Adventures In Weeding

 

As I've mentioned previously, I recently started a new position as youth services manager and inherited a very neglected and mismanaged collection that had never been properly weeded, rarely had new materials added other than those specifically requested by patrons, lacked diversity, and was very biased toward a particular religious point-of-view.

So I have been ordering new materials, while weeding as much as I can as quickly as I can, to get the collections in better shape by summer reading. Last time I shared one of the most egregious books I came across in terms of physical age and condition; this time I'm sharing one of the worst in terms of content (though age and circulation are factors as well). 

Research Has *FINALLY* Been Published!

If you've been following this blog for a while, or if you are/were a member of either the Storytime Underground or ALATT Facebook groups, you might recall that I did a research project concerning children's librarians and child development knowledge, and you might have even participated in it. To help jog your memory, I distributed the survey about a month before the pandemic hit, on this blog and in the aforementioned groups.

I am happy to announce my research paper has *finally* been published!

So You Want to Be On a Book Award Committee?

With it being awards season, you may be wondering what it's like being on a book award selection committee and how one gets to be part of it all. Or, you might be thinking you could surely do a better job of selecting books that were both "distinguished" AND would actually appeal to the children they're supposedly written for (yes, I'm looking at you, Newbery and Caldecott). 

I've wanted to serve on a book award committee for a few years, and after first applying and being rejected by the Cybil awards [given by youth literature bloggers], I finally found an opportunity with the Bell awards,

Adventures In Weeding

 

During the time between when I accepted my current position and when I actually began I corresponded with the adult services manager a couple of times to get a feel for things and know what to expect. In one email they told me of some meetings and things I would be attending the first week, and then suggested I would want to get started assessing my collections.

I was a little surprised at this, as I had expected programming to be the top priority. But once I started looking at the collection, I realized why!

PSA - Weeding: It's Not Just for Gardens!

 

If you've followed my blog, know me from the various library-related Facebook groups, or know me IRL, you may have picked up on some of my soapbox issues: reading levels, "one right way" thinking, people presenting penguins as Arctic animals, reading levels, snowflakes that are anything but 6-sided, library school, reading levels...  Well, I've discovered a new one - collection maintenance and development!

Reflecting on 2021 & Looking Ahead to 2022

 

Time for my annual reflection on the past year and setting goals for the year ahead. 2021 didn't quite turn out to be the return to normal that many had hoped, but it was a less tumultuous than 2020. However, that doesn't mean it was without its ups and downs. Personally, it was another year of big changes, but this time it was by choice and on my terms.

Christmas Pajama Storytime

I just started my new job in December, and I felt bad I didn't really get there quite early enough to really plan any special holiday programs or take-home kits, so somewhat at the last minute I decided to at least do a special evening pajama Christmas storytime.

New Year, New Job!

I have big news! I've started a new position, and this time I think it could be "the one".