Where The Wild Things Are

 An interesting idea came up after a visit to MY local library.  Apparently, this city library advertizes story-time podcasts on their website.  At first glance, this seemed an awesome idea that my department should be looking into.  Here's the deal:  dramatic readings of published materials (i.e. popular picture books) are recorded by members of the local theater company.  These podcasts are then available for download FOR FREE from the library's website for everyone (no library card required). 

Great idea?  Yes.  It would be awesome if our patrons could just go to our website, download a story-time and play it in the car, on their stereo, etc. for their kids. Kids could follow along with the book or just enjoy the audio experience.  Perhaps they could even build in dramatic play.  And it would be a great form of outreach!  Plus it would be really fun to do!   And it's just a cool idea!

But then it's down to the nitty-gritty:  Is it legal to produce and distribute recordings of published material?  This is a stickier question.   After my initial excitement over this idea, I raced upstairs to my assistant director (who also doubles as our library's tech guru) to blab about it.  But, after some thought, we both realized there could be some major copyright issues involved in podcasting story-time.  Because podcasting is so new, there isn't much out there to go on, but simply just considering the idea of "fair use" (the lynch pin of copyright law) may put this idea on hold for us.  Clearly, it's NOT a violation of copyright to use a picture book for a public storytime.  It's the recording and distribution part that can get libraries into trouble.  Recording and/or distributing publish material is generally thought to fall OUTSIDE of the "fair use" clause although this is still a gray area in regards to podcasting. 

Right now, (again thanks to our AD) we are thinking of having a contest for kids to write their own stories, record them and then distribute them as podcasts once our website is updated.  This falls under fair use as each kid would record his or her own copyrighted material.  But if you're interested in podcasting and are wondering about the legal issues, here's the Podcasting Legal Guide written by Larry Lessig (creator of CreativeCommons).  It's a great source for all questions about the joys of copyright. 

So, since it's been a while, I thought I would give a long-overdue Scooter update.  As I mentioned at the start of my blog, Scooter is the library hamster.  My pic on the blog isn't  Scooter, but is definitely a good representation of what she looks like.

 Basically, Scooter has calmed down and settled into a routine since we first brought her to the library over the summer.  She mostly spends her time burrowed under the mounds of paper shavings she builds during her waking hours.  For a few days out of the week, Scooter does everything she can to defy her label as a nocturnal animal and spends the daylight hours running around her cage like I feed her crack.  She makes up this insane obstacle course of wheel-toilet paper roll-bed-wooden house....and then back to the wheel.  Of course, her wheel also squeaks.  Which, on a busy day, you don't really notice.  But when it's quiet, I start to wonder whether or not it's ethical to give her tranquilizers. 

Her least favorite day of the week is Friday since that is when I change her cage.  Let me tell you a little something about hamsters:  They love to live in their own filth.  By the end of the week, Scooter has mounded all her paper shavings and torn up her paper towel.  She's carefully hidden her secret stashes of food all over her cage.  So, you can imagine her surprize when she gets lured into the hamster ball for some 'exercise", only to return to her cage 15 minutes later and find everything gone!  She goes into insane-obstacle course mode all over again.  Then the digging and hoarding begin.  It's an uphill battle with a hamster, but someone has to fight the good fight!!

 Occassionally, I look over at her cage during one of her mania phases and see her trying to climb the glass walls.  My overly-kind assistant director attributes this to her need for attention, but I know what it really is:  the need to escape.  The library may not be what Scooter bargained for, but she's definitely loved!  Sigh.  The joys of a being a psuedo hamster-mommy.

Happy Friday!  Thankfully, it's the end of busy week here in the library.  Since the summer has ended, we've had fewer patrons, but more in the way of behind-the-scenes library work!   There are a number of projects I've been trying to get to over the summer in vain.  Now that things have died down, it's time to get busy with library work.

