After the Infant Storytime on April 22nd, I had my first shift at the Children's Reference Desk at Bellevue Library. Bellevue Children's is unique at KCLS in that it is a seperate section, so all the quesitons you get are from children or adults on behalf of children. This helps me familiarize myself with the children's collection more quickly than if I was answering a combination of children's and adult questions.
Here are the questions that came up the first day:
1.) A woman holding her 12-month old baby girl asked what movies would be appropriate for her daughter. I recommeded the Reading Rainbow and Weston Woods collections. I wanted to say that movies are not appropriate for a 12-month old, but I didn't know how to say it. I talked about it with the other children's librarian afterward. She said that situation is an opportunity to educate parents about early literacy and suggested saying, "watching movies is not helpful for children under 24 months. Studies have shown that they are not developmentally ready to focus on a screen. Another solution would be to check out a music CD to play in the background while the child plays with toys & board books on a blanket on the floor." If the parent really wants to take home a video, Reading Rainbow and Weston Woods, which feature readings of picture books, are a good choice.
2.) A mother came to the desk and said that her son who is in 4th grade (8-9 yrs old) is reading the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. One of the books referenced Fahrenheit 451 and she was wondering if it was appropriate for a 4th grader to read. Fahrenheit 451 is not age appropriate for a 9-year old because they haven't experienced the world to the extent that they would understand the meaning of the story, even if they had the reading level to understand the words. This is the essence of age appropriate book advisory and seems to be the crux of children's collections services. I remember when I was in 5th grade I read Shakespeare because I had read everything else in the house and I needed something to read. I didn't understand any of it and I hate Shakespeare to this day. Maybe if I approached Shakespeare with a clean slate today, I could enjoy it, but that early exposure did nothing for my appreciation. I looked for other books with a book-burning theme that would be age appropriate. I found one called "I Believe in Unicorns" by Michael Morpurgo, but the reading level was not challenging enough. I ended suggesting the "Gregor the Overlander" series by Suzanne Collins - not for a censorship angle, just because it's good adventure for a 4th grader!
Friday, April 25, 2008
First Infant Storytime
I did my first Infant Storytime at Bellevue on April 22, 2008. The idea behind a storytime for babies ages 6 to 11 months is that a baby's senses are developing very quickly at that stage. Parents can help with this development by stimulating their baby's senses. The librarian instructs parents: "Touch your baby often, and give them things to touch. Sing and speak to them (remember, your baby loves the sound of your voice no matter who else does!). Look at them, and let them look at your face. Move with them: up and down, swaying side to side, turning around." Infant Storytime incorporates the baby's senses as much as possible.
The Storytime consists mostly of nursery rhymes, sung or spoken ryhthmically, and interaction with the baby. I modeled the interaction and rhymes with a baby doll. The picture books chosen feature baby animals. Even though it looks like there is a lot going on with all the rhymes, the whole storytime took barely 20 minutes. (When it was over I was afraid I had done something wrong, but the other librarian said that is the right amount of time - babies can't pay attention for too long.) Afterwards we encourage the mothers to stay and talk to each other - there is nothing booked in the storytime room afterwards so they can stay as long as they like. This gives the moms some adult interaction and time to compare baby notes.
I was nervous at first, but once I relaxed and looked around at all the baby faces, it was really fun. The babies crawl around a little bit and I had to sit on my notes so they wouldn't put them in their mouth. Otherwise it was a very involved and well-mannered group of mommies and babies!
The following is the outline for the infant storytime:
Opening Song: "Hello Song" (to the tune of London Bridges)
Hi, Hello, and How are you?
How are you? How are you?
Hi, Hello, and How are you?
On this lovely morning.
I am fine hope you are too
You are too, your are too.
I am fine hope you are too,
On this lovely morning.
Opening Announcements: Storytime guidelines, why we are here, etc.
Clapping Rhyme: Baby on lap, clap their hands together
Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold,
Peas porridge in the pot 9 days old.
Some like it hot, some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot 9 days old.
Rolling Rhyme: Roll baby's hands over each other
Rolling, rolling, little hands,
Rolling down the street.
Rolling slowly, Getting faster
Roll, roll, roll, roll, roll!
Bouncing Ryhme: Bounce baby on lap
Acka backa soda cracker,
Acka backa boo.
Acka backa soda cracker,
I love you!
