I have always had the tendency to apply idioms and proverbial phrasing to the “bumps in the road” encountered while human-ing (I also make verbs out of lots of things). It is one of the ways I’m able to persist in difficult times and have had to rely heavily on this during a year where words like “challenging,” “chaotic,” and “concerning” are all surface level descriptors of 2020, a truly transformative year. Yes, I mean transformative.
Tag: COVID-19
How Would Beloved Children’s Characters Survive the Pandemic?
Allow me some brevity to the seriousness of the current climate. If you can step out of the moment for some light-hearted fun, join me in guessing how beloved children’s picture book characters would be surviving the pandemic and 2020. Below are my guesses of the fates for 10 beloved picture book characters. Corduroy: From Corduroy: I think of all the characters, this bear is gonna be a-ok! He is used to spending his time alone, wandering around with little purpose, and looking for something that is outside and unattainable. I think we can all relate to those feelings. Peter: From The Snowy Day: Peter has become all about those daily walks! He is walking around his neighborhood, local parks, and getting those 20,000 steps in. He has developed some serious local guides and is maybe Mr. Neighborhood by now. Caterpillar: From The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Sorry, friend. But this…
Trust in the Time of COVID
I’m lucky. In the midst of a pandemic, when almost all of the local schools are remote, and with all of the programs that I run for my urban public library system online, I have developed extra-strong partnerships with classroom teachers and school librarians. Some ask me to recommend resources for students. Some invite me to visit classes over Zoom. All eagerly share information about my numerous Zoom book clubs, maker programs, and author visits. As a children’s librarian in a public library, I have always worked closely with my school-based counterparts. But now that everything has moved online, I find my school-based colleagues’ seal of approval more crucial than ever. Think about it: in the old days, families would wander into the library off the street. They would meet the librarians, see the environment, judge for themselves that the library was a safe space. They would pop in and…
Leadership During COVID-19
Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote a post for the ALSC blog titled, ‘Leading Toward a Shared Vision and Common Purpose.’ I cited Richard Harwood’s book, Stepping Forward: A Positive Path to Transform Our Communities and Our Lives, for finding hope through common purpose and collective action. This call to step forward and find authentic hope is even more relevant in today’s pandemic-changed world. COVID-19 has been an extreme test of leadership across the country, causing even the strongest and most seasoned leaders to begin dreaming of early retirement. The library world is no exception. How can we be the kind of leader our teams need during so much uncertainty and change? What leadership skills and traits are most beneficial in these trying times? As a new library director (7 months in!), I’ve consulted many resources for ‘crisis leadership’ advice. Providing strong leadership for our teams is especially important…
I Miss My Public Library Partner
I miss my public library counterpart. I don’t work with her every day, and I don’t see her very often, but in these Strange COVID Times, we need each other more than ever. I miss her because she offers me an additional library perspective on my students and their needs. I need her because she can do things in the public library that I just can’t do here. She needs me because this is where the kids are. With many public libraries offering only curbside pick-up and limited services and hours, school is where her patrons are. Library Zoom programs can only go so far. She and I typically offer our middle school families an evening Parent-Child book club. We run this program a few times a year and participation is a tradition for some families. We have great discussions and share pizza and snacks. We talk about the book…
Working Together When Nothing’s Working
My elementary school-aged daughters are in the midst of virtual learning, and as the stay-at-home parent, so am I! The other day I was sitting by my 3rd grader during her Library class. I heard the excellent school librarian (shout out to Mrs. Robin!) instructing the 6- to 9-year old students on the use of an e-book database; as she showed them how to navigate the interface, Mrs. Robin asked students if they had ever browsed the public library’s e-book collection. My daughter beamed at me as we recalled the many times we have enjoyed my library’s e-audiobooks on family trips, on our way to the store, or as a pre-bedtime listen. It was a small thing and Mrs. Robin quickly moved on with her lesson, but this in-class mention of the public library was a good example of something we all do in our work with children: make connections…
Building Partnerships from Worry and Good Will
This is not the blog post I imagined writing when I signed up to do it months ago. And I am pretty confident in assuming that your work lives and professional aspirations are also significantly altered. In addition to trying to stay healthy or recovering from this deadly virus, many of us are furloughed, nervous about our next paycheck or capacity to work, or embarking on work we never imagined would be part of our day. It also may not seem like the time for developing partnerships. Or reading a blog post about developing partnerships. However, as we rebuild and recreate how we serve our communities, while also trying to remember what day of the week it is, other organizations and entities are also in the process of reimagining how they can start back up. And none of us has enough resources to cover all of the needs. Now more…
LESS is BEST with Reopening
As the weeks and months of library closure add up… and our move back dates get pushed back for the health and safety of our locations, I think there is a lot to reimagine in how our services, buildings, spaces, and lives will be changed in that aftermath. I’ve been sheltering in place since my library closed on March 15th, and sharing an apartment with my boyfriend who still works his 8 hour days in our spare bedroom. I haven’t seen any friends during this time, sparing a drive-by to a friend’s house for her birthday in early April. When we go out, we wear masks and gloves and wash our hands compulsively after– I typically forget why I am counting and end up counting until 44 before I realize that I could have stopped at 20. We head to Costco once a month and a farmer’s market on a…