authors share their experiences as readers and consumers of YA books.

Where to find it: DVD Special Features section of "How to Deal", starring Mandy Moore and based on Sarah Dessen's books Someone Like You and That Summer. The feature pleased me, probably because it was so unexpected. I felt like the movie was offering me (and my professional interests) a major shout-out!

February 14, 2009

2009-01-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

José Luis Orozco is coming to the Alum Rock Library for our Festival of Books this Valentine's Day!! He's such a rock star around here, we're going to pack the house!

For all of you children's librarians out there who are unfamiliar with his work, I HIGHLY recommend his CDs. He sings children's and folk songs in (mostly) Spanish that are simple, encourage movement, and develop early literacy.

You may recognize some of his album covers:

Job love: Reason 457

2008-12-03T23:32:00.000-08:00

Today I rolled my cart into the Children's Area to find my storytime chair already set up, a bunch of kids sitting and whispering conspiratorially, and a dozen roses sitting on the chair waiting for me. One mom orchestrated it, but all the kids were excited to present the flowers. I love my Spanish storytime families so much!

Penguin Young Readers Group Award-- Application Due Dec. 1

2008-11-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

Hi Youth Services Librarians,

If you’re interested in attending the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago this year, I strongly urge you to apply for this award.

I was a recipient of this award last year, and I highly recommend the experience. Not only did I receive the conference stipend, but Penguin Young Readers Group and ALSC treated its award winners VERY well.

There isn’t much time to apply, but I hope you’ll consider going for it!

-Maddy

Here is the information about the award:

The Penguin Young Readers Group Award enables up to four children’s librarians to attend their first ALA Annual Conference. Apply by December 1st.

Librarians must:
*have not previously attended an Annual conference
*work directly with children in elementary, middle school or public libraries
*be ALSC members
*have one to ten years of experience as a children’s librarian by the opening of the
Annual Conference

Each winner will each receive $600.

For more information or to apply, visit
http://ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/profawards/penguinyoungreadersgroupaward/index.cfm

Applications must be emailed or postmarked by December 1st.

Please feel free to distribute to others who might be interested!

SLIS Fundraiser

2008-11-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I attended the SJSU School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) scholarship fundraiser at the San Jose Museum of Art. For a librarian event, it was pretty classy! =)

Librarians wandered through the art exhibits, consumed wine/hor d'oeuvres, listened to a string quartet, and proved that, actually, life imitates art.

Or... maybe that was just me.

(Photos, as usual, by Angie Miraflor)

More CLA

2008-11-17T14:58:00.000-08:00

This morning I attended two CLA workshops led by my SJPL colleagues.

And dude... both sessions were great! I was attending in the "cheerleader" capacity, so I was surprised to actually learn some information that I can employ at my branch!

Mana Tominaga and Kaye Moore presented ESL Conversation Clubs @ Your Library. They offered great tips for how to get a conversation club started, games and activities to use, resources to consult, potential problems and how to manage them, and more. I have facilitated a conversation club a few times as a fill-in and will probably have to do so again in the future (almost every SJPL branch offers this program), so it was useful information.

They even have a blog o' resources: http://eslconversationclubs.blogspot.com/

Angie Miraflor and Ben Lundholm presented What Are They Thinking? Understanding Adolescent Brain Development and Effective Outreach to Your Teen Audience. They offered an informative (and funny!) analysis of the teenage brain, the 40 developmental assets, and how to engage teens and work with them "where they are" developmentally, but at the same time, maintain high expectations and show them respect.

A lot of their research came from PBS Frontline's "Inside the Teenage Brain": http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/view/

The "40 Developmental Assets": http://www.search-institute.org/assets/

I'm so proud of my friends/co-workers!

California Library Association Conference 2008

2008-11-17T13:59:00.000-08:00

San Jose hosted CLA's 2008 conference this year. I hadn't planned to attend, since I'll already be out of the branch for ALA Midwinter and Annual for the next couple of years.

Then, a week ago, my friend Kat Buckles and I were asked to present on the future of libraries as part of a Sunday panel. So... I found myself at the McEnery Convention Center this weekend after all.

Kat and I spoke with Gordon Yusko (Supervising Librarian at King, SJPL's main library) and Ken Haycock (Director of SJSU SLIS). The presentations complemented each other pretty well-- Gordon discussed the problems libraries face looking to the future, Ken talked frankly about the library as a business model and the importance of customer-focused services, and Kat and I spoke about the "Future on the Frontlines."

The underlying theme in our 25 minute section of the presentation was the importance of flexible thinking and adaptability. We poked fun at librarians' obsession with "the future" and our tendency to drive ourselves mad fretting about our "place" in the world of super-gadgets and gizmos. But we argued that the discussion itself (as silly as it can get) is important because brainstorming can arm us for change and take the edge off fear.

If you'd like to see our Power Point (including our very own lolcat), you can check it out here: http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=ddw2d6nq_1f2cn2rgr&invite=g2b2jv2

Our presentation is the third set. It doesn't have much text; it mostly illustrated our talking points.

(Photos by Angie Miraflor)

Alum Rock Photos

2008-11-08T16:39:00.001-08:00

To see more photos from my library, visit the Alum Rock Flickr Page.

They always surprise you...

2008-11-08T16:18:00.000-08:00

Remember painting portraits in elementary school? "Skin" usually ended up being paper white, brownbearbrownbear brown, sunshine yellow, or some other bold color from the poster paint 8-pack. I may be pale, but I'm not THAT pale, I used to think...

So, I was kinda excited when our branch received a set of skin colored paint from Lakeshore.

I put together a low-key portrait painting program for kids this Saturday. I made a sample palette of colors to help painters match their skin types, and waited to see what happened.

The results?

We saw faces in pink, blue, black outline, and even one described as "Power Ranger" colored. My skin colored paints made lovely pants and shoes, though! YES!!

Bebé y Yo

2008-10-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

I received a $2,600 grant from Target to start a Spanish language lapsit at my library. I'm really happy to be able to provide this service for our community, but the task seems a bit daunting.

For one, I've never done a lapsit storytime in English! I've worked with my share of babies during Toddler Storytime and I've been doing Spanish storytimes for a couple years... but Bebé y Yo is a new beast for me!

I'm planning to work with my co-worker to provide 6 week sessions based on the ECRR pre-literacy skills--"las seis destrezas de prelectura". I'm imagining six week series followed by a short break (1-2 weeks) with a repeating, on-going pattern for as long as there is a demand for the program.

I want parent education to be an important part of the lapsit, but I don't want it to overshadow the fun of sharing a storytime with their babies and other local families. Maybe we'll do a short introduction about the theme (e.g. Print Motivation/Motivación por lo escrito) followed by a regular laptime storytime in mostly Spanish.

So far, I've spent $725 on 24 washable mats (so very young babies can be manipulated on the floor!) and a storage buggy to hold them. I'm planning to spend the rest of the funds on sets of bilingual board books that we can read together (parents sharing the experience directly with their babies), Spanish language pamphlets explaining early literacy skills, and a doll we can use as our "baby" during the program.

If anyone out there on the Interwebs has suggestions about Spanish language lapsits, lapsits in general, great board books, or anything else I haven't thought of, please share!!

I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful...

2008-10-22T23:21:00.001-07:00

One of the best things about being a children's librarian: Thank you letters!!! Some teachers are really good about having their students write letters after class field trips to the library.

I save them to read in moments of self-doubt.

Exhibit #1

"Dear, Maddy

You are the best librarian. YOU are pretty. I like when you read to us. I like you your dress is pretty. YOU are funny and smart, you are a great reder with the greedy cat. I like when said gobble slop. I like you read to us, it was the best. I love your books. Thank you for showing us the library.

Love,
Second Grade Girl"

Exhibit #2

"Dear Maddy,

Thank you for teaching us rules. I like the book that we read the Greedy Cat and we got to explore the libary. We also could drink water in the fountain. I like to read some books in the libary. I would come back and get books and read them at home.

Love,
Second Grade Boy"

Exhibit #3

"Dear Maddy

Thank you for reading us a story. It was so nice meeting you in the library. It was nice in the library. The story was so funny. It was fun too. It was fun exploring in the library. The book was wonderful. Maddy you are very funny. I hop i see you agin.

Love,
Second Grade Boy"

Exhibit #4

"Dear Maddy,

You have read us gobble gobble slip slop story and the Greedy Cat. Your kind of funny Maddy and the story was funny and about gobble gobble slip slop.
See you letter Maddy.

love,
Second Grade Boy"

Let the craziness begin...

2008-10-22T22:27:00.000-07:00

I received my first shipment (6 novels) for Notable Children's Books consideration. My committee appointment doesn't officially begin until February, so I wasn't expecting anything to arrive this soon!

I don't want a pending pile o'books in lieu of a Christmas tree this year, so I'm going to go ahead and start reading. I'm working on a system for keeping track of what I've read (which I've heard will amount to over 1,000 books per year). I thought about using an online resource, but I decided that I simply *like* paper better. I enjoy writing down notes and being able to consult them without opening my laptop.

I'm going to create a standard checklist/note-taking scheme for each book type (Fiction, Picture Books, Non-Fiction General, Non-Fiction Poetry, Non-Fiction Biography). I think I'll arrange a binder into sections by book type, and then divide books within each section into three tiers based on how much I like/dislike them. Within each tier (Tier 1 being the best), I'll arrange my checklists by author's last name... or perhaps by title?

Based on my first reading of the Notable Children's Books Committee manual, it seems that I can blog about things I've read, including my personal opinions, as long as I don't specifically mention which titles the committee has placed on the official ballots or voted on. Titles under consideration are discussed in an open forum during ALA Midwinter, so there is a lot more transparency with this award compared to other ALSC awards.

