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Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 21:03:27 -0400 (EDT)
To: pubyac-digest@nysernet.org
Subject: pubyac V1 #781
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Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 12:44:11
From: mjenson-@glenpub.lib.az.us
Subject: Re: end of summer reading program
We have the same problem at our library.
Basically we have a "that's too bad" philosophy. If patrons come in
after
the last date, (this year July 31) "Gee, That's too bad". No prizes
for
you!
We make this very clear to patrons when they sign up, and in the school
visits we do to push the program.
We haven't had too many problems with disgruntled patrons.
At 01:07 PM 8/11/99 -0500, you wrote:
>hi -
>
>i am experiencing a lot of frustration with the ending of our summer
>reading. the program ended aug. 7. this fact was well posted and
>frequently mentioned from the start over two months ago, but of
>course, we still have a plethora of patrons who "were never told,"
or
>who missed the end due to vacation, camp, etc, etc. and are
>begging (demanding) to be allowed to finish.
>
>does this happen everywhere?
>
>how do you deal with it in your library?
>
>our director is a proponent of the "give them what they want"
theory
>of service, but it is frustrating to give in all the time to the squeaky
>wheels while the majority of patrons (or customers, according to
>our director) follow the guidelines without a peep. just venting and
>asking for advice. thanks all.
>
>kristin hawksworth
>kristinh@nslsilus.ORG
>children's librarian
>algonquin area public library district
>algonquin, il
>
>"These are my own personal opinions and do not necessarily
>reflect those of my co-workers or of the library."
>
>
>
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Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 13:23:23 -0700 (MST)
From: kkrenz@lib.az.us (Kami Krenz)
Subject: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
Here is my experience for what it's worth, in both worlds. I received a BA
in history in California, and with an additional year of training a K-8
certificate. This allowed me to teach elementary school only. I moved to
Washington state and they accepted my Ca certificate with a few local
additional credits. After teaching a couple of years I decided to become a
school librarian. At that time you could get library certification with
about 12 or 15 credits in library science, I think, but I figured I would
be better off with a Masters degree. Fortunately I found out that if I got
a Masters in media ed or ed technology, which some colleges offered, I
could get a school job but not a public library one in my area. This being
a time when a number of schools were laying off teachers I figured this
wasn't too safe an investment, so went for the MLS where I thought there
would be more options for employment if that happened to me. Am I glad I
did! I worked as a school librarian for about 10 years after I got the MLS,
but then wanted to go to public library work. I have worked with several
librarians, including a library director, who were former teachers and knew
that very few public libraries hire librarians without MLS. That director
was one of the few who did, because of her own personal experience. She
hired me as a children's librarian with an MLS, and my original boss
there, with a masters in ed, and school library experience. It was a point
of honor with us that we had staff with training in juvenile work and at
masters level but not necessarily the same title. Very few will do that.
That M ed librarian later moved on to another library and had to complete
her MLS to be considered a "librarian" in their system. I took her
place as
head of Children's Services, and that library has since had other people in
the position, and I don't know what kind of degrees they hold. If you have
absolutely no interest and think you never will have an interest in working
outside an educational institution, a degree in "educational
technology" or
whatever they are calling it in your state may be your choice, but it was
not mine. I will say that I learned a tremendous amount in my librarianship
training that was NOT "school" related but helped me in my school job
anyway. I probably got less training in some audio visual materials, but I
made that up in experience, and at the time I was in school there weren't
many computer applications to compare the two for value there. I have
since worked for several public libraries, another school, and now a
special library. My teaching experience has helped me in all of these, but
I couldn't have gotten most jobs outside the educational sector without an
MLS. If you go the teaching -library certification route, you can probably
change states and still work in a school without too many additional
classes. Every state is different. I have qualified in Wa, Ca, and AZ.
The variations in standards were in general ed requirements, not the
library related material.(history of the state, etc.). In most states you
have to have teacher certification first to be a school librarian but even
that varies from place to place. You might be able to get a temporary
teaching certificate if you already have a library degree and want to work
in a school, but you will probably have to take some educational classes to
stay in the position. If you're considering this option you should really
do some research on your state's requirements for credentialliing.
* Has anyone said this is not an easy question or one with only one
answer?* Good luck, whatever you choose.
