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Getting Ready for El Dia

Celebrate! Celebremos! is this year's theme.

Printable bookmarks http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/initiatives/diadelosninos/diaresources/dialogos.cfm

Suggested books http://www.getcaughtreading.org/pressreleases/dia_list_2009a.pdf

Official Dia website (ALA) http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/initiatives/diadelosninos/index.cfm

What I learned at TLA 2009

In my first session on Wednesday, Leonard Marcus, author of Minders of Make Believe, reminded me that juvenile fiction books aren't just made up stories. They are reflections of the times in which they are written. Some things to note from this session: after the American Revolution, children couldn't get enough stories of American heroes such as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. I wonder why this doesn't apply anymore. Before color printing, children bought their books in b&w and colored them, themselves. One famous children's book, The Little Engine That Could, encouraged perseverance during The Great Depression. Another interesting fact, libraries used to be Hardback snobs - no library bought pbks. Until the inflated dollar of the 1970's forced libraries to accept the cheap pbks into their collections.

Also on Wednesday, I slipped into a session on Google Scholar. Now with approximately a million and a half ebooks, Google Scholar allows users to search for ebooks available for free at libraries. It essentially is a database of all the ebooks available... everywhere. Right now, Google scholar is in talks with WorldCat. I'm wondering how far this will go. Google is making them too hard to ignore. And they are providing access to magazines and journals online as well.

I attended two sessions with UNT graduate, now a professor, Michael Stephens. Stephens is the author of Tame the Web, a blog encourages libraries to welcome their users and promote a "transparent" communication within our libraries. I loved Stephens view of how libraries. He's philosophy of having a transparent library includes: open communication between library workers and the public by way 2.0 technologies. And pretty much, stop making library practices such a secret to people - let's open up and be a team! Actually make the library for its users - not for the librarians. Introduce library staff to library users. Be open to customers about how the library spends it’s (their) money.

My Motto

My motto for the library is, "It's for the kids". If we don't hook them now, then we'll have no Teens. And then we'll have no Adults. Its true. We need to to treat kids like we want them to be in our libraries- and we'll get free advertising when they go home telling their parents what a great time they had at OUR library.

I really like libraries. Where else can you go where everything is free? Where everyone is welcome? Where you can choose to socialize or to be left alone? No where but the public library.

And as far as jobs go, I've had some crummy ones. Waiting tables (ranch dressing under your fingernails), Martial Arts instructor (sparring with strange, sweaty men), Landscaper (Dirt, sweat, purpetually hunched over, in the dirt - do I need to mention its HOT!)
Working at the library isn't perfect. If it was, then people would not have to pay us to do it. There's going to be things that annoy us but all in all, working in a library is pretty darn good.

Alief To Do List

Wow, where to start? Programming is always the priority. Making "The Children's Side" desirable to kids! Displays - so many displays.

Regina, What are your interests? Is there anything on the To Do list you'd like to take over? Do you like to draw or paint? Do you like to organize? Do you like computer work such as keeping our blog updated? Starting an Alief Facebook page?

How 'bout doing a program? Wanna show the movies? Do a craft hour? The options are limitless. That's one great thing about HPL, your days are what you make them.