The Power of Reading What You Want!

I encounter a lot of hilarious, incredible, ridiculous situations and interactions as a middle school librarian, but sometimes there's a really poignant one mixed in that stops you in your tracks and begs to be shared (or at least remembered). Today I'm going to share a story about an 8th grade boy named Chris*.

Chris is a jock, popular, and a pretty smooth talker. He's likable, polite and respectful, but not super academically inclined. He's frequently frustrated by school—his reading level is a whole handful of grade levels below where it should be.

All of our 7th and 8th graders were assigned an independent novel study each quarter this semester. They were to choose their own book, appealing to their own interests, that was to be approved by the teacher (basically, not way below their reading level; and no Diary of a Wimpy Kid). Teachers brought their classes to the library so we could work one-on-one to help kids find something they liked. They then had a list of projects to complete (of which they could choose) within a 4-6 week time period.

Chris has told his English teacher he's "not a reader." This quarter, he went with a sports book by Mike Lupica and has been working on it diligently, way before this mad rush to finish as the deadline approaches. He came in the library this morning to check out another book and grabbed another sports title by Tim Green. He told me the cover looked like it’d be good. I asked how his project was going, and he said he’s almost done, and that he “really liked the book—it was really good!” I went back later and checked his records; he didn’t check out a single item all of last year. Or his 6th grade year. Here’s a kid who’s “not a reader” and probably doesn’t read very well anyway, but he WILLINGLY CAME TO GET ANOTHER BOOK and was EXCITED about it.

If that’s not success, I don’t know what is.

I can't say enough good things about this assignment and how it has positively affected our students' reading habits. Most simply, it has drastically increased checkouts! We're two weeks away from the end of the first semester and nearly have as many checkouts already as we did for the entirety of last year. Students are coming in to check out other titles in the series they picked up or other similar stories. More impressively, they're learning how to specify what they like and want to read. Instead of saying they want something "interesting"—which is the generic answer of all middle schoolers when you ask what they want to read—they're learning to describe what genres they like, what kind of story or character appeals to them.

I'm not saying it's as easy as just assigning this project and watching it inspire reluctant readers. It requires specialized attention on each student to find a good fit—and a certain amount of trial and error with finding that right book. It requires project options students will find relevant and demands accountability for completion (sometimes utterly impossible). And cooperation with the library and librarian strengthens the connection to reading beyond a classroom assignment and reinforces the importance of finding the right book for the right reader.

I try and make sure my students know that every book is not for every reader; there are a lot of boring books out there, but if you find one that appeals to your own unique tastes, reading becomes less of a chore and more of a way to explore your interests and expand your curiosity.

Tales from a First-Year Middle School Librarian

This past weekend, I was unpacking boxes of books in the house that Colin and I now own and I was hit with this desperate longing.

I miss reading.

[And I also miss writing about it!]

It's ironic that my job title is "Librarian" and I've barely read a book in the past three months. I work with books every day, but my own interaction with them is different than it used to be. I no longer have subway commutes nor lunch breaks to bury myself in a story. My after work hours have been filled with new homeowner tasks, pep-talking my first-year teacher husband, and unwinding with mindless TV shows or movies (because, currently, my attention span matches that of my middle schoolers). I've read a couple books here and there but mostly titles from my library's collection—gotta connect with the kids and all that.

But as I unpacked and shelved books from our old life, I was overwhelmed with that familiar all-consuming desire to read as much as humanly possible. All of my shelves—physical and virtual—are lined with so many stories that have piqued my interest that I don't even know where to start...so I haven't. That night I made a vow to veg out with books rather than HGTV, and with Thanksgiving and winter holidays just around the corner, I'm excited to spend cold days curled up on my couch with a cup of tea on the table and a book on my lap.

But enough about my longings for books, I also wanted to share some tidbits about my first year as a school librarian, since part of the motivation for re-branding this blog was to share these experiences.

In a nutshell, I absolutely love it. My school is a perfect fit, and the kids have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Our middle schools are grades 5-8, and you always hear that teachers either love or hate middle school. Well I love it. There are such a range of personalities and maturity levels. I've got wide-eyed 5th graders who give you a hug every chance they get, 8th grade girls that want to impress the high school boys next door, and everything else in between.

