Is Your Work Life Yours to Share?

This week's American Libraries includes an article about a former library assistant in Michigan who wrote a book. The book, available through a print on demand service, probably wouldn't have caused much of a stir, had the author not promoted it via e-mail, postcards and in person to patrons, many of whom are featured, not so favorably in the story.

While I haven't read the book and certainly can't speak to its veracity, this brings up an interesting conundrum.

Many librarians and other library staff vaguely ponder the idea of writing down stories of their experiences, but how much protection do library customers have? How much right do we, as library staff, have to the stories we, in fact, share with our customers? That is, we all participate in the same story, so whose rights matter most?

I try to keep things anonymous around here, but there a few readers who know me in real life. There is a chance that they will be able to identify a certain customer that may drive me particularly batty. Do I have an ethical right to share information that may easily identify someone who is unaware that their personal experiences are being shared online?

It's an ethical dilemma, and one already faced by the famous Dooce, who was fired after her website shared a bit too much about her workplace, but how does it apply when we're dealing with the general public on such a regular basis?

How much of my day is fair fodder for the sharing?

Get That Girl a Milkshake!

Over a year long, and my gaming programs are still going strong. They numbers vary from month to month, and our committee is hoping that it will be possible to get separate systems for each branch.

Even barring that, I have good news.

My gaming program got coverage in the local newspaper! My ebbing and flowing numbers may just get the jolt they need! Hurray!

Oh, that bit about me needing a milkshake?

That comes from the fact that I learned about the reporter's visit just a few hours before the start of the program (at least I got notified at all!), and my numbers this month were certainly not as high as I would have liked. So, two, count them, two, whole teenagers showed up for the program. I ran around like a mad chicken, grabbed some young-ish departmental aides to fill the room, made two global announcements, and soon had nine authentic teenagers in the program.

Any newspaper photographer worth his salt can make that look like a full room, right?

The reporter didn't seem too disappointed, and, fortunately, I had told her that my numbers vary and haven't yet topped 20. She had plenty of folks to talk to, including my loyal volunteer who runs the "board" and ensures that people of equal skill and/or age compete against each other in early rounds, and at least one parent.

The departmental aides, young though they looked, were stomped by the authentic teenagers, and a triumphant teen took home the final prize, gloating all the while.

And yes, I did get a milkshake.

Career Building

Perhaps I expected this to be easy. I may have had too much book knowledge in my brain for my own good.

Being a librarian, particularly one who works with children of any age, takes time and patience. Gradually, I have developed just a bit more of the latter, and it's done me a world of good.

During my first year as a librarian, these thoughts frequently entered my mind, or, worse, came out of my mouth:

"Yes! A new program! Awesome! Let's book all the computers!"

"Of course more than three people will come."

"What do you mean I can't handle doing teen programs in a month?"

"Desk hours? What desk hours?"

Nearing the end of my second year, I have gone through a few phases.

Do you recognize any of these in yourself?

Phase 1: The over-educated, over-enthusiastic, under-experienced newbie
Phase 2: The exhausted librarian who feels confused and just a tad misled
Phase 3: The newly cynical librarian with a tinge of bitterness towards empty seats
Phase 4: The balanced librarian who does what she can, to the best of her ability, and accepts that every program has its purpose, even to just six kids.

I am building this career one block at a time. In the past almost-two years, I've learned more than I thought I needed to about collection development, program planning, dealing with the public and standing up for myself.

To anyone fresh out of library school who may wander across this, I say from my place two years out of those hallowed halls, have patience...it'll all work out.

There's Something to Be Said for Central Selection

I've met librarians from across the country whose libraries approach collection development from a myriad of directions. In my library, we have both central selection and branch-level selection.

Currently, due to both procedural and staff changes, I'm selecting for three branches as well as serving as a central selector.

I love my duties as a central selector. I ask for suggestions from my colleagues. I peruse the selection and review material. I rarely have trouble spending my budget. That said, as a central selector, I have specific guidelines that I must follow, and I'm generally only choosing paperback fiction. I have a wide selection within a narrow topic.

I also greatly appreciate the opportunity to select materials that are specific to my demographic. Having a healthy budget for my branch means that I can respond directly to the shifting needs in my community. Need more urban fiction? Okay, I'll find some new titles. Middle school science fair coming up? Alrightee, I've got it covered. A flexible branch budget provides nearly infinite opportunities to address the unique requirements of my branch.

Still, selecting for three branches on top of completing central selection is exhausting. It's a bit more exhausting this month as we had the added responsibility of buying our prize books for the summer reading program.

So, to reiterate: I really appreciate that I work in a library system that embraces both modes of collection development. I receive books selected by another central selector that I may never have thought of purchasing -- especially in the graphic novel area -- that are amazing choices. I'm glad that I'm not the only one buying books for my branch.

After completing two big orders for three branches and a central order for eight branches, however, I'm a bit loopy. I've read so many reviews, looked at so many covers and typed so many ISBNs in the past two weeks that I'm mildly convinced every single YA book is about the same exact thing and written by one author using 99 pseudonyms.

