The Crabby Librarian started out as a one-time character to promote the 2006 animal themed summer reading program at the Madison Public Library in Madison, OH. Now on the eve of her fifth year visiting the schools in her town, the Crabby Librarian has a fan page on Facebook and a YouTube video: [youtube 9AjEFNfrEuI nolink] There is just something magical about snarling at kids and telling them they don’t deserve summer reading prizes. Somehow this makes these same kids charge into the library to join summer reading in spite of “the crab.” Hmmm… Parents and grandparents have been wondering for years what their kids have been talking about and in early 2010, they were let in on the fun. The Crabby Librarian got a Facebook fan page. She writes a few times a week usually about upcoming library events or new materials that are available for check out. Her…
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ALSC Wants You
Do you know that 35% percent of the gross ALSC operating budget comes from the net profit associated with the sale of award seals? If this is the kind of accounting prose that makes your heart flutter, then consider volunteering for the ALSC Budget Committee. Do you keep “Robert’s Rules of Order” or the “Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure” at your fingertips? If so, then honor your inner parliamentarian and sign up for the Organization and Bylaws Committee, affectionately known as O&B. Have you always had a secret yearning to run for public office? Then the ALSC Legislation Committee that keeps tabs on federal, state and local legislation that impacts library services to children might be the perfect grooming ground for you. If you want to find out more about the work of these committees, then check out the charge for each one listed below. You can also visit the…
Taming the Wild West: Meet, Greet, Eat, Repeat!
Why do I love ALSC Institutes? Because I get to . . . Meet . . . incredible authors and subject experts and then, in turn, inform, inspire, and impress folks back home. In Salt Lake City Laura Vaccaro Seeger unveiled her fantastic One Boy and then, a few months later, when it won a Geisel Honor I felt like I knew it and its background intimately, having an inside edge on the masterpiece. Other authors and subject experts such as Christopher Paul Curtis, Carol Peterson, K. T. Horning, Betsy Diamant-Cohen, and Michele Gorman imparted their brilliance in a setting that was intimate and interactive in a way only an Institute can be. Greet . . . old friends and amazing new acquaintances with social time and specific sessions for networking. It really is an unmatchably great chance to get to know names you recognize and those that are future…
Taming the Wild West: Rekindling, Reenergizing and Taking Back
The Institute started off the way any great endeavor should: at a brewery sharing good food and beer with new acquaintances! The meet-up in the brewery was the evening before the start of the actual Institute and helped everyone get in the swing of the next day’s programs. It was my first Institute and I was impressed by the range of programs, attendees, venue and how beautiful Salt Lake was. I enjoyed being able to take all the programs as they rotated during the two days we were together. There was a great mix of technology and collection development offerings, comfortable seating, and great food. It was fabulous to have everything in one place; no rushing off to another hotel or conference center; you didn’t even have to leave the hotel if you didn’t want to! Our rooms, the programs, meals and classes were all in the same hotel. And…
Your Opinions Needed – ALSC Education Survey
The ALSC Education Committee is in the process of developing new professional development and continuing education resources and we want to hear from you about the types of resources and topics that are important to you and your job. The survey is just 9 questions and will take less than 5 minutes of your time. Please take a few short minutes to help us determine the direction of our future programming. We request your responses by Friday, May 28, 2010. Thanks, ALSC Education Committee
Taming the Wild West: Quality and Know-How of Speakers
This was the first time I attended one of ALSC’s National Institutes, and it was a truly gratifying and inspiring experience. The quality and know-how of the speakers was particularly impressive. Being fairly new in my position as Children’s Materials Specialist I was especially interested in attending sessions geared towards the evaluation and selection of children’s materials. Both sessions I attended, part of the Inspiring Lifelong Reading track, were extremely informative and helpful. The institute also included invited authors, something I always look forward to. Opening General Session Keynote speaker Laura Vaccaro Seeger shared with us her path to becoming a children’s author and illustrator and her creative process (including a sneak peek at the next picture book in the “Dog and Bear” series published in 2009.) Christopher Paul Curtis was the Friday Luncheon guest speaker. Again, it was a treat to listen to Mr. Curtis’ personal experiences and how…
Taming the Wild West: Friends in Minutes!
A little nudge for those of you contemplating attending ALSC Institute in Atlanta! Just want to say that the connections and friendships formed at an ALSC program are real and long lasting. I presented at the Institute in Salt Lake City in 2008. That was two years ago…but just last month I received a request from an attendee who now serves on her State Commission for Libraries. She needed permission to post handouts from the Institute on her monthly newsletter. The verbalization and exchange of ideas “in person” is invaluable. It takes the palatable energy and buzz of a room full of people who love kids, children’s literature and children’s programming to make things happen! My favorite thing? It was especially fun to sit down to a table full of complete strangers and immediately start talking (and laughing). We had so much in common…we seriously could become best friends in…
Taming the Wild West: Every Session was Informative & Engaging
I have attended several ALSC Institutes and they are consistently the best conference I attend every two years, and the 2008 conference was no exception. I took back so many great ideas…in fact; I just referred to my folder again last week. I remember attending a “Best Books” workshop and then coming home to read lots of books off the list, learning about the latest blogging sites and setting up my own account, attending an outstanding presentation on graphic novels for kids, and listening to the ever humorous Christopher Paul Curtis. Every session I went to was informative and engaging. The hotel and conference rooms were very nice and everything was easily accessible. I even enjoyed a tour of the Family History Library and Children’s Museum with a smaller group. One of the nicest things about the conference is the manageable size. At the conclusion of the conference, my husband…