There were a few times last week where I thought I was on the set on AMC's zombie drama Walking Dead. No one, it seemed, was quite ready to be back on campus after Spring Break. I don't recall feeling that way after Winter Break in January. Perhaps because leaving the busyness of the holiday season felt like such a relief!
This week has been better. Now that I work on a high school campus I've learned something I didn't know before- senioritis is contagious! The warm weather has all us distracted and daydreaming about our summer plans. Spring also brings college notification letters. It's been both exciting and difficult to see our HHS seniors get a yes or a no from the campus they've dreamed of attending.
Prom is on the horizon and the expectancy for it is building. We had one romantic prom proposal in the Media Center already. (She said yes.)
And while the school year is coming to an end, the seniors are on the edge of a new beginning and I find the energy swirling around so infectious! Life is a series of stops and starts, journeys and destinations, rewards and challenges. I don't think you can be around these kids and not reflect on new possibilities in your own life.
For me here in the Media Center, I've been thinking about how much Ms. Orest and I have accomplished this year, our first together, and what we hope to do more of in the next school year. The perception of the library as a dead zone has changed and the kids are figuring out all the new things they can do here. We are busy as ever as we head toward the end of school and some days I'm exhausted.
So if I stop talking about books in favor of brains, proceed with caution.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Starving for THE HUNGER GAMES
Rabid. Famished. Feral.
Anticipation for the first film based on Suzanne Collins' incredible trilogy has reached critical mass. Libraries across the country are struggling to meet demand for the books (including the Horizon Library Media Center) while watercooler conversations are singularly focused on the series. No matter your age, chances are you've heard about the series and have considered reading it or lost a weekend while you did (that's what happened to me).
We haven't seen anything like this since the Harry Potter days.
What? What about the Twilight series? How could I skip mentioning it? Easy- for all its popularity (and controversy) Twilight never crossed gender lines. The frantic TwiHard fans often seen on the news consisted of teen/tween girls and their cougar moms. None of the rare Y chromosome folks ever wanted to be captured on film.
Like the Harry Potter books, the Hunger Games series grabbed the interest of kids, teens and adults of both sexes. How does an author mange that? Good writing helps of course, which J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins demonstrated, but it's more than that. In both series the kids (teens really) are the heroes but they are surrounded by adults who are presented as flawed, fabulous and occasionally fatal. The honest depiction of adults on each side of the good/evil axis draws readers of all ages and genders in. The adults don't sugar coat and patronize the kids, nor do they rescue them. They aid, support or interfere depending on their desires, but the kids ultimately have to do the hard work to achieve their reward or survival.
Harry Potter and Katniss appeal equally to girls and boys which, in my opinion is the true feat the authors achieved. Readers want and need a character they can believe in and root for as a protagonist. As a writer myself, I've heard a lot about how I'm supposed to convey a universal truth about the human experience. What could be more universal than having a character who has less than those around him or her, who wants more than life has offered so far and is who is willing to risk anything for the greater good?
Our boy readers here at Horizon have loved The Hunger Games, perhaps a bit more than Harry Potter since hand-to-hand combat is generally more exciting to read than a wizards' duel. A few have expressed that it felt odd at first to be in a girls' head, but they got over it quickly.
The adult readers here on campus are all drawn to the fast pace of the books and the cruelty of the regime that runs the Hunger Games. For parents it's difficult to imagine a world where you're required to enter your children in a game til the death as tribute to the government.
What's most exciting to me about the success and excitement surrounding the books and upcoming film is that we're all talking- kids and adults. Kids to adults, adults to kids, everyone to anyone who will listen.
Communication is the key to sustaining relationships and succeeding in life. Great stories (even fictional ones) have the ability to connect us not only to our imagination, but to each other. If you haven't read The Hunger Games yet, I encourage you to. For those of you who have, I'll see you in line at the midnight premiere!
Anticipation for the first film based on Suzanne Collins' incredible trilogy has reached critical mass. Libraries across the country are struggling to meet demand for the books (including the Horizon Library Media Center) while watercooler conversations are singularly focused on the series. No matter your age, chances are you've heard about the series and have considered reading it or lost a weekend while you did (that's what happened to me).
