Jean Little Library: This week at the library; or, We rise to the challenge

Some of the 200+ people who
came to the under the sea party.
Digging in the "sand" for shells.

What's going on in my head and at the library

April is always a stressful month. I tend to get sick a lot in April, which can go either way - it's stressful because I get sick or I get sick because I'm stressed. This year I'm determined to handle it and not just survive, miserably, until Mid-May. Summer aside, we have some of our biggest programs in April. Our giant, collaborative party, Battle of the Books, preschool visits, Chick Central, etc.
I hate our copier. It is EVIL.
Under the sea is our huge collaborative party. About 200+ people came - our door counter said 383, discounting regular library attendees and people going in and out, probably about 225.
Only 22 people at Lego Club...but almost all brand-new attendees! They will be back.
Puppet Story Theater - I usually get 1-2 performers for our kindergartens every year. As you saw last week, one of our kindergartens got the date mixed up and came a week early, so I only had one kindergarten this week. They were an amazing audience - really clicked with the show.
It's kind of a strange feeling but I realized that, for the first time in years, I have no major project on hand. I told our cataloger this and she spontaneously replied "OH NOOOOO" I promised I wasn't going to do any more major projects, especially involving cataloging or relabeling. Unless, you know, they're really shiny. I think I'm going to reorganize all the Legos.

Some Projects Completed This Week

Recorded three utube videos - Neighborhoods, Maker shelf, and unconventional superheroes booktalks (most of the work done by our adult services librarian - I just had to talk)
Finally finished the last Neighborhoods sign
Finished going through all the easy readers - made lists of paperbacks, needed replacements, and to weed and pulled all the nonfiction to be relabeled. I did not actually weed more than about 10 because I have no money for replacements.
Created a photo collage for the family (refrigerator door) bulletin board of all the Under the Sea photos

Programs

Ongoing and New Stealth Programs and Displays

What the kids are reading; A Selection

This is why reader's advisory is complicated. I had a parent who wanted a read-alike for Shiloh and a child who wanted Captain Underpants. I gave them Winn-Dixie and Korman's Swindle, which the older child chimed in that it was great. Then the older reader wanted books as well - voracious reader, loves manga and fantasy/adventure, but the parents do not want anything with spirits and Harry Potter is out. I gave her Sherlock Bones and discussed several possible manga series and then Ingo and a couple other things.
Movie for family movie night with a 2, 4, and 6 year old. I was trying to fix my computer at the time and most of our movies are in a huge mess being security tagged - I couldn't find My Neighbor Totoro, which was what I wanted to recommend, but I gave them Wallace and Gromit.
Small child who wanted Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles books. I went through a lot of different things and he ended up with Lego Ninjago and Lego Chima comics.
Where is Dinosaur Vs. Potty? Second time we have gone looking for it for the same little girl who left in tears because we couldn't find it.

Jean Little Library