This week at the library; In which we have actual programs

A seagull hovering in the
wind over the lake

Programs

• Paws to Read
• Very Hungry Caterpillar Party
• Teen Engagement
• Youth D&D
• Family Storytime (library staff)

Self-Directed Activities

• Pokemon Hangout

Meetings, Hosted events, etc.

• Girl Scouts

Notes

• I hardly ever do traditional "programs" anymore, not counting family storytimes, which are usually done by my school colleague or subbed for by one of my staff. We just can't get the attendance to make the time spent worth it. However, I did the Very Hungry Caterpillar Party last year, in lieu of storytime, and it worked out even better this year as my school colleague was absent, so we did this on Tuesday and my staff subbed in an actual Very Hungry Caterpillar storytime on Thursday. We actually got over 70 people, despite Unauthorized Shenanigans that required police attention.
• I took Friday off in mental preparation of a pretty intense Spring Break (our already skeletal staff is greatly depleted - we are very grateful that our school colleague was able to come in and cover storytimes after all so my staff and I can cover desk shifts and help out in circulation). I also spent a large portion of the weekend making candy for our last Friends book 'n' bake sale next week.
• I started my big slash and burn weeding project of the young adult fiction last week and I'm also slowly getting together a mental picture of what a young teen/middle school collection will look like as new items and replacements come in. It will be very patchy at first, as I'm not going to relabel a lot of things.
• A lot of collections are in transition right now, which is confusing for staff and patrons, but I can't magically relabel and shift everything all at once!

This week at the library; A week of meetings

Teen volunteer hanging
out with our Paws to Read
visitor.

Programs

• Paws to Read
• Family Storytime (our school colleague was out sick, staff subbed)
• Teen engagement: journal-making
• Family Storytime
• Teen Advisory Board

Outreach

• Daycare/preschool/4K outreach storytimes
• 1st grade Library on the Go outreach

Self-Directed Activities

• Read and Grow
• Reading Explorer
• Scavenger Hunt: Bugs
• Construction Hangout
• Homeschool Hangout

Meetings, Hosted events, etc.

• 4-H meeting
• Virtual consortium meet-up
• Collection/shelving measurement meeting
• youth services department meeting (except two people were gone, so really it was just lunch)
• 2 virtual meetings to pick the brains of some helpful librarians regarding the new middle school collection
• Managers' meeting

Notes

• So many meetings this week. I am still researching and working on my new young teen/middle school collection as well as finishing the last bits of the neighborhood projects. I started my new big weed/project in the young adult. Picture book replacements are starting to come in. I spent some very frustrating hours measuring shelves - I just couldn't get my head around the numbers/formulas I was asked for! Happily, I finally got something that worked as well as made my own data overview.
• AND I was late to one of said meetings b/c a herd of deer decided to cross the road ONE AT A TIME in the MIDDLE OF THE MORNING. Very annoying.
• We had a heat wave, more or less (thank you climate change) and the library hvac system did NOT react well. Wednesday - Friday it was ~75 or higher on the lower level around the circulation/info desk and probably closer to ~80 in the youth area, due to the heat pouring in through the windows. I suffered.

This week at the library

Little noodlers at Miss Esther's
family storytime

Programs

• Family storytime
• Teen engagement
• Family storytime

Outreach

• School wrap-around outreach
• 4K & Daycare outreach

Self-Directed Activities

• Pokemon Hangout
• Open Storyroom
• Open Storyroom/Homeschool Hangout

Meetings, Hosted events, etc.

• Girl Scouts
• Summer Fun for All Ages with GLOBE Citizen Science! (webinar)
• Vendor meeting
• Elementary school art show

Notes

• Finishing reports, meetings, desk time, busy evening with the art show, etc. I am almost finished with the neighborhoods project - at this time there are only ~30 books still checked out to be reviewed and one more large section of replacements depending on grants that I'll be putting in next week.
• As I'm going over the final stages of the picture book neighborhoods project, it's going to affect my reviewing only in so far as I'm going to be a LOT pickier about putting books I've borrowed from other libraries on my wishlist. I'd certainly rather buy lots of interesting books than another 20 copies of Pete the Cat, but here we are.

Picture Book Neighborhoods: Favorites

  This collection has moved around as we moved our shelves. At one point, it was directly facing our play area. In the last shifting of shelves, it was at the beginning of the shelf ranges for the neighborhoods, across from the play area, but facing our windows. This is also the narrowest of the aisles and most folks who stopped at the desk asking for Pete the Cat, Pigeon books, etc. then had to walk to the back of the area. While I was shifting the books, I kept most of this collection on a cart at the desk and people beelined to it right away. I then put it at the end of the picture book neighborhoods, so it's the first thing you see as you approach those shelves, and whole sections were immediately checked out. I also shifted a couple favorites that had grown in popularity into this area, like Pig the Pug and Grumpy Monkey. Disney books have moved in and out of this collection and the current area makes it easier to point folks to the tub books, with additional media tie-ins.