I'm not sure how much time I'll have to blog about the books themselves. I may use this space to discuss my experiences reading... hundreds of books, thousands of books, millions and billions and trillions of books.

ALA Emerging Leaders 2009

2008-09-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

I have more good news on the professional front!

I recently learned that I've been selected for ALA's Emerging Leaders Program 2009.

Even better: ALSC has chosen to sponsor me!! That means they'll support me financially at ALA Midwinter in Denver and the Annual Conference in Chicago and give me the chance to represent ALSC at the meetings.

Now, I know I've declared my love for ALSC several times on this blog. I didn't think it was possible to love them more... but I was wrong. And so, on the second anniversary of my marriage to Clay, I will admit that he shares my affections with my favorite professional association. =)

Between the ALSC Children & Technology Committee, Emerging Leaders, and the Notable Children's Books Committee, I'm going to have fairly booked conference schedules...

Notable Children's Books

2008-09-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy month! We've been welcoming kids back to school with special storytimes, a Welcome Back Table for teens (complete with backpack raffles and snacks), video gaming programs, and of course, lots and lots of outreach (Back to School nights, class visits, and the like.)

We celebrated Las Fiestas Patrias (AKA Mexican Independence Day) a little early at Alum Rock with a performance by el Grupo Folklórico los Laureles (Mexican folk dancing), food (chips, salsas, pan dulce, fruit, beverages), and a a chat with popular local author, Art Rodriguez (East Side Dreams.) We decorated with traditional papel picado, banderas (flags), balloons, and red/white/green streamers. We had a great turnout and an excellent time! Our new librarian, Aleta, helped us step it up a notch from last year's program with her insider knowledge of Mexican customs. We have such a great staff at Alum Rock! ¡Viva AR!

A bigger piece of news is that I've just accepted a two-year appointment on the ALSC Notable Children's Books Committee! I've always wanted to be on a book award committee, so I'm very excited! I'm going to be happily inundated with books of all genres starting this winter. I'm sure I'll be blogging about the experience as I go...

I'll also continue with the Children & Technology Committee for the second half of my two-year term. C&T has been a great group to work with, and we've accomplished a lot in a year. I just finished an article for ALSC's Children & Libraries publication on behalf of C&T. It's my first published piece (aside from School Library Journal reviews), and should be published in the Winter issue.

I've also been busy joining things in my non-librarian life: the San Jose Symphonic Choir, contemporary dance, and Caribbean dancing (continuing).

My husband thinks I'm crazy, and I'm afraid he might be right. =)

San José

2008-08-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

I am now a San José resident.

I just moved to the Willow Glen neighborhood from Los Gatos, and I'm so happy about it! I can now take the bus (for free!) or ride my bike to Alum Rock. Plus, it's nice to actually live in the city where you work.

The new Willow Glen Library open Saturday, August 23. I can literally see the branch from my driveway... so I'll be there!

-Maddy

Resurrecting Reference

2008-07-31T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today I watched an Infopeople Webinar: Resurrecting Reference with Joan Frye Williams and George Needham.

As I viewed the presentation, I was reminded, yet again, that SJPL is WAY ahead of most library systems when it comes to offering a user-friendly in-house service model. We practice roving reference, our flexible schedules allow us to take appointments (to help with more in-depth information needs) and work on-call, we let users find us at their "point of interest/need"... and indeed, people feel very comfortable asking all library employees any and every question.

I've worked in four libraries (two public) with traditional reference desk models (e.g. librarians sit on thrones and DO NOT make library cards!) Guess how many reference questions we got? Right. Not that many. We get plenty of reference questions here at SJPL. The trade off, of course, is that when you're on the floor, you do end up answering the clerical questions, as well. But shouldn't librarians know how to perform clerical functions and practice implementing those skills anyhow? I remember the conversations among library pages about "dumb librarians" who couldn't even take fines at a certain library where I worked...

One idea from the Webinar that I'd like to implement at my branch: workstation-style desks where librarians and users can collaborate to solve a problem. We have a single service point (referred to as the "Information Desk"), but it's located in the middle of our large space. When I'm working with someone in the adult or children's wings, I don't have access to the Internet or databases without travelling all the way back to the center of the library. And sometimes, the three computer stations at the Information Desk are tied up by clerical staff fielding questions of their own. I originally imagined that hand-held devices with Internet access would be a good solution to this problem, but I recently realized that it would be harder to have those "teachable moments" using small, specialized screens/tools. A small workstation on each side of our branch with a computer that librarians could quickly log into would be great!

Children & Technology Committee Photos, ALA Annual 2008

2008-07-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

Our Committee
Front row: Bradley, Patty, Kim, Chris. Back row: Maddy, Amber, Dr. Buckleitner, Bethany. ChildTech members not pictured: Gaye, Ceila, and Teresa.

Bradley

me, Patty on one of the many conference shuttles

Some program attendees browsing our Showcase

During "Hey! I Want to Do That, Too! Gaming and the Elementary Aged Child"

*Photos by Bradley Debrick

Painted Lady Butterfly Release

2008-07-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

Every branch in our system received a Painted Lady Butterfly Habitat as part of our Summer Reading Program 2008: Catch the Reading Bug.

When I received the live caterpillars (through routing!), I was dubious. Would they die and upset the kids? Is it humane to hatch these creatures in such a synthetic environment?

Well... all five caterpillars made the three-week journey from larva to chrysalis to butterfly. We read butterfly books, the kids watched them transform in amazement, and a few days after they emerged as Painted Ladies, we set them free in a post-storytime ceremony.

Inspecting the chrysalides at the Summer Reading Table

The Butterfly Habitat

Lining up for one last good-bye

Are you ready to fly??

Nope, still eating

BYE!!!

If you look closely, you can see the butterfly in the upper left hand corner of this picture.

Each of the five butterflies spiraled up into the air, and then fluttered away... It almost looked like they were dancing for the families! It was amusingly emotional to hear an excited good-bye chorus of kids for each one.

ALA Annual 2008, Day 5 and Wrap-Up

2008-07-01T22:08:00.002-07:00

On Monday morning, I attended the ALSC 2008 Awards Presentation and Membership Meeting.

Peter Sís accepted the Sibert Medal for The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (a gorgeous book) and the Geisel Award (for great beginning reader books) was awarded to Mo Willems for There is a Bird on Your Head!. Mo Willems delivered a clever acceptance speech (with a bird on his head), written and read entirely in the style of an easy reader.

We were all shaking our heads over the high level of speech entertainment provided by children's authors in a twelve-hour window.

ALSC provided (with the help of a sponsor I can't remember) really delicious fruit salad, muffins, coffee, and juices... all of which my empty stomach welcomed gratefully. =)

My fellow Penguin Award winners and I were recognized at the Membership meeting, along with several other ALSC professional award winners. Thanks to Alison, the Penguin Award Committee Chair, for her kindness and support!

At the meeting, I ran into Anthony Bernier (one of my library school professors) who introduced me to some Bay Area neighbors, Linda Perkins of Berkeley Public Library and Penny Peck who wears many hats (SJSU teacher, Librarian in San Leandro, and Editor of ACL's BayNews). It was nice to see some kind faces from the East Bay, since my husband and I are thinking about moving that way when we're ready to buy a house in a few years.

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After the meeting, I did one last sweep of the exhibits. I desperately looked for fun things to take back to my co-workers... but I didn't find much beyond books. This is probably a good trend as far as the environment is concerned... not that conferences don't leave a large carbon footprint in general. Ah well...

In all, I spent little more than two hours in the exhibit hall. I wish I'd had time to meet more Spanish language publishers. But I did what I could.

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The End
I had a great conference! I'm really happy to be involved with ALSC and my committee, I relished the chance to meet new people (librarians and authors!), and I feel refreshed and ready to bring new excitement back to San José.

Look for follow-up photos, an article in Children & Libraries about our tech showcase, as well as a blurb about my first Annual conference experience.

ALA Annual 2008, Day 4

2008-07-01T22:08:00.001-07:00

After a day full of meetings, I skipped the Library Book Cart Drill Team Championship in favor of a power nap before the Newbery/Caldecott Banquet. I'm a little sad that I missed it... because my good friend Ivy Weston was on the winning team: the Santa Monica Public Library's "Well Stacked Sci-Brarians".

Congratulations, Ivy!

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The Newbery/Caldecott Banquet was (not surprisingly) an amazing experience. I was invited to sit at one of the Penguin Young Reader's Group tables. I was seated next to Andrew Clements (yay!) and a very nice editor named Michael Green, who edits Brian Jacques, Mike Lupica, and others.

The food left much to be desired (for example, I found a cherry pit in my dessert... and I wasn't the only one at my table!) BUT the speeches more than made up for the lackluster, slightly dangerous meal.

The meat of Brian Selznick's speech was a brilliant slide show sequence illustrated in the style of The Invention of Hugo Cabret (featuring the book's main characters) entitled, Sous les toits d'Anaheim or Under the Roofs of Anaheim. It was funny, charming... and it must have taken him a LONG time to prepare. In his silver sequin shirt and two-mile-smile, Brian Selznick was irresistibly loveable.

I think everyone was a bit nervous about the next speech. How could Laura Amy Schlitz, the previously unknown librarian and author of Newbery winner Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village possibly compete? Well... she did. She put on her figurative storytelling hat, stepped away from the mic to give her body a full range of movement, and proceeded to spin the unlikely tale of her journey to the Newbery. She cast fifteen minute spell over the audience and left us all wishing she'd been our school librarian.

This was my first Newbery/Caldecott, but many Banquet veterans reported that they'd never seen two better speeches. ¡Qué suerte!

