It's the end of the week. Phew. It hasn't been as crazy as the first week of school, but the second is a bit more fun. The new lessons start, kids are getting familiar with the idea of checking out books again (and our faces). I've made a goal for myself to get to know what they're reading, and try to get them interested in similar books. It's been working fairly well so far.
I've gotten the hang of processing and sorting the mail and periodicals. It's not really bad, just the initial summer load that's a tad overwhelming. I enjoy being in a flexible position, too. It frees me up to do research for our promotional video that we'll start working on pretty soon. That's a plus!
Overall, great second week. Finished covering last year's books, had a birthday celebration (along with too much cake), and fiance got a new job. Pretty memorable week in my book.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Staring
From John Green's A Fault in Our Stars:
Finally, I decided that the proper strategy was to stare back. Boys do not have a monopoly on the Staring Business, after all.Oh, how I love this book. On page 12 and I cannot stop.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
First Week
The first week of school is always hardest. Maybe it's the getting up early (or not staying up late), doing laundry in a timely fashion, or not wearing myself out with all-day Sims marathons.
Anyway, this year, our first week was a success! Not that last year's wasn't, but I believe this year we were both more prepared than our first (hopefully obvious, but I was nervous with all our changes). The new schedule we are on (fixed checkout time, schedule on an as-needed basis for lessons/research) is quite refreshing. It helps enable us to focus on library tasks, as well as creating lessons and displays.
It's been fun for me, to be honest. I've been given more clerical tasks than I had previously, and I also am going to be directing (sort of) and editing (definitely) an introductory film about our library. I feel comfortable in my new position, as well as challenged. I always like to have new challenges. That's when creativity can show up at it's finest.
The kids are very sweet, and I think this 4th grade class will be so great. They're strong learners, and were a joy to be around last year as 3rd graders. I hope I can help with some of the research projects, even though I'm not 100% sure about most of the research methods. It's always exciting, though.
This second week is pretty short and light for me. I'm hoping to get some more storyboarding done. I've never had to do it for a 3-5 minute feature, just a short news clip which did NOT turn out that well. Ah, well, that's learning. I'm going to try to read a couple book review journals to keep up my knowledge of what's coming out, and maybe glance over the stuff that's new.
Oh! And finish covering those darn books. Heh.
Anyway, this year, our first week was a success! Not that last year's wasn't, but I believe this year we were both more prepared than our first (hopefully obvious, but I was nervous with all our changes). The new schedule we are on (fixed checkout time, schedule on an as-needed basis for lessons/research) is quite refreshing. It helps enable us to focus on library tasks, as well as creating lessons and displays.
It's been fun for me, to be honest. I've been given more clerical tasks than I had previously, and I also am going to be directing (sort of) and editing (definitely) an introductory film about our library. I feel comfortable in my new position, as well as challenged. I always like to have new challenges. That's when creativity can show up at it's finest.
The kids are very sweet, and I think this 4th grade class will be so great. They're strong learners, and were a joy to be around last year as 3rd graders. I hope I can help with some of the research projects, even though I'm not 100% sure about most of the research methods. It's always exciting, though.
This second week is pretty short and light for me. I'm hoping to get some more storyboarding done. I've never had to do it for a 3-5 minute feature, just a short news clip which did NOT turn out that well. Ah, well, that's learning. I'm going to try to read a couple book review journals to keep up my knowledge of what's coming out, and maybe glance over the stuff that's new.
Oh! And finish covering those darn books. Heh.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Happy New Year!
There's a tradition at my school where you are greeted with a hearty "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" upon arrival to orientation the week before school begins.Well, this certainly is a new year for us in more ways than one.
At the end of last school year, just a few short months ago, we finally realized a dream and moved our Lower School collection to join its fellow collections in the main library. The old Lower School library was turned into what we now call the Lower School Learning Commons. It's such a great title to a fabulous place. There are story steps, couches, chairs, a puppet area (!), and an area with tables and chairs where our new, moveable SmartBoard can roll wherever it is needed.
Along with that, one of the librarians finally got her own office space (yay!) and now its just me out there on my little island known as the circulation desk.
This past week was a LOT of meetings, training, getting reacquainted with our school life as opposed to our summer ones. At our library meeting, I was given a few new duties, that include setting up and completing inventory, mail, periodicals, the ordering of library supplies, as well as handling the gift books for middle and upper school. Phew. I placed my first purchase order for library supplies, and while it's not super complicated, it is a bit intimidating. Who knew there were so many different types of book covers and book tape in the world?
I'm a little nervous about being in the middle of the library, with all these new responsibilities, but am so thrilled that I'm being honored with more responsibility. I never thought I'd ever have a job with a desk (it is so not a desk job), and am so thrilled of the exciting new challenges this year will bring.
Here's to the first week of school! Can't wait to see the looks on those kids' faces when they see what we've done this summer on Tuesday.
