Sesame Street Videos

Sesame Street's website now has video clips from episodes! Search for "library" and get some great library and reading clips at sesamestreet.org.

Brag Time

One of my regular first grade classes made me thank you cards! I was so excited I had to share. All their comments are here, with misspellings and punctuation preserved, and I scanned and added my favorite pictures. Enjoy!

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I love to read at the library because I love books.

Thank you Brianna

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I like when you read to us I also like when you cack the bookout.

From Jayda to You

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The best book is Choppstik's.

(This little guy was so cute. He was absolutely beaming when he handed me this card saying, "This is you!")

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Thank you!

Sinserly, Mercy
I love to read at the library because it's fun.

You are the Best
Love, Mercy.

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Thank you!
From Alicia

Dear library
My favorite part about going to the library is reading lots of books because it makes you smart. I also love the way you help us read the book when we get stuck on a word that is hard. Here is a piture of me and you and your helping me read the book and I'm saying thank's for helping us a lot of times and your go at doing it!!!!
goodday!!!!!
(I think Alicia's a little confused... because I don't remember helping them one on one.)
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I love you.

You make me smile.
I love you with all my heart.

Thank you.
Genesis

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Carlos

Thank you for reding for me.


(Good Gracious! Where's my clothes?)

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I love to read book at the lidrary because books are cool

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thank you from Xavier

My favorite part about going to the library is you reading a book because the books you read is so funny.
(How cute is that?)
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YariMy favorite part about going to the lidrarey is geting a book because I love books and I love to read.
Thank you for books!

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to: Libary
from: Shihab

I love to read books at the libarbary because they let me read a spiderman book.
happy birthdday
Shihab

thank you for reading this.
(And I became a librarian to make sure you got those Spiderman books, Shihab!)
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Thank You for reading me books
From Emani

I Love to pick books out and read them to myself and when I am done reading them I ceck them out to see If I am missing a book at the library because It is fun to read and It is really fun when you read to me I have a lot of fun when I am with you at the library with you thank you for all the hard work you have been doing so I am going to give you something from me to you I'm going to miss you bat we had a lot of fun together when we leave we are going to be missing you and I will away miss you good-buy!

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by Christian

You are the Best for all of os.
You read lowd and cleor.

By see you next Time.
to the liBury.
(Awww!)
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From Joshua
Thak you!
You rock!

Thak you for cheking out our Book.
You rocks.
You are the best.
I hope you open some days.


End!
I love the library!

The End!

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Thank you from Angel
I love to read at the library because it is fun and cool but my favorite part is erry thing.

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Thank You
I like when I went to the library bee

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My favorite part about going to the library is when you raed me a story because I like to here storys.

Thank You
Greta

(I think Greta really liked Superhero ABC from this storytime.)

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(I saved the best for last. This one made me cry!)



My favorite part to the libeary is reading books because they can make you smarter. I love to hear someone reading also at the libeary because there voises are so nice and soft just like mine.

Libraries and Change

Truth: Can You Handle It? Better Yet: Do You Know It When You See It? By Monica Hesse from the Washington Post I remember while I was working on my MLIS, we would talk about how for years people have been saying the library is doomed. The library was doomed when TV was becoming popular. The library was doomed when they started circulating records and movies. And now the library is doomed with the internet. Precedent certainly would show that librarians shouldn't be concerned about libraries going away anytime soon. But, when I see articles like this one it's hard not to be concerned. I want to be an agent for change, and to make libraries relevant and useful in the lives of my patrons, friends, and family. But, for my husband (an academic), he would be happier if he didn't even have to go in to the library-- he could get all his scholarly articles as pdf's delivered to his email account, and all his books sent via campus mail to his mailbox. But my poor little librarian heart resents that the space itself isn't special. I may be fooling myself when I say this, but perhaps the public library is different from an academic library because it's more of a community space than a research facility. Even the way kids use our collection is different than when I was a kid (not that long ago). It's hard not to be disheartened when children would rather fill out their worksheets from multiple disreputable websites than flip through one beautiful, timely and accurate book. Yes, their research is "good enough" for their worksheet, but don't they deserve better than that?

