to be or not two be....

As I was walking past the basketball courts at the park with swee'pea, I recognized a few of the library kids. Mildly awkward for me....should I say hello, or maybe I'll just nod. Nope, I'll say hello. So of course I said hello. Because I'm that kinda gal. Apparently a great deal more awkward for them. Being recognized by the librarian: not cool. Mumbled responses from beneath down turned heads. A possible stress induced missed basket. Eeek. Shoulda gone with the nod. Two worlds colliding and all.

Planning Committee Meeting, Part Two.

Yep, I'm having the salad. Again. It comes with a cookie...

have you zoomeranged yet?

It's not to late! Help us by taking a few minutes to rank the six proposed Service Responses using your perspectives and experiences with our customers. The Zoomerang survey is anonymous, quick (5 minutes or less), and will be provided to the Community Planning Committee at our next meeting at South Jordan Library on May 3.

Yippee-ki-yay!

After two harrowing days, we had tons of support, and a great afternoon at the library. I was so very happy that I spontaneously broke into song! Okay, I didn't. But if I had I probably would have sounded exactly like K.D. Lang and the Reclines singing Luck in My Eyes.

for librarian-slash-social workers.

Ever wonder if your hard work is making a difference? Read these articles written by Dr. Donna Celano and Dr. Susan B. Neuman for affirming perspectives on the role of public libraries in emerging and developing literacy skills in children. The Role of Public Libraries in Literacy Development discusses the impact of library services to preschool and elementary school aged children. Another, entititled Save the Libraries!, relates the benefits and potential of library services designed to meet the needs of low income and minority children. Both articles are inspiring, and will remind you to pat yourself on the back, because you are making a difference in the lives of little ones.

words.

Some books have everything a reader or listener could ask for in a story and more. The Boy Who Loved Words, written by Roni Schotter, with illustrations by Giselle Potter, is one of them. Selig's story has a touch of tragedy, a bit of comedy, a smidegen of conflict, and sigh, true love when soul mates connect. And loads of lovely, lovely words. Don't miss it!

Happy belated Earth Day!

I spent the afternoon celebrating Earth Day by planting creeping phlox, which sounds remarkably like a horrible skin disease, but is a really beautiful and drought tolerant ground cover. Did you know Earth Day is 26 years old? The first celebration was held on April 22, 1970. Earth Day's Founder, Gaylord Nelson, a Senator from Wisconsin, believed that education was key to changing people's attitudes about the environment. He won a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995, and is considered the Grandfather of the Environmental Protection Act, The Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, and the Safe Drinking Water Act. So happy Earth Day!

kids and dogs...

Sign in the Manti Public Library. Kids in the Manti Public Library: "So, if we come back without our mom we get to take home a puppy?"

weee'rrree baaack.

We're back, and we had an awesome time. The drive was beautiful, the workshop attendees were inspiring (it's always amazing to see what librarians can do on teeny tiny budgets), and the libraries were absolutely beautiful. They are both Carnegie Libraries built in the early 1900's. Be sure to stop by to see the children's rooms: the Richfield Library has a very cool train; and don't miss the oh so cute handprints in Manti.

on the road again...

I'm off to Manti and Richfield for Utah Kids Ready to Read. I've done a bit of research: Manti is the county seat of Sanpete County and has a total population of 3,040, of which 38.1% are under the age of 18. Richfield is also a county seat, but of Sevier County. The total population is 6,847... around 35% of the population is under the age of 18. Perfect places to talk about Emergent Literacy. Highs are projected to be about 59 degrees on Thursday, and 65 on Friday. No Starbucks.

library use policy, part deux

We are working really hard to enforce the Library Use Policy with the our patrons at Kearns. It's difficult, especially for the teens who have a compelling developmental need for talking, laughing, and hanging out with friends, which unfortunately, is in direct opposition with the needs of patrons and staff. As a consequence, this little cowpoke is gently herding some of the teens into the great outdoors and beyond. Ocasionally, the process develops into a conflict, which results in tremendous frustration on the part of some of the teens (have I mentioned how creative their vocabularies are?) and one very unhappy and discouraged wannabe cowgirl. So, at this point, you might be thinking "that's really sad, but what can I do?" Well, I'm thinking a new pair of cowboy boots might provide just the solace I need. But I'm torn.... as you can see, the brown and pink pair with lovely blue stars are amazing. And the torquoise pair: simply stunning don't you think? Be a friend: help me choose.

a what analysis?

