Restorative justice is one of those buzzwords that has been going around in education for the last decade, and has been making it’s way to the public library over the last few years.
Category: Slice of Life
posts about daily life experiences and reflections by ALSC members
They’re Back and They’re Excited
Covid numbers are down in Los Angeles County! The mask mandate has been lifted, and life is feeling more akin to pre-Covid days. In the library, storytimes have moved inside, playtime afterwards has been reinstated, and we are living it up! After two years of outside or virtual programming, it feels wonderful!
Thoughts From a New American Librarian
An immigrant from Bangladesh finds herself at home in libraries New York City, with its towering skyscrapers and endless avenues, is one of the most diverse and multicultural cities in the world. It is home to 3.1 million immigrants with new Americans arriving each day. Twenty years ago, as a Bangladeshi teen, I was one of those newcomers.
Memoirs of a Process Committee Member: How ALSC Has Helped Me Strengthen Skills
As I try to write my final blog post as a member of the Membership Committee, I have found myself reflecting quite a bit about my two years with this fun and engaging process committee. I recall getting my committee appointment from past president Cecilia McGowan and the excitement of being appointed to my first ALSC committee. I had been involved in ALSC as part of the Peer Mentoring Program in 2016 and served as an Emerging Leader in 2018 but committee work was different. I also had a vague understanding of what serving on Membership would be like and the reality far exceeded my expectations. Here of some highlights of skills I got to strengthen while being a part of this fantastic committee.
The Library as a 3rd Place
In his book The Great Good Place, author Ray Oldenburg talks about the importance of having a space that is neither work or home, but a third place that serves as a location for the community to come together and gather. For many people and communities, that place is a public library. I saw this first hand when I worked at a public library, and it is one of the things I miss most about working in that environment. Patrons would come in, bring recipes they were experimenting with for others to try; talk with one another about movies and tv shows they recommended; play mahjongg. When I started at my school and was asked what kind of library I wanted to build, I knew I wanted to work to try and create our own version of a third place. I envisioned a place that wasn’t a classroom or an…
Changes: Turn and Face the Strange
We’ve had a lot of changes in the past year, haven’t we? Changes in lifestyle, in government, in health. In our work lives, we’ve had nothing but change! It looks like there’s more change to come for all of us as we creep back, ever so cautiously, to something that looks like a life and work pre-pandemic. I had some big changes this month. I was promoted to Senior Children’s Librarian, which meant I moved branches and completely changed the scope of work that I do. A lot of it scares me, to be honest. I have to know DETAILS. DATA. There are EXCEL SPREADSHEETS involved. People expect me to know things. Is this my strongest skill set? Not even slightly. However, I have the opportunity to work in brand new and really exciting ways that do build on my existing skills. I can stretch and grow, and that is…
New Year’s Resolution: Inspo 2021
Inspo for 2021 So, we get another shot. The celestial odometer ticks one more trip around the sun. And here goes: some inspo for you to make your 2021 sunny and bright, youth services style! Hygge for Children and Families 30 Phrases That Will Change a Kid’s Day (for the Better) 100+ Indoor Activities to Do with the Kids Re-Arrange! Re-arranging your room is one of the best ways to blow out the cobwebs, literally and metaphorically. Wanna let your fingers do the heavy lifting? Try this free children’s room designer! Create a floor plan with a bird’s-eye view 1. Choose an example from our gallery or create a new design 2. Start with your room’s shape and dimensions, add doors, windows & other features. 3. Browse our furniture and click or drag the icons into your plan. 4. Arrange the pieces to create your perfect set-up You can choose just…
Not Another “Best of” Post
This Is Not Another “Best of” [input year] Post I promise you this is not another Best of [input year] post. In fact, if I were to rename it, it’d be The Most Exciting Stuff in the Youth Services World, like, right now; right now. I like pointing these things out so much I create a biweekly Youth Services newsletter for my colleagues. [mysteriously] Who knows, maybe I’ll unleash it upon the internet in 2021? [strokes goat goatee] It’s loaded with all things frabjous, from live webinars with authors whose work we drool upon to easy crafts, programming ideas, news – [foreign accent] your interest is piqued, no? Oh! And this stuff is all totes free! Sans fees! Gratis! Famous Authors Live! This subheading should read “Not Another Webinar” Probably the most important webinars For the Parents and Caregivers we serve This is not a section about stuff to do…