(I have a print out of the rhymes and more detailed interactions.)
Tickle Rhyme:
"Criss Cross Applesauce"
Leg-Crossing Rhyme:
"This is Bill and this is Jill"
First Read-Aloud Story:
Silly Little Goose by Nancy Tafuri
Flying Baby Rhyme:
"Pop Goes the Weasel"
Free Dance: Put on a music CD and let moms stand up and dance around with their baby. I played the CD "Baby-O: Activity Songs for Baby Playtime and Lapsit" by MaryLee Sunseri.
Second Read-Aloud Story:
Who Says Woof? by John Butler
Calming Rhyme:
"These are Baby's Fingers"
Waving Song:
(sung to the tune of Frere Jacques)
Wave to [mommy], wave to [mommy],
Wave, wave, wave,
Wave, wave, wave.
Say [hello] to [mommy], say [hello] to [mommy],
Wave, wave, wave
Wave, wave, wave.
Goodbye song: (to London Bridges)
Bye, goodbye, we'll see you soon.
Don't forget to check out the Mother Goose collection! (J398.8)
I showed some of the mothers to the Mother Goose collection afterwards and to the children's music collection. I said to find a baby CD just look for children's drawings or pictures of babies, or the words, "newborn" or "toddler" on the cover.
The Storytime consists mostly of nursery rhymes, sung or spoken ryhthmically, and interaction with the baby. I modeled the interaction and rhymes with a baby doll. The picture books chosen feature baby animals. Even though it looks like there is a lot going on with all the rhymes, the whole storytime took barely 20 minutes. (When it was over I was afraid I had done something wrong, but the other librarian said that is the right amount of time - babies can't pay attention for too long.) Afterwards we encourage the mothers to stay and talk to each other - there is nothing booked in the storytime room afterwards so they can stay as long as they like. This gives the moms some adult interaction and time to compare baby notes.
I was nervous at first, but once I relaxed and looked around at all the baby faces, it was really fun. The babies crawl around a little bit and I had to sit on my notes so they wouldn't put them in their mouth. Otherwise it was a very involved and well-mannered group of mommies and babies!
The following is the outline for the infant storytime:
Opening Song: "Hello Song" (to the tune of London Bridges)
Hi, Hello, and How are you?
How are you? How are you?
Hi, Hello, and How are you?
On this lovely morning.
I am fine hope you are too
You are too, your are too.
I am fine hope you are too,
On this lovely morning.
Opening Announcements: Storytime guidelines, why we are here, etc.
Clapping Rhyme: Baby on lap, clap their hands together
Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold,
Peas porridge in the pot 9 days old.
Some like it hot, some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot 9 days old.
Rolling Rhyme: Roll baby's hands over each other
Rolling, rolling, little hands,
Rolling down the street.
Rolling slowly, Getting faster
Roll, roll, roll, roll, roll!
Bouncing Ryhme: Bounce baby on lap
Acka backa soda cracker,
Acka backa boo.
Acka backa soda cracker,
I love you!
(I have a print out of the rhymes and more detailed interactions.)
Tickle Rhyme:
"Criss Cross Applesauce"
Leg-Crossing Rhyme:
"This is Bill and this is Jill"
First Read-Aloud Story:
Silly Little Goose by Nancy Tafuri
Flying Baby Rhyme:
"Pop Goes the Weasel"
Free Dance: Put on a music CD and let moms stand up and dance around with their baby. I played the CD "Baby-O: Activity Songs for Baby Playtime and Lapsit" by MaryLee Sunseri.
Second Read-Aloud Story:
Who Says Woof? by John Butler
Calming Rhyme:
"These are Baby's Fingers"
Waving Song:
(sung to the tune of Frere Jacques)
Wave to [mommy], wave to [mommy],
Wave, wave, wave,
Wave, wave, wave.
Say [hello] to [mommy], say [hello] to [mommy],
Wave, wave, wave
Wave, wave, wave.
Goodbye song: (to London Bridges)
Bye, goodbye, we'll see you soon.
Don't forget to check out the Mother Goose collection! (J398.8)
I showed some of the mothers to the Mother Goose collection afterwards and to the children's music collection. I said to find a baby CD just look for children's drawings or pictures of babies, or the words, "newborn" or "toddler" on the cover.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
My First Reference Shift
I had my first Reference shift at KCLS on March 20th at Mercer Island Library. I was by myself and I did just fine.