We haven't seen anything like this since the Harry Potter days.
What? What about the Twilight series? How could I skip mentioning it? Easy- for all its popularity (and controversy) Twilight never crossed gender lines. The frantic TwiHard fans often seen on the news consisted of teen/tween girls and their cougar moms. None of the rare Y chromosome folks ever wanted to be captured on film.
Like the Harry Potter books, the Hunger Games series grabbed the interest of kids, teens and adults of both sexes. How does an author mange that? Good writing helps of course, which J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins demonstrated, but it's more than that. In both series the kids (teens really) are the heroes but they are surrounded by adults who are presented as flawed, fabulous and occasionally fatal. The honest depiction of adults on each side of the good/evil axis draws readers of all ages and genders in. The adults don't sugar coat and patronize the kids, nor do they rescue them. They aid, support or interfere depending on their desires, but the kids ultimately have to do the hard work to achieve their reward or survival.
Harry Potter and Katniss appeal equally to girls and boys which, in my opinion is the true feat the authors achieved. Readers want and need a character they can believe in and root for as a protagonist. As a writer myself, I've heard a lot about how I'm supposed to convey a universal truth about the human experience. What could be more universal than having a character who has less than those around him or her, who wants more than life has offered so far and is who is willing to risk anything for the greater good?
Our boy readers here at Horizon have loved The Hunger Games, perhaps a bit more than Harry Potter since hand-to-hand combat is generally more exciting to read than a wizards' duel. A few have expressed that it felt odd at first to be in a girls' head, but they got over it quickly.
The adult readers here on campus are all drawn to the fast pace of the books and the cruelty of the regime that runs the Hunger Games. For parents it's difficult to imagine a world where you're required to enter your children in a game til the death as tribute to the government.
What's most exciting to me about the success and excitement surrounding the books and upcoming film is that we're all talking- kids and adults. Kids to adults, adults to kids, everyone to anyone who will listen.
Communication is the key to sustaining relationships and succeeding in life. Great stories (even fictional ones) have the ability to connect us not only to our imagination, but to each other. If you haven't read The Hunger Games yet, I encourage you to. For those of you who have, I'll see you in line at the midnight premiere!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Talking Shh.....
On Tuesday and Wednesday this week we had AIMS testing in the morning. The sophomores came in to test and the rest of the students came in later. For us in the LMC, that meant a quiet morning and I have to say, I liked it.
It used to be that silence was golden in a library. The enforcement of that rule created the stereotype for the librarian as a curmudgeon. When I worked for the Scottsdale Public Library in 2004, it was adjusting to the noise of the 21st. Century- cell phones. I saw staff struggling to accept the new octave level. Over time as cell phone use increased and expanded into smart phone use, noise seemed to be less of an issue because the new threat was Starbucks cups.
Here at HHS a similar transformation has occurred. Before school, during lunch and after school, the LMC is fairly noisy. When classes come in, we encourage them to talk and move around. Occasionally we have to ask a group to turn their volume down, but that's rare. Noise isn't too much of a problem, but pace is. When we get busy, Ms. Orest and I can barely keep up.
The LMC is open for forty hours a week- non-stop you see. We have no prep time, no down time, no days off where we're closed for inventory. It's a good thing to be such a vital part of day-to-day campus and we adore our students, but those two quiet mornings this week brought me back in time to my own childhood library memories. The library was always a calm, peaceful place for me.
I'm not sure anyone would call the LMC calm or peaceful but I wouldn't have a it any other way. I feel recharged from our quiet mornings this week, which is good since we are booked for classes almost every day leading up to Spring Break.
I don't get to Shh... students very often but that's not a bad thing. No curmudgeons here!
It used to be that silence was golden in a library. The enforcement of that rule created the stereotype for the librarian as a curmudgeon. When I worked for the Scottsdale Public Library in 2004, it was adjusting to the noise of the 21st. Century- cell phones. I saw staff struggling to accept the new octave level. Over time as cell phone use increased and expanded into smart phone use, noise seemed to be less of an issue because the new threat was Starbucks cups.