After the Banquet, I shook the hands of:
-Christopher Paul Curtis! (my favorite novelist for elementary-aged children)
-Jackie Woodson
-Brian Selznick
-Kadir Nelson
-Ellen Levine
-Gary D. Schmidt
-Mo Willems

Drank wine with:
-Fun librarians
-... and David Shannon!
-some dude who wrote a soon-to-be-released book about a vaudeville farting act

Took a photo with:
-Dave Shannon and Jon Scieszka

It's almost impossible to avoid meeting authors as an involved children's librarian. Not that I'd want to, of course... =)

I also finally met a human being from School Library Journal. I've been reviewing for them since September, but I've had very little contact with anyone there. They send me books, I send them reviews. So that was nice, too.

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So... It was a very happy time. I can't wait to do it again next year.

Librarians Invade Disneyland

2008-06-30T21:45:00.001-07:00

Charmaine, me, Angie, Kat (missing Sharon and Paul)

Red Bull= evidence of no sleep, not typical 5pm beverage of choice!

Right after almost falling into the Tiki Room fountain...

Mmmmmm... delicious rubbery veggie burgers with mustard.

(Photos by Angie Miraflor)

ALA Annual 2008, Days 3-4

2008-06-30T14:07:00.001-07:00

Where to begin...

It's been a very busy couple of days, filled with meetings, presentations, award ceremonies, and looootttss of walking.

After my last entry, I went to the Happiest Place on Earth with a group of awesome librarians from Silicon Valley (Kat, Angie, Charmaine, Sharon, Paul). And happy we were... We reverted to about the 4th grade as we hustled from ride to ride, laughed at nothing, and ate delicious Mickey-shaped foods. We were at the park from about 5:00pm to 1:00am, which was a perfect amount of time to achieve Disney saturation. =)

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I slept for just over four hours before waking up early Sunday morning for a day full of ALSC Children & Technology Committee work. We met at the Hyatt from 8:00am-11:30am and discussed current business, as well as new projects for next year (another conference presentation? online tutorials? a column in Children & Libraries?)

Next, we took our presenter, Dr. Warren Buckleitner, to lunch. Warren is the head Editor of Children's Technology Review, a software reviewer for the NY Times, an adjunct professor at Rutgers and NYU, and the founder of MediaTech, an innovative technology center in Flemington, NJ that works to foster "creativity, learning and socialization" to people of all ages.

Following lunch, Warren presented on behalf of our committee, "Hey, I Want to Do That, Too!: Gaming and the Elementary Age Child." He focused on how to create a MediaTech (or something like it) in one's community, the importance of gaming (and advocating the use of non-addictive games), interactive media, product reviews, and more. Interestingly, he echoed what I heard from presenters in the Urban Libraries Council Foresight 2020 conference, stipulating, "Technology is merely another material for children to actively explore." In other words, technology alone will not (and should not) be the future of libraries and other learning institutions.

About 200 people attended our program, browsed our Showcase of Success materials and took mini cards promoting our ALSC ChildTech Wiki. I'll look forward to seeing new wiki contributions from librarian attendees.

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I need to eat lunch before catching a shuttle to the airport. When I get home, I'll post about the Newbery/Caldecott Banquet, the ALSC Awards and Memebership meeting this morning, and my last sweep of the exhibits.

Cheers,
Madeline Walton-Hadlock

ALA Annual 2008, Day 3

2008-06-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

It took me a long time to fall asleep last night (too much excitement?), so I didn't wake up in time to attend today's 8:00am sessions. Instead, I had a leisurely continental breakfast at my hotel (Yay free food!) and then headed to a 10:30am REFORMA session: The Bilingual Mind: How Children Acquire and Use Language.

Dr. Helen Davis (UCLA) presented on Cultural Practices of Early Literacy Among Low-Income and Latino Immigrant Parents. One of the more fascinating elements of her research reveals that the difference between high literacy families and low literacy families does not have a strong demographic corrolation, but rather reflects priorities among individual families. In other words, once a family is taught that reading at home (esp. in one's first language) encourages literacy, the family's demographic alone (e.g. first language other than English, low education, etc) will not keep them from instituting home literacy practices.

Dr. Davis also talked about the difference between the European-American model of reading to children versus the Latino-American model. Whereas Euro-Americans tend to emphasize the child--adult reading relationship, Latino-Americans put more weight on community--child reading relationships (e.g. older siblings, cousins, teachers, aunts all come together to further the child's education).

The next speaker was Dr. Kendall King (Georgetown) who presented on The Bilingual Mind and the Bilingual Experience: Separating Fact from Fiction. Dr. King unraveled the myth that bilingualism breeds academic risk for children. Harper, the workshop's sponsor, provided free copies of Dr. King's new book, The Bilingual Edge: Why, When, and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language.

The book also dispels myths such as these:
-Only native speakers can teach second languages (Nope. The key is human interaction, whether or not language is perfectly demonstrated.)
-Children learning multiple languages will be late talkers (No evidence.)
-Mixing languages is a sign of confusion. (Actually, Spanglish is perfectly healthy, developmentally speaking... even if there are political/social controversies surrounding it.)

I'll be bringing back a couple of extra copies of the book to share with colleagues. Every librarian in San Jose has a reason to understand bilingualism!

P.S. I ran into Adrian Barrientos (for whom I'll be taking over Spanish language selector duties at SJPL) and a friend, Suzanne, from the Multnomah County Library during the session.

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After the workshop, I had lunch with my rare books librarian friend, Christine. We were literature majors together at UCSD, our significant others are both acupuncture grad students, and we keep in touch through our personal blogs, so it's always nice to catch up.

For most of the afternoon, I've been wandering through the exhibits, seeking out all of the Spanish language/bilingual book vendors I possibly can and gathering information. Many of them already know Adrian, and it looks like I'll have big shoes to fill! I'll continue to do that for the next hour or so... then the SJPL crew is heading to Disneyland for the rest of the evening!

Tomorrow will be busy!
-7:00 Harper Breakfast
-8:00 Children & Tech Committee Meeting
-12:00 lunch with presenter
-1:30 C&T program and Showcase
-6:30-11:30: Newbery/Caldecott Banquet

Cheers!

Maddy

ALA Annual 2008, Day 2 continued

2008-06-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening I attend several social events where I was able to chat with other youth services librarians. This is only my second ALA conference (including Midwinter), but I'm already starting to see a lot of familiar faces among members of ALSC and YALSA.

I attended ALSC 101 from 4:30-5:30 and chatted a bit with Diane Foote and Jenny Najduch of ALSC, as well as other YS librarians I met in December at the Bill Morris Seminar. ALSC people are an inviting and dedicated bunch...

Next I went to the YALSA Happy Hour at Morton's Steak House with several of my SJPL co-workers where I saw a fellow committee member and an old library school friend. Teen librarians are a fun and bizarre breed. It was like a living hipster art exhibit in there. =) There is actually quite a bit of overlap among children's and teen librarians... so you get some mixed costuming (e.g. Very Hungry Caterpillar tattoos, anyone?)

Finally, I was invited to attend the Penguin Young Reader's Group's "Evening with Ours Stars" banquet at the Grand Californian Hotel. It was a lovely evening with delicious foods and beverages, friendly publisher folk, and excellent authors who spoke about their new books (among them Jon Scieszka, Jacqueline Woodson, John Green, Nancy Werlin, and my very kind dining neighbor Andrew Clements). We received goodie bags full of new books and we (the Penguin Young Reader's Group scholarship winners) were promised a seat at Penguin's Newbery/Caldecott Banquet table on Sunday. I [heart] PYRG.

ALA Annual 2008, Days 1-2

2008-06-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

Greetings from ~~Disneyland~~ Anaheim, California!

After a mostly uneventful flight (I don't count nearly missing it from chatting too much with my co-worker or spilling soda all over my stuff!) and a shuttle drive full of librarians, we arrived at the Anabella ~~Motel~~ Hotel with plenty of time to eat $15.00 sandwiches in Downtown Disney and get kicked out of the hotel's hot tub (after 10pm).

My co-worker and I woke up early on Thursday to attend the Urban Libraries Council, Foresight 2020 Conference. We listened to interesting speakers (such as John Seely Brown, Omar Wasow, J.C. Herz, and Joseph Janes) discuss their visions of the "new library"-- its role in society, new service models, lasting missions, etc. We also had time to brainstorm the ways in which new technologies, ideas, and challenges of all varieties might shape the way we do business.

Interestingly, the two young "tech gurus", who were clearly brought in to extol the virtues of the digital world, waxed poetic about the library as an ultimate place of literacy and book knowledge. They both argued that new technologies should be introduced, but only in meaningful ways... not simply for the sake of "keeping up".

One theme that kept coming up was the idea of social learning and creation. Whether or not people use technology to co-create, it seems that we're transforming ourselves from a consumer society to a creative one. Libraries need to provide avenues for this type of discovery, whether it be with Web 2.0 features in the catalog/website or through the design of buildings and types of services provided.

I'm so lucky to work for a system that values progress and risk-taking. Sitting with our library director, we were able to get a first-hand picture of some of the service innovations that are down the pike at SJPL. Many of the things discussed at the conference yesterday will be brought to the table as SJPL continues to evolve.

Other positive experiences at Foresight 2020:
Free breakfast, free lunch at the Paradise Pier Hotel, free reception =)

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Today I have:

-Checked out of hotel room #1 (long story).
-Had a lovely, simple breakfast with SJPL friends
-Picked up my registration materials, ProQuest/ALA Scholarship Bash tickets (good for half-day entry to Disneyland).
-Had lunch with my dad (who lives in Costa Mesa).
-Sent pointless messages to friends through the ALA computers (how can you resist??)
-Ran into three librarians I know outside of SJPL-- one from my ALSC committee, one through a mutual friend at UCSD, and one I worked for as an intern at UC Santa Cruz.

Heh... It's a Small World After All.