List of favorite characters and series

 - This changes over time - some become classics, sometimes new ones are added, sometimes I shift away older titles that have fallen out of favor (or out of print). Generally I look for things that have 5 or more individual titles and that kids ask for by name. The number of items currently on order is mostly new or prebound titles - I am still working through replacements! All of these have dividers unless otherwise noted.

• Stanley by William Bee
• This is one that doesn't get asked for as often, but does better when it's all together rather than being spread throughout the GO and COMMUNITY neighborhoods.
• Stanley the Builder
• Stanley's garage
• Stanley's Fire Engine
• Stanley the baker
• 22 titles, 11 checked out, 2 replacements on order.
• Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey
• Pig the Pug
• 20 titles, 10 checked out.
• Bluey
• These are a mix of prebound and hardcover. 
• 25 titles, 24 checked out, 35 on order (includes preorders through fall 2025).
• Clifford by Norman Bridwell - no divider
• Most of these are paperbacks in the tub books - and many of the originals are out of print. However, I have the original, first title in hardcover and plan to add ~5 more as I update the collection. I may, at that time, add a divider for these.
• Drew Daywalt - The Crayons
• There's only two picture books in this "series" but there are a whole bunch of mini books centered around holidays. They quickly got lost on the shelf, so it made sense to move them here.
• 10 titles, 5 checked out, 7 on order.
• Llama Llama by Dewdney
• This is mostly the originals with only a couple prebound tie-ins.
• 26 titles, 6 checked out, 2 on order.
• Ryan T. Higgins
• The divider is for Mother Bruce, but I also include Penelope Rex and Norman. There are also a bunch of mini Mother Bruce books.
• Mother Bruce
• Hotel Bruce
• Spring stinks
• Santa Bruce
• We don't eat our classmates!
• 21 titles, 12 checked out, 4 on order.
• How to catch...
• Originally it made the most sense to put these with the holiday or season. Then they started getting more esoteric with things like "garden fairy" and "yeti." So far, they are all just sitting in a sullen lump on the shelf, so we'll see if putting them all together was a good idea or not.
• 36 titles, 14 checked out, 1 on order.
• The Food Groups by John Jory
• There are 7? of the basic picture books, but I have multiple copies as they get used for various school projects and are popular. There are also a couple tie-ins.
• The Bad Seed
• The Good Egg
• 18 titles, 10 checked out, 1 on order
• Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann
• I've always disliked these, but the patrons and kids want them. A lot of my copies have worn out, including the couple tie-ins I had. I keep more in the tubs (paperbacks of the easy reader spin-offs).
• 16 titles, 8 checked out
• Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang
• This recently became popular and I purchased multiples of the titles - I plan to get more.
• Grumpy Monkey
• Grumpy Monkey: Party Time
• 11 titles, 10 checked out, 5 on order.
• If you give... by Laura Numeroff
• This is another popular series that I don't particularly care for, but people love. I am trying to have 4 copies of each of the original titles. They're labeled on their divider with the Mouse from the first book.
• 16 titles, 5 checked out, 2 on order
• Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor
  
• I've always rather liked Fancy Nancy - I definitely prefer her to Pinkalicious. The original picture books expanded to include smaller format spin-off picture books, then easy readers, then some tie-ins. My collection is very, very worn and needs replacements, but I haven't yet started ordering them.
• Fancy Nancy and the wedding of the century
• 23 titles, 19 checked out
• Paw Patrol
• These have always been paperbacks in the tubs, but they've started publishing some hardcovers so I added those and then some prebinds.
• 16 titles, 11 checked out, 5 on order.
• Peppa Pig - no divider
• Like Paw Patrol these have always been paperbacks, but they've started publishing some hardcover books.
• 1 title, 4 titles on order.
• Pete the Cat
• I liked the first couple books, although endless repetitions quickly took the shine out of them. I don't particularly care for the later ones, or the gazillion spin-offs and tie-ins, but people love them.
• Pete the Cat and the New Guy
• 40 titles, 15 checked out, 7 titles on order
• Jasper Rabbit - Aaron Reynolds
• This is Creepy carrots etc. It doesn't really fit, since there's only 3 titles, but it gets asked for so much that I decided to put it in the favorites. I thought there was going to be a new book next fall, but it turned out to be a chapter book! Which is cool too.
• Creepy pair of underwear
• 7 copies, 6 checked out.
• Mo Willems - Knuffle Bunny and Pigeon
• I previously had all of Mo Willems' books together in the favorites area. However, I've found that his non-series books are much less-known and since he's moved away from his signature style, and started writing some titles with other illustrators, I decided to spread his books out throughout the collection and just keep these two popular series here.
• The duckling gets a cookie
• The pigeon needs a bath
• Knuffle Bunny - 3 titles, 3 checked out. I have three additional copies on order.
• Pigeon - 33 titles, 9 checked out, 5 titles on order.
• Bear by Karma Wilson
• I admit these mostly leave me cold, but the pictures are cute and the kids do like the rhymes.
• 17 titles, 5 checked out, 6 titles on order.
• Dinosaurs by Jane Yolen
• How do dinosaurs say I love you
• 10 titles, 2 checked out.

