Our last short week - Tuesday through Friday. It's all been planning, planning, planning for programs. Or it was supposed to be.
Tuesday - Panic! My lovely large new book order is still marked "pending." I need those books by the 13th! I called BWI and they take care of it for me (see, this is one of the many reasons I LOVE BWI. GREAT customer service! Thank you Laura!!) Note to self - next year, plan this program LATER.
Struggling with displays - I often see articles in library magazines or online talking about using displays when you're understaffed....well, I generally spend an average of about an hour a day filling in and straightening displays. Not making new ones, selecting books, creating slogans/decorations, etc. Just keeping them filled in. Our displays are hugely popular, but I'm going crazy trying to keep up with them on top of everything else! I am working on handing the teen displays over to my aide and trying to plan out the displays a little more. I tried last year and ...yeah, trying again.
Yay! Newsletter done! We're trying everything combined in the newsletter, instead of separate event calendars.
Got all my supplies for January ordered. I hate to do it month at a time, because I'm always worrying about running out of money by the fall, but unless I plan all my programs ahead of time, which is NOT happening, I don't know what supplies I will need.
Argh, I'm behind on my scheduled blog posts! Will have to take care of that Wednesday night. I've been so busying cleaning up old posts and reorganizing links and tags that I got behind in writing new ones!
Wednesday - visited all the schools and daycares, dropping off flyers and a letter to the staff and teachers. Got a call back from the biggest daycare/preschool who wants to come for a visit!
However, I seem to be unable to convince our nearest elementary school to visit regularly. The kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades come once in the fall, I visit all the schools in late May/June for summer reading promotion, but can I get 3rd grade to come for a monthly visit and check out books? No, I cannot. I am at my wits' end!
Got completely SLAMMED on the desk all afternoon, crazy busy! Endless questions about ereaders! Penguins! Class textbook lists! But managed to get the puppets mended and a few other minor things done.
Thursday. Another busy, busy day. Somehow my "planning" times always seem to coincide with our busiest times at the library...a day of disappointments - I can't afford (or fit) the giant whale I wanted for our summer kickoff (trust me - it was COOL) and I think I'm coming down with a cold...two best stumpers of the evening "I saw it in your new chapter books last year, or maybe the year before and the cover was light blue and looked kind of like the Never Ending Story" and, even better "a movie that was a sequel"
Friday. 7th/8th grade teacher wants me to visit = very cool. She needs especially books of short stories and drama - racking my brain! Also worried, since I don't often visit older grades, about appropriateness...sigh. I am sure it will go ok. But if anybody has suggestions...
Augh! Somebody drew with marker on my new flannel board! I hadn't even used it yet!
Awful salesguy from a preview company is USING MY NAME to try to get into neighboring libraries. I am now going to make a New Year's Resolution: In this future year, I will stand up for myself against salespeople and I give myself permission to be rude if they refuse to leave me alone. As part of that resolution, I suggest avoiding all contact with said salesperson and their company:
Jack Lynn
Olympia Books
PO Box 76
Olympia Fields IL 60451
708-755-4909
The salesman gives a heavy salestalk, is very rude and difficult to get rid of, refuses to leave a business card or contact information, the books are inferior, the discount is poor. I am furious at allowing myself to be pressured to buy from him and in this coming year promise myself that I will hang up, kick out, and otherwise refuse all salespeople. ROAAWR!
NOT READY!! Programs starting!! Aghhhh!!!
2 comments:
Go, girl! I only see one sales person, and that's only because I've been seeing him for 15 years and he is tremendously helpful and polite. There is no reason to deal with anyone who is not!
I didn't buy a huge amount from him, and I was chalking it up to "try to be tougher next time" when I got a call from a neighboring library. Grrrr. I think, culturally, as a librarian and a woman, it's really, really hard to be rude - but that's what has to be done to get rid of these guys! I did get rid of one last year, after several attempts. I may not have to with this guy though - I talked to several other librarians in our consortium and we sicced our youth services coordinator on him. She is one tough lady - he's going to seriously regret adding us to his territory!
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