National Library Week

Yes, this post is a week overdue, but it's been a crazy week. As my first year as an official librarian, I was super excited to celebrate National Library Week.  On Monday, I launched a library scavenger hunt.  Tuesday was Faculty book match--a quiz to see if students could match their favorite teachers with their favorite book.  This was very challenging since many teachers picked the same classics.  I really loved this activity because we generated a good variety of quality reads.
On Wednesday students could create a beaded bookmark in the Resource Center.  Thursday saw faculty members judging student entries for the "Dream Library Contest."  In celebration of Teen Literature Appreciation, I also hosted a book swap.  Contest winners were announced Friday.
This was an awesome experience and I can't wait to do more next year!

Homeward Bound

One week can turn everything you thought was going to happen on its head. When my parents came down for a visit about two weeks ago, I recieved a phone interview offer for a job in our hometown. Life was a bit frantic that week because if I got the job, I'd have a week to relocate and start ASAP. We placed tons of "what if's" in place on standby preperation, but really couldn't do much until we knew one way or another for sure.

The first interview was this Monday, which I knocked out of the park. As proof, they called back an hour later to offer a second interview via Skype for early the following morning. That one didn't feel like it went nearly as well. I forgot my headset, had wireless connection issues, lost video near the end, forgot to look into the camera instead of at the screen, talked too fast... I was pretty sure I'd botched it. Surprisingly, I was okay with this, since I approached this situation with an "if it's meant to be," attitude. If I landed the job, I'd be headed home. If not, there's nothing wrong with staying put; I'd already learned to accept that the baby would be born here.

Yesterday, my afternoon doctors appointment was switched to the morning because of the doctor's family emergency. While waiting, I got the offer. Today's my last day at work. We're moving home this weekend and I start my new job on Monday. We're so excited! It hadn't really sunk in last night, until about 3 am when I realized I was wide awake with my head spinning with all of the things I needed to get done.
So things happen the way they are meant to and when they are supposed to. I am very grateful and lucky and cant wait to be living back home again. I'm also really glad we'll have family around when Johnny arrives.


(In baby news, according to the ultrasound, Johnny is 5 lbs. 2 oz. He has the cutest looking cheeks as best as we could see. He's in the position he needs to be with head down--so all is well. I on the other hand need to work on my blood pressure, but hopefully that will straighten out once we're all settled in.)

Entering Week 30

As of the most recent check up, all is well and going according to plan. Yay. I need to get on the ball about finding a pediatrician. I was so grateful to get the "inside scoop" from the Nurse Practitioner. She was great: "this one's crazy, never heard of this one, this one's really earthy..." We really love her, she's so down to earth.

Yesterday, I was reminded that I work with the greatest bunch of people ever. We had a shower. Technically, it was for me and the baby... but I know we all love an excuse to have a get together with great food and conversation for once in awhile. We're a small staff, but we don't often see everyone during the day. I brought my world-famous fruit pizza, which was a hit (no leftovers to take home--easy peesy recipe below).
In addition to bibs and gift cards that will be put to good use we received some of the funniest and most charming gifts. A coworker got Johnny an AASU onsie--so he can be a pirate where ever fate takes us in the coming year. Imported from Canada, we received Rich approved hockey themed pee pee teepees. Everyone commented on how we're not sure they'll do the job, but we all had a good laugh. The flaming puck print makes them exceptionally adorable. The highlight gift was a "survival kit for new parents" featuring worry beads, a bottle of wine, pain reliever, no-doze and ear plugs. Also included was an emergency stash of chocolate (a 1 lb Hershey bar) inside a red box with a clear laminated window labeled "In case of emergency, break plastic.



Easy Peesy Fruit Pizza Recipe
(also decent recipe to get kids into the kitchen)
1 batch sugar cookie dough (for the quickest method, premade tube o'cookie dough from the refrigerated section is fine--I've used homemade in the past, but premade is the easiest for those "Stink, I forgot I was going to make something for tomorrow moments"). Cookie dough must be chilled for rolling out to work without being a sticky mess--hence I usually opt for the squishing into place method--opt for a little flour on your hands to decrease some of the stickyness. For pizza look, use a pizza pan--I usually just use a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan because it travels easier. Bake at 350 till slightly golden (somewhere in the 15-20 minute range). Let cool.

Frosting: Mix 1 box cream cheese (fat free, full fat, whatever suits you), 1/3 cup sugar and a splash of vanilla. Spread over cooled cookie crust. (I think some recipes call for cool whip too, but I don't find it a necessity. If it seems to thick, a splash of milk will thin it out just fine.)

Top: (This is the fun part). Top with an assortment of clean/sliced fruit and berries... (strawberries, halved grapes, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, kiwi, Mandarin oranges,....whatever's in season/ whatever you like). You could get artsy at this point and make some sort of design, but it all tastes the same. (Some people make a simple glaze at this point to make the desert more "tart-like" but I think it's A) more work and B) more sugar than you actually need.) Refrigerate until ready to serve.

