Monday, October 29, 2012

I left class and ran into a Zombie!

I logged off of class this evening and noticed that Abby the Librarian had a new update to her blog--Zombie Makers.  Abby has posted a review of Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature's Undead by Rebecca L. Johnson.  Might not help with the Zombie Apocalypse but looks like an interesting book to add to the shelves.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Flash Mobs, Social Media, and the Library


Last week someone sent me a link to the University of Maryland’s parody of Psy’s Gangnam Style video.  The library has a Facebook page that gave instructions for practicing the dance and where/when the flash mob would take place.  A majority of the video is shot in the library with the flash mob meeting on the quad.   I have seen other parodies of this song/dance but none done in a library.

How does this relate to youth services librarianship?

Well, my students have been talking about and doing this dance for about a month now.  I even saw a local high school soccer team doing the dance on the evening news when they were featured.  And many of them use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.  So I started thinking about how social media could be used in youth services librarianship.  I took to the ORR to search out some articles for ideas.

“Online Marketing Strategies for Reaching Today's Teens” by Laura Horn discusses using Facebook, blogs, web pages, and widgets to market library services, programs, and event to teens.  It also discusses having a TAB Facebook group to share ideas and planning events.  The article lists some sites as well for ideas and ways to get started.

“Libraries Get Social--Social Media, That Is!” By Victor Rivero offers resources for school libraries using social media for students and librarians.

“Very Pinteresting!” by Kate Messner gives great ideas about using Pinterest in schools and public libraries.  She even lists sites to help those getting started with Pinterest and links to libraries/librarians using Pinterest already.  There are also a number of authors’ Pinterest sites given.

I think social media can be a very effective way to reach and serve youths from a library perspective.  Multiple articles mentioned a few things to keep in mind such as updating and keeping up.  Teens will lose interest in sites that are not updated on a regular basis.  As librarians, we will also need to keep up with what is new in the lives of those we are trying to reach.  


Horn, L. (2011). Online Marketing Strategies for Reaching Today's Teens. Young Adult Library Services, 9(2), 24-27.

Messner, K. (2012). Very Pinteresting!. School Library Journal, 58(7), 24-27.

Rivero, V. (2010). Libraries Get Social--Social Media, That Is!. Multimedia & Internet@Schools, 17(6), 8-12.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

"Cool--I can get my sister to check it out for me"


So that is what I heard today from one of my students.  We were going over homework at the end of the day and the students were talking about book report books.  One young man mention the book he wanted to read and another told him that it wasn’t at our school library.  I seized the opportunity to teach them how they could find out where they could check it out in our area.  I asked if they knew where they could look online.  They knew that they could go to the public library website to see if the book was available there and sites for purchasing the book.  My interactive whiteboard was on and connected to my computer so I loaded up the WorldCat site.  We put in our zip code and the title of the book.  Sure enough you could find it at our public library but it was also ‘on the shelf’ at two of the local high schools.  You can search WorldCat from the public library site but it requires some setting changes.

Hopefully, I have given my students another tool they can use when looking for specific books…. and this young man’s sister checks something out for herself too.  

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Borrowing Ideas


This past week for class we read some articles about creating programs in libraries including storytimes.  We talked about borrowing ideas from other libraries and librarians.  Abby the Librarian is one of the blogs that I read fairly regularly.  She often will post, in great detail, the storytimes that she does at her library.  This week’s theme was construction and last week’s was about bugs.  She even had a page on her blog dedicated to storytime themes, which includes links to other webpages.   What an awesome way to get ideas when getting started or when you are stuck.  Thank you Abby!

The ALSC blog also posted about a Mad Libs Writing Workshop for 3rd and 4th graders.  Mad Libs = Mad Fun!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

I shook the hand of an Olympian


This week Tyler McGill came to talk at our school.  He greeted about half the school as they entered the gym and the other half as they left.  Everyone had the opportunity to touch his gold medal.  He talked about setting goals and working hard to achieve them.  He also spoke about what is was like to be at the Olympics and winning a medal.

He let the kids ask question for about 20 minutes.  Most of the kids asked about swimming, training, the Olympic village, and the YouTube video the Olympic swim team made.  One student asked him what was his favorite book—how cool was that!!!  I thought I needed to remember this and think about what I would do with that information if I were a youth services librarian.

Well, I didn’t remember the book but luckily for me some of my students did when I asked the next day.  How cool is that—they paid attention to the answer of that question.  Tyler McGill’s favorite book is Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.  We had a nice discussion about the assembly and the book.

So what would I do with that information if I were a youth services librarian?  I could set up an Olympic book display.  Our librarian had one at the beginning of the year.   I decided that I would have local celebrity picks.  We are so fortunate in our area (Champaign-Urbana) to have many local celebrities who could provide a librarian with their favorite childhood book and why.  We have Olympians, pro sport athletes, college athletes, Big Ten Coaches, TV and movie personalities, a former Miss America, authors, and Nobel laureates to name a few.   I could have the books either on the shelf (cover facing) with the who and why or in a display area or both.

Thinking back to the boys and reading discussion earlier this semester, maybe some of the male celebrity picks would encourage some of the boys to pick up the books that were once their favorites.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

A 'Library' Outside the Library


October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

The ALSC Blog has a post about Down Syndrome Awareness Month with a link to reviews for a couple of children’s books on Down syndrome that are now available for e-readers.  There is also a list of books for children with Down syndrome or about Down syndrome.  Each book is linked to WorldCat so that you can see which library in your area has it available for check out.  I think that is a really neat way to link to library collections.

I remembered that the Buddy Walk is this weekend in Champaign-Urbana, which is sponsored by the Champaign County Down Syndrome Network.  I went to their website and found that they have a lending library with a link to their catalog of books and other materials available for checkout.  They have a lot of resources and books for children and adults available for check out.

I work with someone who is involved with the Champaign County Down Syndrome Network and she brought me the new parent bag that they give to parents after the birth of a child with Down syndrome. It has videos and books for parents, a great book for younger siblings (one of the books that went digital), and a book for older siblings.  There is also a community resource guide/notebook for parents.

So how do you get the word out about these ‘libraries’ that are outside the library?   The person I spoke to told me that they get the word out through the initial contact with the parents, meetings, and events like the Buddy Walk.  It is a volunteer run organization and they maintain their library.

As I looked through the tote of information, I found bookmarks from the National Association for Down Syndrome (NADS) here and there.  One of the suggestions they list on their site to promote awareness is to have NADS posters and bookmarks at schools and libraries.  Perhaps they could also have informational fliers about events like the Buddy Walk or organizations like the Champaign County Down Syndrome Network listing resources they might offer.

One of the bookmarks marked a story printed in Gifts 2: How People with Down Syndrome Enrich the World edited by Kathryn Lynard Soper.  The story was one written by a woman I know.  The bookmark was not just here or there but in a place for my awareness.