Upcoming to-dos:

-ALSC 101 meeting at 4:00 tonight.
-Check-in at hotel #2.
-Sneak into the water slide pool at the Paradise Pier Hotel.
-Attend the Penguin Young Readers Group Banquet at the Grand Californian Hotel.
-Wake up early to attend a host of programs tomorrow.

Ciao for now!

Summer Reading Kick-Off, June 14

2008-06-17T22:30:00.001-07:00

The madness has begun...

And we had a clown to prove it!

I'm not usually one for clowns, but Rainbow the Clown is great. She combines ridiculous jokes (adults were cracking up!), magic, literacy elements, and lots of participation to create a simple, yet lively show. Plus, she's a great bang-for-your-buck. We paid $250 for an hour-long show with ten minutes of warming-up/photo ops on each side.

She located in Silicon Valley, and you can find her here: http://www.surpriseenterprise.com/

Collection Development

2008-06-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

I love selecting materials for libraries-- gathering information about communities through statistics and personal experiences, reviewing the current collection, budgetary restrictions, critical information about the materials, and actual holdings among publishers... then fitting it all together to purchase what (you hope) will most benefit the library. It's like a game... with shiny new books at the end!

That's why I was excited to find out today that I've been chosen as one of four Spanish language selectors for the San José Public Library.

SJPL uses a group of central selectors to purchase items for all of its 22 library locations. On the one hand, it's a shame that librarians at each branch (the people who really know the communities) cannot make direct purchases. On the other hand, it does save time and labor. At the Mill Valley Library, our small staff spent a huge chunk of time selecting materials. It was fun, and we had a stellar collection (a large budget also helped!) But I can't imagine the same method working for a large, programming-heavy system like ours. So most librarians at SJPL just do what we call "collection maintenance" (read: weeding!) And it probably takes us a bit longer to warm up to our collections.

Which is why I put my name in when the Spanish language selector job became available. I think it'll be a great middle ground between having little direct involvement in materials selection and being overwhelmed with a heavy collection development load on top of my other responsibilities.

P.S. I served on the committee that determined this year's materials budget. So I think I'll go into this job with a fair share of realism in addition to all of the enthusiasm...

So. Cool.

2008-06-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

Library opens at Pittsburg/Bay Point Station
05.28.2008

BART is the first transit system in the nation to offer automated book lending machines

BART has teamed up with the Contra Costa County Public Library system to set up a novel automated book-lending system that will launch Thursday at the Pittsburg/Bay Point station.

A vending-like machine located at the station will hold some 400 books that can be checked out for free by anyone with a valid Contra Costa County library card. A patron will insert the card, get access to the available titles and check out up to three books. A robotic arm will retrieve the books.

They must be returned to the book-lending machine within three weeks.

The public will have access to the machine during BART's normal hours of operation. The stock will include both fiction and nonfiction titles.

The county public library plans to install three other machines at the transit village at the BART station in Pleasant Hill, a site in Byron/Discovery Bay and another location, not yet determined.

(From a BART press release, http://www.bart.gov/news/press/news20080528.asp)

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Now we'll just have to wait and see how well the technology works. But the idea is great! Talk about going TO the customer... Hooray for our Bay Area neighbors-- the Contra Costa Library and BART!

-Maddy

El Día de los Niños / El Día de los Libros

2008-05-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

We had a great turnout for our Día de los Niños celebration last night! About 350 people showed up to watch a fabulous performance by the Fratello Marionettes, make paper bag puppets, receive bags with books and other giveaways, and learn about the importance of reading to children.

At the Dr. Roberto Cruz-- Alum Rock Branch, we have a mostly Latino population. As such, I think Día is one of the most important holidays we can promote here. It celebrates children, libraries, the Spanish language, and Latino cultures. It also gave me an excuse to speak briefly about literacy in front of a large audience (and work on those growing bilingual muscles)!

We used REFORMA's beautiful Día brochures featuring Dora the Explorer (thanks, REFORMA!!), as well as Books for Little Hands documents explaining benefits of making and playing with puppets (títeres) at home (language development, creativity, problem solving, motor skills).

First Five, a California non-profit that teaches parents about literacy and health, set up a table and handed out tons of free materials... including the New Parent kits we had lying around.

And I have to admit, I really took the large turnout to heart. I've been at Alum Rock for a year and a half now, and last night helped me realize that the community has grown to trust me and value the library. I was astounded to realize just how many of those kids I now know by name from their attendance at my bilingual storytimes, events and regular library visits!

As a librarian comitted to promoting family literacy, this is a very exciting place to be! And Día is a great vehicle for spreading the word.

Concept books for the New Millenium?

2008-04-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

A recent Newsweek article, Mommy 2.0, features a new picture book entitled My Beautiful Mommy by Michael Salzhauer.

Slated for release on Mother's Day, this book celebrates Mom's "prettier" new nose and flatter tummy while helping young children understand cosmetic surgery and the meaning behind things like nose casts and seemingly unnecessary doctor visits. Salzhauer says in an interview with Newsweek, "Parents generally tend to go into this denial thing. They just try to ignore the kids' questions completely." But, he adds, children "fill in the blanks in their imagination" and then feel worse when they see "mommy with bandages."

True. But this book, which takes concept books to a whole new level, may do more harm than good.

The mommy with bandages in this book is no ordinary mommy. Cartoon illustrations that are mediocre at best tell the story of a thin mom who sports a midriff, drives an SUV and lives in a McMansion. She's beautiful and rich, and her child thinks Mom is "already the prettiest mommy in the whole wide world!" Though, to be fair, what child doesn't see his/her mom in this way? If only women could see themselves through the eyes of their children!

This begs the question: at what point does the perceived "need" for plastic surgery become a psychological illness? How different is this from anorexia nervosa or bulemia? Sure, the doctor is doing all the work... but the body is still being mutilated for the sake of vanity. Does it "help" our children to explain this process as something "normal"? Or does it do no more than pass down the same anxieties?

I'm not saying that all women are unjustified in undergoing plastic surgery. There are many sound medical reasons to go to this extreme (e.g. deformities that impede function, the negative results of cancer treatments.) And children are much more likely to understand the concept of surgical "fixing" if they can see something that tangibly needs to be fixed.

But there's no convincing me that an ordinary woman, especially one who would be considered pretty by many westerners, doesn't have a larger problem in the head when she schedules herself for a super-session of liposuction, rhinoplasty and a breast enhancement (a feature that clearly appears in My Beautiful Mommy's illustrations, though the text shies away from the chest.) And this problem, the body dysmorphic disorder that stems from ridiculous expectations for women's beauty, is the one we should be talking about with our children. Not Mommy's beautiful new nose that puts her out of commission for weeks.

As a children's librarian, it is my professional responsibility to evaluate such materials and determine whether or not there exists a need for them in my community. It is also my job to avoid personal biases when making collection decisions. The American Library Association asserts,

Supporters of particular causes may seek to have opposing points of view excluded from the library or may charge the library with bias or censorship if their viewpoint is underrepresented. The library which actively seeks representative material from across the full political spectrum and which actively solicits user suggestions and responds to them with purchases, not only serves its function better, but also develops reservoirs of good will which help negate charges of bias in collection development.

Still, I feel myself being put in an awkward position when the values toted by a certain book make me cringe.

This particular book makes it easy; its low quality alone would block its purchase. But what if "better" picture books promoting cosmetic surgery appear and I start to notice moms in post-op plaster at my storytimes? Well, then I guess it will be time to set aside my personal opinions and get kids the information they need to cope with the inevitable changes they'll experience at home. Besides, no book choice will make up for the fact that little Susie will be growing up under the premise that imperfection is unacceptable.

For now, I'll continue to suggest books to young people of all genders that celebrate variety and expose the sickness behind our quest for perfection. School Library Journal has compiled a great list of books on body image.

Battle of the Bands, Bush library

2008-03-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

Battle of the Bands was a huge success! Here's a link to a video montage created by the San Jose Mercury News: http://www.mercurynews.com/eyeheadlines/ci_8427154

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For fun:

The Chronicle of Higher Education hosted a Back-of-the-Envelope Design Contest for the future George W. Bush Library. Check it out! I recommend the video.

Teen Tech Week 2008-- Tune In @ Your Library

2008-02-29T12:49:00.001-08:00

SJPL came up with a brilliant program to reflect this year's music-themed Teen Tech Week:

Battle of the Bands

How does it work?

Stage 1: Teens submit via email a link to their band's music online (on MySpace, YouTube, etc.) Bands without music online were able to attend one of two recording sessions held at library branches.

Stage 2: Teens vote on their favorite three bands online. We used Survey Monkey and had 16 bands participate. We received around 2,000 votes.

Stage 3: The top five bands compete at the Battle of the Bands Finals. Our final competition will take place tomorrow. Judges include: two music journalists, a local music producer, a scholar/librarian who researches garage bands, and a teen member of the San José Youth Council.

There's been a fair bit of hype about the program, and with two journalist judges (one from the Merc, the other from the Metro), we're sure to see some media coverage!

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In addition to this systemwide program, most of the branches are hosting their own programs. These include gaming parties, iPod cozy crafts, raffles, tournaments, movies, etc.

Share your great technology program for children!

2008-02-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Colleagues,

ALSC's Children & Technology Committee will be hosting a program at the 2008 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim called "Hey! I Want To Do That, Too! : Gaming and the Elementary Age Child." After the program, we will host a "Showcase of Success," highlighting best practices in technology programming for children. We're looking for librarians to share their tried-and-true technology programs for ages 12 and under.