This is Why the World Needs Libraries

Yesterday provided one of those "adventures in closing a library" moments. A patron and member of the military was required to have several online forms completed and printed to be turned in tomorrow. I honestly can't say why he waited until almost 9 pm to do this. Though he is a father and had the little one in tote, so I can't judge that he had nothing better to do prior to that time. Of course we ran into snags with the website, resulting in my staying a half-hour after closing to make sure the patron got what he needed.
What I can say, is that I'm proud of our library. We're an academic library on a public university campus, which means we welcome community patrons to use our facilities. I respect that we make computers and the internet accessible to all. With our hours even in summer, we remain open later than most public libraries in the area. We truly were this guys last chance to get the forms he needed. We also provide the ability to search/retrieve forms and troubleshoot computer gliches that you wouldn't get if you were attempting to do the job at your own computer.
Sure, not everyone in America needs these services, but there are enough out there who do. And while I'm not the biggest fan of turning libraries into huge computer labs and viewing librarians as constant technical support crews, this is becoming a big part of what libraries do. For people like my patron last night, this is why libraries matter.

Where does the Time Go?

I can't believe that I haven't written in nearly 2 months. Things have just been hectic, I guess. So for those who need to know, here's a recap
In October I had an interview and got to spend a fall weekend at home. I went apple picking with the whole family, which was a blast. At the end of the month, Maudy and Grumpy came to visit. We took in many of the great Savannah sites we hadn't yet seen as well as some great dining.
November. Well, I have no good excuse about where Novemeber went, except that it too flew by. I've been volunteering with the libraries and a local elementary school. I worked on three major school projects: a quilting catalog, a reclassification for the CD collection at the Library where I work, and a capstone project that was a larger bite than I should have taken. The capstone project was interesting, since I was comparing browsing habits of library and bookstore patrons, but it was also very time consuming since I had to follow patrons around and observe those habits. If I were smarter or lazier, I would have stuck to a literature review.
In my spare time, I've been following high school football play-off as Rich's road-trip attache. I'm not the biggest football fan, but I do like taking in the various corners of the state, including a pizza parlor featuring a shrine to Robert E. Lee.

The good news is, the projects are done. My hockey quilt is done. Christmas shopping is mostly done and I'm ready to go home for the holidays and relax. Now that I'm practically graduated, I shall have to resolve to keep up with this blog a bit more frequently.

A librarian's weekened

For my law library and legal research class, I got to take a field trip! I was not overly excited about waking up before 6 a.m., especially since Rich didn't get home from the football game until 1:30. I wasn't too pleased about the three hour drive to Macon either. Despite these petty complaints, it was a great learning experience. I learned so much by talking with my classmates, several of whom had been lawyers or worked in law libraries. They were able to help break down the language barrier I'd been suffering from since the class started.

We also toured the law library at Mercer. This was a great opportunity to physically see many of the materials we'd been discussing. I loved the architecture and have decided that law libraries must have better alumni than any school I've ever attended or worked for. The comfortable yet traditional furnishing that were everywhere gave the library a sense of familiarity, yet distinction. There was even a mirrored dressing table in the women's restroom. I could get used to that.
The day got me thinking that maybe someday I could become a lawyer. It's an interesting thought. I'm smart enough, I could make a go of it. However, I don't think I'd like the arguing, just the research. I like problem solving and am pretty good at it. Librarian it is.

The Best Picture Book Ever

For a youth services librarianship application, I needed to write an essay identifying the "best picture book I ever read" and describe why. The following is my response.

Recently, I have been volunteering to shelve children’s books with the Savannah’s Live Oak Public Library newest branch. New children’s books have an exciting smell and luster that has yet to be marred with character from loving little hands. As I sort the titles, many are familiar faces from my own childhood or experience, babysitting, or work at Locke Branch. Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel, Blueberries for Sal, Alexander and the No Good, Very Bad Day, Where the Wild Things Are, Olivia, Eloise, and an entire case filled with Dr. Seuss. Mrs. Nelson, Amelia Bedilia and all those Froggie books I used to bribe Jonathan into bed time, greet me as old friends. The list of titles suitable for the honor seems endless. Still, my heart will forever remain loyal to one title.

“In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf,” and thus began my childhood obsession with Eric Carle and his The Very Hungry Caterpillar. From my first trip to the local public library (Locke Branch) and every other visit until I graduated to “chapter books,” it remained the coveted prize I would nudge other kids out of the way to grab.Maybe I’ve always been a fan of Carle’s colorful illustrations and the unique “hole”-some page design. Maybe there is some deep, post-modernist interpretation to be gleaned from its glossy pages. I think the most likely reason of all, however, is the thrill of the happy ending revealing that “He was a beautiful butterfly!”

No matter how many times I heard or read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I couldn’t help but become hooked. With exciting onomatopoeia and repetitive phrasing, it is hard not to anticipate what will happen next. These traits make it the perfect book to share with young readers cultivating their curiosity and passion for reading. Additionally, the story lends itself to enrichment and education. One could easily tie in lessons on diet, days of the week, colors and metamorphosis. Of course, that’s not to mention the myriad of caterpillar and butterfly art projects to take home.

I could cite the scholarly literature and reviews I perused in an effort to justify my selection. Yet, with a book as classic and timeless as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, doing so only detracts from the simple elegance of the story. Many children’s titles come and go. There may even come a time when the great Spongebob Square Pants fades from popularity. However, other titles seem to always have been and always will be; they are the core of any public library’s children’s collection. Any children’s collection worth its state budget allotment will forever contain The Very Hungry Caterpillar, earning its deserved place as the best picture book ever.