things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #19
A mother and her young son enter the library, returning a big stack of books for beginning readers. A conversation is already in progress. Imagine this in a voice –…
becoming a librarian
votepopup: voter education at the library
On the long list of anti-democratic policies the majority Harper Government has enacted, the Orwellian-named Fair Elections Act ranks near the top. More properly called a voter suppression law, the…
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #18
As I’ve mentioned, my current branch is located in a community centre. Here’s an example of why that’s so great. A customer came to the desk, an older man, speaking…
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #17
A customer comes to the reference desk to ask about Zinio. I tell him that Zinio allows him to get full access to hundreds of magazines, all at zero cost,…
to ottawa for the 2015 cupe library conference
At this very moment I am on the train from Toronto to Ottawa, en route to the CUPE Library Workers Conference. This will be my first time attending this annual…
i survive another march break and live to tell the tale
I’m still providing library services to teens, and I’m still loving my job. March Break is one of our big-ticket items. I’m expected to plan and provide a week-long lineup…
follow up: a brighter picture on ebooks and libraries, in some cases
Last summer, I blogged about the very bad arrangement between publishers and public libraries regarding ebooks, and suggested that library users could help their libraries by not borrowing ebooks. I’ve…
dispatches from the community of readers’ advisors: r.a. in a day 2014
Last week I attended “R.A. in a Day,” an annual one-day mini-conference on readers’ advisory – that is, finding books for readers. It happens that the manager of my own…
coming full circle: my sixth-grade obsession meets my teen book club
Continuing on the young-adult fiction theme, it’s been about six months since I blathered about my absolute favourite part of my job: teen book club. Our monthly gathering is still…
the so-called "y.a. debate" rages on, but doesn’t a debate have two sides?
In June of this year, Slate ran a now-infamous piece called “Against YA,” in which Ruth Graham argued that adults shouldn’t read young-adult fiction, and should be embarrassed if they…
what i do, what i miss, and what are they thinking: answers to the question, "what do you do?"
When we moved to Canada (nine years plus a few days ago), I wondered what, if anything, I would miss about the US. Who would have guessed it would be…
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #16: my least favourite library customers
I must preface this post with a happy disclaimer: I love library customers. I love helping them. I love giving them a good feeling about the library. I value great…
libraries and ebooks: a good fit, but a very bad deal, or why library users should just say no to ebooks
Do you ever borrow ebooks from your public library? Do you have any idea how your library adds ebooks to its collection, or at what cost? The number of library…
in which i attain the holy grail of librarianship: the permanent, full-time job
Meet the new permanent youth librarian at the Mississauga Central Library. I’ve been in this position since January, but on a temporary or contract basis. Two big things had to…
libraries with pride of place
Central Library at National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City While I wait impatiently to post some exciting news, please enjoy these photos of amazing libraries all over the world.…
how a reinvented dutch library set new attendance records and why is this still controversial?
This is a library! (Image found here.) This article about the incredible Nieuwe Bibliotheek (New Library) in the Netherlands got me thinking about the current state of libraries – and…
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #15! one that makes me very happy!
The conversation was simple enough. Teenage girl: “Where is the nonfiction?” Me: “Nonfiction is upstairs, but it’s organized according to subject. There should be some nonfiction books on the Bingo…
upcycling with teens at the library
My summer youth programs have been going really well. Attendance has increased with each program – first 7, then 13, then 15 – and yesterday we hit the jackpot with…
summer, teens, the library, and me
Yesterday was my first summer program at the library. Attendance was low, but very keen. An artist and activist (who happens to be a friend of mine from the war…
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #14
One of our regular Readers’ Den customers approached me with her usual long list of movies. She researches movies online, prints out lists, and comes to the desk to see…