The first question came from a study group of highschool boys who needed books about Andreas Vasalius, a 16th century anatomist. Well, of course, they needed the information now and there were no books at Mercer Island for them. So I went to the KCLS databases. I let them know I would be a couple of minutes and that they could return and see what I found. This took the pressure off of me while I searched. They needed two books with biographical information about Vesalius. I found a subject string in ProQuest: Anatomy & Physiology AND Science History, Anatomy & Physiology AND Vesalius, Andreas. The results weren't what the patron needed because they were magazine articles - they needed books. I went to the subject listing for the KCLS databases and found the ones for Health & Medicine. Gale Virtual Reference - Medicine yielded an actual PDF of a book, and Oxford Reference also provided electronic access to books. I made sure the students captured citations of the databases for their bibliography and I felt very good about the search. They got the information they needed - now!
The second question was about a twelve-year-old girl who was looking for an annotated version of the Odyssey (now, of course). Mary Pope Osborne, of the Magic Tree House series, wrote a six-part series of the Odyssey. (1. The One-Eyed Giant 2. The Land of the Dead 3.Sirens and Sea Monsters 4. The Gray-Eyed Goddess 5. Return to Ithaca 6. The Final Battle) There were a couple of them on the shelf that she checked out.
The third question: The print station key pad won't work! I figured out that the Num Lock was on!
Fourth queston: Can you refill the printer with paper? Luckily the librarian showing me around had anticipated this and showed me where the printer key and refill paper were located.
Fifth question: Where's Calvin & Hobbes? from about a seven-year-old girl. Answer: 741.5973WAT
Sixth question: From the same girl looking for an annotated Odyssey: "Do you have the Eflquest graphic novel? The initial search in the KCLS catalog gave confusing results so I went to the Novelist database to look up the series. BINGO! There are actually four different Eflquest series. Once I knew the series the girl wanted it was easier to look and see what we had in the catalog.
Final question: A woman wanted to pay her $50 fine, including a lost book, without receiving a receipt. Apparently she was so mortified that she had lost a book that she didn't want to face the circulation desk. This is where my circulation experience really came in handy. I documented that she didn't want a receipt and then told the circ dept. what had happened.
Goodnight!
The first question came from a study group of highschool boys who needed books about Andreas Vasalius, a 16th century anatomist. Well, of course, they needed the information now and there were no books at Mercer Island for them. So I went to the KCLS databases. I let them know I would be a couple of minutes and that they could return and see what I found. This took the pressure off of me while I searched. They needed two books with biographical information about Vesalius. I found a subject string in ProQuest: Anatomy & Physiology AND Science History, Anatomy & Physiology AND Vesalius, Andreas. The results weren't what the patron needed because they were magazine articles - they needed books. I went to the subject listing for the KCLS databases and found the ones for Health & Medicine. Gale Virtual Reference - Medicine yielded an actual PDF of a book, and Oxford Reference also provided electronic access to books. I made sure the students captured citations of the databases for their bibliography and I felt very good about the search. They got the information they needed - now!
The second question was about a twelve-year-old girl who was looking for an annotated version of the Odyssey (now, of course). Mary Pope Osborne, of the Magic Tree House series, wrote a six-part series of the Odyssey. (1. The One-Eyed Giant 2. The Land of the Dead 3.Sirens and Sea Monsters 4. The Gray-Eyed Goddess 5. Return to Ithaca 6. The Final Battle) There were a couple of them on the shelf that she checked out.
The third question: The print station key pad won't work! I figured out that the Num Lock was on!
Fourth queston: Can you refill the printer with paper? Luckily the librarian showing me around had anticipated this and showed me where the printer key and refill paper were located.
Fifth question: Where's Calvin & Hobbes? from about a seven-year-old girl. Answer: 741.5973WAT
Sixth question: From the same girl looking for an annotated Odyssey: "Do you have the Eflquest graphic novel? The initial search in the KCLS catalog gave confusing results so I went to the Novelist database to look up the series. BINGO! There are actually four different Eflquest series. Once I knew the series the girl wanted it was easier to look and see what we had in the catalog.
