This week at the library; or, Featuring staff work day (because we don't work on the other days)

Monday. Extremely Frustrating Day. Do not want to talk about it. Grrrr.

Tuesday. 2 second grade class visits - class number one, very nice. Class number two, squirrelly beyond belief! The problem, I think, it twofold. First, these are community visits, so while one class visits me, the other visits the bank. Banks are boring. Banks also give out candy. So my second group consists of sugared, bored 2nd graders. The second problem is that these kids have already done the tour, heard the spiel, etc. etc. in kindergarten and 1st grade. Also, we would like more circulation. So I'm thinking...next year...I will tell the teachers we are doing a new "program." Kindergarteners and 1st graders get a tour, storytime, and library cards. 2nd and 3rd graders get to come check out books and make a craft. I am hoping by then we will have tried out non-fine children's books and that will be an additional incentive.

Teen Cafe. This program was a mess. (hence some of my frustration on Monday). I didn't really prepare it well enough and lots of stuff went wrong at the last minute. We were supposed to make movies. Meh. I think the problem with this (besides not preparing it) is that I am really busy. My mind knows I am really busy. My mind pushes teen programming to the back because it is very low returns for the amount of effort. I have only once gotten 20 teens to attend a program - otherwise I have a few middle schoolers and that's it. I will continue to do Teen Cafe every month, but I am going to stick to low-tech, very, very, very simple things and food. It also doesn't help that I never visit the high school or 7th/8th grade at the middle school...We're doing a Breaking Dawn party next month, but one of the Friends of the library suggested that and is helping out and bringing friends so that's different. Oh, yeah, nobody came to this program. ZERO.

Wednesday. Preschool Interactive! I thought I was only going to have 3 kids, but then a bunch more came. However, it was a wiggly day and lots of them didn't want to stay in the room - but they all came back in for the art project!

Then the third 2nd grade class came - I changed my plan in mid-stride, after the "we've already seen this" remarks from the kids yesterday and the staff's "don't you ever get tired of giving that spiel? We have it memorized" so I just took the kids around and asked them what they remembered. Eh, it was ok.

And the fourth and final group, which weren't as squirrelly as yesterday's second group. Between the four groups I read: Book that eats people, Hampire, My Rhinoceros (sigh. I would really like this one, but they just don't get the humor, although they sit still for it) I'm a shark, and Pete the Cat I love my white shoes (a HUGE hit)

Lego Club - a dismal 20. I had so many parents complain that it was too early at 3:30, that when the schools started letting out 10 minutes later, I moved it to 4pm. This doesn't work - apparently more parents find it inconvenient to go home and come back again. I also think not going to the schools' open houses lost me some people - that's where a lot of my initial attendees came last year. Oh well. I'll extend the time in January to 3:30-5pm. Spent most of Lego club in the lobby talking to the Friend who is helping (i.e. doing all the work) of planning our Breaking Dawn party.

Thursday - my kindergarten group didn't show up. No idea what happened to them. Oh well. Got through a fair amount of publicity and other stuff on the desk. Doing my part for our circulation - between Cybils, my programs, and other stuff, I have hit 100 items checked out on my card!

Friday - Staff work day! Shifted all the holiday books and juvenile movies. Straightened, shifted, and dusted several sections I've been weeding so they're not as messy. Put new security cases on my Wii games and Disney/Pixar dvds. Worked on some more publicity. Everyone was done by 2pm, but I went to run errands for the library.

And that was my week!

Updated...Actually, Staff work day NEVER goes the way I think it will. I got all the holiday books shifted, which included shifting the juvenile biographies, shifting shelves, straightening, dusting, and all new signage. Got all the movies shifted, including moving our horrible metal shelves. Realized they were off. Shifted again. Shifted again. It was 3:30. I left to run errands. I'll have to do the security cases and the signage for the movies on Monday. Gah! Frustrating week.