Library Profile (plus a bookstore) - Lake Forest Park and Third Place Books

I came across the Lake Forest Park Library (a King County Library in Lake Forest Park, WA) quite on accident. I was visiting the amazing Third Place Books, when I discovered the library downstairs. It occurred to me that it had been a while since I made a post and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Lake Forest Park Library is nestled in the Town Center shopping mall, a curious collection of stores and interconnected passageways. This shopping mall is not like the malls that house Bookmarks (Dallas Public Library branch in NorthPark Center) or even the other KCLS Branch in Southcenter Mall. This is a small, indoor mall this is mostly taken up by Third Place Books. There is also a food court, a Rite Aid, a Gallery, and some other shops.

The library itself is small, but still a good size for the space. There are even designated children and teen spaces.

I loved the attention to detail and the welcoming layout. The clock behind the counter was very eye-catching.

While I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of a library, the real reason I was there was to explore the great Third Place Books. This bookstore is amazing! They have all the new releases and also buy used books to add to their shelves.

They have a pretty amazing children's section. Fun decor and a good selection.

They had a life sized chess board, a common area with lots of seating, and their own press! They will help you self-publish a book and print it.

Wizard's Chess, anyone?

Lastly, they had a store that sold all kinds of tempting goodies.

Yes, this is a Tribble coin purse. 

Such cat. Much amaze.

What an awesome place! I could spend hours and hours here. The whole shopping center is kind of amazing and it makes you think about the future of libraries and bookstores. I love that this community has a centralized location where they can find books as they accomplish their daily errands. You can check out a book from the library, read it, and decided to buy it upstairs. As strange as this sounds, I have lots of books on my bookshelf that I have never read. By this, I mean that I have never read that copy. I buy the book after I fall in love with the library copy and loan mine out to friends and family. It's also just nice to see the book on my shelf should I decide t revisit it. Having these two institutions together in the same place seems to work really well. I imagine that Third Place Press, for instance, facilitates a lot of emerging local authors. And having an established author event can be shared and supported by both agencies. 

In short, I had a fun adventure yesterday. Town Center is a kind of mecca for book nerds. You should go if you find yourself in the Seattle area. As a parting note, please enjoy this random astronaut. 

Best,

Amanda

Weeding the Collection - Advice and Feedback Please!

Weeding a library's collection is always a source of contention. Always. I was once weeding YA books that had water damage. A teen saw me tossing the destroyed innards into the recycling and she actually make a high pitched scream as though I had murdered her cat. But it is a necessary and important task for all libraries. Weeding makes sure that the collection only has books that are current, relevant, accurate, popular, and (I cannot stress this enough) in readable, sanitary condition. It is important to communicate to concerned parties that this doesn't mean we are getting rid of all your favorite classics. We are buying new copies to replace ones that have been a little too 'well loved.' Weeding doesn't mean that we are 'throwing away perfectly good books.' We are donating, selling, or recycling material that no longer circulates to make room for books on the shelves that people actually need and want. But I know I don't have to preach to the choir here. Mostly, I wanted to share my process and get feedback. Let's begin.

Look at this shelf of J Hardbacks I have not yet weeded:

There is a combination of things going on here other than some of these books being MUSTIE (a term from the CREW Method for weeding meaning Misleading, Ugly, Superseded, Trivial, Irrelevant, or material that can be easily found Elsewhere). Can you spot the issues with some of these Juvenile books? They are in the wrong collection! Quite a few of these are blatantly Young Adult titles. These need to moved and that will free up space for this collection (although there is a space issue for that collection as well). There are also some picture books that need to be evaluated. Should these really be in J or in E? I've also been finding a lot of Easy Readers. Once we get those sorted out then we can focus on the weeding.

Here is a shelf of J Hardbacks I have already weeded:

How did we get here? Here are my steps. Please feel free to share how you weed and give feedback. Keep in mind this is for a rural library with only one staff person for weeding. If you work for a larger system, you probably have a whole team of people working on weeding and they, undoubtedly, have a system in place that is very different from mine. 

1. To the stacks!

Go out to your collection and shelf read. See if titles are labeled or misplaced and pull those. Check condition. Pull really ratty or old copies. 

2. Reports

Hopefully your ILS has reporting functions (most do). Every system is different and some are more frustrating than others. I had to orient myself to Evergreen for my new position and it was a challenge. I am most interested in finding titles that aren't circulating. To run this report make sure it has: Call Number, Title, Barcode, Item Status, # of circs within a set number of years (for our J collection I started with 0 circs in 5 years, only items added at least 5 years ago). Here is what my report looked like. The number on the far right is how many total circs in the items life time. I probably didn't need that information, but it is interesting to see and may help identify lost items.