Final question: A woman wanted to pay her $50 fine, including a lost book, without receiving a receipt. Apparently she was so mortified that she had lost a book that she didn't want to face the circulation desk. This is where my circulation experience really came in handy. I documented that she didn't want a receipt and then told the circ dept. what had happened.
Goodnight!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Creating Community Online
I went to the Margaret Chisholm "Motivate, Inspire & Lead" Lecture with Aaron Schmidt at Kane Hall tonight. I went to be inspired. I came home inspired.
This is what I took away from Aaron Schmidt's talk. Community building is important to me and creating community online in my role as a public librarian reaffirms that value. How does a public librarian create community online in the Web 2.0 world, or as Aaron referred to it, the "read/write web"? (read/write refers to the fact that people create content as well as consume it)
He touched greatly on the usability factor of libraries Public Access Catalogs (OPAC). This is a dilemna that I remember from classes at the iSchool. Why is it that library catalogs are so user-unfriendly?! Why can't public libraries incorporate some of the white space ideas of Google, some of the search function of Amazon, etc. If we want the catalog to be the portal to the library I think it needs to become uncluttered. How? I don't know.
Feature people - this idea is as old as small town newspapers. Feature the people who use the library on the library website. Feature them prominately. One example he used was how Powell's bookstore features pics of people enjoying books at Powell's in their windows. Upload pictures of patrons on the website. (flickr) Upload digital video of library events. (youtube) Upload patron reviews of books into the public access catalog. (wiki/blog)
The capacity of technology is getting so fast, and small, and inexpensive, that soon there will be less of a digital divide and more of a participation divide. People will be able to afford to own technology but they won't necessarily know how to use it. It is the role of the public library to guide the community through the transition from print materials to digital materials. For citizens to be able to participate in the democratic society they will need to know how to participate in the online community.
He talked about gaming in libraries. How Nintendo's Wii video gaming system is played by seniors and teens. How gaming has the potential to develop collaboration and analyzing skills. A couple video games mentioned: Portal & World of War Craft. Further reading: Halo and Information Literacy, & Summit of Educational Games.
Suggested reading: "Everything Bad is Good: How Today's Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter" by Steven Johnson.
Aaron Schmidt hails from the North Plains library in Oregon. He created the North Plains library website on Wordpress. His blog is called Walking Paper ( at www.walkingpaper.org). Other library websites featured in the lecture: Plymouth State University, and Hennepin County Library System.
I took all of these notes on a 3x3 inch piece of sticky notepaper.
This is what I took away from Aaron Schmidt's talk. Community building is important to me and creating community online in my role as a public librarian reaffirms that value. How does a public librarian create community online in the Web 2.0 world, or as Aaron referred to it, the "read/write web"? (read/write refers to the fact that people create content as well as consume it)
He touched greatly on the usability factor of libraries Public Access Catalogs (OPAC). This is a dilemna that I remember from classes at the iSchool. Why is it that library catalogs are so user-unfriendly?! Why can't public libraries incorporate some of the white space ideas of Google, some of the search function of Amazon, etc. If we want the catalog to be the portal to the library I think it needs to become uncluttered. How? I don't know.
Feature people - this idea is as old as small town newspapers. Feature the people who use the library on the library website. Feature them prominately. One example he used was how Powell's bookstore features pics of people enjoying books at Powell's in their windows. Upload pictures of patrons on the website. (flickr) Upload digital video of library events. (youtube) Upload patron reviews of books into the public access catalog. (wiki/blog)
The capacity of technology is getting so fast, and small, and inexpensive, that soon there will be less of a digital divide and more of a participation divide. People will be able to afford to own technology but they won't necessarily know how to use it. It is the role of the public library to guide the community through the transition from print materials to digital materials. For citizens to be able to participate in the democratic society they will need to know how to participate in the online community.
He talked about gaming in libraries. How Nintendo's Wii video gaming system is played by seniors and teens. How gaming has the potential to develop collaboration and analyzing skills. A couple video games mentioned: Portal & World of War Craft. Further reading: Halo and Information Literacy, & Summit of Educational Games.
Suggested reading: "Everything Bad is Good: How Today's Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter" by Steven Johnson.
Aaron Schmidt hails from the North Plains library in Oregon. He created the North Plains library website on Wordpress. His blog is called Walking Paper ( at www.walkingpaper.org).
I took all of these notes on a 3x3 inch piece of sticky notepaper.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)