- --"If, of all words of tongue and pen, the saddest are 'It might have
been', more sad are these we daily see: It is, but hadn't ought to
be."--Bret Harte, "Mrs. Judge Jenkins"
Kathleen Krenz
Special Services Librarian
Arizona St. Braille & Talking Book Library
1030 N. 32nd Street
Phoenix, AZ 85008
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Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 13:47:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: georgi sandgren <ivylane3@yahoo.com>
Subject: video review sources
A few weeks ago I asked for advice on children's
video review sources. So many of you replied, it made
my job of filling in the holes in our collection much
easier. Some of you suggested that I post information
on the review sources.
The sources I found most useful were VideoLibrarian at
www.videolibrarian.com , American Library Asociation
Best of the Best for Children by Denise Perry Donovin,
ed 1992, and the Professional Media Service Corp. 1999
Children's Audiovisual Catalog which gave brief
descriptions of the titles as well as the awards that
they won. Searching the ALA's website also gave me
some lists of award winners for the past few years.
Other sources available include Best Videos for
Children and Young Adults: A Core Collection for
Libraries by Jennifer Jung Gallant 1990, Facets
Non-Violent, Non-Sexist Children's Video Guide,
Richard Hack's Complete Home Video Companion For
Parents 1995.
I was able to order almost everything through Video
Library Company which gives public performance rights.
Now that I have filled in the gaps in the collection I
will be able to keep up to date by reading reviews in
SLJ and Booklist as well as on VideoLibrarian.
Thanks again for all your advice.
Georgi Sandgren
Children's Librarian
East Islip Public Library
Long Island, NY
_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 13:50:47 -0700
From: "torrie" <torrie@ci.burlington.wa.us>
Subject: Re: end of summer reading program
Let me chime in with, "Oh boy! Me too!" I advertise the ending
date of the reading program, and the last day and hour turn-ins will
be accepted for both programs. They do have a week after the last
reading day to turn in their times.
I advertise this deadline in the very first flyer the kids take home in
May, and pound it home all summer. It's printed right on their
Summer Reading charts where they track their reading progress,
it's on notices in the kids' room, it's coming out of my mouth at the
programs & performances, it's everywhere all summer long.
My window of reasonability is this: if a child or parent calls and
gives me advance notice of a problem or conflict, I will try to move
Heaven and Earth to make the program doable for them. If they will
make the effort, so will I.
I have accepted faxed reading times, times & titles read to me over
the phone, times sent to me in the mail, by carrier, by a friend,
sealed in an envelope & dropped in the book drop, and have even
accepted times up to a month late -- because the child and/or
parent took the time to let me know they were having a problem
with meeting the requirements.
Of course, there are always exceptions. If the reason is sufficiently
good (and if the child has really been participating during the
summer) I do accept a very few late entries. VERY few. Because
I know that kids are at the mercy of their parents.
I just refuse to dig out late prizes for pushy parents who have
forced their kids to read only "challenging" books (or just written in
the times regardless of not reading), and just have to get a prize
because they feel it's their right to have it. *pant! pant!*
There, I feel better now. My deadline is Friday at 5:00 pm. Though
the final hour is not here yet, I'm already feeling the heat from
families who refused to acknowledge all summer that their
child(ren) needed to have read TWO hours each week to get the
Mayor's Award this year -- less than 18 minutes a night (They only
need one hour each week to get their little incentives.) Cross your
fingers for me, and perhaps it will go smoothly. *grin*
Kids (and parents) just might benefit from needing to show some
responsibility in order to receive a reward.
Torrie 8)
Torrie Hodgson, Mutant librarian from the center of the earth!
Burlington Public Library
900 E Fairhaven Ave
Burlington WA 98233
(360)755-0760 phone
(360)755-0717 FAX
torrie@ci.burlington.wa.us
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Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 16:54:04 -0500
From: "Sean P. S. George" <sgeorge@stcharles.lib.la.us>
Subject: RE:end of summer reading program
Actually this is a topic that I bring up every year with my branch
supervisors at our SRP retrospective meeting. We too have many patrons
who complain about not being able to get awards after the deadline that
we set. On the one hand I don't want to deny a certificate or medal to
a kid that has done their reading. On the other hand I feel like we
have to draw the line somewhere, or the staff will still be fiddling
with the summer reading program at Halloween.
