Are you “behind the scenes” staff at your library? Think you’re not directly serving customers? Think again! I’m a collection development librarian and even though I’m not in the public eye for most of my day, customer service is still an important part of what I do. Here’s how I make it a priority in my day.
Author: abbylibrarian
I'm the Children's Services Manager at the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library in Southern Indiana.
How to Get Permission for StoryWalks®
Does your library have a StoryWalk®? Are you thinking of adding one? My library added ours in 2019 and our patrons LOVE IT! One question I get all the time is how to get publisher permission for StoryWalks®. Today, I’ll share what I’ve learned in the past 2 years.
COVID Trauma Anniversary: It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
It’s March. Again. After the most surreal year most (all?) of us have ever experienced. Time for our collective COVID trauma anniversary. It’s okay if you’re not okay right now. And just remember that your colleagues, vendors, and patrons may not be okay right now either. And even if you’ve been doing okay, there may be some new or old emotions welling up again. I want to share some resources that may help.
AILA’s 2021 Read Native Challenge
Have you committed to a reading challenge in 2021? There are all kinds of reading challenges on the web, challenging you to step outside your reading comfort zone and check off certain reading tasks throughout the year. I think it can be a really beneficial for librarians because I think we’re able to provide better service to our patrons if we challenge ourselves to read widely. I wasn’t going to commit to one this year, but then I saw that the American Indian Library Association is presenting their first ever Read Native reading challenge and I knew that was the one for me!
Coming Together for the #ALAYMA While Apart at #ALAMW21
Did you tune in for the live Youth Media Award announcements this morning?! It’s one of my favorite conference activities, whether I’m attending in person or not. I wasn’t sure what it would be like without the reactions from the crowd, so I made my own crowd!
Joy Harjo at #ALAMW21
This afternoon I was able to tune into Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s talk while tackling some meal prep tasks in my kitchen. Joy Harjo (Muscogee (Creek)) is the 23rd Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry and the first Native American to hold the position. One thing that poet laureates do (I learned) is that she works on a special project of her choice with the Library of Congress. Joy Harjo’s chosen project is a story map of living Native poets called Living Nations, Living Words and it’s an amazing resource.
Exploring the Exhibits at #ALAMW21
As a collection development librarian, the exhibits are always a huge draw for me at conferences. Since we’re virtual this year, what do the ALA Midwinter 2021 exhibits look like? Well, of course I’m not able to pick up physical galleys (my shoulders appreciate that!), but there is still a lot to look through on the conference website. Bonus: many digital galleys are available to request by folks who aren’t registered for the conference, too!
A Choir Singing About African American History at #ALAMW21
As a youth specialist, I don’t always prioritize reading adult books, particularly doorstopper nonfiction history books. But I’m making an exception for Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America 1619 – 2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain, our ALA Midwinter opening speakers.