3. Pull books and evaluate.

Each title has a different reason for not checking out. As time consuming as it is, you must now determine what that cause is for each book. If a book is a classic or award winner but in good shape - maybe it needs to be cleaned and displayed. Not sure if it is a keeper? You may want to invest in the Children's Core Collection guide. If the book has just lost popularity but is in good shape - give to the Friends' book sale or donate. If a book is in bad shape - see if we need a new copy and recycle. Like I mentioned earlier, you will find that many of the titles are not on the shelf at all. Time to mark them as lost and see if you need to replace them. 

4. Delete!

Once you know which ones need to go you can delete them and de-process however your library handles that. We delete them from the system, mark through the barcode with a sharpie, and erase the RIFD tags so they don't trigger the gate alarm. 

5. Reorder and Display!

Time to reorder any of the ratty classics and display the books in good shape that need more visibility. I once used this sign for a display of YA books:

Optional 6. Programming with Recycled Materials

I really liked the suggestions put forward in the School Library Journal article that just came out, "The Art of Wedding." The author had some really good suggestions for crafts made with weeded materials. You should check it out!

There you have it. This is what I do. How do you weed?

Thanks,
Amanda

Babies & Books - Baby Story Time Planning

Hello all!

I've been planning my first Baby Story Time and wanted to share what I put together and how it went. If you have suggestions or ideas, I am all ears! Otherwise, I hope this helps anyone else starting out.

I put a limit on the program to 10 so that I could purchase 10 copies of the same board books. The program is new, so we haven't had even 10 people show up. This works out for now, but I've been in contact with local early childhood organizations to try to raise our attendance.  

Supplies:

1 Copy of the Outline

1 Baby Stand-in (I used a Barbar doll)

1 Boombox with a copy of Jim Gill's CD "Toe Leg Knee"

10 Copies of 3 Different Board Books

10 Scarves

10 Shakers

10 Copies of Songs and Rhymes for the Parents

10 Carpet Squares (or blankets to make the parents comfortable)

Here is the outline I used:

Babies & Books Outline – Summer 2015

I.                    Welcome to Babies & Books, a story time for babies 6 weeks to 18 months old. A few things before we get started. First, we run on baby time. It’s okay to be late, to leave early, to go out and back in if your baby needs the time. Second, don’t be afraid to sing and play along. Even if you think you sound bad or silly, trust me: your baby loves it anyway.

II.                  Opening Song:

Choo Choo!

Choo choo choo choo,

(bounce baby up and down to the rhythm)

Choo choo choo choo

(bounce baby up and down to the rhythm)

Up the railroad track,

(move baby forward)

Choo choo choo choo,

(bounce baby up and down to the rhythm)

Choo choo choo choo

(bounce baby up and down to the rhythm)

Then we come right back.

(move baby back toward you)

First we go to ________’s house,

(Baby’s name)

Then we go to _______’s house,

(Baby’s name)

(Repeat around the circle)

And then we come right back!

III.                Pass out 1^st board book

Look, Look!
(sing before reading book; use ASL for underlined words)

Look, look, it’s time for a book.
Look, look, it’s time for a book,
Look, look, it’s time for a book.
It’s time for a book right now.

IV.                Stand up!

The Noble Duke of York

The noble duke of York
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up

to the top of the hill
And marched them down again.
And when they’re up, they’re up,
And when they’re down,

they’re down,
And when they’re only half-way up,
They’re neither up nor down.

Shake It to the East

(pass out bells or shakers)

Shake it to the east, shake it to the west.

Shake it all around and then you take a rest.

Shake your shakers up, shake your shakers down.

Shake it, shake it, shake it and then you settle down.

V.                  Pass out 2^nd Board Book

VI.                Sit Down!

CD: Jim Gill’s Toe Leg Knee

VII.              Pass out 3^rd Board Book

VIII.            Play!

Zoom Zoom Zoom

(Pass out scarves)

Zoom Zoom Zoom
Were going to the moon
Zoom Zoom Zoom
Were going to the moon
We'll climb aboard a rocket ship
And go upon a little trip
Zoom Zoom Zoom
Were going to the moon
5. .4. .3. .2. .1. .Blast Off!

Peek-a-boo!

(Put scarf over child’s eyes)

1 -2 -3 Peek-a-boo! I see you!