This month in the collection: February 2025

This was a short month, and yet somehow extremely long. I'm still spending most of my time and budget on purchasing replacements.

Library Pinterest - new materials
*purchased for or added to the library collection
**not yet purchased, but it's on a list!

Board Books

• *This little duckling by Ingela P. Arrhenius
• * I can say mama book; I can say dada book by Stephanie Cohen
• *Below the ice by Michael Escoffier
• I bought this based on reviews and it is funny! My staff have all enjoyed it.
• *Hank goes peck by Maudie Powell-Tuck

Picture Books

• **The interpreter by Olivia Abtahi
• Can't wait to get his one! It's sooo good!
• *Little and big by Anne Gutman
• Hasn't been cataloged yet, but it came in my last shipment.
• **Not a smiley guy by Polly Horvath
• *Ramon Fellini the dog detective by Guilherme Karsten
• A teacher requested this - it's hilarious!
• *How we share cake by Hyo-un Kim
• *Gift of the great buffalo by Carole Lindstrom
• I had a review copy I added - I hope to buy additional copies before summer, but B&T has it down as delayed delivery.
• **All the rocks we love by Lisa Varchal Perron
• *Eat like a bear by April Pulley Sayre
• New edition. One of my favorite books!
• **The good little mermaid's guide to bedtime by Eija Sumner
• I want it sooo bad, but the price is high.

Early Readers and Transitional Chapters

• *Mooncakes mean family by Shum Benson
• *My dog is best by David Catrow
• *I help by Joe Cepeda
• *The perfect spot by Kallie George
• *Lone wolf gets a pet by Kiah Thomas
• *Pup and dragon by Alice Walstead
• I am still fairly meh about these, but they were on sale.

Beginning Chapter Books

• *Detective Beans by Li Chen
• *Crimson Twill: Witch in the country by Kallie George
• *Bitsy & Boozle tell a story by Sara Goetter
• *Connor and the Taekwondo tournament; Violet and the Jurassic land exhibit by Jen Malia

Juvenile Fiction

• *Pablo and Splash by Sheena Dempsey
• *Into the dark forest by Liz Flanagan
• *Chickenpox by Remy Lai
• *Coral's reef by David Lumsden
• I waited to purchase this until I could get it in prebind. Instantly popular.
• *Same page by Elly Swartz
• *The truth about 5th grade by Kim Tomsic
• *Inside the park by Andrea Williams
• I purchased multiple replacement copies of Dog Man and Cat Kid in prebind.

Juvenile Nonfiction

• *Poop happened by Sarah Albee
• Replacement copy
• *Spooky lakes by Geo Rutherford
• **Power to the parasites by Chelsea L. Wood

Other

• *Lone Wolf: Flight from the dark by Joe Dever
• I'm curious to see if this is popular - my director certainly had fond childhood memories of it!

This week at the library

Small builder at Construction Hangout

Programs

• Teen Homeschool Hangout
• Paws to Read
• Family Storytime
• Teen Advisory Board
• Family Storytime

Outreach

• Lakeland School (off-site)
• Homeschool event

Self-Directed Activities

• Read and Grow
• Reading Explorer
• What's in my body scavenger hunt
• Construction Hangout
• Homeschool Hangout

Meetings, Hosted events, etc.