Here at HHS a similar transformation has occurred. Before school, during lunch and after school, the LMC is fairly noisy. When classes come in, we encourage them to talk and move around. Occasionally we have to ask a group to turn their volume down, but that's rare. Noise isn't too much of a problem, but pace is. When we get busy, Ms. Orest and I can barely keep up.
The LMC is open for forty hours a week- non-stop you see. We have no prep time, no down time, no days off where we're closed for inventory. It's a good thing to be such a vital part of day-to-day campus and we adore our students, but those two quiet mornings this week brought me back in time to my own childhood library memories. The library was always a calm, peaceful place for me.
I'm not sure anyone would call the LMC calm or peaceful but I wouldn't have a it any other way. I feel recharged from our quiet mornings this week, which is good since we are booked for classes almost every day leading up to Spring Break.
I don't get to Shh... students very often but that's not a bad thing. No curmudgeons here!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Let There Be Books!
Our first ever Horizon Scholastic Book Fair was held February 9-14 here in the Media Center. On Monday, February 13, we moved the fair down to the gym lobby for the shopping convenience of our parents who attended Parent/Teacher conferences that evening. I'm happy to report that the event was a great success for us.
Why a book fair? Why now?
The real real question is, why not? As I've reported, we have avid readers here at Horizon. Given the economic situation in the district and the country, funding for new materials is challenging. A book fair is a great way to provide a service to our school community and earn free books for the library. Scholastic makes it easy to participate as well. In fact, Scholastic went above and beyond to work with us. Not only did they support our mission, to offer great books to our students, with fundraising as a secondary goal, they customized the books in the cases for our community. Our Scholastic team- Paige, Kristy and Rhonda, answered my questions, offered tips and advice and encouraged our efforts from start to finish.
Here's a brief look at the impact of the Book Fair-
Big Smiles- The typical response of students when they saw the Book Fair was one of elation. I heard some squeals, a few "Oh Boys!" and more than a handful of kids jumped up and down. Both girls and boys responded that way. Almost everyone reminisced about the book fairs they attended in grade school. Everyone has asked if it will be back next year. (Yes!)
Lookie-Loos- Foot traffic in the Media Center increased because of the Book Fair. I saw many first timers in the LMC, both as students and staff. One of our goals is to increase awareness that we are here. The Book Fair provided a wonderful opportunity to showcase what the LMC has to offer. The perception today is that kids don't read and libraries are an antiquated institutions. While I don't agree with that at all, I do believe it's part of my job to change that perception. The visibility the Book Fair brought to the LMC was invaluable.
Let's Talk About- Books, favorite authors and series oh my! The students loved lingering through the book cases and discussing all the titles. They would talk to me, their friends and other shoppers with enthusiasm. One of the main reasons I wanted the fair was for this kind of free exchange with my student patrons. There are dozens of sites I can go on to research what teenagers want to read, but those are a poor substitute for a live book experience. I witnessed first hand the choices the kids made, which authors they sought first and whom they didn't. I took notes on genre trends (realistic fiction is a welcome respite from the intensity of all the dsytopian fare). When it came time to pick titles for the LMC, I knew exactly which ones would be gobbled up by the students. Only through browsing with real books can this kind of interaction occur.
Houston, We Have Readers!- Our Book Fair customers were evenly divided between boys and girls. This didn't surprise me since I check books out to our students all day, but I want to point this statistic out to those who insist that boys mainly play video games. In fact, the boy gaming crowd who uses the Wii before/after school and during lunch are all among my regular readers. Also split almost evenly, the purchases of realistic and genre fiction, with fantasy/dystopian slightly ahead of the realistic titles.
What Now?- In terms of sales by traditional Scholastic standards, our sales were meager. However, through Scholastic's generous reward and incentive program we earned about forty-five new books for the LMC. Ms. Orest and I consider the Book Fair a huge success and we're thrilled that Scholastic is willing to work with us again next year.