So, forgive the loopiness for now. Soon, I'll dive back into finishing Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle Trilogy. After I finish this series and know all there is to know about the Realms, the Order and the Rakshana, I predict I'll be refreshed and ready, once again, to conquer the glorious wealth of books available for YAs these days.

A Nice Reminder

In the January 2008 issue of School Library Journal, Barbara Genco provides a list of Guilty Pleasures, meaning books written by adults for adults that Young Adult Librarians should read.

I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that many Young Adult Librarians feel compelled to read YA Lit almost exclusively. Of course, as you may have noticed from a few posts on this blog, I don't subscribe to this philosphy and, in fact, sometimes fight against the need to read quite so much YA Lit.

Still, I appreciate the big reminder that we sometimes need that there are books out there that will feed our adult minds and will not detract from our ability to recommend good books to teens. In fact, if we remain aware of the good books for adults, for ourselves, I'm convinced that we'll be better at readers advisory in general.

So, in light of the article, I went home and snagged my post-it notes with scribbled titles and put in requests for those books from my library.

In the next several weeks, I will happily read the following:

Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier, a fictionalized account of the life of William Blake. English major that I am, this topic fascinates me, even if I never wanted to live out my days in a musty smelling office trying to interpret "The Tyger."

Mockingbird by Charles Shields, a biography of Harper Lee and the process of creating and publishing To Kill a Mockingbird. One of my favorite books...that lead to one of my favorite movies...and it's sad to me that I've been meaning to read this book since last April, when the book was published.

If This is a Man by Primo Levi, one survivor's account of Auschwitz and its aftermath, recommended by a fellow librarian (and former orchestra conductor). I'd love to read it in the original Italian, but with only a semester's worth of the language under my belt, it's not a task I can tackle.

So, what are you going to read to remind yourself that your brain still needs nutrition, too?

Big Skies and Big Football

So, let's talk about books.

In preparation for a recent trip to Sooner Territory, I read The Knights of Hill Country by Tim Tharp. A teen had reviewed the book over the summer, and I found his review enticing enough to pick up the book myself. Hampton Green is a senior in high school, playing for a team in the fifth year of an undefeated record. If the Kennisaw Knights finish out the season undefeated, it will be the first time since their greatest historical days that the team has done this. To say that the Knights are poised on the brink of history is putting it lightly. Hampton is a solid player who rarely gets much credit, while his best friend Blaine is the star. Well, Blaine was the star until a bad hit to the knee in the previous season...a hit that caused damage Blaine never reported and never got fixed. Hampton's star is on the rise, and he's not entirely comfortable coming out from behind his best friend's shadow. The book captures the spirit of Oklahoma high school football and could work well for reluctant teen boys who need action to keep them engaged in a book.

I hope everyone is refreshed after a couple of days off for Thanksgiving and looking forward to a pleasant, busy holiday season.

They're Back

It's September.

And the teens have returned in their full glory.

This fall, my second as an official, actual, degreed librarian, I have a different plan. I'm not trying to lure them in with promises of great programs, prizes and snacks. Ah, no, instead I'm going out into the community and trying to develop partnerships. So far, I have two successful community partnerships that directly involve me and one that's more passive on my part.

There's the teen mothers' program, a continuing program that I'm totally stoked about, and a new program where I get to do a once-a-month read-aloud and craft with one of the local high school special ed classes. These are both programming at their finest and offer me the relief of a built-in audience.

The passive program is a partnership with Kaplan - they come in every other month to do a practice SAT and PSAT test followed by a results/study seminar a few days later. Those folks are great, and at my most recent program, there were thirty participants! I don't have to do anything but reserve the room. FANtastic!

Since I've got some wiggle room and some space for creativity, I don't mind the less guaranteed programs, the ones that leave me hoping and praying for attendance.

They're back....

and I'm ready.

SRP Wrap-Up

This post contains two main points, one that my first SRP could have been better and could have been worse. If I'd spent more time planning individual programs and less time trying to pack in as much as possible, I think I could have reached more teens. This summer, I cast a wide net and caught rather few fish. In the upcoming year, I'll be concentrating more on the programs that work (book club, Dance Dance Revolution, etc.) and only sparingly introducing new programs. My volunteers will get more of the attention they deserve, and in cooperation with the children's librarian, we'll be be offering service opportunities for teens and services to children. Homework Help! Computer Docents! Reading Buddies! Oh my!

The second of my points is that I think I've reached that point in my life where I want to stop teenagers, give them a shake and tell them a few things. I want to tell that 15 year old girl running around vastly pregnant that her life is about to CHANGE and that she needs to spend a wee bit more time figuring out how to be a mother and a bit less time running amuck and rolling her eyes at librarians. I want to congratulate that 17 year old who has turned his life around and is now concentrating on improving all skills from typing to library research just so he can graduate. I want to stop the seventh graders, force a book in their hands and tell them to get off MySpace.

Of course, I can do none of those things, save quietly encouraging the 17 year old, putting up interesting and enticing book displays for the fifteen year old and the middle schoolers and offering exciting programs that lure kids away from MySpace (a daunting task, I know).