• Friends general meeting
• Managers' meeting

Notes

• My main project this week was writing my monthly report - a lot of things happened this month and I've been cogitating over some long-term changes and projects I want to focus on. I also wrote an additional report, which involved lots of staring at security cameras, estimating numbers, and reviewing traffic patterns in the library. I discovered that one area is really hard to estimate because the way the light reflects through the windows puts patrons into shadows! (No patron privacy was violated - I can't see that well, for one thing, to actually identify anybody, but really I was just looking at how people moved through different areas at different times.)
• I am also finishing the neighborhoods project. I organized and purchased a lot of replacements last weekend, but I'm still working on this. I've also been shifting - a sweaty and frustrating project. I am DONE and will let the collection settle and then revisit it in April.
• I spent funds from last year's Giving Tree that were still extant, attended our Friends general meeting to request funds for the picture book neighborhoods - specifically focusing on a couple areas that need significant outlay, and did a lot of other misc. things.
• I just managed to finish updating the Read and Grow program, which has a lot of book lists that use the Neighborhoods, but I still need to update our Pinterest pages and order replacements.

Picture Book Neighborhoods: Classics

What is a "classic"? Who knows? In a sort of general way I consider it to be older titles, sometimes having won awards sometimes not, which remain in print. They tend to be much longer than today's picture books as when they were published they were aimed at older children and most children also had longer attention spans. They also don't generally fit well into the neighborhood categories and most have no new titles to be added, only new editions or reprints. Only a few have dividers and I have noted those.

List of individual titles or small collections of classics

• The Brambly Hedge complete collection by Jill Barklem
• This is a personal favorite of mine and the originals are small books, like Beatrix Potter, but it's become a strong favorite of many of my patrons.
• 
  The complete cloudy with a chance of meatballs by Judi Barrett
• This is a combined volume that includes the companion book, Pickles to Pittsburgh.
• Madeline by Bemelmans
• I am fully aware that several of these have outdated and racist language. However, they circulate so they are in the collection. I have two collections and two individual titles, the original Madeline and Madeline's Christmas.
• Arthur by Marc Brown
• I get asked for these mostly by teachers - most of them are out of print. I do have Arthur's Eyes, Arthur's teacher trouble, and for some reason, two copies of Arthur turns green. At some future point when I have funds I will consider adding some prebound copies if they are available.
• Margaret Wise Brown
• This is one of those classic authors that it's a huge pain to find the original, basic classic. You have to wade through endless board books, toy combinations, special editions, etc. etc. I have My World and Runaway Bunny and am looking for a replacement of Goodnight Moon. 
• Babar by Jean de Brunhoff
• Like Madeline, these are pretty outdated. They aren't something I would probably read to my own kids, although I still have a childhood copy. Even though I don't think most children will grasp the colonial background of the stories, it's a mindset that I wouldn't want to introduce. But, that's not my choice for my patrons. I have Babar the king, The travels of Babar, and The Story of Babar.
• Eric Carle - marked with divider
• This is probably one of the most extensive "classic" authors I have. I include Bill Martin Jr.'s "Bear" books here as well, since this is usually where people look for them. I try to have several copies of the most familiar and popular stories, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and I periodically replace the other titles as needed. This is another one that can be frustrating as the most popular titles go in and out of print and there are a gazillion spin-off editions under the Eric Carle name.
• A comparison of the picture book and easy reader of A House for Hermit Crab
• Five little monkeys jumping on the bed by Eileen Christelow
• There's a whole series of these. Not my personal favorite, and they don't get asked for often and are mostly out of print, but I do get requests often enough that I'll keep this. I might add a couple more in the series if I find them on a discount site at some point.
• Maisy by Lucy Cousins
• I remember when Maisy was as big as Peppa Pig. She's not as popular nowadays, and I mostly purchase Maisy books in board book format since her picture books were ready to pieces, but I do have about 5 of them and add to it occasionally. This is the only "classic" series that regularly has new titles.
• Barbara DeRubertis - alphabet series
• There's one book for each letter (I'm missing Polly Porcupine, but it's out of print). Frankly, these are here b/c I'm not relabeling and moving 25 books.
• Drummer Hoff by Barbara Emberley
• Olivia by Ian Falconer - marked with a divider
• There are only 5? I think? of the original books. They've gradually disappeared due to wear and tear and I am trying to keep 2 copies at least of each one.
• Corduroy by Don Freeman
• Just the original two - Corduroy and A Pocket for Corduroy.
• Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
  