What I want everyone to take away from our Book Fair Experience is this- reading is alive and well here on the Horizon campus and if you host a Scholastic Book Fair, they will come!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
All Dressed Up With Somewhere To Go!
Last Friday I attended a Library conference on Young Adult Literature thanks to a generous grant from PAWS, our wonderful parent organization.
I spent an entire day discussing books, participating in book activities and buying new books for the Media Center. The conference centered on new 2012 titles and 2011 paperback releases. I was able to learn more about some of the books currently in our collection that I haven't read yet and make a wish list (one of my favorite tasks) for our Spring order.
Most adults agree that they'd never want to go back in time to their high school years, but as a reader I sure wish I was a teen again. The Young Adult market is exploding right now and the titles, themes and subjects are vast and varied. Paranormal (like the Twilight series) and Dystopian (like The Hunger Games) are still the big trends in the YA market, but I was pleased to see many books about families, relationships and non-apocalyptic events (not that I don't love a good zombie apocalypse novel).
Here's a sneak peek at some titles I'll be purchasing for our students-
Doggirl- by Robin Brande (who hails from Tucson)- Riley is a 9th grader who prefers her dogs over people until she meets a young man involved with the drama department. It's like Glee meets Animal Planet.
Trapped- by Michael Northrope- A group of teens get trapped on their high school campus in a blizzard. High stakes survival at its best!
Running Dream- by Wendelin Van Draanen- Star runner Jessica is in an accident that leaves her body forever altered when her leg is amputated. This is the story of how her friends from the track team help her to accept and enjoy her new life.
Since our big Fall book order arrived three weeks ago, books have been flying off our shelves. Please don't let anyone try and convince you that libraries aren't relevant to today's teens. Our Horizon students have figured out that fresh, new fiction is on campus and they often will check here before heading to Barnes and Noble or the public library. As our collection continues to grow (thanks to your support) I'm able to say "yes we have that" more often than ever before.
Happy Reading!
I spent an entire day discussing books, participating in book activities and buying new books for the Media Center. The conference centered on new 2012 titles and 2011 paperback releases. I was able to learn more about some of the books currently in our collection that I haven't read yet and make a wish list (one of my favorite tasks) for our Spring order.
Most adults agree that they'd never want to go back in time to their high school years, but as a reader I sure wish I was a teen again. The Young Adult market is exploding right now and the titles, themes and subjects are vast and varied. Paranormal (like the Twilight series) and Dystopian (like The Hunger Games) are still the big trends in the YA market, but I was pleased to see many books about families, relationships and non-apocalyptic events (not that I don't love a good zombie apocalypse novel).
Here's a sneak peek at some titles I'll be purchasing for our students-
Doggirl- by Robin Brande (who hails from Tucson)- Riley is a 9th grader who prefers her dogs over people until she meets a young man involved with the drama department. It's like Glee meets Animal Planet.
Trapped- by Michael Northrope- A group of teens get trapped on their high school campus in a blizzard. High stakes survival at its best!
Running Dream- by Wendelin Van Draanen- Star runner Jessica is in an accident that leaves her body forever altered when her leg is amputated. This is the story of how her friends from the track team help her to accept and enjoy her new life.
Since our big Fall book order arrived three weeks ago, books have been flying off our shelves. Please don't let anyone try and convince you that libraries aren't relevant to today's teens. Our Horizon students have figured out that fresh, new fiction is on campus and they often will check here before heading to Barnes and Noble or the public library. As our collection continues to grow (thanks to your support) I'm able to say "yes we have that" more often than ever before.
Happy Reading!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Digital vs. Real Books- Can't We All Just Get Along?
I read an article today about a library system in Illinois that is considering moving to a 95/5 ratio of digital-to-print materials. This isn't something that will happen overnight, but if funding decisions are made with that goal in mind, patrons will be affected.
I firmly believe that any library that wants to stay relevant must participate in providing digital materials to its patrons. Unfortunately, digital lending is complicated. Publishers are limiting content available for digital lending (they haven't quite figured out how to turn a profit on e-books) and libraries are not institutions able to make quick changes in policy or spending habits.