This is the way we…

(Use scarf as ‘bath sponge’)

This is the way we wash our toes,

Wash our toes, wash our toes,

This is the way we wash our toes,

When we take a bath!

(Repeat with: ears, arms, legs, face, etc.)

IX.                Closing Song:

Here We Go Up
(Tune: "Here We Go Looby-Loo")

Here we go up, up, up
Here we go down, down, down
Here we go back and forth
Here we go round and round
Here we go to the left
Here we go to the right
Let’s all blow a kiss
Now wave goodbye like this!

X.                  Announcements! Don’t forget to sign up for Summer Learning Club. Feel free to bring a baby blanket next time for your comfort.

XI.                Free Play and Read! Baby safe toys and board books from the collection are out. Feel free to mingle and with other parents.

Special thanks to the Frisco Public Library, Seattle Public Library, and to Jbrary for songs and inspiration. 

How it went:

It was really fun! I had one kiddo who cried when we did the Noble Duke of York action rhyme, but she was smiling again by Peek-a-boo. Having only a few people makes it a little awkward. I hope we get the full 10 people so that everyone gets more out of it.  

Best,

Amanda

Bilingual Story Time - Cinco de Mayo

The other day I did my first Preschool Story Time at my new library. I decided to do a Cinco de Mayo theme. Mostly, I wanted to make the story time bilingual. I am not fluent in Spanish, but know a few phrases. I made sure to double check pronunciations and spellings with a coworker who is fluent before I went into the story time. Here is what I did and how it went.

Welcome to story time! We sing my current hello song.

We Clap and Sing Hello
(tune: Farmer in the Dell)
We clap and sing hello
(clap, clap)
We clap and sing hello
(clap, clap)
With our friends in story time
We clap and sing hello
(clap, clap)

It's letter time!

I like to start with letter time to introduce the capital and lowercase letters to the preschoolers. This story time, it was letter M. I set up the letter time by bringing out puppets: a monkey, a mouse, and a moose. What letter do they all have in common?!

M is, of course, for the month of May. This is how I introduce the theme.

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, we read bilingual books in story time.

Book:

This book was great. I didn't read all of it because it is a little long. Instead I read selected words in Spanish. At the end, I repeated the colors in Spanish and pointed out the children who were wearing those colors.

Next we sang a song in Spanish. I took care to teach them each phrase twice before we started the song.

Buenos Días 
(tune: Are You Sleeping?)
Buenos días, buenos días
Cómo estás? Cómo estás?
Muy bien gracias
Muy bien gracias
Y tu? Y tu?

At this point, I noticed a little bit of restlessness from the kids. Learning all those words in a new language was doable, but took a lot of their concentration. It was time to shake out some sillies. I put on a Raffi CD and played Shake My Sillies Out.

I like to use this transition rhyme to get them calm for a book again:

Stretch up high toward the sky
Stretch on down to the ground
Stretch arms out and spin around
Sit quietly back down

Book:

I absolutely adore Pat Mora. This book has a lot of great illustrations as well. Once again, I read selected parts in Spanish so as to not overwhelm the mostly native English speaking crowd. 

I took a break from Spanish and did a felt story of the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Originally, I had planned on introducing more Spanish words into the song, but I could tell they needed a break. 

Next, we put on Jim Gill's The Tempo Marches On. This song is great for learning self-regulation and fast vs slow. 

Book:

This book was really perfect. Had it been only in English, I would say it was more of a Toddler level book, but since it was introducing words in another language it worked great. I had everyone repeat the phrase 'Qué más?' that came up on every page. 

Next I sang my goodbye song on my guitar: May There Always Be Sunshine. Inspired by Jim Gill, I ask the kids what they think there should always be and try to work it into the song. Always good fun.

At the end, I brought out a Piñata filled with candy. Instead of whacking it open, I pre-cut a hole and let them pull out a piece of candy.

This week's craft was making paper flowers. 

Photo from Flickr. 

This craft was a lot of fun, but I noticed that parents seemed to be doing most of the work. The tissue paper was too delicate for the kids to handle. Noted for future preschool crafts! The kids sure had fun running around and smelling each other's flowers though. It was adorable. 

It feels good to be back in the story time seat! 

Best,

Amanda

A Crazy New Adventure

It's been a while since my last post because I have been preparing to move to Oregon. I got a job as the Youth Services Coordinator for The Dalles-Wasco County library. This is an amazing opportunity and I am excited to start working in my new community. This position is especially exciting because the library is in the process of adding a Children's expansion. I get to be a part of creating a destination library space! I start at the end of the month and hope to share some of my experiences with you. It's going to be an adventure. :)  

Here are some pictures of the current library and the beautiful Columbia River Gorge area.