• Just ordered a replacement of this.
• Frances by Russell Hoban
• I have the three that are generally still in print - Bedtime for Frances, Bread and Jam for Frances, and Best friends for Frances.
• Angelina Ballerina by Holabird
• I've moved these back and forth from the Dance section. I think they are now in "classic" category and besides a couple copies of the first title, the only one I make sure I have is Angelina at the Fair.
• Ezra Jack Keats
• I have Snowy Day of course, a collection, and a couple individual titles.
• Robert Kraus
• I recently moved Where are you going, little mouse? and Whose mouse are you? to this section because they weren't circulating in the general area.
• The story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
• Tacky by Helen Lester
• Not one that I like, but I do get asked for them fairly regularly. I have 4.
• Leo Lionni
• 
  I am a big fan of Leo Lionni and when I keep them all together here they check out regularly, although not to the extent of more popular titles. I have 10 titles including Swimmy and Frederick.
• Froggy by Jonathan London
• These used to be much more popular. They are still mostly available in prebound, but I don't think they're worth expending the purchase money. I have 7 and I try to keep between 5 and 10.
• The Magic School Bus
• So, I have three of the original titles, Explore the senses, Inside a hurricane, and Inside a beehive. From the amount of requests I get for these, I could probably have more. But, while information doesn't generally outdate as much for a younger audience, I am not going to expend funds on purchasing very outdated nonfiction books. Additionally, most of them are out of print. In my opinion, teachers should be using other materials. I keep this handful specifically for a couple patrons who are autistic and get very focused on older kids' tv shows like this.
• Robert McCloskey
• 
  We had multiple copies in heavy, never-fail library binding. I've weeded a few as they stopped circulating or became very shabby, but the ones I've kept still circulate regularly. I have several copies of Make way for ducklings and Blueberries for Sal and a couple other random titles.
  
• Robert Munsch
• I'm not a huge fan of Munsch. I don't dislike him, I just don't care for the books and I don't think they make particularly good read-alouds. The ones I have circulate, but not often enough that I feel the need to purchase more and I never get asked for them. I have one collection and three individual titles.
• Sam Bangs and Moonshine by Evaline Ness
• This is a weird one but every time I figure it's never going to circulate again and I might as well weed it, someone comes in and borrows it. So, I keep it.
• Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
• I detest this book. I keep at least two copies of it.
• Beatrix Potter
• I used to have a collection of the small books, but they didn't really circulate - caregivers were worried about losing them. I replaced them with several collections.
• Curious George by H. A. Rey
• I only have the original books here. I think there are 7. These are the only paperback picture books I keep, because they are so thick. I also keep Pretzel here.
• We're going on a bear hunt by Michael Rosen
• I had to replace this anyways, so I've decided to move it to the classics section.
• Richard Scarry - Busytown - divider
• I put all the titles with the Busytown theme, characters, or art style here. They recently reprinted a lot of them, but the bindings weren't super strong so I've had to replace a few several times.
• Splat the Cat by Scotton - divider
• This series goes in and out of popularity. Right now, I'm keeping the picture books here and I don't think there are going to be any more.
• Maurice Sendak
• I have a couple copies of Where the wild things are. Everything else was weeded for lack of use except... Bumble-ardy. Do not ask me, I have no idea why it's circulating so much.
• Dr. Seuss - divider
• I'm not going to enter into any discussions about this. They circulate regularly and I get asked for them, but they are not so popular that I feel the need to purchase additional copies or have every book that Seuss wrote or that was dug out of his attic after his death. I try to keep the main titles - Horton, The Lorax, and The Grinch. This is just the original books, no spin-offs.
• David Shannon - divider
• I include A bad case for stripes and Alice the fairy here. I would have thought this was complete, but a new David book is coming out in spring 2025.
• Caps for sale by Slobodkina
• William Steig
• These really don't circulate much, but I keep a couple of the best-known titles.
• 
  Eloise in Paris by Kay Thompson
• Anatole by Eve Titus
• I admit I keep two Anatole books because they're favorites of mine. They do circulate occasionally though!
  
• Chris Van Allsburg
• I used to have a huge collection of these, but lack of circulation caused me to weed them down. I only have four of the best-known titles.
• Lyle Lyle Crocodile
• I just replaced the collected first four stories with a new collection.
• The biggest bear by Lynd Ward
• David Wiesner
• I moved some of his other titles into the neighborhoods - I just kept Tuesday and Flotsam here.
• The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
• King Bidgood's in the bathtub by Audrey Wood
• I moved a couple of her other books into other areas.
• Hey Al by Arthur Yorinks

This week at the library

Sensory bin at Miss Esther's 
family storytime

Programs

• Family Storytime (2 sessions)
• Teen engagement: Candlemaking

Outreach

• 4K/Daycare outreach visits (4 sessions)

Self-Directed Activities

• Read and Grow
• Reading Explorer
• What's in my body scavenger hunt
• Pokemon Hangout
• Open Storyroom

Meetings, Hosted events, etc.