Do you have a great program you'd like to share with librarians serving children around the country? We're looking for eye-catching display items (e.g. photos, flyers) to use during the conference, as well as program plans to post on the ALSC ChildTech Wiki, which we will be promoting during the conference. Great programs may also be considered for inclusion in articles submitted to professional journals by the Children & Technology Committee. If you'd like to contribute your great program idea, please fill out the template located on the ALSC ChildTech Wiki and return it by email to Madeline Walton-Hadlock @ madeline.walton-hadlock@sjlibrary.org. Librarians do not need to attend the Annual Conference in order to be included in the "Showcase of Success."

Best Regards,

Madeline Walton-Hadlock
ALSC Children & Technology Committee Member

Book Reviewing

2008-01-19T20:53:00.000-08:00

I guess the editors at School Library Journal approve well enough of my book reviews. They sent me three more picture books... and two of them are bilingual Spanish/English. A new challenge!

Actually, I find reviewing any book to be quite challenging, especially when I know the review will be widely read. SLJ reviews focus on the value of new books as they relate to library collections. Librarians doing collection development have little time to thoroughly read reviews (one of the only feasible tools for making purchasing decisions), so a reviewer must be both concise and clearly recommend a title... or not.

I find it difficult balance fairness and my own opinion of a book. Sometimes I find value in a title that I do not like personally; that's a difficult review to write. But these reviews, once published (and then widely copied to sites like Amazon.com, 2.0 library catalogs, vendor websites, etc.), have the power to determine the success of a book. So it's important to approach each title with an open mind.

Talking about picture book art is also a challenge. Luckily, there are professional tools out there to assist librarian reviewers in understanding and describing concepts such as media, composition, style (e.g. KT Horning's book!) I love learning about art, and I've always been fascinated by the way in which it relates to literature and music. I remember walking through the Orsay Museum (on a trip to Paris during my year abroad in Spain), realizing the extent to which my studies in literature had helped me understand historical movements and symbolisms in visual art. For me, spending time with art gave the study of literature more dimension. I guess that's what makes great picture books so moving.

I appreciate the fact that SLJ gives new reviewers like myself the chance to improve their technique and discover their reviewing "voice". Because--like with anything-- the only way to be a good reviewer is to write reviews!

Midwinter Wrap-Up and NYC Trip

2008-01-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

When I decided to accept a two-year ALSC committee appointment requiring my attendance at four consecutive ALA conferences, I wasn't sure I'd made the right decision. Would the content of each conference be worth the time away, the planning effort, and the resources required to attend? Would it turn into an excuse to be a pseudo-tourist in different American cities?

I surprised myself last week by mostly ignoring everything that the city of Philadelphia had to offer (museums and other things I usually find interesting as a tourist) in favor of participating in conference-related events. I enjoyed meeting enthusiastic librarians from around the country and representing my region and my library. It doesn't hurt that I'm proud of the institution I work for and the up-and-coming library services that I can share.

Anyhow, I don't mean to gush. I did miss the presence of workshops, a staple of the annual conference. Midwinter is designed to accommodate committee business procedures and planning, but with the large number of students, first-time attendees and green committee members (ahem) in attendance, it would have been nice to see a selection of workshop offerings. I guess I'll have to look forward to the annual conference in June...

Future conferences will take me to Anaheim (ALA Annual '08), Denver (Midwinter '09) and Chicago (Annual '09). The CLA (CA Library Association) conference will be held in San Jose this November, so I'll attend that, as well.

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I was able to take a few vacation days following the conference. My husband (who traveled with me) and I took a SEPTA train to a New Jersey Transit train to Penn Station in NYC so we could visit our many friends who currently live in New York. As we see it, the closer we get to our 30's, the more likely our friends are to move away! So we must take advantage of the free lodging now!

We had a great time in NYC. Highlights include:
-Seeing a Mark Twain play on Broadway called Is He Dead? starring Broadway favorite Norbert Leo Butz. Twain's writing is funny, but Butz' comedic timing and stage presence were incredible! We'd never heard of it, but the starred reviews got our attention.
-We also saw, I'm a little embarrassed to say, The Little Mermaid on Broadway, which officially opened just days before we arrived. Both Clay and I feel a certain nostalgia for the music, having grown up with it. We were mostly pleased with the way the musical turned out. The sets and costumes are all stylized, not as much as in the Broadway version of the Lion King, but the idea was similar. The show had a visually dramatic, modern style that that reminded me of opera productions I'd seen in the last few years; this made sense when I later read that the director is Francesca Zambello, an opera director who is also an artistic director at the SF Opera. Sierra Boggess, who plays Ariel, easily stole the show. And I'm not usually one to root for the heroine in theater...
-Joining an improv group run by our friend Adria at Rockefeller University.
-Visiting the historic and delightfully surly McSorley's again.
-Finally getting my hands on some Rainbow cookies, which are impossible to find in California. I found them at Ferrara Cafe in Little Italy.
-Hanging out with old friends from high school!

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Our trip home was long (cab + train + train + train + plane + layover + plane + cab + home= 18 hours of total travel time.) Thank goodness I have a three-day weekend to recover from my vacation.

American Library Association announces literary award winners

2008-01-14T07:06:00.000-08:00

PHILADELPHIA - The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the top books, video and audiobooks for children and young adults - including the Caldecott, King, Newbery, Schneider Family and Printz awards - at its Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia.

The following is a list of all ALA Youth Media Awards for 2008:

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature. “Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village,” written by Laura Amy Schlitz, is the 2008 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Candlewick.

Three Newbery Honor Books were named: “Elijah of Buxton,” by Christopher Paul Curtis, published by Scholastic; “The Wednesday Wars,” by Gary D. Schmidt, published by Clarion and “Feathers,” by Jacqueline Woodson, published by Putnam.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children. “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” illustrated by Brian Selznick, is the 2008 Caldecott Medal winner. The book is published by Scholastic.

Four Caldecott Honor Books were named: “Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad,” illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Ellen Levine, and published by Scholastic; “First the Egg,” illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, and published by Roaring Brook/Neal Porter; “The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain,” illustrated and written by Peter Sís, and published by Farrar/Frances Foster; and “Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity,” illustrated and written by Mo Willems, and published by Hyperion.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults. “The White Darkness,” by Geraldine McCaughrean, is the 2008 Printz Award winner. The book is published by HarperTempest, an imprint of HarperCollins. Four Printz Honor Books were named: “Dreamquake: Book Two of the Dreamhunter Duet,” by Elizabeth Knox, published by Frances Foster Books, an imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux; “One Whole and Perfect Day,” by Judith Clarke, published by Front Street, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press, Inc.; “Repossessed,” by A. M. Jenkins, published by HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins; and “Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath,” by Stephanie Hemphill, published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books.

Coretta Scott King Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults. “Elijah of Buxton,” written by Christopher Paul Curtis, is the King Author Book winner. The book is published by Scholastic. Two King Author Honor Books were selected: “November Blues,” by Sharon M. Draper, published by Atheneum Books for Young Adults and “Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali,” written by Charles R. Smith Jr., illustrated by Bryan Collier, published by Candlewick Press.

“Let it Shine,” illustrated and written by Ashley Bryan, is the King Illustrator Book winner. The book is published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Two King Illustrator Honor Books were selected: “The Secret Olivia Told Me,” by N. Joy, illustrated by Nancy Devard, published by Just Us Books, and “Jazz On A Saturday Night,” by Leo and Diane Dillon, published by Scholastic Blue Sky Press.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award; “Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It,” written by Sundee T. Frazier is the Steptoe winner. The book is published by Delacorte Press.

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. “Kami and the Yaks,” written by Andrea Stenn Stryer, illustrated by Bert Dodson and published by Bay Otter Press of Palo Alto, Calif. wins the award for young children (age 0 to 10).

“Reaching for Sun,” by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, published by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, New York is the winner in the middle grades category (age 11-13).

“Hurt Go Happy,” written by Ginny Rorby, a Starscape Book, published by Tom Doherty Associates, is the winner in the teen category (age 13-18).

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished book for beginning readers. “There Is a Bird on Your Head!,” written and illustrated by Mo Willems is the 2008 Geisel Award winner. The book is published by Hyperion.

Four Geisel Honor Books were named: “First the Egg,” written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger and published by Roaring Brook/Neal Porter; “Hello, Bumblebee Bat,” written by Darrin Lunde, illustrated by Patricia J. Wynne and published by Charlesbridge; “Jazz Baby,” written by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie and published by Harcourt; and “Vulture View,” written by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Steve Jenkins and published by Holt.

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. Orson Scott Card is the recipient of the 2008 Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring his outstanding lifetime contribution to writing for teens for his novels “Ender's Game” and “Ender's Shadow.”

The Pura Belpré Award honoring Latino authors and illustrators whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in children's books. Yuyi Morales, illustrator of “Los Gatos Black on Halloween,” written by Marisa Montes and published by Holt is the winner of the 2008 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award. Margarita Engle, author of “The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano,” illustrated by Sean Qualls and published by Holt, is the 2008 Pura Belpré Author Award recipient.

Two Honor Books for illustration: “My Name Is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez/Me llamo gabito: La vida de Gabriel García Márquez,” illustrated by Raúl Colón, written by Monica Brown and published by Luna Rising and “My Colors, My World/Mis colores, mi mundo,” written and illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez and published by Children's Book Press.

Three Author Honor Books were named: “Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life!” by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand and published by Marshall Cavendish; “Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale,” retold by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Michael Austin and published by Peachtree; and “Los Gatos Black on Halloween,” written by Marisa Montes, illustrated by Yuyi Morales and published by Holt.

Robert F. Sibert Medal for most distinguished informational book for children. “The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain,” written and illustrated by Peter Sís, is the 2008 Sibert Award winner. The book is published by Farrar/Frances Foster.

Two Sibert Honor Books were named: “Lightship,” written and illustrated by Brian Floca, published by Simon & Schuster/ Richard Jackson and “Nic Bishop Spiders,” written and illustrated by Nic Bishop, published by Scholastic/Scholastic Nonfiction.

Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children's video. Producer Kevin Lafferty along with executive producer John Davis, and co-producers, Amy Palmer Robertson and Danielle Sterling, are the 2008 recipients of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video - for the production of “Jump In! Freestyle Edition.”

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for the most outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States.

VIZ Media is the winner of the 2008 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for “Brave Story.” Originally published in Japanese in 2003 as “Bureibu Sutori,” the book was written by Miyuki Miyabe and translated by Alexander O. Smith.

Two Batchelder Honor Books also were selected: “The Cat: Or, How I Lost Eternity,” published by Milkweed Editions, originally published in German as “Die Katze,” and “Nicholas and the Gang,” published by Phaidon Press, originally published in French as “Le petit Nicolas et les copains.”

The first-ever Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production is Live Oak Media for “Jazz.”

Five honor titles were named: “Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary 'Jacky' Faber, Ship's Boy,” produced by Listen & Live Audio; “Dooby Dooby Moo,” produced by Scholastic/Weston Woods; “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” produced by Listening Library; “Skulduggery Pleasant,” produced by HarperChildren's Audio; and “Treasure Island,” produced by Listening Library.

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences “American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China,” by Matthew Polly, published by Penguin/Gotham Books; “Bad Monkeys,” by Matt Ruff, published by HarperCollins; “Essex County Volume 1: Tales from the Farm,” by Jeff Lemire, published by Top Shelf Publications; “Genghis: Birth of an Empire,” by Conn Iggulden, published by Delacorte; “The God of Animals,” by Aryn Kyle, published by Scribner; “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier,” by Ishmael Beah, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux/Sarah Crichton Books; “Mister Pip,” by Lloyd Jones, published by Random/Dial Press; “The Name of the Wind,” by Patrick Rothfuss, published by DAW; “The Night Birds,” by Thomas Maltman, published by Soho; and “The Spellman Files,” by Lisa Lutz, published by Simon & Schuster.

May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture recognizing an individual of distinction in the field of children's literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site. Walter Dean Myers, widely acclaimed author of picture books, novels, poetry and non-fiction for children and young adults, will deliver the 2009 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture.

Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by judging committees of librarians and other children's literature experts, the awards encourage original and creative work. For more information on the ALA youth media awards and notables, please visit the ALA Web site at www.ala.org.

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I was rooting for Hugo Cabret... and I think it's so interesting that a lengthy novel won the Caldecott. It really is a gorgeous book. More later!

Midwinter, Day 3, Part 2

2008-01-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

I just received some exciting news:

I've been selected for one of four Penguin Young Reader's Group Awards! I'll receive $600.00 towards attending the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim and a chance to attend events hosted by Penguin.

I can't believe it. I feel so honored, not to mention grateful towards the committee that selected me and the librarians who recommended me. Thank you so much! ALSC and its members just get better and better...

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In other news, I had a very nice lunch with my friend Christine, another UCSD literature grad who became a librarian. We caught up, exchanged stories about our acupuncture grad student husbands (a bizarre coincidence!), and promised to keep in touch. It's always nice to talk with people who work in library settings that are very different from my own. Both of us bemoaned the lack of communication between librarians who do different tasks that ultimately serve the same goal of linking people and information.

After lunch, I attended a YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) discussion group on serving teens in urban areas. We had a moderated talk about issues such as programming, collections, spaces, teen literacy, how to get administrative support for teen services, etc. The discussion made me realize how progressive SJPL is in terms of the teen services it provides. I was able to share information about things we're doing successfully at SJPL, such as our system wide talent events (San Jose Idol and our upcoming Battle of the Bands program for Teen Tech Week), our YA spaces and liberal computer use rules, gaming events, and Alum Rock's teen ESL conversation club.

I also heard some good ideas from other people. For example, one system hosts a summer computer camp focusing on different advanced skills, such as programming and video editing. Another inner city branch had a popular "boys only" book club. No one knew what to do about the teen literacy crisis. Everyone agreed that tutoring often has more of a Band-aid effect, whereas working with entire family units to promote literacy at home is probably a better long-term solution.

It was an interesting discussion that reminded me quite a lot of the YA Coordinator meetings we have at SJPL led by Angie Miraflor. Apparently, our system's teen issues and programs have parallels across the country.

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Overall, I've had a very good day.

Midwinter Day 3

2008-01-13T08:08:00.000-08:00

It's been a much colder morning here in Philadelphia. On my 7:00am walk (ahem... run) to the train station I saw frozen puddles and lots of steam. THIS is more like it! I wouldn't want all of that pyschological preparation to go to waste on a warm east coast!

Anyhow, I just finished a very productive Children & Technology Committee meeting at the Sheraton. We made some important decisions about our wiki, the survey we're producing and how we'll use the data we compile, and the program we're hosting at the annual conference.

And now I have a specific task to complete! Our conference workshop is going to be on the topic of how to incorporate technology in programs for elementary-aged children. Many library systems are already hosting tech programs for teens, but librarians still seem unsure about how they might engage a younger audience using technology. In addition to hiring a speaker, we're going to showcase programs that have been successfully presented by librarians around the nation (e.g. digital storytelling). My task is to compile this informatin so that we can present it informally after our workshop (in a sort of mini-poster session). We're going to ask people to provide a program planning sheet (I have a template) and supporting documents that might pique some interest (e.g. flyers, photos). We'll also post all of the good program ideas we receive on the ChildTech Wiki (a project of my committee), which I think has the potential to be really useful for children's librarians who do programming (all of us?)

SJPL has come a long way in terms of information sharing. Once our program planning database becomes more widely used, it will save us time and money, and perhaps help inspire us with the fresh ideas of others. The Children & Technology Committee hopes to do something similar with the wiki, on a more national level... and on the topic of technology.

Midwinter Day 2

2008-01-12T18:25:00.000-08:00

It was a pretty mellow day in Philadelphia.

Did I mention that the weather here has been unseasonably warm? As in, warmer than back home in San Jose? Today was sunny and almost warm. So far, my lack of layering expertise hasn't been an issue. But a man told us today that a snowstorm is expected for tomorrow, so we'll see...

Clay and I have been staying with a friend of mine from high school and her husband. They live in the Chestnut Hill area of Philly, which is a quaint and picturesque northwest neighborhood with stone houses, tiny stores, and lots of trees. A SEPTA train services this area, which makes getting downtown easy. And it's so pretty... It reminds me a bit of Los Gatos, though the brand of affluence doesn't bother me as much here. It's less ostentatious, I guess.

Coincidentally, my friend started library school at Drexel just a few days ago, so she has a lot of questions about being a librarian. And as a former journalist, she's a great questioner (and future reference interviewer)! Anyhow, I ended up with an automatic conference friend today.

After I (finally) got some sleep, we headed to the conference to experience the exhibits. I spent some time talking with a rep from Schedule3W to gather some information for my system, listened to a presentation by Library of Congress re: online resources for k-12, and chatted with various vendors around the exhibit hall. One of the vendors we met from Tutor.com (a live tutoring service we subscribe to at SJPL) was from East San Jose, and he gave me some tips on taquerias to visit in the Berryessa area. He also invited us to attend Tutor.com's reception at the Ritz-Carlton this evening.

The reception was fun. We met some interesting representatives from around the country, including a lively woman from North Carolina wearing a scrolling LED pin that said "Homework Happiness in Booth 1253". Cocktails and hors d'oeurves were on the house! I wore an orange scarf to invite potential Tutor.com customers to ask me for my opinions on the service...

We went to dinner at the Reading Terminal, a huge public market that's been in business since 1893. We ate decidedly mediocre Indian food, but we could have chosen to eat just about anything from hoagies to crepes. I may go back tomorrow. Last night we tried a noodle place in Chinatown where noodles are pulled on-site. For $6.00, it was pretty delicious.

I haven't had a chance to do many touristy things around Philadelphia, but our friends gave us a pretty thorough driving tour. I have a meeting tomorrow morning, lunch with a friend from college (an academic librarian), and a discussion group in the afternoon. And maybe I'll squeeze in a trip to the Liberty Bell. Maybe.

Midwinter Day 1, Bill Morris Seminar

2008-01-11T13:48:00.001-08:00

What an amazing experience I just had! I submitted an application to attend this seminar not knowing what to expect. How would one day make me a better reviewer? What type of people might attend? What role did ALSC (Association for Library Services to Children) play?

Here's what I learned in the course of a day:

1) My national colleagues (being librarians who serve youth in any arena) are an inspired and inspiring group of people. The ALSC members I met today care deeply about children, literacy, and the ability to provide children and families with access to high quality materials. Out of the 26 attendees and nine facilitators, seemingly everyone involved in today's seminar arrived prepared to share, discuss, and improve their skills. And the most stunning part was the focus, not on the "art of reviewing", but rather on the underlying purpose of this activity-- serving children.

2) ALSC members are brilliant and insightful.

We were asked to read ten children's books and one professional book on reviewing before meeting today. We listened to Pat Scales speak on the subject of How Book Discussions Work and Kathleen Horning (author of From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books... a must-read for any hopeful reviewer) on Evaluating Art in Picture Books.

Next we broke into small discussion groups in order to employ some of the knowledge we'd learned and get a feel for what a book discussion might be like when serving on an award committee (e.g. Newbery). For example, we were limited to speaking about each book within the context of the other books on our lists; we could not compare them to outside materials or the author's previous body of work.

We did this activity twice during the day, and in both instances I was impressed by the high level of discussion among my colleagues. Everyone contributed thoughtfully, and we learned from each other and from our more experienced facilitators new ways of thinking about books and art.

3) Any organization that strives to inspire children to read AND feeds me/pays for me to attend such an engaging seminar is great in my book!