 And the ordering has begun!  We take a break with ordering over the summer (since we also catalog all of our materials here in the children's room) so we can focus completely on Summer Reading.  But now  I've been busy spending, spending, spending my budget away and really enjoying the new materials that have been coming in.  One of my favs is Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen (illus. Kevin Hawkes)!  Such a great story about when it's ok to break the rules (even the library rules).  My only slight criticism is the depiction of Miss Merriweather, the librarian.  You guessed it:  she's in full Nancy-Pearl regalia, complete with bun, navy blue skirt and glasses.  I think it's supposed to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, but some of us would like to see librarians represented as the hip, fabulous people we are!  But, other than that, the story is so incredibly satisfying in a way that not many pictures books are anymore. 

Other than that, I'm just excited to get some new programs off the ground for the fall.  We just got funded by the Friends to do a once-a-month Saturday series for kids!  I've lined up all of my performers and now just anxious for the programs to actually happen.  In the past, the library has struggled with attendance rates on Saturday programs, but I'm really hoping our momentum from the summer will keep people coming in.  I'm also trying to think of new ways to publicize things. 

And so we continue on!

As I'm still finding my way, one of the major aspects of Children's Services I'm still not entirely comfortable with is doing story time! I'm fortunate enough to have staff members who take over a regular, drop-in pubilc story times here at the library.  This has definitely freed me up to do a lot of outreach in our community, mostly in the form of doing story times at various pre-schools and day care organizations.  Which is great.  I'm very happy to be out in the community.  But I'm still having story-time issues:

1.  Choosing the right book.  Most of my story times are for the preschool set, so I often get stuck trying to find a picture book with a story that will stirke their interest but not be too long.  I've figured out that this age is not really into abstract books about concepts (i.e. my book about things that happen during autumn didn't really fly), but they can't sit through LOOONG stories.  Which leads me to my next issue

2.  JUST SIT STILL AND LISTEN TO THE ^*&*(&#$*$ STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ok, I realize that at the preschoolers aren't meant to be lumps on a log.  Nevertheless, this does not prevent my enduring frustration with children who cannot sit still and be quiet.  Even for five seconds.  And I incorporate songs and movement (including wiggle busters) to keep their energy channeled.  But there have been moments where I have felt like stopping the story and leaving.  The thing that kills me is this:  The second I pop in a video (I do a small 15 minute video during my STs), their eyes glaze over and they are perfectly still.  I won't rant about current generation's flea-like attention span, but there you have it.

3.  I need love!  I can't help it.  I love it when kids respond to what I'm doing in story time.  If they're not into, I'm not into it.  And i know it's not all about me:  sometimes they're just having a bad day or just are interested in other things.  I try not to take it personally, but inevitably, I do!  I think mostly this is a confidence thing.  Once I do more, higher-quality story times, I'll feel better about the ones that don't go so well. 

In the end, I'm not sure I'll ever come to LOVE doing story time, but I would like to be happy with it and know I'm providing quality service to my patrons!  And so I persevere.

So, clearly, I was a little worked up over library meeting space.  I see that now.  Of course, I still think I'm right, but my significant other has implored me to find a constructive way to deal with job-related stress instead of ranting at him.  The blog is one way.  Reliving some of my favorite awesone-patron stories is another.  Here's mine for the week:

A mom comes in with her two toddlers. Both are boys.  Both are wearing some pretty sweet Superman capes.  When they came up to the desk, I immediately complemented the boys on their superhero attire and asked if they needed some help.  They were looking for books about Superman (duh).  As it happens, our picture book collection is a little thin in the superhero subject area.  But nevertheless, this intrepid librarian remembered the awesome Superman compendium nicely located somewhere in the 741s.  However, once I got to the shelves with my super-patrons, my memory failed me and I couldn't remember the exact number.  As I sat back down at my terminal, one of the boys followed me.  Here's our conversation:

Me:  I know we have that Superman book!  Let me look it up!

Superboy (aside to Super-Mom in a decidedly non sotto voce):  Hurry up, Mom!  This is important.  The lady's going to find Superman!

Me:  Hmmm....here it is:  Superman, The Man of Steel!

Superboy (even less non sotto voce):  YES! YES!  THAT'S WHAT I WANT! THE MAN OF STEEL IS WHAT I WANT! 