At the Staff Planning Meetings we participated in a SWOT analysis process in each of the six service areas recommended by the Community Planning Committee. Wondering what a SWOT analysis is? Well, you take an idea, or in our case, a service area like Cultural Awareness, and consider the the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that might be presented if the service area were to become a central focus. Sounds easy, but it can be harder than you might think. Did you come up with something you'd like to add on your way back to your branch, or after a great discussion with your colleagues? Add it to the online survey!

Point of view...

Didn't have a chance to attend the staff planning meetings? Take a look at these comments from an e-mail sent by a librarian who attended the staff planning meeting at Sandy Library: "It was great to see the various perspectives of staff members today. I think we came up with some valid strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for each of the six service responses. It will be interesting to see if there is much commonality between the four staff sessions and also to compare the staff ideas and opinions with those of the community planning committee and the library board. I was also wondering if we are going to continue with the six service responses or narrow our focus to a fewer number of categories. Some of the response areas partner well together and others would at least at first glance appear to be in competition for funds, space, time etc. For example, will space in the library be given to new book displays (Current Topics and Titles) to more meeting rooms (Commons) or to computer lab space (Information Literacy). Perhaps the plan is for individual libraries to focus on only one or two service responses, which may work for some of the service response areas, but does it really make sense for only a few libraries to increase their emphasis on Current Topics and Titles especially considering we have a floating AV collection? I definitely look forward to watching the process progress and unfold." Be sure to watch for an e-mail synthesis of the perspectives shared at all of the staff sessions! And don't forget, you'll have another opportunity to share your ideas online. As for the issue of the six service areas: it's my impression that we will be narrowing the focus a bit. The next meeting of the Community Planning Committee will be held on May 3rd at South Jordan Library. I wonder what we're having for lunch....

Hasidic Reggae...

Listen to this. Matisyahu mixes reggae vocals, rap, and rock style guitar solos, resulting in a unique sound that is creating a buzz in the music world. His latest cd, Youth (listen or see video), was released in March of this year. Matisyahu's work is produced by JDub Records, a "a non-profit record and event production company striving to build community through new and innovative Jewish music and cross cultural musical dialogue." You can read a brief bio, and find links to articles too. And yep, the liner notes contain the lyrics.

country bunnies.

Have you read The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes yet? Easter just isn't Easter without the story of the spunky mommy and her 21 bunnies! The big, strong rabbits laugh at the little brown country bunny when she tells them she wants to become an Easter bunny, but Country Bunny is determined and her courage and wisdom pay off. DuBose Heyward, author of Porgy, wrote the tale for his 10 year old daughter Jennifer. The pictures are by Marjorie Hack, who also illustrated Ping, and won a Caldecott Honor for Boats on the River.

not a peep!

Did you know that the amount of Peeps eaten at Easter could more than circle the Earth's circumference? How many Peeps does it take to reach from New York to Los Angeles? A mere 70 million lined up from beak to tail. Which came first: the chicken or the egg? It turns out that it's the chick. The first generation of Peeps were born in 1953. No eggs yet, but bunnies are available. How about this: there are over 200 unofficial Peeps websites! Wondering about Peep library usage? So were the folks at Millikin University.

Staff perspectives on planning

Don't forget you still have a chance to give input on the six potential services areas recommended by the Community Planning Committee.
Tues. April 18
8-10 a.m. Bingham Creek auditorium
1:30-3:30 p.m. Sandy auditorium
I've heard Cultural Awareness generated lots of discussion at Whitmore, which is interesting because the topic of understanding and embracing diversity was very important to the Community Planning Committee's utopian vision. Great minds clearly think alike....

spring has sprung...

And I know this because I saw not one, but two kids walking down the street in stylish propeller caps.

a reference question?

Seventh grader: "Hey, do you think it's gross to eat a gummy worm off the lunchroom floor?" Me: "yeah, pretty gross, why?" Seventh grader "just checking".

what not to wear, part 2: television appearances

Very nice and helpful marketing person: "No stripes, no patterns, no black, no white, blues can be funky, and so can green. No red socks. Stick with pastels. Don't forget to smile. A trick that models use: stick your tongue against your top teeth when you smile." Me: "umm, it seems like that might make talking challenging..."

2.5 minutes...

The vertically challenged need not apply. This morning at the crack of dawn, okay really it was at 8:30, I did a speedy interview at KSL Channel Five about Emergent Literacy for the Utah Kids Ready to Read task force. The most interesting news in the newsroom: the camera folks were all at least six feet tall. Who knew?