• Girl Scouts
• schedule review meeting

Notes

• I took Thursday and Friday off and I am working on disconnecting more from work, so I did not check my email once! Of course, I still worked on my collection development projects lol. I am in the final stages of weeding the neighborhoods - I have relabeled the last sections and staff will do the final covering while I'm gone. My associate was finishing up the dividers too. What remains now is to do a final, major shifting which I hope to tackle next week, ~100 books that are currently checked out and need to be reviewed and relabeled, and the actual collection development. I have a long list of replacements to review and purchase, and I am working on the favorites/classics section specifically to update and add to the collection. Moving it to a more visible area of the collection is great, but it means that everything has instantly checked out, leaving us with empty shelves!

Picture Book Neighborhoods: Where we are now

I did the first decisive overhaul of the picture book neighborhoods in 2022. I had not weeded in any significant way since 2018/2019, original issues with the categories had compounded, and several areas had gotten very confusing. I reviewed all the categories and did a title-by-title weed and evaluation. It took most of a year, but it was worth it once I was done - while I had kept most of the original organization, I had taken into account various requests, changes in the way people were searching for books, and growing trends. My favorite comment will always be the patron who complained that their local library didn't organize the books the way I did and they couldn't find what they wanted, so they just drove over to our library (where all the train books were in one spot lol.)

I had hoped to have left the collection a bit longer, but in only two years we were running into several problems. First, I had made a miscalculation - in trying to simplify the spine labels and sub-categories, I'd ended up with large chunks that had identical spine labels, making it difficult to shelve accurately and find specific books for holds. As always, there were changes in subjects, how and what people were looking for, and new trends in picture books to account for. So, I started another major overhaul in the summer of 2024 and finally finished in February 2025. I also flipped the favorites/classics section so it's the first thing you encounter as you enter the youth area. We also completely redid all the signage, with new dividers being created by my talented associate.

This is the most time-consuming collection to weed and maintain; unlike most collections, circulation is not a factor that can be taken into account; In a collection of approximately 5,800 titles, fewer than 20 titles had last circulated prior to 2023. Fewer than 100 had last circulated in 2023. I have to weed based on condition, space, popularity of the subject in general, and what I like to call "psychic collection development" where I generally divide the number of times a book has circulated by the years we've owned it and then make decisions based on that and a host of other factors, including whether it will be popular in the future, just needs to be promoted, is an important subject that should be represented even if it doesn't circulate regularly, etc. etc.

The last issue with the collection, which it isn't possible to resolve now but I hope to fix in the future, is that the new arrangement of the shelves, made in 2022, made the spaces between a little narrower. Add in our snazzy new dividers (which patrons are LOVING) and it's worse. I anticipate having to replace the dividers regularly because patrons, staff, strollers, carts, etc. can't help but bend them as they go by.

After our initial drop in circulation due to the pandemic, picture book circulation slowly worked back up. In 2023 it was at 25,000 and in 2024 it was over 28,000, the highest it's been since 2016 (that year picture book circulation was 30,000!). I'm interested to see what happens in 2025, as I completed this project between fall 2024 and winter 2025.

The updated arrangement of the neighborhoods can be found on this spreadsheet. There is also a detailed description in my Guide to the Youth Collection, with more links to resources like Pinterest. The dividers can be found on Canva.

Next up, I'll be exploring the details of each area and highlighting specific materials.

Welcome to the Neighborhoods: The Beginning

I started researching picture book neighborhoods in 2012-2013, presented my ideas to staff and, with much input and discussion, completed the bulk of the work by the end of 2014. As I worked on this project through 2014, I saw picture book circulation increase by 4,885, reaching a total of 27,214.

The Neighborhood project went through a lot of evolution. I drew heavily on the ideas of Kathleen Larson at Bloomer (and a big thank you to her for being so kind and sending me all her information), the process at Darien in CT and several other libraries who have done similar projects.

My evaluation of the first three years was positive - neutral. The few patrons who were frustrated by not being able to find the book they wanted by just looking for it alphabetically were the minority - usually teachers outside our service area or folks who didn't use the library regularly. Those who wanted specific titles quickly got into the habit of placing them on hold. Prior to creating the neighborhoods, I had far more requests and complaints from patrons who wanted subjects (tractors, dinosaurs, potty-training, etc.). I also found it to make collection development easier as I could look at the sections both physically and data-wise and see which ones need more materials and which need to be weeded or aren't circulating. Around this time I also had a big jump in remote collections/teacher requests and this arrangement made it possible to handle that increase.

After the initial surge in circulation, the numbers fell back a bit; This was due, in my opinion, first to the shelves being extremely crowded - I was not allowed to weed in any significant way at this time but added almost 2,000 more books to the area in three years, making it seriously overcrowded. I also found there were issues with some of the categories being confusing. Sometimes a lot of staff input isn't helpful.

