Patron-of-the-Day

I had this cute little boy come up to me, and he was pointing at the book on display and speaking baby talk, gibberish I thought.

I asked him, " Do you want to read that book?"

I started to walk over with the book, and he started slowly walking towards me while he reached out his tiny hand, and took it.

Then he said, "Thank you."

I learned that the boy could talk, just needed something and didn’t know how to ask for it.

I overheard him tell his mom, "That nice lady over there gave me this book!"

His mom said, "She did?"

Then the boy said, "She was nice to give me this book."

And the mom said, "Yes, she was nice."

Kids Say The Best Things

I really enjoy working at the children reference desks. At the children’s desk, I get to help out so many smart kids, and sometimes I’m amazed by how much they remember the little things. Kids are very visual. There was this one young girl with her even younger sister, and they both came up to me after perusing the paperbacks.

The jumpy older sister asked, “Aren’t you the librarian at another library?”

She was right! I do sometimes work at different libraries. I smiled, and really couldn’t remember these two girls.

I told her, “Yes! I also work at the two-story* library.”

Then the girl was thinking hard, “No. I saw you at the big cabin-looking* library. You got me Princess Fairies.”

Wow. That was amazing because she remembered me from a specific library where I haven’t worked at in awhile, and getting her specific books. Princess Fairies are apart of the popular Rainbow Magic series for young girls in 1^st and 2^nd grade and up. She was very observant for someone so young.

Her younger sister confirmed it, “Uh huh. The big library.”

Well, they are both big, but I knew what she meant.

So what I learned about the two girls was how amazing kids can remember, from what you looked like, to what you said to them, and what you did to help them. My first impressions with kids are important because those interactions will stick with them, and so I have to make sure it is always a positive one. Lately, a few patrons have been starting to recognize me at the two-story* building, and while I don’t remember their names all the time, I won’t forget our conversations.

*names changed!

World Domination Library Video

Here's a library outreach video I liked.. maybe because I am in it? It was a lot of work to make but it turned out pretty good. Remember to go to your local librarian for all your world domination needs. (:

Dr. Rotten's World Domination

There Is Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself

Sometimes I feel like Little Red Riding Hood. I want to go down a certain path, but I feel all these obstacles that get in my way. At times I feel fear, but the fear is what I have built up in my own head. Mostly I am afraid of making a mistake. Which path should I go down, because the right path looks great, but what if this other path is better? What will happen if I make the wrong choice? Man, I question everything.

But what I have been learning is that mistakes are not bad. It is through mistakes that we become who we really are as a person. It shapes us into the person we are today. Therefore, I cannot be fearful of making mistakes. Time to put on the red hood, and face the unknown.

Crying Kids Are My Weakness

I feel so bad for kids who are left alone in the library looking for their parent. The other day there was a little girl crying whom I immediately walked over to. I used my gentlest voice, “Sweetie, I can help you.” I was trying to say it in a way that would allow her to feel comfortable enough so I could help her because she was obviously lost. This worked. Her eyes were so red, and she was so little that I couldn’t believe a parent could just leave her behind. She brought a toddler book that she was hugging over to my desk. We looked over some stickers in a box together as I called her mother’s name over the PA system and waited… And waited. 

Her mother came over to us from the same floor. The mother told me, “I was right over there.” She sounded mad. Hmph… if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was even upset. I stood up and used my stern voice which I really don’t like to but when duty calls, “Well, your child was over here and was looking for you, so you need to be by your child.” Stone cold librarian face.

Why must parents leave their tiny children alone in the library? I know babysitting was not particularly in the job description, but it does make me concerned how some of these parents treat their kids. Some parents would rather ignore their own kids, drop them off at the library for hours, or have their kids walk to the library until someone picks them up, and I suppose parents think it is up to the librarians to look after the child’s wellbeing. I will not babysit your child! The public library is a very public place which means all types of people come together under one roof. Some parents (and I know this is probably not you reading this) need to take more responsibility for their children. Otherwise, I have no problem reminding those certain neglectful parents know that they are the parent, not me. 