Pretty in Pink

Okay, be sure to pick up a copy of Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe! Jasmine is vacationing with her family when disaster strikes. One minute she's an innocent bylounger, the next a savvy sleuth set to solve the crime of the century, Las Vegas style. And don't miss Sweet 16: Teagan is throwing what she's sure will be the sweet sixteen party of all parties, until she falls down the stairs into the wine cellar and wakes up to meet her fairy godmother. By Kate Brian, author of Lucky T (red cover) and Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys (yep, the cover's pink). And speaking of pink, it would be so sad if you never saw Pretty in Pink with the lovable Molly Ringwald, a New Wave Andrew McCarthy, the evil James Spader, and of course, Jon Cryer of Two and a Half Men fame.

All the news that's fit to post...

Take a look at this interesting article about blogging in today's Salt Lake Tribune: Politicians Leapfrogging Media With Blogs. Reporter Thomas Burr states that "More and more politicians are bypassing the mainstream news media and turning to blogs, or Web logs, to post information and interact with constituents. Blogging even made it as a topic at this week's meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures in Washington". Did you know members of the Utah State Senate maintain a blog? It's called The Senate Site: Unofficial Voice of the Utah Senate Majority. Looking for news from the other side of the aisle? Take a look at Utah Democrats: Red State musings from the Blue Party HQ.

re:the big six

Comments from litchick: "It sounds like a very impressive start. I particularly like the idea of the library as a place for civil discourse. Interesting that they see that as a community need. All of the service areas seem to be attainable and worthwhile. Will there be a formal document forthcoming with all the details? Does the community committee make specific recommendations about implementation?" Ultimately, there will be a plan for future library services, but at this point we're still in the discussion stage. After the staff input meetings, we'll compile your recommendations and take the information back to the Community Planning Committee. The next step? Final recommendations for service priority areas from the Planning Committee.

Have we talked about the library use policy?

Okay, it's day five, and I’m pretty sure I’ve discussed the library use policy with almost every teen in Kearns. My favorite question this week: “so how long are you going to be here?”

Talking about...

We're talking about the results of the first Community Planning Meeting:
Thurs. April 13
8-10 a.m. Whitmore auditorium
1:30-3:30 p.m. Hunter auditorium
Tues. April 18
8-10 a.m. Bingham Creek auditorium
1:30-3:30 p.m. Sandy auditorium
See you there!

Thank you for being a friend...

Have you read Owen & Mzee, A True Story of a Remarkable Friendship yet? Please do.... it's an amazing story of the close friendship between a baby hippo named Owen and a 130-yr-old giant tortoise named Mzee (Mm-ZAY). Owen was orphaned after the Dec 2004 tsunami. Villagers in Kenya rescued him and he was relocated to Haller Park, an animal sanctuary in Mombasa, Kenya. A frightened Owen adopted the elderly tortoise and the two have become inseparable. You'll laugh, you'll cry...

civil discourse.

This morning, host Doug Fabrizio, of KUER's Radio West, spoke with David Skaggs of the Council for Excellence in Government, Ryan Alexander of Common Cause, and Michael McDonald from George Mason University about the process of drawing congressional districts. The guests were attending a three-day Redistricting Conference presented by the Hinckley Institute of Politics. While the topic of redistricting is a facinating one, I was especially interested when the conversation turned to the importance of "civic literacy" and civil discourse within communities to ensure a fair redistricting process. So what does this have to do with libraries? Last week's Community Planning Committee felt that providing "Commons", or a space for civil discourse was one of six important contributions our library system could offer within our service area.

Ice, ice, baby.

Just finished reading Alice Hoffman's The Ice Queen, my first grown-up book in over a month. It's a modern day three wishes fairy tale, with a librarian, Hans Christian Andersen, and butterflies. I loved it.

A poem a day.

April is National Poetry Month so celebrate with an e-mail poem-a-day from the Academy of American Poets. Need something to whet your appetite?

The First Book
Open it.

Go ahead, it won’t bite.
Well…maybe a little.

More a nip, like. A tingle.
It’s pleasurable, really.

You see, it keeps on opening.
You may fall in.

Sure, its hard to get started;
Remember learning to use

Knife and fork? Dig in:
You’ll never reach bottom

It’s not like it’s the end of the world-
just the world as you think

you know it.

Rita Dove

I say hello...

Okay, so despite answering the phone "West Jordan Library, this is Susan" when really I was at Kearns library, I think the day went pretty well. Lots of noodles and noodlettes asking questions about music, especially for the soundtrack to High School Musical, which has a mere 107 holds. Rumor has it that the Disney Channel movie was filmed at our very own East High School. A more significant piece of trivia: the Kearns Library has its very own staff bathroom! A minor detail to some, but to those of us who have been without, a lovely workplace perk. I'm not foolin'.