So there was a patron today from London who had a lovely
accent when she was telling me about her two boys, and how libraries in London
are so different than here. I kept asking her questions so she could keep talking
because I just loved hearing her voice. She was funny, too. Making fun of other people. Talking about her favorite yet worst librarian back in London. Best because she was good at her job, but worst because her style and attitude towards things was harsh, and she often used a witch voice. Then she demonstrated, and it was scary! Still, she assured me that the children over there adored her personality. She shared with me the books that she was checking out. There were about 5 picture books, and we got interrupted once because one of her boys was getting ready to fight another little girl off the computer game. She also talked really fast, which made
it a challenge for me to figure out what she was saying even though it was
still English. Have you ever wanted to just talk forever with a stranger just
to hear their voice?
That's What Gina Said
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Saturday, June 18, 2016
First commissioners meeting
I was invited to go to a commissioners meeting this week to
talk about TLAB. It was also the first time the teen library advisory board was
invited to talk about what TLAB to the high ups. I had to present something. The
teens had to present something. No powerpoint presentation. Mind you, this was
happening really fast. We were given 30 minutes to speak, and this was my first
time speaking in front of the big guns. Now, talking in front of teens and
youth is fairly easy for me, but talking in front of a room full of adults is
something I get nervous about. Oh, and it was going to be televised. It is one
thing doing storytime live, but for there to be a record of my presentation
somewhere in the cloud…worrisome.
I write, and write, and try to think of stories as a way to
talk about how I re-started up TLAB. If I had visuals, it would help illustrate
my stories, so I brought along a folder. Good thing I enjoy talking lots and
lots of pics of every teen program I’ve done!
Then I practiced, and practiced, and it felt like I was
going in for an interview. I wasn’t sure what questions the stakeholders were
going to be asking, but I knew I better be somewhat prepared. I felt so bad for
the teens because it turned out that they only asked the teens questions! They
did great though, like I knew they would, and I hope the commissioners’ meeting
was a good experience for them as it was for me. Some support. Some advice.
Another first, for me and TLAB.
First time storytime for autistic tweens
I did a storytime to a room of about 15 autistic preteens
which was one of the hardest things for me from my perspective being the
presenter. I had been researching the autistic spectrum, and what signals to
look for, or what to do when something becomes a trigger. Mainly, I was trying
my best to be observant. I had two in wheelchairs, one with a cane, and many
nonverbal. There were caretakers with them which are regulars in the library,
so I felt I had support in the room. I also brought 2 therapy dogs, which I
think helped the preteens relax a bit. The ones in the wheelchairs I couldn’t
tell how they were feeling because they were motionless, and I did have one
girl who started crying, but then she focused more on the dog, and then started
laughing after so I was relieved.
Then I took them on a tour of the library. This was no easy
feat. I showed them the Teen Zone, which is a space with lots of materials just
for them. As I was talking about the music cds we carried, I decided to throw
out some names, and one girl asked if we had Taylor Swift which made me smile.
That same girl asked some good questions about what else we carried, and asked
me if I liked Taylor Swift, and if other librarians liked her. I told her that
my teens like Taylor Swift so much that they put up pictures from her latest
album 1989 up all over the Teen Zone. This answer seemed to satisfy her.
Continuing our tour, I wanted to make sure they knew what we
had on our second floor. As I was leading the pack, one boy was scared to use
the stairs. I offered to go slow alongside him until we made it up together. His
caretaker was there, too, but I wanted to make sure the group knew we were going
to do this together. I asked the rest of the group to wait for us until we got
to the top. Then after the group in wheelchairs made it upstairs in the elevator,
we checked out the computer lab, and there were some good questions about if
all this was free. I asked few questions of the group, since I had been reading
that asking too many questions, or giving choices might be too confusing to
some. I had them set my pace. In the end, I wasn’t sure how I felt about how
effective I was. Usually in storytime, kids will laugh, or smile, or play simon
says, or answer my questions while I read to them, but with this group I
couldn’t get that kind of a response. But what I did learn from this experience
is to be even more patient with pre-teens.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Cutest Patron of the Day
My cute patron of the day was a little girl who in
her tiny private school uniform came up to the reference desk to grab some
kleenix. Then she waited close by my seat to ask in the highest possible
pitch," Oh, I was just wondering...do librarians love to read books?"