Celebrate National Library Week

The only true equalisers in the world are books; the only treasure-house open to all comers is a library; the only wealth which will not decay is knowledge; the only jewel which you can carry beyond the grave is wisdom. - J.A. Langford Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library. The only entrance requirement is interest. - Ladybird Johnson The dissemination of knowledge is one of the cornerstones of civilization. - John F. Budd I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library. - Jorge Luis Borges You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. - Ray Bradbury When I discovered libraries, it was like having Christmas every day. - Jean Fritz Fun Fact: There are more public libraries than McDonald's in the U.S.-- a total of 16,220, including branches. From Quotables Facts About America's Libraries See more videos, here!

10 a.m.

Comment: "Children's Librarian Megan Hedna reads to Lincoln Elementary School children at the New Britain Public Library. -Amy Reed"

Reed, Amy. "10 a.m.." New Britain Herald 12 March 2008: 25.

Storytime Shoulder

Now, I don't know if anyone else gets this, because I've never heard anyone else discuss this before. But, I've been having trouble with the muscles around my shoulder blade. Specifically on the right side. I have come to call this "storytime shoulder". I'm sure it's partially due to my poor posture, and my tendency to get so excited that I lean closer and closer to my students while trying to engage them. I've been trying to sit better and switch holding books on my right to holding them on my left (but this is a bit like trying to use a mouse with your non-dominant hand). I'm sure conducting storytimes for 3 classes in a row (1 1/2 hours straight), does not help. Any tips or tricks? Perhaps I'll get some insight into my posture in tomorrow's paper. The local photographer popped into my storytime this morning and disruptively took pictures for five minutes. Very distracting for me and the kids. I would've liked it if she had at least asked permission first.

Computer Literacy and Our Young Ones

On a listserv I'm on a librarian said her departmental supervisor wanted to get rid of their gaming computers for kids. I'm so glad we have ours and will be keeping them indefinitely. I personally feel that it's important for our children's futures, just as books are important.

Children today will need to have two different kinds of literacy. First, will be what we think of as traditional literacy. How to interpret text on a page or a screen or a sign. But, in this increasingly technological world they will also need computer literacy. They won't just have to know how to read, they'll have to know how to use a computer (especially word processors, databases, email, etc.)

Now, games themselves don't help with Microsoft Office. But, using computer games familiarizes children with keyboard and mouse skills. I think of it like preliteracy skills for books. Before children can read they need to know how to hold a book and flip pages. Before they can really use a computer they need to be familiar with the keyboard and mouse. These are essential skills for their futures. And just as we provide the resources for children to develop reading literacy we should provide them resources for developing computer literacy.

Sometimes I feel like I work in an arcade between our game computers and the internet (we have 4 of each). But, I really do believe it's helping them, so that's some consolation.

For more perspective on this issue, I'll recommend this book which was required reading for an MLIS course.

Disconnected: Have and Have-Nots in the Information Age by William Wresch

Children and Pictures

My favorite response: "It's beautiful! Can you tell me about it?" What they say is usually way better than what I can imagine. And most of the children I deal with gladly soak up any attention from an adult.


My kindergarten teacher came back in yesterday. She wanted large pictures of beans sprouting. No other seed would work. I told her she could go to a copy shop and enlarge a picture, but she said they wouldn't do it for her because it's copyrighted. I told her she is completely within her rights to use the pictures because she is using them for nonprofit educational purposes, hopefully this won't come back to bite me later. And still I have not had a thank you!