My Library Ambassadors, "swearing-in" to their duties on Harry Potter Book 7

I'm under the impression that the former library wasn't so energetic. There were a lot of rules and its accessibility was more limited. I am fortunate this year to have a full-time clerk with me, which the previous librarian didn't have, so perhaps that was part of it, but I've been working really hard to get students involved and excited in something they have overlooked in the past. My 5th and 6th graders are absurdly enthusiastic, but it's been harder to reach the 7th and 8th grades who have already dismissed the library from their radar. 

The most fun thing to happen so far is the launch of a Library Ambassador program to get students involved in what's happening in here. I had several kids ask me how they could help out in the library (which is awesome for generally apathetic preteens), so this was a solution to get kids helping out but also doing outreach to their peers that may not come in so often. I now have 22 kids from all four grades spending one class period a week in here checking in and shelving books, creating displays and recommendations, helping with collection development, going to classes as a "mobile library" to give book talks and collect returns, and helping plan events and activities. I'm actually having to limit them to only one day a week, because they keep trying to sneak in more often and I don't have room for them—all in all, not a bad problem to have!

Sorry for the ramble of updates, but I just wanted to check in and say that this blog hasn't had the plug pulled on it yet. There is still more to come!

Happy fall!

An Update on What's Happening With This Blog

To anyone who is still reading this blog: hello again! This blog has been on a bit of an unannounced hiatus as I've spent the past 2 months traveling overseas. Don't worry--there are no thoughts of blog abandonment here; I've still been reading a ton and have many books to share in the upcoming weeks!

I did, though, want to check in and announce a few changes that will be coming to this blog in the future, mirroring the many changes that have been made in my own life in recent months! Back in December, I finished my MLS program and quit my job, and Colin and I moved out of NYC. I'll be entering the library field the upcoming months, and that's inspired me to broaden the scope of this blog, because I think it can be a great resource for any kind of media recommendations or reviews--libraries aren't just about books! I hope to post about anything I read or see, not just books--TV shows, movies, documentaries, music, and anything that may pique a person's interest and inspire their own information investigation.

Plus, we're not in New York anymore! I haven't decided if the name of the blog is going to change since this one is already so well established, but it's another consideration as the sphere of this blog widens.

I'd also like to institute more interactivity, both on this blog and in my own reading/watching/listening--new reading challenges, suggestions and group projects.

If you're still here, thanks for sticking around! I'm excited about the changes in my life, and I hope that excitement can extend to this blog. As always, I want this to be a place to talk about the culture we're consuming and share loves and hates, thoughts and opinions--all to inspire interest in and enthusiasm for the many different stories being told.

A Little, Monumental Bit of Real Life

This little blog has seen its days of drought on occasion—those days/weeks/months when posting frequency drops nearly to non-existent. Usually my excuse is just "ehh, busy," and though I've been keeping it up pretty well the past two semesters (miraculously!), you may have noticed a drop-off over the past couple of months.

I rarely go into real life here (I save that for Tumblr), but I just have to share the reason for the recent absence. In a nutshell—a wedding! June 1st was the big day in Nashville for Colin and myself, and it couldn't have been any better. A wonderful week and weekend with friends and family in the city I will always call home and one that most of our guest list had never even visited. I hope the city showed them a good time, and I know the wedding showed them a good dance party.

Photo credit: Q Avenue Photo

So now the wedding is over, the graduate thesis is complete, and it's smooth sailing for the rest of the summer until my last semester begins in the fall. 

Happy summer reading!

Bookish Things at the Renegade Craft Fair

When a friend from book club told me last fall about the Renegade Craft Fair that happens in Brooklyn every June, I put it on my calendar immediately and have been looking forward to it ever since. It happened in McCarren Park this past weekend, and I opted for the sunnier of the two days (Sunday) to take a stroll and browse.

I LOVED this craft fair. Lots of talented artists peddling their wares—jewelry, clothing, prints, hand-sewn goods. Prints are my weakness at these sorts of things, and if I had unlimited funds, my apartment walls would be covered to the point where I'd need to institute monthly showcases of my collection by rotating art! However, here was my problem: I went stocked with cash, but whenever I saw something I wanted, I would hold off on buying in case I saw something I wanted more. It’s a case of either come home with EVERYTHING or come home with NOTHING. And I came home with nothing besides a collection of business cards so I could check it all out later. Oh well.

