University of Central Florida staff members Kristine Shrauger, Amy Dovydaitis and Emma Gisclair have created a database in order to provide access to diverse books that are ‘hidden’ in the library stacks. Hidden because the formal subject headings assigned to them do not reflect the details within the books that families are looking for: diversity in race, culture, sexuality, family relationships, health and disability. Using an intake form to categorize books they are building their Diverse Families Bookshelf database. They take a ‘picture walk’ through picture books as well as deeply reading and categorizing books for kids up to age 18. The PowerPoint of the program is here. They welcome your assistance on this important project that benefits all families.
Category: PLA 2020
#PLA2020 Wrap-up 3: From the Personal to the Political: Nonfiction You Can’t Put Down
Oh, how I love informational books and what a stellar line-up of authors at PLA presenting their new books. I knew Bob Garfield’s voice, but had never seen a photo of him, which is unusual for someone so well known; Bob is the longtime co-host of On the Media. Bob’s new book is American Manifesto: Saving Democracy From Villains, Vandals and Ourselves. He believes we should all become ‘bulwarks against the post-truth barrage.’ He has a established We the Purple: a nonpartisan coalition, campaign and movement. As an aside and as we were in Nashville, Bob invited us to listen to two stories on his webpage: Tag You’re It, Part I & II, where he details how he is resolved to become a country music legend.
#PLA 2020 Wrap-up 1: Haben Girma
Gosh, so much for ‘live’ blogging! So many great programs and so little time to write about them. The conference ended a few hours ago and I want to share some notes I took while I’m still flying high with happiness and inspiration. This is the first of several posts. I’ll add to Abby Johnson’s great post about Haben Girma: Steer Around the Sharks. Before Ms. Girma was born, her mother traveled from Eritrea to Sudan, where she spent 10 months before arriving in the US. She thought the US would offer the justice she was looking for, but she realized that geography doesn’t create justice, people create justice.
Soledad O’Brien loves libraries! #PLA2020
The award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien loves libraries and librarians! Some inspirational takeaways for me: She feels a strong sense of kinship with our industry—“we both woke up one day and realized ‘omg! we are in the social justice business!’ “ She shared many statistics showing the number of people who trust public libraries has actually gone up at a time when trust in other institutions is declining. When nobody in America seems to agree on anything, 90%! of people describe the library as a welcoming place. Libraries invest in knowledge, in serving all people where they are, which gives those people power—power that can never be taken away. Who defines representing people, all people, better than libraries? Nobody, she concludes. And finally, she feels that libraries are great unifiers in a divided world. The Big Ideas talks have been educational, inspiring, and a great way to start each conference day. As a…
In the Middle – and Loving It! #PLA2020
Are you a middle manager? If so, you are well acquainted with your position’s particular joys and frustrations. When you’re in the middle, you’re nimble and lead change by working “up, down, and across”. Ideally, you have an energized, hardworking team and supportive, communicative upper management that appreciates all the unique talents you bring to the position. Maybe not? Read on. At Leading From the Middle, Youth and Teen Services Manager Jessica Trujillo and Assistant Director Selwa Shamy from Montclair Public Library identified challenges and presented tips for those of us working in middle management. From caring for yourself (it can be easy to forget this part) and your staff (communicate, communicate, communicate) to dealing with upper management, and working effectively with other departments, this session covered a lot of ground. Just a few of the tips I came away with: ● Don’t be shy about tooting your own horn…
Catching Up, and a Cold, at #PLA2020
As PLA 2020 winds down, it’s the perfect time to think about the the past few days: the sessions I attended, the ARCs I grabbed. What I love most, though, is the chance to talk to people I don’t normally see day-to-day, or only see virtually between conferences. I love meeting new people and making great connections, but I love seeing old friends from across the country even more. These friendships are so important to me for a number of reasons. I have only worked in 1 library system, so my frame of reference is pretty limited. Making connections with librarians from other cities has been key in broadening my awareness of programs, challenges, and ideas. I knew a handful of these friends would be at PLA, and I couldn’t wait to see them. But then it happened. My nose was a little stuffier than normal (allergies, ALL THE TIME),…
How Well Do You Handle Change? #PLA2020
We’ve all had to go through changes at our libraries, big and small. We’ve either been the change makers or have been asked to implement them (whether we agree with them or not). Effective change is necessary to improve, innovate, and grow. Aren’t change and transition basically the same thing? Here, change is defined as situational, for example, the move to a new site or a staff reorganization. Transition is how people react to the change, the psychological response. It’s where emotions come into play and how. Using William Bridge’s book, Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change as a guide,Toledo Lucas County Public Library in Ohio has examined these concepts in depth. They shared how they apply the principles outlined in Bridge’s work with their staff and offered a lot of tips to help make the process easier for all. My key takeaways: People experience change as loss,…
Tackling racism in children’s books #PLA2020
How did Nashville Public Library tackle racism in classic children’s literature? What they didn’t do… They did not take books like The Story of Little Black Sambo, Little House on the Prairie, Five Chinese Brothers and The Thanksgiving Story off the shelves and throw them in the trash, which was Lindsey Patrick’s (Regional Manager) first impulse. Acknowledging the issues that her lens as a white woman would bring to the work, she invited Klem-Mari Cajigas (the Family Literacy Coordinator and a Puerto Rican woman) to help her take some steps. They didn’t want to censor these and other problematic books, essentially shoving our racist and sexist history under the rug. And they knew that the crucial starting point was to listen to and respect the opinions of people from marginalized communities. They created a Racist Children’s Book Task Force with a diverse group of people from different library departments. There was…