Her mother pushed her along saying, "Come on..." and I told her,
"Yes, I do love to read books!" She was so little! So cute!
That Dragon, Cancer
I heard of this indie game about a little boy who has cancer that started out on kickstarter, was successful on it and now the game is done. It has some controversy because of the subject, and I think some people weren't able to handle an emotional video game like this so instead took to bash it. It is to my understanding that the subject of cancer is not something we should be seeing in games. I guess some just want all the games to remain the same and never evolve. Lots of negative things happen to people all the time, and are we supposed to just not ever talk about it, or express how we feel about it in a new medium, to deal with the pain of the loss of a loved one, ever?
Now, I haven't played That Dragon, Cancer yet, but I am looking forward to playing it and here's why… I love playing video games where I am immersed into the emotions of the characters or storyline. I play games like Journey, Never Alone, Rain- all games which had me from the beginning because of the whole package (beautiful music, low lighting mixed in with contrasting light, feelings of hope for the character) These types of games also seem to have a "bigger picture" type of message which makes me feel like the game showed me something I never noticed before about life, and death. Especially when I am trying to understand why so many people around me are dying of cancer, and I feel like we do need to talk about cancer more to help each other.
I know this game might make me feel sad. Maybe it will be depressing because it is about cancer and death, and the little boy we already know dies. All I can hope for is that this little boy's parents, who developed the game as a way to cope with their loss, can find some comfort.
Teen Patron of the Day
Today's teen patron of the day was
standing next to me, and she said, "I like your hair… I like the
color" This was so nice of her to say! I have never met this teen before.
I always wear my hair the same way, in a ponytail, but not today. Now, to me,
my hair was not all that today. And I thanked her, and I was flattered because
this was a teen, and I want teens to think I'm cool. I'm wearing my hair down
in an Aaliyah style, half covering my face. Maybe I should wear my hair down
more often.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Back in the Day
Back in the day, when I was young…sometimes I do forget while talking to the teens how I am old, *ahem, older than them so much so as they do not react when I make a reference to a certain actor/musician/group or someone from my day. Just because your name reminds me of a r&b singer from the 90s, does not necessarily mean that you will know who the hell that person is because you weren’t born yet. I can’t believe just how many times a teen stares at me when I try to make a reference to a singer, and all I get is a courtesy smile and giggle. I know that courtesy laugh- it is just because you are trying to be nice. You can't fool me! I do that all the time!
Anyways, I may have to start watching, listening, reading more of what teens do because otherwise we are not going to be able to relate. I need to step up my game this year. Oh, games is another one I need to start doing more.
Another thing I notice is that I keep telling myself, "I never acted like that when I was that age?" Mostly this thought enters after I have just finished scolding a teen whom I saw from the corner of my eye throw an empty coffee cup across the room, and miss the trash can. Respect is something that is clearly not in this child's vocabulary, so I made sure he learned that hard lesson from me. That single incident happened over a month ago, and everyday I go to work I have seen this one teen and I always refer to him as the "coffee cup guy" and I make sure to call him that in front of his friends, who just happens to be girls, and who laugh because they don't understand why I keep calling him coffee cup guy. One time, I even asked if he wanted to star in a tv show since he struck me as an attention grabbing type of individual. He denied that he liked attention, and promised me he would never do that again, ever. Nowadays, we say hello, and ask how we are doing, and I learned his name over time. But it is just too much fun calling him coffee cup guy, and I don't think he minds much...anymore.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)