Saturday, November 12, 2016

This week at the library; or, The second week of crazy

I got to pet this bunny at the showcase. If I could have taken
him home with me, the world would have been a better place.
I stole this picture from Angela, b/c I forgot to take my camera!
What's Happening
  • Monday
    • No programs. I went to the Performer's Showcase. There was a very fluffy bunny. We need the bunny to visit our library. Also snakes, which I adore, but we always have snakes. You wouldn't think that 3 extra hours would make that much difference, but on top of working 6 days last week and the drive and time change, it's going to be a long week, full of yawns.
  • Tuesday
    • Toddlers 'n' Books (2 sessions) (Pattie)
    • Rock 'n' Read
    • It was hot (I know, it's November, but it was hot inside). I cleaned things off my desk and meditated on the meaning of life, i.e. planning all the things I have to do. Big group at book club! Woo!
  • Wednesday
  • Thursday
    • Books 'n' Babies
    • Lego Club
    • Very small group at Lego Club, but that was fine because I was deeply engrossed in finishing setting up the Scholastic Book Fair and complicated Time Math. Also, we had a new family at Lego Club and some old friends came back to visit plus lots of middle school volunteers! We couldn't have taped colored circles all over the library without them!
  • Friday
    • Kohls' Wild Theater
    • This is an example of why having a performer isn't just sitting back and letting it happen! I invited all three of our four year old kindergartens and the two largest (74 kids and 37 kids respectively) came. I put together self-guided tours for the largest school to use before the program and my staff taped down guiding circles around the library. Lots and lots of circles. Then I reminded the schools, got all the contracts signed, etc. That was all before the big day! This morning I broke down all the tables (with the help of my colleague who might not do that again since he was the one who discovered the mouse and had to put out traps...) set up chairs, taped the floor, set up displays, and kept an eye on the tours. Then I got everyone arranged in the room, took pictures and was available during the performance for emergencies, and supervised the leaving (I'm always worried the kids will end up at the wrong school, although it's never happened!). Evaluate performers, make sure everything gets picked up, and done!
    • I'm done. That was a long week.
Professional Development
This is going to be the focus for this month. I'm writing up a couple things I went to last month as well as working through articles and webinars I've saved up.
  • SEWI Youth Services Performer's Showcase
Projects
Reader's Advisory
  • Read-alikes for Spirit Beasts - Sutherland's Menagerie, West's Dragon Masters. Hmm. Not totally  happy with these recs.
  • National Geographic easy readers
  • teacher requests for nonfiction pairs - this was fun and harder than I thought it would be!
  • teacher requests for weather - need a LOT more weather books
  • Basher history - we don't have so suggested Nathan Hale instead, was happy with this
  • yay! got to recommend Small Persons with Wings
  • No David
  • Pete the Cat
  • Made a new fan of Dragonbreath. I am pleased.
Real Kids Read (Book Club Remarks)
  • Somewhat true adventures of Sammy Shine by Henry Cole
    • "I didn't like it because I knew what was coming next the whole time" (we agreed he meant it was too predictable)
    • "I loved it because I love books about mice"
  • Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon
    • Only one reader made it through this one. She loved it, especially the funny parts and the magic but found it almost too scary when it got to the part with the shadows.
  • Bigger than a breadbox by Laurel Snyder
    • "I have something really important to say about this book. It is the BEST BOOK I have ever read and my most favorite book. I cried at the beginning. I loved it because the author writes so well." (Cupcake Cousins is now her second favorite book)
  • Kidnapped: Abduction by Gordon Korman
    • The one reader of this one hadn't quite finished it. She said it was really confusing at the beginning but it was very exciting and she was definitely finishing it. (I couldn't find enough copies of the previous series but we should have started with that one).
  • 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths
    • I think four kids read this. The general consensus was that it was very funny, especially the flying cats and the sea serpents, but they read it so fast they didn't really remember much to say about it.
  • Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows by Jacqueline West
    • "This is the first time I haven't finished a book. It was too creepy." (odd because she read Harry Potter, but the atmospheric creepy was too much for her apparently.)

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