I loved so many things—which I've summed up on my Tumblr in case you want to see more—but here are some bookish things I thought you guys might love as well.

And if you're lucky enough to live in or around San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, or London, you can check out the Renegade Craft Fair for yourself later this summer or fall!

Book Jewelry from Peg and Awl. I'd kill for a neck full of these! They also have journals made from antique materials. [Etsy]

Library Card Notebooks from Kelso Doesn't Dance. They also had lots of notebooks made out of old Golden children's books but I can't find those online! [Etsy]

Bookish notecards from Jacqueline Schmidt. Birds and books are two of my design favorites! Browse to find a number of bookish prints. [Online shop]

I knew this library school thing was a good idea.

Though I have a sneaking suspicion that public librarian salaries bring the average down, because I haven't seen any positions on my Library School's job list that reach this average!

Source: (poplibrary)

Any of you book bloggers also Tumblrs?

It is official.

I am a Graduate Library School student.

2010 in Review

How I rung in the new year: on the slopes in Lake Placid

2010 was a pretty sweet year in all things non-book related—aka, "in real life." I successfully fulfilled all of my New Year's Resolutions, which were:

1. Be able to run more than a mile
2. Join an adult soccer league
3. Go on a vacation to somewhere I'd never been
4. Explore new restaurants in the city

In terms of reading, I've been in a blog funk lately and at this point I'm just aiming to write down things that I personally want to remember about what I read. I apologize for boring my few faithful readers with my mega-long Howard Zinn reading project, but it was just something I've wanted to do for a while. It's one of those reading projects that make you feel so accomplished once you finish (and I will actually finish tomorrow, once I post my reading notes on the final section...only 2 weeks late).

However, I'm out of the Howard Zinn reading funk and am excited about things sitting on my shelves waiting to be read. I just have to get through this unreasonably long book about philosophy for my book club first. Why a 558 page book was chosen to read over the busy holidays, I will never know. Also philosophy totally stumps me. And by "stumps" I mean "completely bores." I tried to read it twice in the car yesterday heading back from Lake Placid and both times I dozed off.

But as for the year in review, I read a total of 58 books this year which is two less than my personal record of 60 from 2009 (I blame Howard Zinn for slowing me down). My favorites were:

1. When Everything Changed by Gail Collins — the first satisfying history book I'd read in quite a long time. The history of women since 1960 is definitely an interesting one and even better to discuss with my mom.
2. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel — discovered during my brief graphic novel kick (which will start up again soon!). Great mix of plot, narration, and perfect illustrations about the author's semi-dysfunctional childhood and adolescence. 
3. The Betsy-Tacy series by Maude Hart Lovelace — I still have the last two books left but I sure do love some children's fiction from simpler times of the past.
4. Finny by Justin Kramon — I love novels that follow a likable/interesting/quirky character through different points in his/her life and this did just that.

I haven't thought of my real life resolutions yet, but my reading resolutions are pretty much the same as always: branch out, remember more, and beat my record! (that's the competitiveness in me.)

Happy new year!

Study break!

Ah people, I am sorry. I know it has been boring on here lately as I have been in the middle of my Howard Zinn reading project that is currently dragging me down as it's hit a slow, boring point. I promise I will write about a book that does not involve American history this week—Rose Macauley's The Towers of Trebizond, my November pick for Turkey in the World Reading Challenge. And I'm currently in the middle of Pinnochio, Idlewild's December book club pick, and it's a bit different than the Disney movie...

So for now, I know this is a bit late, but how was everyone's Thanksgiving? My parents visited me and we hit up the Macy's parade...good times! I've been primarily using my old 35mm camera for a few months now, and it's so fun to retrain myself to use film. I feel the style of taking pictures is so different; you have to be a little more selective with your shots, because they're limited! Photography has turned so instant with digital—and I've gotten so used to that—that the anticipation of developing your film and reliving moments you'd forgotten about is so satisfying!

A bit of absence...

It's been a while because of....NEW BABY! Not mine, but my sister's! I spent a long weekend in Nashville, arriving just in time for Andrew Luke at a whopping 10lb 13oz. Exciting beginning to what was a fabulous trip home.

I'm trying to hop back on the reading wagon, but between soccer training, nice weather, and trying to coordinate an apartment move, my time seems to fill up a lot faster.