This has been a professionally challenging summer for me. I'm grateful for my supportive supervisor and my patient family and friends who have listened to me whine (because honestly, that's what I did, whine) all summer.

Now, I'm heading into a new season. I'm excited about pursuing more outreach opportunities and dropping fruitless programs.

Nich & Norah Save the Day

I am re-reading Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, as my teen bookclub is reading it this month. And Nick & Norah saved the day. Rachel Cohn and David Levithan put together a book that is uniquely adolescent and of truly excellent quality. Whether or not you can handle the F-bomb several times on each page, it is easy to see how this book is better than any of those Nannies Move to New York or Hollywood and Fall in Love with Their Boss's Son and have Sex on the Pool Table and May or May Not Be Vampires books that are on offer to (and being read in bulk by) teens. The book really captures that teen (and early twenties/college) sense of a night that lasts forever, of every experience, ever moment mattering just...so much. And this book could not possibly have been written for children and certainly not for adults. It's a book that captures the adolescent experience without patronizing teens or forcing formulaic nonsense down their throats.

And there's no way it could have been done any better or any different.

And reading this book for a second time has reminded me why we have YA Lit and why YA Lit matters.

YA Librarians are Cool....Aren't We?

I may be a bit biased...

but in the recent article in the NY Times about hipster librarians, there is not one single mention of a Young Adult Librarian. They've got a couple of law librarians, one who works at a museum and another who's a librarian at Entertainment Weekly. Don't get me wrong, I know that the word "librarian" brings up all kinds of stereotypes, but I tend to think they generally apply to those who more often interact with the public. I just don't think that the stereotype of a shushing librarian came about because of a moody old woman working at an entertainment magazine.

So, in some ways, yes, I do think that those who work in public or school libraries, encounter the most negative feedback as a result of the stereotype.

And I also think that we deserve a mention in an article like this. Seriously, have you see any librarians who tend to be more "hipster" than YA Librarians? Honestly, have you? At ALA, I saw more tattooed, pierced, pink-haired, great-shoe-wearing librarians at YALSA events than I could possibly have imagined even existed.

In any case, it was interesting to read the article, and I was curious about the alcoholic beverages labeled only by Dewey Decimal Number. I wonder if I could use that for a program? That would make some people happy...

Internet You

I recently reviewed a book called Chain Mail: Addicted to You by Hiroshi Ishizaki. It's an English translation of a Japanese novel published by TokyoPop, which should be a familiar company to graphic novel fans.

In the book, Sawako, a lonely Japanese teenager, receives an e-mail from Yukari, a junior high school student at another private girls’ school. The e-mail asks Sawako to help write a cooperative fictional story. Sawako eagerly accepts and mysteriously manages to recruit two other girls to participate. Mai and Mayumi have their own problems. Mayumi is overshadowed by her best friend’s athletic success, and Mai has too much money and time on her hands. When Sawako’s entries take a different tone and suddenly stop, Mai and Mayumi wrestle with the decision to breach their anonymity and speak in the real world.

The question they face is whether or not the concern they have for this online friend should transcend the computer and enter their day to day lives. These girls spend hours each day checking and writing on the Chain Mail site, but they don't consider it their "real" lives. The book is well-written and told in a distinctly Japanese style, but I connected more with the issues the book inadvertantly broached than with the story itself.

Each day in my downtown branch, I see teens logging onto MySpace, Spin the Bottle and dozens of other social networking sites. They also play massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), like World of Warcraft, in which they truly create completely alternate realities. In these games, it's most likely the character won't even be human!

The mass exodus to an online reality reminds me of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, in which one character takes some sort of "vacation" pill to escape reality. The pills are only meant as a temporary respite from the modern world, but this character comes to depend on them, comes to prefer the respite.

In Chain Mail Mai and Mayumi must decide whether they want the real world to permeate the life they have created for themselves online, and I actually worry that the teens I encounter would often have the same moment when they wonder whether they want the real world to intrude upon their carefully constructed non-reality online.

On Graphic Novels

I know nothing about graphic novels. I have happily read American Born Chinese and muscled through Blankets, but I know nothing about the substantial number of series to which my library subscribes.

I should know.

It's not that I've ignored the genre. It's not that I believe that teens should be reading books without pictures. It's that it seems like such a huge undertaking to learn about each of these novels. I understand that it's my job and my duty to know how to do readers' advisory on each of the genres in my collection, but how much of my personal reading time should this job take? I know that if I ever plan to be on a YALSA Selection Committee, I'll need to be prepared to read anywhere between 3 and 5 YA books a week.

But right now, I feel like my adult sensibilities are being tossed by the wayside by an onslaught of teen fiction, and reading about a boy who turns into a girl when doused with water and whose father turns into panda bear is asking more from me than I feel ready to give.

Diving into that big, deep pool that is graphic novels seems like more than I can handle at the moment.

Does anyone have any suggestions for making graphic novel reading more enjoyable? Or do you just want to join me in whining about the above-and-beyond forty hour work week?