I left today with a strong sense of ALSC's support of its members and commitment to its mission. I also met a number of interesting people (mostly from outside California)... and I look forward to working with them in the future.

Thanks, ALSC!

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Next on my agenda: checking out the exhibits when they open in an hour. I have my big conference bag, and I'm ready to take on the loot! (And maybe gather some good information, too.)

-Maddy

P.S. Our flights were relatively uneventful last night, with the exception of some turbulence. We got to Philly on time, but I still only managed to get four hours of sleep, since Clay and I inevitably stayed up chatting with the friends we're staying with. Tonight they're going to show us around the city...

Blogging ALA Midwinter

2008-01-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

Greetings,

I'm going to resurrect this blog (which had been mostly abandoned in favor of my personal blog and other social networking sites) in order to share information about the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. This will be my first time attending an ALA event...

I'll flying to Philly tomorrow (Thursday) in order to attend an all-day invitational seminar hosted by the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) on Friday-- the William C. Morris Seminar & Book Evaluation Training. Click here to read ALA's Press Release

I've recently begun reviewing books for School Library Journal and I'm interested in serving on an evaluation committee in the future (e.g. Newbery, Caldecott), so I'm excited about this opportunity to learn more about becoming an excellent reviewer.

On Sunday, Jan. 13, I'll attend the ALSC Children & Technology Committee meeting. I'll be serving on this committee for the next two years. Right now, we're working on a wiki, an event at the annual conference, and more. I've only met with the committee members virtually, so it will be nice to meet the crew in person.

Other things on my agenda include a visit to a vendor on behalf of my administration, listening to speakers, meeting up with people I know, and beyond that, letting serendipity take over.

I have a long day of travel ahead of me (two connecting flights between San José and Philly!), but I'm bringing along some good reading material... and I enjoy flying since I don't have to do it regularly.

Cheers!
-Maddy

P.S. Check out this website rating America's Most Literate Cities. San José, rating 54, didn't do so well. But considering how many new immigrants we have, I'm not at all surprised. We have our work cut out for us!

2007-07-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

Our New Mascot?

He showed up on the busy street corner today in front of our building. He was dehydrated, tired, and without his flock. He let us carry him in a box to our patio area where we gave him water in a routing bin (he drank a LOT) and waited for the Wildlife Rescue team to pick him up.

You never know what your day will bring when you work in a public library!

How did I end up working in a library?

2007-04-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

I just got off the phone with my mom.

She asked me how I've been doing with Spanish at work, and I told her about some of the situations in which I use it.

Mom: You use it to answer reference questions, you mean with those card things?
Me: Card things?
Mom: Yeah, you know... where you help people find stuff with cards.
Me: Cards... What do you...? Oh wait, do you mean the card catalog??
Mom: YEAH! The card catalog... You use Spanish when you're helping people with that? That's great!
Me: Mom. The card catalog? When was the last time you went to a library?

Week 9, Thing 23!!

2007-03-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

Yay!! I made it!

It was a long stretch, and I started late... but ultimately I think it was worth the time. I learned about some new technologies, and it gave me a chance to share with my co-workers the importance of the 23 things and the bigger picture they represent.

The information world seems to be on speed these days. It's racing ahead faster than most already-busy folk can keep up, and of course, that's scary to people who work as information professionals.

I think programs like Learning 2.0 are valuable because they help people build confidence in their ability to learn new skills and explore the virtual world. I saw and experienced numerous instances of this. For example, some of my co-workers grew more comfortable with 2.0 technoligues simply through repetition (e.g. the location of search boxes or edit buttons tend to be similar on different sites).

In my own case, this program built on my growing tech confidence, and it forced me to look at some tools I'd been ignoring for the sake of time (namely, Bloglines, de.licio.us and Rollyo). I don't know that I'll utilize these exact technologies, but the library world will certainly see and use permutations of some of the ideas we saw in Learning 2.0... and I want to be ready for that.

I think that one of the most important things in an employer is a commitment to continuing education, so I applaud SJPL for asking us to embark on this long, bleary-eyed journey. Sign me up for the next round of beneficial torture! =)

Week 9, Things 21-22

2007-03-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

Thing 21: Podcasts

My first experience with podcasts was in library school; a handful of my professors used them to enhance learning in their courses. By the time I entered SLIS in 2004, 2.0 technologies were already well-established elements of the program. One of the reasons why I took a hybrid of in-class and Web coursework was because I wanted to become comfortable with the new Web technologies I'd never bothered to think about. I'm not an auditory learner at all, but I liked the addition of podcasts to our lessons because it added a personal element to the online format. Podcasts could serve the same function on library websites.

I don't listen to podcasts much in my personal life. I think I'd be more excited about them if I owned an iPod, but I don't own an iPod for one simple reason: I am cheap. If I did own one, I would probably download podcasts in the form of NPR features, Spanish language programs (for listening practice), comedy, and author interviews.

Of the three podcast directories listed by the Learning 2.0 staff, I liked Yahoo! Podcasts best. The interface is attractive, clean, and user-friendly, even if the content isn't necessarily better.

Thing 22: Ebooks

If I had an iPod I would definitely download Audio Ebooks. I'm not willing to sit at my computer to listen to them, but I'd love to download books to listen to while I go on runs/walks. (I currently use a diskman and physical audio books. Again: cheapness.)

I've had the Project Gutenberg website bookmarked for over a year without having ever used it. Like most people, I prefer reading print for long periods of time. If only I'd known about it as a literature undergraduate... I'm almost positive I would have used it.

Anyhow, as a librarian I think ebooks--especially free ebooks--are great (even if they're sometimes tricky to access). They give people another information option, they can be used by people with limited literacy skills or visual handicaps, they are often searchable (which makes them great for things like computer manuals), and they save room on library shelves.

Week 9, Thing 20

2007-03-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

"San Jose Way" Gone Mad?

"You see, I don't believe that libraries should be drab places where people sit in silence, and that's been the main reason for our policy of employing wild animals as librarians." -Monty Python, Gorilla Librarian sketch

YouTube is fun! We should use video more often to spice up our library websites. How might we use them? Event advertising, video "how to" guides, post-program highlights, book talks, sharing songs, fingerplays with parents and kids, weekly picture book readings (as with Dial a Story) and more! The main problem, of course, would be finding the time to create and post these things. But if an established system was in place, it could be pretty easy!

Week 8, Thing 19

2007-03-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I've added my Library Thing as a page element on the right side of my blog. CLICK HERE to see my full Library Thing library.

I focused on some of my favorite children's book for this assignment. I probably won't use this site in an especially interactive way. I have a huge list of books I want to read, and I almost never have to search for something to read. However, if someone wanted a recommendation from my list of books, I would certainly be willing to share in that case.

I used to keep spreadsheets of books for reader's advisory, but the task became too unwieldy. I think adding books to my Library Thing library might prove to be an effortless way to keep track of titles I'd recommend. Tagging each catalog entry will help me remember key aspects of each title (e.g. probable audience, themes).

Week 8, Thing 18

2007-03-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

I love ZoHo!! I used it to share information with the other SJPL Snack Smart program liasons:

http://writer.zoho.com/public/madoppotamus/Snack-Smart-Wrap-Up

I love how it can create PDFs for me... and how it can be viewed as a webpage!

I hadn't explored open source software much, despite the fact that some of my friends (e.g. Mana) are huge proponents. I already had access to the Microsoft suite and email (for sharing), so I didn't bother to try it out. Thank you, Learning 2.0 team, for forcing me to try it. I'm hooked!

Week 7, Things 16-17

2007-03-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

I'm a fan of wiki technology... even if it means that every once in a awhile, someone with too much free time will "improve" serious wiki entries with fart jokes or crude photographs. =)

Reputable wiki sources, such as Wikipedia, have vigilant monitors who erase wiki grafitti almost as soon as it appears. (I know this because I've seen people attempt to alter Wikipedia pages).

I love the idea behind the new Youth Services Wiki, and I've been adding storytimes and reading all the various contributions. It'll be far more useful once everyone starts using it to share information! The wiki program we're using has some interesting quirks, so that may be scaring people off to an extent! =)

I added my blog and some other favorites to the Learning 2.0 Sandbox Wiki. Yay! That was fun. I'm new to San Jose, so I especially appreciated the restaurant reviews! Keep 'em coming...

Everything Has a Wiki!
See:
Homestar Runner
Webtender Wiki (bartending)
Buying/Eating Organic
Library Success
Children's Literature
How To Manual. Spotlight article: How to Dress in a Sari. Love it.

Week 6, Thing 15

2007-03-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

Web/Library 2.0

Where will it take libraries?

"Into a New World of Librarianship"?
Sorta.
We're already using MySpace, instant messaging, blogging. But do our users really meet us in the 2.0 realm? At this point, I suspect the answer is "mostly, no". Users don't realize (or expect that) libraries are getting on board with these technologies... and I'd guess that more people don't even realize these technologies exist!

Still, if I can reach a handful of teens through MySpace, I'm willing to spend the time to use it.

"To better bibliographic services?"
Definitely.

I love the idea of increasing the catalog's Web features. Every librarian uses Amazon's features to some extent, whether it be for photos (and the "look inside" the book option), for reader's advisory (customer reviews and commentary), and so on. Wouldn't it be great to have all of those capabilities inside the library catalog?

"To a temporary place in time"?
Interesting.

Will librarian avatars be popular in the virtual world? We can ask the people who already spend their time in places like Second Life.

What's more interesting to me is the idea of the Library 4.0, neo-library. A meditative space free from the buzz of techno-hype? We'll see....

Week 6, Things 13-14

2007-03-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

Thing 13:
I posted previously about de.licio.us. Verdict: I like it, but I don't expect to use it until a specific need arises (e.g. I become involved in a research project).

