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.

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.

Youth Literature Festival

I saw a billboard in town for the upcoming Youth Literature Festival to be held on October 4^th-6^th in Champaign-Urbana.  Check out the webpage for the festival that includes a Community Day Celebration on October 6^th that is free to the public. 

I was thinking of ways a school library could incorporate this event before and/or after the author visits the school. 

Hang fliers prior to the event

Have a display of the book(s) written by the author visiting the school

Have a display of the books written by all the authors participating in the festival

Have the kids create book jackets or posters for the books written by the participating authors to display

Hang/display crafts or projects done at the festival/community day by the kids who were there

Other ideas?