Gripe of the Day

Most of my patrons are a joy to work with. Occasionally, I get an overbearing parent or an unappreciative child, but there is usually some redeeming factor in our encounter. But not my Unreasonable Kindergarten Teacher. Lucky me, she only seems to come when I'm on the reference desk (that's how these things work, don't they?) On her first visit she asks the circulation clerk for books, and the clerk points her to me. The teacher is looking for rhyming books. This isn't too difficult, but she's not very satisfied with what I show her. The reference interview lasts longer than usual, and I'm slightly annoyed when she leaves. She didn't seem to understand that I'm not the checkout clerk, so finally I check out her books for her. Second visit, she asks the circulation clerk for help, and she points her in my direction. The teacher wants more rhyming books. Specifically, she's moved on to two-syllable rhyming words with her students. The tricky part is she wants a Dr. Seuss book. I show her all the Dr. Seuss books. Hop on Pop and their ilk are too "easy". And she doesn't like the rhyming words in the bigger Seuss books. I tell her that's probably wise because, in my experience, Kindergarteners respond best to books with only a few lines on the pages. She breathes down my neck as I look through the stacks and stands in front of the reference desk looking through her books. She must have vision problems because she holds the books closely to her face. She tries to check out with me, and I send her back to the clerk...and breathe a sigh of relief that that 30 minute ordeal is over. Third visit, and she again asks the clerk her question, and is again pointed to me. Today she wants pattern books. Most of the books I bring her just aren't good enough. But, "patterns" is something that shows up pretty easily in the catalog so it takes less time than the two-syllable Dr. Seuss rhyming books request. While she is blocking my desk looking through her books I remind her that check out is with the clerk. But five minutes later when she is ready to go she still interrupts me while I'm speaking to another patron; she wants to check these books out. I stifle an inner groan. Fourth visit is a phone call, and I'm leaving for the day. I take name and number and tell her my colleague will be in touch when things calm down. Fifth visit she comes in for the books my colleague has pulled, and I'm on the desk. Before she can even ask her question the clerk sends her to me. The request had been for one big book about "getting along". She wanted one book that would explain respect/caring/and something else I've already blocked from my mind. None of the books my colleague has pulled works for her. I explain to her that the book she wants simply does not exist. She keeps repeating her request in different ways, like this will solve the problem. I tell her there is no book that defines "getting along" and even if there were I couldn't just look it up on the computer because we can't search the content of every single book. In between her repeating her request I stumble into the stacks to find anything else while she stands in front of the desk holding books to her nose. She informs me that the books I've been pulling aren't appropriate for kindergarten students because the best books only have a few lines on the pages. (I wonder where she learned this, see Visit #2). She also tells me she's disappointed in the library because we usually have much more than this available. By the time she's asking me to check out her books (while the clerk holds out her hand saying "check out is over here"), I'm about ready to scream. My tactic for when she returns is to tell her that maybe the book isn't perfect but she can use it as a springboard for discussion. (And I'll try to leave out the part I'm really thinking, which is to quit finding books to do your teaching for you). What's even more amazing, is that I haven't once heard her say thank you. Maybe if she's dissatisfied enough she'll just go to a different library, that would be nice.

A Library Wedding

How cute! Check it out here.

7 Elemental Truths About Third Graders

We have a wonderful program at our library where all third graders in our public school system get to take the bus out to visit the main branch at our library. I see two classes a week on Thursday mornings. I do some storytelling, we do a tour, I give some booktalks, and then they get to check out three books or magazines. Needless to say, not all the materials come back, but that's part of the process. Altogether, I will see 37 classes this year, totaling about 840 third graders. This is what I have learned from doing this program for a year and a half. 7) No matter how many times you tell a class Something #1, you will have to tell someone Something #1 individually. On a bad day you will have to repeat Something #1 many, many times. Examples are: "we are only checking out books or magazines today", "you can not check out the magazines with clear covers", or the inevitable "yes, you will have to bring the books back". 6) They are only as excited as I am. 5) If there is a display of books, it will get knocked down. Half the time they will be knocked down by a chaperone. The whole class will turn to watch and miss what I'm saying about "we are only checking out books or magazines today", and "you can not check out the magazines with the clear covers". Even if I say it an extra three times. 4) The display case is much more interesting than the biographies--I think this means I need to be more excited about the biographies. 3) They want the exact same book their friend has. In fact, the whole class will want the same kind of book, and it will be impossible to guess ahead of time which topic that will be. 2) Students reflect their teachers. If a teacher is excited and involved, their students will be active and involved. If a teacher is distracted, their students will be distracted. If a teacher is anticipating bad behavior, their students will give them bad behavior. And, if a teacher has decided having me in charge means they're on vacation, you better believe those kids think they're on vacation, too (and I better go get my Advil). 1) You have 5 chairs and 20 third graders and 3 chaperones. There will always be a third grader who will try to sit in a chair. They will all have the exact same I-know-I'm-not-supposed-to-sit-here grin on their faces.