The major problem area was the titles which were not relabeled and were left by author. These included "favorite authors" like Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle, and Fancy Nancy, but also a plethora of books that did not fit into any of the current categories or which I did not want to relabel since they needed to be weeded. There were also some smaller sections that needed to be adjusted - we ended up with all the planet books in Things That Go/Space and math books in Fun/Create (there were some people who strongly disagreed with this (-:)

In 2017, while my associate updated and created new signage, pictured above, I updated the area to include several new subcategories and weeded or sent to be recataloged and relabeled everything in the general favorite authors section that was not a specific character or favorite author. I wasn't completely satisfied with the update - I didn't like having Pets and Farm in community, there were issues with the arrangement of the Ourselves section, and I need a separate Tales section for folktales and fairy tales. 

So, if you are thinking about doing Neighborhoods, a couple things I'd suggest thinking about. First, it's a LOT of work. I did a lot of the re-cataloging myself, but our processor had a lot of work to do relabeling everything. It took over a year and was at times very frustrating and stressful. My original signage was not the best; it was greatly improved when my associate took over and handled it. Get your signage organized first. I think the process would have been simplified and improved if I'd done small sections one at a time. That wasn't possible for me, but it may be for you. I also made a Youtube video, which was put on Facebook, and that helped people understand the process a lot better too.

Over the years, I've learned that the collection needs to be fluid too. Things change in the way people look for things, the language they use, the books that are available, and in what is popular.

Stay tuned for the next updates to the Neighborhoods!

This week at the library

Me and one of my staff at MakerFest

Programs

• Itty Bitty Bopping Bakers
• Paws to Read
• Family Storytime
• Preschool Fun: Reading around the world

Outreach

• MakerFest

Self-Directed Activities

• Construction Hangout
• Homeschool Hangout
• Open Storyroom
• What's in your body? Scavenger hunt

Meetings, Hosted events, etc.

• 4-H meeting
• Daycare visit
• Managers' meeting

Notes

• This week was rather exhausting. I am playing around with some different options for tracking patron flows and spent a somewhat tortuous hour or so with our security cameras. I think I've come up with a better way of estimating usage, but it will involve getting daily door counts. On Tuesday we hosted the Preschool Fun night. We had a good turnout for it being an evening in February, with a winter storm predicted the next day and school already called off, but we always wonder if we're coming out even in the equation of effort and funds put into the program vs. attendance.
• We knew we were probably going to close early on Wednesday, but I drove in for a couple hours to get a chunk of my neighborhoods project done. When I went home I went through some orders, double-checked expenses, and wrote up a number of things for future discussion. I also had a little walk in the snow.
• Thursday morning I had to borrow the microwaveable heat pack from the inside of my stuffed manatee to get my ignition de-iced so the key would turn. Mr. Manatee to the rescue! Very thoughtful gift from a colleague last December! I was worried that our managers' meeting would run over, since I had 2 kids signed up for a sewing class from 3-5. However, they ended up not being able to come, which was just as well since the meeting ran until nearly 4. I've already had to cancel the next planned sewing workshop in March, due to needing to cover the desk, and I'm feeling really burned out and blah about programming. Hopefully after we get through the grant process and several other things hanging fire at the moment, I'll take all my usage statistics, the additional staff hours that are going to appear from nowhere, and magically design a series of programs that will be fully staffed and attended. I left early to drop off the last load of misc. stuff from the library basement for donation.
• Friday I only worked a half-day. There was no school. I had an "oh wombats I'm old" moment when a middle school volunteer came in and the last time I saw her she was three with pigtails. She very kindly cleaned the gerbil cage. I started on the last phase of the neighborhood updates.
• Saturday was MakerFest. I (and my staff) have participated in this since before the pandemic and last year it was just... too much. The nature of the event has changed a lot and I'm no longer trying to advertise and draw people to programs (I mean, I still am, but this isn't the right venue for it). Plus, it's a whole day and it's a LOT. Also, last year somebody was giving out whistles. WHISTLES. Thankfully, my school colleague let us horn in on her table and we even managed to get her to take a break while we ran her very fun Lego tests with the kids.

This week at the library

Little zebra at storytime

Programs

• Paws to Read
• Family Storytime
• Youth D&D
• Family Storytime
• Teen engagement

Outreach

• After school outreach
• 4K/daycare outreach
• 1st grade outreach
• OPtions outreach (family night)

Self-Directed Activities

• Pokemon Hangout

Meetings, Hosted events, etc.