From the time I started work, till 9pm closing, I felt like I had just gained more librarian experience than before. Maybe even some parenting experience as well.

My First Date

My First Date

Whoever said that interviewing for a job is like being on a date is full of (expletive). I have been to so many interviews and I have been on plenty of dates. So, I can assure you that the two are nowhere similar. The article I read was trying to give advice on how to conduct yourself for your interview as if you were on a date and even stated in its title how interviewing is just like dating. This article was showing “how to successfully ace that interview!” It seemed promising. But this article was not helpful, so I would not recommend that piece of advice for my fellow friends. No, my first date was nothing like my interviewing experience.

My first date was akin to a little league baseball game. Lots of throws but a whole lot of misses. Yes, I used to play little league softball. No, the date did not have any game. My first date was a year older than me and while I would like to think of myself as a pretty confident person, I was a little bit nervous on that date night. I don’t remember too much, actually (I would like to forget about him). But I do recall it being easy. I suppose there was more pressure for the guy but I think it had to do with confidence because he must have thought he would at least get a “yes” when he asked me out. There were definitely signs that showed that we were interested in each other- smiling, laughing, body language, etc. He would ask me a question about what I liked to do (and I like to talk when I am comfortable), so I would tell him all the things that I was into. I would get his eye contact…he would be nodding and smiling. There was reassurance that he was actually into what I was saying and this made me feel good.

During a library interview, often there was no indication from the interviewers that you were even close to saying something good enough. I would be answering a paragraph, and I would have to pause and formulate an essay on the spot. It was very nerve-wrecking because there would be more than one person on the panel and most interviewers wouldn’t even crack a smile. I have learned through my library interviewing experiences that this was the trend. Oral interviews were the worst. Interviewers would sit there with barely any eye contact, each firing away their questions, while they were writing as you were answering. And they were grading you based on the information you gave. I am fine with one-on-one interviews, but a whole panel of people makes me incredibly nervous. I don’t even go on dates with more than one person at a time.

For my advice for preparation, I would say to study like you’ve never studied before! Get to know the company and what it stands for. Be optimistic and smile. Just don’t smile too much or you’ll end up looking weird.

eReaders eXpo

I like all kinds of book formats but I prefer physical books. I felt lucky, though, because this past month, I learned about the eReader world.

In January, I had the opportunity to play with some eReaders with people at our library. I had a crash course first on all the types of eReaders our library was compatible with for an eReaders eXpo workshop. My goal was to show people who were not tech-savvy, step-by-step, how to get the OverDrive software directly from their mobile device and download an ebook on their own. We had 61 patrons who attended the workshop with only 4 of us librarians at 4 tables. My table was the “petting zoo” (kind of like how the Mac store has all those devices out and ready to be played with). I felt like I was in sales again, informing my first client who was considering purchasing an eReader. He had many questions and I only had a few days to study about the Kindle Fire, iPad, Nook, and Sony Reader. I was mainly informing this client about the pros of owning each of these devices. The biggest selling points were that you could enlarge the print on an ebook and internally illuminate the screen for those who were bedtime readers.

We had different kinds of clients that day. From seniors who loved their eReader more than their significant lover, to the not-so-tech-savvy client wishing they had asked for an eReader for Xmas. I have to admit that my favorite device was the iPad. I am a Mac user, so this was self-intuitive to use. It reminded me of a lightweight iMac in which you could download ebooks in two different formats (unlike the Kindle). I realized how fast librarians needed to become familiar with the newest technology to show that public libraries are relevant for their lifestyles. My first client was at the eReaders eXpo because he was interested in an eReader for himself since he travels a lot on business. He liked the idea of having lots of books in his cloud. This specifically can impact public libraries because patrons who want instant access to a book on their mobile device can now download ebooks from anywhere as an ePUB, PDF, or mp3 file in a few minutes for free. There are still apps being developed as I write and I think that this will lead to even more eReader customers in the future.

  

I learned a lot at this eReader eXpo, even though I am a faithful “physical format” kind of girl. Until they develop an eReader with the same smell, feel and comfort as a physical book, I will continue to finger through the pages of the books on my shelf.