At this point, Superboy begins an impressive humming rendition of the theme song from the original Superman movie.  Literally, it's bar for bar and from the look on Mom's face, i think it's fair to say that the Superfamily is really famiiar with that film.  Superkids are even more excited when I announce they can keep the Man of Steel for ONE WHOLE MONTH.  They fly away and I can't stop smiling with that incredible feeling of knowing I have made a child happy.  Sigh.

This week, one of my chief frustrations has been the lack of library space for our fall programs.   As we do not have a story-time room in children's, I was extremely spoiled this summer by having our library's large auditorium at my disposal for programs.  Unfortunately, I'm not as lucky this fall and was quite annoyed to find out a patron had booked the auditorium for just the time I had planned to introduce a new story-time.  After calming down from my initial freak-out, there are two lessons to be learned:

1. Plan ahead.  Plan way ahead.  Plan further in advance than your patrons ever dreamed you could plan.
2. Know your library's policy on reserving library meeting space.  In this case, I should have been more informed.  Our library currently has a "first come, first serve" policy.  I assumed that this meant the PUBLIC could reserve meeting space on a first come, first serve basis and that library staff naturally had preference.  NOPE.  Our library has a strict first come, first serve policy for everyone, including staff.  That means that staff members have to compete with patrons and other community orgs. for program space without mercy. 

Having been burned by my own assumptions, I've been seriously reminded about how important policy is in the everyday functioning of the library.  To be frank, I think our current policy definitely sends the wrong message about the library by saying we undercut our own worth!  On a practical level, if an agency cannot guarantee space to carry out its own function, what's the point of having the space? For example, no elementary school that allows organizations to use its auditorium for functions would do so at the expense of the 4th grade school play.  Secondly, I think this policy sends out the more subtle message that programming, especially children's programming, is NOT a necessary function of the library.  Perhaps that question is debatable in adult services, but in terms of services for children, most communities expect the basics:  story-times, performers, lap-sits, etc.  So if we aren't willing to set aside space and make children's programming a priority, how can  we expect our patrons to? 

In the end though, as supervisor, the onus is on ME when it comes to planning ahead, regardless of our policy.  And to be fair, my staff was right there with me, willing to be creative and working out ways to make our new story-time work IN the children's room. To be even fairer, my AD and director (who've been there, done that) listened to me with sympathy and were ready to help me work out solutions to the problem.  But, just in case I'm ever asked to help work out a new library meeting space policy, I'm ready to jump right in.   :-P

A little Monty Python, anyone?  Just kidding!  As a side note:  the photo above is obviously NOT me, but is an avatar that looks like our library hamster, Scooter!  Scooter is a Dwarf Hamster and was given to the children's room by the former children's supervisor (currently our assistant director) after the old hamster left us for hamster heaven.  The hamster  and I currently have a love/hate relationship; mostly that I love her and she hates me!  Anyway, there will be Scooter updates from time to time when things get a little quiet here in children's room.

Hello!  I'm so excited to start blogging about Children's Services.  I really want this blog to focus on the service aspect of children's librarianship rather than children's literature.  Don't get me wrong.  I love children's literature!  But to be honest, the real reason why I got into children's librarianship is because I love working with children themselves!  There seem to be a lot of resources, websites, blogs and listservs for people interested in children's lit, but there's not a whole lot that really examines how we actually practice the rest of our services. I'm also just out of library school, so I'm really trying to figure out just exactly how you run a children's room!  I want this blog to be a place where I can work out my own ideas about the issues and concerns in our field as well as a space for others to share their thoughts. 

In my position as supervisor here in the children's room, I really do a bit of everything:  circulation, cataloging, processing, reader's advisory, programming, ordering, staffing, payroll, etc. Because of the many hats I wear, I have a lot of opportunity but am also extremely busy.  I ,unfortunately, don't have much time to keep up with the journals (other than book reviews) and I often find we only have to time solve problems as they come up. This is definitely NOT what we learned in library school, but this is the REAL world, baby!  My best resources so far have been my awesome staff, other librarians, and my own brain.  This is my attempt to reach out and broaden my horizons!  Welcome!