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
Sean George
Youth Services Coordinator
St. Charles Parish Library
sgeorge@stcharles.lib.la.us
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 17:08:38 -0500
From: "Marion \"Meb\" Ingold" <ingoldm@sls.lib.il.us>
Subject: Re: SRP completions
We have discovered an answer to one of the Summer Reading problems
- -- Certificates that aren't picked up at the end of the program. I don't
know why it took us so long to figure it out-- We give the student his/her
certificate and little prize when he/she has met the reading requirements.
It may be in the second week of the program or it could be the last day of
the program. Of course, they can keep reading once they have completed the
basic requirements -- You'd all disown me if we told them they couldn't read
any more. Each time a student has completed the requirements for the
program, he/she gets to put his/her name in the box to get a chance to win
the extra prizes we give out.
We used to have certificates sitting around for most of August
before we figured this out.
- ----------
Meb Ingold, Children's Services Director
La Grange Park Library
La Grange Park, IL
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Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 17:03:41 -0600 (CST)
From: lochwouters@axp.winnefox.org
Subject: Going thru August with SLP
We've sure thought about going longer over the years (we do 8 weeks, June
and July) and have extended to 9 weeks in the past. The problem for us
is that we are a small staff and the summer is big business -
we don't take vacation during June/July because it is such a killer on
remaining staff--staffers usually take a day or two, or no more than a
week during that time. But we really want staff to have time with their
families during Wisconsin's all-too-brief summers and August is our one
big chance. We have run movie series during August to make the transition
for the kids and encourage them to come to the library....and its a
program type that doesn't call for lots of staff time. We use every
public performance goodie we have and get a steady crowd.
And yeah, we give out prizes for a week or so after the end. Then we do
stats, reports, newsletters to schools with SLP results... and run away to
the northwoods!! ;-> Marge L-W
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marge Loch-Wouters | Email: lochwouters@winnefox.org
Menasha's Public Library | lochwout@athenet.net
Elisha D. Smith Public Library | Phone: (920)967-5165
Menasha, WI 54952-3191 | Fax: (920)967-5159
www.focol.org/~mpl
_________________________________________________________________________
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 17:21:04 -0500
From: Karen Sutherland <ksutherland@bplib.org>
Subject: Re: Programming for young adults
Popular programs are certain craft things. We also had a yoyo expert
come and had 64 kids and thirty adults...not all parents. We've had
requests for wrestling things, and I plan to do a thing on car care...like
checking oil, tires, etc. for pre-drivers.
Next summer we hope to have a man come and bring a robot and talk about
robots.
Karen Sutherland <ksutherland@bplib.org>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 20:21:44 -0400
From: Carole Fiore <cfiore@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: end of summer
Many familes in our state take vacations at the end of summer -- missing the
last of the summer library programs. Because of this, many of our libraries
do their "final" summer program as the first program of the fall. The
summer
series end at the regual time (4 to 6 to 8 weeks worth of programs as each
community finds appropriate) and then the libraries do the final program when
everyone gets back -- even the children's librarians who have had a chance to
take a vacation. This helps make the transition from summer to school and
reminds the children and their parents that the library is there all year
long.
Carole
***********************************************
Carole D. Fiore
Library Program Specialist
State Library of Florida
R. A. Gray Building
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250
Phone: 850-487-2651
Fax: 850-488-2746
and
Independent Library Consultant
Tallahassee, Florida 32308
Phone and Fax: 850-656-2054
**********************************************
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Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 20:35:57 EDT
From: "Eva Davis" <lunchgroup@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Aliens Books
Actually, I have just received Limp Bizkit's CD, "Significant Other."
I have a small YA music CD budget, and I've spent nearly all of my money for
the year already. All of my purchases have been requests by teens; I don't
have a method to my purchasing madness other than that. If I ever satisfy
the teens' requests (yeah, right), maybe I'll get a development plan going.
There is, btw, a "regular" librarian in charge of the general CD
collection,
and she does have a plan (I hope); as the YA librarian, I was given a small
amount of money to cater more to teen tastes.
Several teens requested Limp Bizkit. No one's requested Korn yet, so I
haven't bought it. The music is a heavy metal/rap mixture. It doesn't
appeal to me at all, but they're at the top of the Billboard charts, so
obviously somebody likes them.
Eva Davis, Young Adult Librarian
Plymouth District Library
Plymouth, MI
- ----Original Message Follows----
From: Charles Schacht <schachtc@libcoop.net>
<cut>
On the same note - do people buy Korn and Limp Bisket for
their AV collections?
<cut>
_______________________________________________________________
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End of pubyac V1 #781
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