• Girl Scouts
• Library system meeting
• Book vendor meeting
• Homeschool group

Projects (You can sign up to receive these here)

• January new book spotlight
• Early literacy activity calendars
• STEAM activity calendars

Notes

• Super adorable guinea pig at Paws to Read - she was adopted a few days later! We are working on some new closing procedures. I don't think anyone else has the problem that I and my closing partner do - we forget to watch the time because we're absorbed in our work and have a tendency to, um, close a little late.
• The after school outreach currently is using our marble runs and I took outreach books there earlier (or rather my staff did) so I only took the stuff I was doing that day. I read them There are no ants in this book which they were very interested in and Don't think of tigers. I brought hula hoops and the more, um, energetic kids made it almost half an hour before they got banned from playing with them lol. I also took suction cups, beading string, and beads and the kids were very fascinated by this craft.
• I had absolutely no plan for D&D besides a pack of mini resin mushrooms. I warned the kids ahead of time, and I was glad I had the mushrooms to bribe them, otherwise it would have been maybe not the worst, but definitely pretty blah of the games I've (unwillingly) run.
• I ended Thursday early with a set of class visits and then a dentist visit. This year's 1st graders are amazing chill! They sat still for There are no ants in this book, Be Quiet! by Ryan Higgins, The Rattlin' Bog (and an explanation of what a bog is), My Awesome summer by P. Mantis, and Squash the Cat. This carefully curated selection was what I grabbed off the random piles on my desk.

January 2025: This month in the collection

January is the month when I primarily focus on purchasing replacements and ordering/requesting Paw Prints prebinds. Also, in the interest of complete frankness, I have spent most of the month reading romantic fantasy manga and old British mysteries, so I haven't reviewed much.

Library Pinterest - new materials
*purchased for or added to the library collection
**not yet purchased, but it's on a list!

Picture Books

• *Seven little ducklings by Annette LeBlanc Cate
• I always get new books by this author!
• **Who took my lollipop? by Doug Cenko
• Very funny!
• *A moving story by Beth Ferry
• **I was by Katherine Hocker
• *Rocket puppies by William Joyce
• Turns out everyone adores this book and thinks it's cute.
• *A little like magic by Sarah Kurpiel
• LOVE this one.
• *How to draw a tiger by Alex Latimer
• Requested for purchase by one of my staff after I brought it in to look at.
• *I love you little horse by Gianna Marino
• I love her art.
• *There are no ants in this book by Rosemary Mosco
• Finally purchased!
• *Heartfelt by Elaine Vickers
• I really like her books for use in holidays and all year.
• **Whirligigs: The wondrous windmills of Vollis Simpson's Imagination by Carole Boston Weatherford
• My associate really liked this one and is using it in school visits. It ties in nicely to activities.

Early Readers and Transitional Chapters

• *Snarky Shark by Rebecca Baines
• I actually bought this last year, but I've been waiting for a reading level on it from a teacher who helps me out.
• *Bunny Hop by Sarah Hwang
• *Green Eggs and Ham by James Kochalka
• Young patron has been waiting eagerly for this sequel.
• *Pizza and Taco: Coolest club ever! by Shaskan
• Purchased two copies - a very popular series.

Beginning Chapter Books

• *Secret of the lost gold by Rebecca Elliott
• Unicorn Diaries sequel
• *Ava Lin, best friend by Vicky Fang

Juvenile Fiction

• *The mystery of Mystic Mountain by Janet S. Fox
• *Zeroes to Heroes by Doogie Horner
• 2nd book in Invisible Boy graphic novel series - kids have been requesting this via teachers.
• *Wolf called fire by Rosanne Parry
• Companion to Wolf called wander.

Juvenile Nonfiction

• *Virus Hunters by Amy Cherrix
• *Why we went extinct by Tadaaki Imaizumi
• I gambled and bought this without reading it first - very funny and I think kids will like it. I want to read it at some point!
• *Spirit Sleuths by Gail Jarrow
• *How to be a color wizard by Jason Logan
• This was snapped up right away by the folks I had in mind for it.
• *The big book of barf by Vicky Lorencen
• For my medical display.
• Call the bee doctor by Sandra Markle
• This was fascinating - I don't know when I'll be able to purchase it though, as Millbrook titles are expensive. I alternate years of purchasing nonfiction direct from publishers and I probably won't have funds for Lerner this year.
• Lost at Windy River by Trina Rathberger
• Another one that was a fascinating read, but is out of my budget.
• *They are here by Roland Smith
• Purchased from Amazon. I've been wanting this for a while.
• *Frozen in time by Carmella Van Vleet
• Waited to purchase this in paperback.
• *Spices and Spuds by Andy Warner
• Awesome new nonfiction graphic novel