Happy Holidays!

My favorite read-aloud of this year's holiday season would have to be Margie Palatini and Richard Egielski's Three French Hens. I only took elementary school French, but the kids were mighty impressed with my accent. And who doesn't love doing a silly accent for kids?

Plotline is as such-- three French hens are lost in the mail on the third day of Christmas. Believing themselves to have found the true love they were intended for, they arrive at Mr. Fox's in the Bronx. Mr. Fox is very hungry and plays the part, but he can't eat the hens because they're so nice to him (and provide many great perks such as warm baths, cozy tuffets, and French food). In the end they are all friends, but can't accept his Christmas presents because they are "kosher chickens". Lots of fun all around-- and great vocabulary for older kids.

One of my Scholastic Academy classes gave me holiday snowflakes today. These are my favorites.

I was particularly impressed with this one, so here are some up-close details. Art interpretations are up for grabs. My personal interpretation is that there are two things going on here. The first is Santa or Jesus giving a child a present which illicits a monster, "YES". The second is two kings driving a school bus full of children while shooting love torpedoes.

To Theme or Not to Theme?

I'm on the PUBYAC listserv and someone posted asking for recommendations for blogrolls. Of course I gave mine.

iLibrarian http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/feed/ LISNews.org http://lisnews.org/index.rss School Library Journal Breaking News http://feeds.feedburner.com/SchoolLibraryJournalBreakingNewsfeedburner Tandem Insights http://tandemlibrarybooks.typepad.com/tandem_insights/atom.xml Unshelved http://www.overduemedia.com/rss.aspx Yay for great blogs! But one of the best discoveries from when she posted her compilation was The Monkey Speaks http://themonkeyspeaks.wordpress.com/ For more convoluted web madness, The Monkey Speaks (Library Storytimes: an Excellent List of Tips) linked to this fun blog post... Seven Tips for Satisfying Library Preschool Programs The reason I bring this post up is because I am now conflicted with tip #3! "You really don’t need a specific theme." Egads!!! It's not that this is a huge surprise. I've even heard this mentioned before. It certainly makes sense. Only use books you really love and love to read to give the audience the best experience. But, when I actually contemplate doing it...I mean not using a storytime theme. It's intimidating. I've just come to accept it as standard structure. All the other librarians I've ever worked with have used themes. All my current coworkers use themes. In my mind the kids have come to expect themes. Or do they? When I actually sit down and think about it, the kids probably wouldn't miss the themes. And I do end up using books I'm not thrilled about just to fill in the blanks. But there are so many professional books and websites and conversations about this theme or that theme, good books and fingerplays to use, etc., etc. Working with themes has it's benefits as well. I constantly have teachers needing books to work with their units and having done that theme myself, I've already been through all our books on a given subject and I'm more capable of assisting them to locate the best read-alouds quickly. Working with themes also forces me to look through books I might not have picked up otherwise. I've found some real gems while scouring the stacks to find another good theme book. Anybody else have any insight? I think I'm at a standstill for the time being, and will still be doing cookie stories for December. Mmm...cookies.

Look what you can get at Target

$59.99 Adult's Librarian Costume


I can't decide if I should feel flattered or insulted. And her skirt is atrocious-- I have to say, as a librarian, that I wouldn't be caught dead in it. Then again maybe I should buy it and wear it for all of the little children. Hmm.