There are two models of e-lending now. In most public library systems, patrons use their own device and download materials to it from the library. These downloads will expire within the lending period. In public schools (K-12, I don't have a context for what universities are doing) the schools are lending devices with the e-books preloaded on them. (Please see Ms. Orest's blog post about our iPads here at Horizon for more details.)
As I've mentioned before, I still don't own an e-reader device or tablet. At this point I'm waiting to see if Apple chooses to make a smaller iPad with a lower price point before I make a purchase. And even once I own a device, I imagine that I'll primarily use it for travel. I still enjoy holding a book in my hand.
The problem I'm having of late isn't with the rise of e-books and the devices they're read on, it's with advertising them as a replacement for hard copy. I refuse to believe that the world would be a better place with only digital materials. But that doesn't mean a library shouldn't carefully consider how it will grow a useful digital collection.
This year in the Media Center we've been primarily focused on the Fiction Collection. We'll begin work on updating our Non-Fiction collection soon and you can bet we'll consider digital materials in our plans. Because the world of science and research is ever evolving and changing, having digital materials in certain subject areas makes sense.
As our economy continues to struggle, our funding will be limited. Consumers are limited as well, which effects the sale of all devices. If the goal of a library is to provide access to information to its patrons, then it's also our responsibility to maintain a meaningful collection in all formats.
I firmly believe that any library that wants to stay relevant must participate in providing digital materials to its patrons. Unfortunately, digital lending is complicated. Publishers are limiting content available for digital lending (they haven't quite figured out how to turn a profit on e-books) and libraries are not institutions able to make quick changes in policy or spending habits.
There are two models of e-lending now. In most public library systems, patrons use their own device and download materials to it from the library. These downloads will expire within the lending period. In public schools (K-12, I don't have a context for what universities are doing) the schools are lending devices with the e-books preloaded on them. (Please see Ms. Orest's blog post about our iPads here at Horizon for more details.)
As I've mentioned before, I still don't own an e-reader device or tablet. At this point I'm waiting to see if Apple chooses to make a smaller iPad with a lower price point before I make a purchase. And even once I own a device, I imagine that I'll primarily use it for travel. I still enjoy holding a book in my hand.
The problem I'm having of late isn't with the rise of e-books and the devices they're read on, it's with advertising them as a replacement for hard copy. I refuse to believe that the world would be a better place with only digital materials. But that doesn't mean a library shouldn't carefully consider how it will grow a useful digital collection.
This year in the Media Center we've been primarily focused on the Fiction Collection. We'll begin work on updating our Non-Fiction collection soon and you can bet we'll consider digital materials in our plans. Because the world of science and research is ever evolving and changing, having digital materials in certain subject areas makes sense.
As our economy continues to struggle, our funding will be limited. Consumers are limited as well, which effects the sale of all devices. If the goal of a library is to provide access to information to its patrons, then it's also our responsibility to maintain a meaningful collection in all formats.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Truth About Our Fiction Collection
There are people who love to read and there are people who love books as much as they love to read. I am one of those people who loves being in the physical presence of books. I like see to see them, touch them and take comfort in knowing that they're there. The rise of e-books hasn't changed that for me. I'm not a hater of e-books, but I don't use them. That's right, this 21st. Century Media Tech doesn't own a tablet or e-reader device, but I do have a Kindle app on my iPhone.
One of the first things I did when I arrived in the Horizon Media Center was assess the fiction collection. And while there were lots of books, I wasn't thrilled with what I saw. Most of the collection consisted of dated materials and titles seemingly more appropriate for an adult collection (by that I mean 1980's spy thrillers, murder mysteries and historical tomes over 1,200 pages long). The classics, science fiction and fantasy were well represented however.
Have you heard of the 80/20 principal? If you applied it to kitchen gadgets it would go like this, you use 20% of your gadgets 80% of the time. In our fiction collection, about 20% felt relevant to our student patrons while the other 80% took up space and made it difficult for students to find the newer YA books. So I spent the first semester going through the fiction collection, book-by-book. I weeded out the old to make room for the new and reorganized the geography of the books to make it easier for students to find the stories they're most interested in. Though we have less on our shelves, I can't help but feel like the Media Center has more to offer our student patrons than before.