Happy New Year!
At the end of last school year, just a few short months ago, we finally realized a dream and moved our Lower School collection to join its fellow collections in the main library. The old Lower School library was turned into what we now call the Lower School Learning Commons. It's such a great title to a fabulous place. There are story steps, couches, chairs, a puppet area (!), and an area with tables and chairs where our new, moveable SmartBoard can roll wherever it is needed.
Along with that, one of the librarians finally got her own office space (yay!) and now its just me out there on my little island known as the circulation desk.
This past week was a LOT of meetings, training, getting reacquainted with our school life as opposed to our summer ones. At our library meeting, I was given a few new duties, that include setting up and completing inventory, mail, periodicals, the ordering of library supplies, as well as handling the gift books for middle and upper school. Phew. I placed my first purchase order for library supplies, and while it's not super complicated, it is a bit intimidating. Who knew there were so many different types of book covers and book tape in the world?
I'm a little nervous about being in the middle of the library, with all these new responsibilities, but am so thrilled that I'm being honored with more responsibility. I never thought I'd ever have a job with a desk (it is so not a desk job), and am so thrilled of the exciting new challenges this year will bring.
Here's to the first week of school! Can't wait to see the looks on those kids' faces when they see what we've done this summer on Tuesday.
Happy New Year!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
What I've done so far...
With all the end of the year craziness, I've found little time to do much else. I feel like I'm getting sick, or am having severe allergies, or something. Yuck. That's the bad part of living in Texas in the spring.
We're in the process of moving our collection from our little world into the main library--a serious task! This is a list of all the stuff I have done this past week:
It's only Wednesday. I need to pace myself before I have a coronary.
We're in the process of moving our collection from our little world into the main library--a serious task! This is a list of all the stuff I have done this past week:
- Finished inventory! (I completed all the following: nonfiction, half of junior fiction, one shelf of red dot nonfiction, junior readers, junior biographies, new books, graphic novels, Bluebonnet nominees, half of everybody picture books, folk tales, as well as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Easter, and Halloween, professional development, audio books, and reference)
- Read shelves: I only was able to read junior fiction, part of nonfiction, graphic novels, and a minute portion of everybody books.
- Merge collection: I was able to change the category of our LSC PL (lower school professional learning) collection and move those out with all the others, then moved the 000s to 499s red dot nonfiction to the other nonfiction. PHEW. That means...
- MORE WEEDING. I weeded and weeded, on top of what Carrie and I weeded and weeded. Phew. So many books, such gross covers! Yuck! Who let this book with ketchup in it slide for a million years?!
It's only Wednesday. I need to pace myself before I have a coronary.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Er, Happy Belated New Year
I've been really bad about journaling/blogging, and I'm sorry about that. Things were kind of crazy over the winter break, and I was completely wiped out with bronchitis the week we got back to school. Yikes! I'm just thankful I'm here to type this sentence, because things were very scary for a minute.
My new goal for this year is to write in this blog regularly, not just ideas or things I've done as a library assistant, but book reviews. I love graphic novels and picture books, mainly because I can read lots of them in a short amount of time. I'm going to push myself to read more chapter books (at least the first in the series) also. It's important for me to help the indecisive 4th graders find books they enjoy!
There are a few books that I've read and enjoyed recently, but my favorite so far? The City of Ember graphic novel is a beautiful, well-illustrated graphic novel adaptation of the book by Jeanne DuPrau. We just ordered it for our lower school, and its stunning. I'll write more of a review when I have the chance, as well as one about Salt Water Taffy graphic novel series. They're so fun!
If there is but one hope I have the rest of this school year, it is to encourage a higher circulation rate of fiction books with boys...specifically those in 3rd & 4th grade. The circulation rates are decent, but they honestly could be a lot higher!
Expect another post from me this afternoon, as this is my day to close down shop.
Have a fabulous day in bookland :)
Christine
My new goal for this year is to write in this blog regularly, not just ideas or things I've done as a library assistant, but book reviews. I love graphic novels and picture books, mainly because I can read lots of them in a short amount of time. I'm going to push myself to read more chapter books (at least the first in the series) also. It's important for me to help the indecisive 4th graders find books they enjoy!
There are a few books that I've read and enjoyed recently, but my favorite so far? The City of Ember graphic novel is a beautiful, well-illustrated graphic novel adaptation of the book by Jeanne DuPrau. We just ordered it for our lower school, and its stunning. I'll write more of a review when I have the chance, as well as one about Salt Water Taffy graphic novel series. They're so fun!
If there is but one hope I have the rest of this school year, it is to encourage a higher circulation rate of fiction books with boys...specifically those in 3rd & 4th grade. The circulation rates are decent, but they honestly could be a lot higher!
Expect another post from me this afternoon, as this is my day to close down shop.
Have a fabulous day in bookland :)
Christine
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