Thing 14:
I first tried using Technorati when blog searching was brand-spankin' new. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. The search engine seemed unsophisticated (but not as unsophisticated as the blog posts themselves!) I returned to Technorati for Library 2.0, and the first thing I noticed was that the layout has completely changed. It used to have a fairly simple, Google-esque layout. Now it seems headed more in the Flickr direction. When I was applying for librarian positions, I used Technorati (and Icerocket, another blog search engine) to search for the blogs of people who worked in various library systems. I wanted get a feel for the employee morale in different libraries. I didn't find much at the time... but programs such as Learning 2.0 will certainly make it easier for future applicants hoping to stalk potential employers! And vice versa!

Anyhow, there may have been SJPL librarians blogging previously, but without tags and keywords, they may have been invisible to me. Since bloggers have increased their use of tags and/or registered their blogs with blog search engines, Technorati searches have improved. I noticed Technorati has also added "authority" options for results. The search I mentioned before (employee opinions) would not require a specific level of authority; however, if I wanted to find high-quality information about planting an apple tree from a bare root, I would probably want to limit my results to higher authority blogs. Still, when I attempted a higher level search on this subject in Technorati, my results were baffling. I was directed to blogs about MP3s, poetry, and other unrelated things. Blogs written by experts are probably greatly outnumbered by personal blogs at this point... perhaps this search feature will become more sophisticated as the Blogosphere grows.

Week 5, Thing 12

2007-03-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

When I was hired at SJPL, I moved from a San Francisco apartment with no yard to Los Gatos. I'd always wanted to learn to garden (beyond containers), and now that we have a bit of land, I'm learning everything I can about planting vegetables, trees, and flowers. I'm especially interested in regional, organic gardening, and of course, keeping plants alive!

My roll consolidates the gardening help sites I've tended to land on after performing Google searches. Using my California Gardening Rollyo search engine may help to weed out some of the unwanted results I've received in the past (e.g. book reviews or ads), but limiting my search to a handful of websites might also point me back towards Google if my results are not broad enough. I think I'll be better able to form an opinion about Rollyo after having used this resource more in real-life situations...

Week 5, Thing 11

2007-03-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

I mentioned before that I [heart] the electronic bookmark. That's why de.licio.us is my new best friend. I'd heard about it in the past, but I hadn't signed up for the service because the thought of having to transfer all of my bookmarks (again!) was painful.

Not that I have a lot of time now... but this assignment made me think more about the benefits of such a service. I wish I'd had a de.licio.us account during my government documents internship! I was reorganizing a digital gov docs reference shelf, and since I didn't have my own computer terminal, I would have loved to store my bookmarks online! Del.icio.us would have also been useful when I was writing my undergrad honors thesis and my culminating papers during grad school. I could have worked on my research papers at any computer with Internet access.

Week 5, Thing 10

2007-02-21T19:26:00.000-08:00

Image generators are silly:

At Storytime, in Spanish

2007-02-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

Reading Molly Bang's counting book, Ten, Nine, Eight (Diez, Nueve, Ocho):

Me (reading): Nine fuzzy friends... (I point to different animals and ask,) What are these?
Small girl: Apples.
Me (wondering... Did I misunderstand her Spanish?): What?
Small girl: Apples!!!!
Me: Where are the apples?
Small girl (impatiently points to a duck): The duck ate them!

Well... obviously.

Week 4, Things 8-9

2007-02-16T22:57:00.000-08:00

Today's post is sponsored by the letter B and the number Too Many (blogs). I guess that brings us (conveniently) to...

Bloglines, yet another time saver that will take you lotsandlots of time to set up and organize.

Apparently, I'd been interested enough to sign up for Bloglines six months ago! I was setting up a new user account, and much to my surprise, there I was-- already in the system! I'd originally only subscribed to two feeds--the Librarians' Internet Index feed and Unshelved. Hm. I guess I lost interest quickly...

And I know why.

I'm not feeling particularly overwhelmed by my online reading habits. This may sound "old fashioned", but I'm all about highly organized Bookmarks in my Web browser (Opera, currently). I know that I have to visit one at a time... but I like being able to browse through my Bookmarks nightly and pick and choose based on my current curiosities.

Still, I decided to approach Bloglines with an open mind and give it another chance to impress me.

So far, I've created 9 folders (which are, in fact, a sort of microcosm of my Opera Bookmarks). I've added 21 feeds, mostly library-related at this point. I'll visit the site for awhile and see how useful it becomes.

In case you're interested, here's a link to my public Blogroll: http://www.bloglines.com/public/MadelineLibrarian

While I'm skeptical about the necessity of Bloglines in my personal life, I'm a definite advocate in larger arenas. When I was working as an Assistant Librarian at a Law Library, we used aggregated feeds to track information about companies we represented or had actions against. Around the same time, I read an article in a business journal about how to use services such as Bloglines and blog search engines (such as Technorati) to track your company's reputation in various markets. In some cases, blogger rumors have proven seriously injurious to companies.

----------------
Now...
If only life were as simple as this-->

Book "Talk", The Star of Kazan

2007-02-12T21:32:00.000-08:00

I attended Jim Trelease's workshop at the Santa Clara City Library last month. Jim Trelease (author of The Read Aloud Handbook) is an inspiring lecturer who advocates for family literacy. He believes--and cites a lot of evidence to support the idea--that children without positive reading role models or environments conducive to reading often fall behind in literacy skills... despite the best efforts of teachers and librarians.

He booktalked several books during his lecture, one of which was Eva Ibbotson's The Star of Kazan.

I'd read a couple of Ibbotson's books in the past, one being The Island of the Aunts, and wasn't entirely impressed. I thought her writing style was clunky and her story bland. I found the pro-environmentalism theme too preachy (and this coming from a home composter!), and I had trouble relating to any of the characters.

But I'd heard from a reliable source that Ibbotson's Journey to the Red River Sea is fabulous, and Trelease argued that Kazan is even better... so I gave Ibbotson another shot.

Trelease was right: The Star of Kazan is a page-turner... and thank goodness since the book is nearly 400 pages long.

Annika is a foundling living with three eccentric professors and her adopted mothers (the professors' house/kitchen staff) in Vienna at the turn of the 20th century. She is well-liked and has many friends in Vienna, including a dying woman who was once a famous actress with a chest full of jewels. Though Annika is happy in her situation as a cook's adopted daughter, she can't help but wonder what her life would have been like had she not been abandoned by her real mother. As if in a dream, her mother appears one day on the doorstep of the professor's house to reclaim her. She embraces her tenderly, and takes her away in a fancy carriage to an enormous, albeit crumbling estate in the North of Germany. Annika's heart is swollen with love and she is thrilled to be reunited with her family, until strange things start to happen that give Annika conflicting and unsettling feelings about her new home. Why is her mother so secretive about (and obsessed with) money? Why Annika being sent away to a school for girls that is run like a prison? With the help of her friends, she finds the answers to these questions, and learns that sometimes one must make a choice between loyalty and love.

Week 3, Thing 7

2007-02-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

Tecnología y yo

We have a love/hate relationship, of course.

The Love:
-My laptop... I can blog in bed!
-Cell phones in an emergency
-Google. I know, I know... but I use it every, single day.
-Free classical MIDIs online: THE CLASSICAL ARCHIVES. (I use these when I'm learning new pieces of music).
-Websites are a great (not to mention cheap) dumping ground for shared information. I've made pages for photo archives, a wedding website, life updates (in the form of a personal blog)...
-Less wasted paper!!! I try not to print things out unless I have to.

The Hate:
-My laptop... it's a stalker!
-Cell phones in most non-emergency circumstances
-New addictions weekly: livejournal, MySpace, Technorati, news and magazines and on and on...
-Car dependency

My old Honda, in a beautiful car graveyard underneath Mt. Shasta. Ohhh... the irony!

Week 3, Things 5-6

2007-02-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

I used a photo from the Flickr account I share with my husband, and I "Warholized" one of my old recital pictures! YES!

I love Flickr and all of the fun programs people have designed to use with it. I currently have a free account... but we're thinking about upgrading to a paid account so we can have more than two sets of photos! I've been using Yahoo! photos for years, so I'm still reluctant to switch over. But Yahoo! photos (last I checked) can't be attached to blogs as HTML... that's very limiting.

Week 2, Things 3-4

2007-02-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

Set up blog: check
Register blog: check
Link to interesting set of pictures of what 200 calories look like: check

Check it out!

I'm thinking about making a display using some of these photos in March, which is National Nutrition Month. AR is hosting Snack Smart workshops (we're part of the SJPL Kaiser Grant), Diabetes workshops in Spanish, Healthy Lifestyle discussion groups for teens, and we're showing two fun nutrition movies (Super Size Me and Fast Food Nation). Yay!

MWH

Week 1, Things 1-2

2007-02-06T17:45:00.000-08:00

Since I do not have a set of headphones, I thought I'd have to wait to listen to the 2.0 podcasts. But I learned today that my computer has speakers!! (And so did the rest of my staff!)

-------

So...

Am I a lifelong learner?

Well, until May of 2006 (when I graduated from library school), I'd been in school for virtually my entire life. So literally, I have been a lifelong learner thus far. But I don't think that counts... =)

I do think that I have some of the early habits of lifelonglearnatude.
Of the 7.5 Habits, I'd say I'm best at taking responsibility for my own learning. I happily accept most learning opportunities. I'm also very good at playing...

However, I need to work on develping reasonable goals (Habit 1). I tend to be hard on myself for not mastering new things immediately.

Greetings from Alum Rock...

2007-02-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

Alum Rock is now on-board with SJPL's Library 2.0.

See?

I've used many of the 2.0 technologies being covered, but there are some that I'm still getting to know. I look forward to learning more and sharing my current knowledge with my co-workers here at AR.

MWH