Here's a peek at some of the Extreme Makeover improvements-
1. Separate shelves for the Classics and Contemporary Fiction
The Classics are now housed right across from the Biography section. This is where you'll find Steinbeck, Hemingway and my personal favorite, Faulkner. The Contemporary collection houses Fantasy, Science Fiction and all our current YA titles.
2. Manga and Graphic Novels are in the house!
We've expanded our Manga collection to include more titles and added a few Graphic Novel titles (including some Shakespeare) as well. All of these books are on their own shelves at the end of the Contemporary Fiction section, right after Z. Following the good advice of the Head of Cataloging in the Scottsdale Public Library system, I created new call numbers for this section. Students no longer need to search through Non-Fiction to find these popular titles.
3. Labels-We're Name Dropping!
Looking for a specific genre? Check the spine of the book. All our genre books are now labeled accordingly- Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Sports and New.
4. But Wait- There's More!
Between our successful book drive and our Fall Follett order (due to arrive any day now) we'll have about 200 new titles on the shelves (90% fiction, 10% Non-Fiction). The wishlist for our Spring order has been started and we're always looking for recommendations.
For a book lover and avid reader like me, 2012 is starting off in the best way possible. The most important thing I do here in the Media Center is put a book in a student's hand. The idea behind all the changes to the fiction collection was to help students be better able to find the books they want themselves and to discover things they hadn't noticed before.
E-books are great, but there's no substitute for walking through the stacks and seeing what catches your eye. Please stop by and take a look, we'd love to hear your feedback on the changes.
One of the first things I did when I arrived in the Horizon Media Center was assess the fiction collection. And while there were lots of books, I wasn't thrilled with what I saw. Most of the collection consisted of dated materials and titles seemingly more appropriate for an adult collection (by that I mean 1980's spy thrillers, murder mysteries and historical tomes over 1,200 pages long). The classics, science fiction and fantasy were well represented however.
Have you heard of the 80/20 principal? If you applied it to kitchen gadgets it would go like this, you use 20% of your gadgets 80% of the time. In our fiction collection, about 20% felt relevant to our student patrons while the other 80% took up space and made it difficult for students to find the newer YA books. So I spent the first semester going through the fiction collection, book-by-book. I weeded out the old to make room for the new and reorganized the geography of the books to make it easier for students to find the stories they're most interested in. Though we have less on our shelves, I can't help but feel like the Media Center has more to offer our student patrons than before.
Here's a peek at some of the Extreme Makeover improvements-
1. Separate shelves for the Classics and Contemporary Fiction
The Classics are now housed right across from the Biography section. This is where you'll find Steinbeck, Hemingway and my personal favorite, Faulkner. The Contemporary collection houses Fantasy, Science Fiction and all our current YA titles.
2. Manga and Graphic Novels are in the house!
We've expanded our Manga collection to include more titles and added a few Graphic Novel titles (including some Shakespeare) as well. All of these books are on their own shelves at the end of the Contemporary Fiction section, right after Z. Following the good advice of the Head of Cataloging in the Scottsdale Public Library system, I created new call numbers for this section. Students no longer need to search through Non-Fiction to find these popular titles.
3. Labels-We're Name Dropping!
Looking for a specific genre? Check the spine of the book. All our genre books are now labeled accordingly- Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Sports and New.
4. But Wait- There's More!
Between our successful book drive and our Fall Follett order (due to arrive any day now) we'll have about 200 new titles on the shelves (90% fiction, 10% Non-Fiction). The wishlist for our Spring order has been started and we're always looking for recommendations.
For a book lover and avid reader like me, 2012 is starting off in the best way possible. The most important thing I do here in the Media Center is put a book in a student's hand. The idea behind all the changes to the fiction collection was to help students be better able to find the books they want themselves and to discover things they hadn't noticed before.
E-books are great, but there's no substitute for walking through the stacks and seeing what catches your eye. Please stop by and take a look, we'd love to hear your feedback on the changes.
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