View from the mezzanine. 

Bears out front.

View of The Dalles from the library's upper parking lot.

View of the Columbia River Gorge from a look out point just outside The Dalles.

Best,
Amanda

Seattle Story Time Tour - Ballard Branch

Branch: Ballard

Storyteller: Ms. Claire

Age/Type: Baby 

This post is a little late in coming, but I went to the Ballard Branch last week and observed a Baby Story Time. It was fantastic! And a nice change of pace. 

When I enter the meeting room at the Ballard Library, parents are sitting on the floor with blankets and adorable babies. Ms. Claire has a large sheet of butcher paper that has the order of today's story time and the words to some of the songs. 

Ms. Claire lets everyone know that this program operates on baby time. This means that you can be late, be wiggly, or leave early if that is how your little one needs it to be. She also encourages parents to sing along even if they don't like their singing voices. 

Time to say hello! Say hello to your toes, to your knees, to your elbows, etc. Parents wiggle their babies to say hello to each body part. To demonstrate what to do, Ms. Claire uses a Barbar stuffed animal as her 'baby'. 

Next they chant 'Old Mother Goose' and fly the babies around.

Book: "Click, Clack, Peep"

Ms. Claire tells us that body rhymes help develop right and left brain connections. 

After a few more nursery rhymes and songs, Ms. Claire pulls out a drum.

They all sing:

"We are marching to the drum, marching to the drum, hi-ho the dario... and the drum says stop!" A few more verses include running, bouncing, and sitting instead of marching.

Board book time! Parents are encouraged to pick up a nearby board book and read to them as Ms. Claire passes out scarves. 

Next, they act out a series of activities with the scarves. They pretend to take baths, to pop popcorn, and go to the moon. 

The goodbye song is "Shoo Fly." 

What a welcoming environment for new parents! Bravo.

Best,

Amanda

Holly Black Visits University Place Library

My friend and fellow librarian, Larissa, invited me to see Holly Black speak at her local library in University Place, WA. This library is a part of the Pierce County Library System, which I have yet to explore. Naturally, I had to poke around before the program.

The library is a part of the City Hall and has this really great open sign.

The lobby has a warm fireplace.

Inside, I discover the teen space.

Here is their cool media set up and a Holly Black book display.

The children's area is full of educational toys, which I played with, of course.

I noticed the Science-to-Go backpacks. Details about what's inside can be found on their website here.

As cool as this library is, the reason I am here is to see Fantasy/Paranormal YA author Holly Black speak and to meet her. Back in 2002 when her first book, Tithe, came out, I was a freshman in high school. One of my friends suggested it to me because of our shared love of fairies. I had unfortunate fashion sense and often even dressed like a fairy in my early teens. As an adult, I have had the opportunity to dress up like a fairy and get paid for it at the library!

Since Tithe, I have read the White Cat series and the incredibly creepy book, Doll Bones. I learned during her talk that she also worked on graphic novels, one of which was a collaboration with one of my favorite artists, Rebecca Guay.

Holly Black is a great speaker! She had lots of sage advice to writers, which Larissa and I appreciated since we both like to write whenever we aren't librarianing. The advice that stuck out the most were these three tips for writers:

1. Read a lot. Even books that you wouldn't normally read. You will learn a lot about structure, character, and world building.
2. Write a lot. Even if it's bad or complete gibberish. If you wait until you are 'inspired' you may never write a single word.
3. Have writing partners that can hold you accountable for work. If someone else is expecting you to write something, you will be more likely to do it. You don't want to let your buddy down, do you?

I also really enjoyed her talking about her characters. She explained to us that characters in her books never wanted to be characters in books. They wanted to be lazy fairies, drinking in coffee houses and miring in ennui. She also made a really good point that no one in their right mind would want to be a protagonist in a book. Everything goes wrong for you and your life is really very challenging.

Thanks to the local bookshop, King's Books, I was able to snag a copy of Tithe (my own copy, if I ever had one, lost to the tides of time).

Larissa and I awkwardly told Holly Black that we loved her and snapped this photo. Holly confessed to us that she was almost a librarian (all she had left to take was a cataloging course). Very cool.

I plan to go read a lot, write a lot, and bother my writer friends more. Thanks, Holly!

Best,
Amanda