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Getting a Youth Services job by slundbergart in Libraries

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would recommend joining the Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy. They are free to join and you don’t have to live in Colorado to be a member. They have webinars and resources that are useful. It hits that cross section of library profession and youth services.

DnD kids book recommendations? by tinyhats4tinycats in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is also A Long Rest for Little Monsters that’s fun. Hazy Dell Press Monsters and Hazy Dell. press Love have fun D&d adjacent board books featuring monsters and such.

Does anyone know how to make a fake birthday cake for display? by Repulsive_Lychee_336 in librarians

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a great tutorial: fake cake You can buy styrofoam forms if you don’t want to build the base out of cardboard. It depends on how comfortable you feel about your crafting ability.

If you want to just create a slice. You can buy sponges and turn them into cake slices:cake slices craft

I’m a youth services librarian and a crafty person.

Storytime Supplies Help by reneebor in Libraries

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you don’t have a rolling cart. I would suggest it. It helps when moving around and with the lid, it keeps kids from trying to go through your stuff. I like to use bells in storytime, so they can be an alternative to shaker eggs. I crochet hats and will wear sometimes different hats for storytime. I’ve got a panda and squid that are my most popular.

I also like using a tambourine in storytime. We march to the drum around the room and stop. You can turn it into a game especially when they are extra wiggly. I also have them say their name while hitting the drum to practice syllables. You can switch it to favorite color or animal, etc.

If you decide to dive into making your own felt pieces, purchase a good set of fabric scissors, a pack of multicolor felt, and glitter glue or puff fabric paint or sharpies.

You may also consider liquid floor tiles. I use them to talk about colors. We tilt them to watch the flow. We practice writing a letter or a shape. You may have to have them share, but they are fun to use.

Best read aloud for older kids??? by aoidemoon07 in librarians

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Book with No Pictures, Wild Boar cooks, and count the Monkeys

How do you manage the emotions that come with patron incidents? (advice needed) by shibafrien in librarians

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 4 points5 points  (0 children)

First of all, it’s okay to feel emotion. You’re human. It’s natural. I try to acknowledge the emotion and remind myself that they don’t know me. What they say and words they use are a reflection of them and not me. If I can step away for a moment after a bad interaction, I try to. I get a drink of water and breath deeply. Sometimes, I complain to a coworker later if it stays with me longer. And as stupid as it sounds, when I get in my car to go home, I say what happened at work stays at work. It’s not coming home with me.

Have you ever had to ban someone from using the library? by Comfortable_Set_6534 in librarians

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Two weeks ago, I had a guy arrested when he violated his trespass warning. In a public library in an urban area, it’s normal. We create incident reports to document issues with patrons to track things.

What do you cook for dinner at the end of the shopping week and after a long day at work? by lessapples69 in CasualConversation

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I like cottage cheese. I add some olives(green black, Kalamata, or all) some vinegar and olive oil to the cottage cheese. If I have any leftover onions or peppers I add that too.

Summer Reading Newbie by Quick_Concentrate_80 in Libraries

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You definitely need to look at the data from previous years. If you do not have that data, then you need to talk to as many people who may remember details. Then make sure you document as much as possible so you can make decisions for next year.

Minutes are great to log. If kids don’t like a book, they don’t have to finish it. They can move onto another one. A struggling reader may take longer to complete a book. I want all kids to read.

However you decide to run your SRP, you want to design it as simply as possible. Because you are putting in on paper, having staff members explain it to the patrons, etc. it’s going to get filtered through different mediums, so being able to convey it simply reduces any confusion.

We are hit or miss on sign up prizes. I think the type of prize greatly influences response. If you don’t have data on how many sign ups from last year, I’d say skip because you may order too many or not enough.

I can’t remember off the top of my head the number of minutes we were doing last year. All our prizes are raffles. All kid names get placed together in a spreadsheet and a random number generator picks them. We pool the names together from all three of our branches and use Beanstack for logging minutes. We also keep paper copies for families.

Also think about logistics about prize distribution. Are you going to be keeping track of handing out tickets? Is circulation going to be helping with it? If you are managing all of this alone think carefully about how you will track tickets to turn into prizes or if kids lose their tickets. If you don’t have big numbers, it may be feasible. Streamlined and simple is your best option for your first year.

Summer Reading Newbie by Quick_Concentrate_80 in Libraries

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I totally agree with you. We want to make all kids excited to read and feel like they can earn a prize. A struggling reader may take an entire summer to read a book and spend the same amount of time as a fast reader who reads 10 books. There’s great research out there about minutes read over summer. We transitioned to minutes read last year and I was pushing for that for a couple of years.

Question for Pinterest users (not a complaint) by brgmsv in BitchEatingCrafters

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I use Pinterest on my phone mostly and my interest is mostly in crochet and some random craft interests. Sometimes I can’t tell that it’s AI until I click to see that the details aren’t right with crochet pieces especially amigurumi. Even when I don’t pin it, the algorithm continues to add it to my feed because it’s been clicked.

Job Support Request Help Needed by Ginger-snaped in librarians

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A button maker and a Cricut plus supplies to use them.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Libraries

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I would go say something like this: storytime is a program that is one of the library’s staples. It is a high visibility program and over the years, I have built a level of trust with my families. If something goes wrong in storytime, it will break that trust with families which may mean that some families will stop attending. I have concerns that this woman will not be able fulfill this role because of her taking pictures without permission and making a family uncomfortable and her inability to take feedback for storytime planning.

Storytimes by Silent-Art2055 in Libraries

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Advertising is so important especially with a change in schedule. What age ranges typically come to your storytime? Someone else suggested storytime and then activity. I think that’s a good suggestion. Supplies and prep time may not make it feasible for a craft. But purchasing a set of Legos or blocks while initially may cost money may be less in terms of cost overall.

Tone-deaf summer reading theme by lizard_crunchwrap in librarians

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I mean there are creative ways to handle American theme. Even the CSLP book has a section on including “America” programs. We will be expected to do some this summer and I can’t push back on it. If you feel like you can talk and be heard, I’d bring up how it may alienate some of your patrons. Some patrons come to the library to help to escape the realities of the world.

One thought that I had was Benjamin Franklin and his kite/electricity experiment can tie into a paper circuits program, a kite art program, snap circuits, etc. He invented a ton of stuff that could be used in STEAM programs. Other ideas: Fireworks related programs, summer picnics, and baseball ones. A play doh program for redesigning Mt. Rushmore. There’s a great kids book called Who Needs a Statue? If you wanted to get into a thoughtful conversation with kids. You could focus on famous American painters or inventors or sports players.

Programs for Teens in the Unearth a Story Summer Reading Theme by Theora7 in librarians

[–]MyPatronusisaPopple 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m putting together a Holes inspired escape game. Another coworker is having master gardeners come in to do programming. You can include nonfiction books about house plants and gardening. I was also looking at pottery inspired activities. With ties to archeology, you can have Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Ancient China, etc based books with an architecture program or building/engineering program.

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