When it was brought to public attention that Hillary Clinton had used a private server for emails that should be accessible as public record, it started a conversation in my organization about public record and data storage. Being a government employee at a public library means that some of the things I do could be subject to public record. The administration at my library encouraged professional staff to refrain from using personal devices or personal accounts to complete library work. However for years several librarians have used personal accounts on Facebook and Google, or personal devices like cell phones and iPads for all aspects of our job.
Month: June 2015
Instagram of the Week – June 29
A brief look at ‘grams of interest to engage teens and librarians navigating this social media platform.
As of this year, the American Library Association (ALA) has designated June as GLBT Book Month to celebrate authors and books depicting the lives and experiences of members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. While many libraries Instagrammed their GLBT displays earlier in the month, many more images were posted after last week’s Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage. With photos of book spines arranged in rainbows, #bookfacefriday posts, and images of library booths at pride events, libraries showed their support for the GLBT community.
For resources on selecting materials for displays or collection development, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) provides resources including the Stonewall Book Award recipients and lists of Rainbow Books and Over the Rainbow Books for youth and adults, respectively.
Impressions of ALA 2015
Thursday-June 25
I arrived in San Francisco on Thursday and the first thing I was excited to do was to see The Mix at SFPL. I received a tour from the awesome Teen Librarian, Erich Haddon. The Mix is the new digital media and learning lab for teens ages 13-18 where teens can explore their passions. The Mix is partnering with five San Francisco, Bay Area organizations that will be offering programs for teens in areas of STEM, video creating/editing, music making and more. There is also a makerspace where teens can create, make and collaborate. The Mix is offering roughly 15 programs per week for teens.
Saturday June 27
I spent a couple of hours at the YALSA table with the fabulous Stephanie Charlefour, Teen Librarian at the Wixom Public Library. It was the first time for me tabling at YALSA and it was a great opportunity to connect with other teen librarians focused on the meeting the mission of YALSA as well as connecting with librarians interested in joining YALSA.
Voices of Youth: Community Partnerships for video production session featured a panel of six teens involved in the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) Board of Advising Youth and they talked about their involvement in working with the library, architects and other advisors in building and creating the new teen space; The Mix. The partnerships that SFPL has built with five Bay Area organizations will bolster teen programming and expose teens to areas of video creation and editing through the organization BAVC, music creation and editing, a makerspace that has endless possibilities and STEM programs by the California Academy of Sciences
Empower Your Teens! Civic Engagement Strategies that Work. Five teens from the Youth Leadership Council of the Oakland Public Library presented on their work with the library. The presentation was a phenomenal, completely youth led panel where each member talked about what the YLC does; building leaderships skills by engaging with members of civic institutions, improving library services by having this group be so imbedded in a number of decision making endeavors for teens and bridging the gap between youth and library staff. Hands down the best session I went to! The teens took the lead to share what they do and what they’ve learned from their experience with the YLC.
YALSA President’s Program: Taking a Deep Dive Into Digital Literacy: Shark Tank for Library Staff
I’m one of the members of the YALSA President’s Program Task Force and it has been a great experience serving on a committee with such dedicated teen services librarians. The Shark Bowl program is based off the reality show “Shark Tank” that features aspiring entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to business experts, the YALSA version features six teen librarians pitching their digital literacy ideas to a panel of sharks-Susan Del Rosario (Tutor.com), Crystle Martin (Digital Media and Learning Hub UC Irvine) K-Fai Steele (National Writing Project) and David ten Have (Makey Makey and JoyLabz). The winners are; Ricah Quinto, Shanna Miles and Erin Durrett with their projects.
Annual 2015: Oakland PL’s Youth Leadership Council
This is a guest post from Perla Casas, a 2015 high school graduate. She will be part of the panel speaking on Sunday June 28th at 4:30 pm as part of “Empower Your Teens! Civic Engagement Strategies That Work.”
The Youth Leadership Council (YLC) is a youth-driven advisory board for the Oakland Public Library. The YLC creates support strategies to improve its service for patrons and promotes the library simultaneously. The YLC is made up of twelve individuals from the ages of thirteen to eighteen. I was sixteen years old when I first stumbled across the YLC application at the TeenZone in the Main Library. I have always enjoyed reading and I am passionate about libraries, so I thought this group would be a perfect fit for me. After a nerve wracking three month application process, I was finally accepted as a member. Continue reading Annual 2015: Oakland PL’s Youth Leadership Council
Annual 2015: Graphic Novels, Comics, and San Francisco
This is a guest post from Trevor Calvert, a member of the Local Arrangements Committee for ALA 2015 in San Francisco.
San Francisco is a literary city and as such a wealth of comic book stores merit a visit if you are eager to experience some of SF’s comic-book culture. Every year SF hosts the Alternative Press Expo highlighting local creators, and even has a Comic Art Museum which showcases both classics Golden Age shows all the way to hosting local-artist workshops. So let’s pack a light sweater (or maybe a cape?) and walk over to a few of these awesome spots!
Continue reading Annual 2015: Graphic Novels, Comics, and San Francisco
YALSA Evaluates Its Dues Policy & Structure
Yalsa membership covers everything from free monthly webinars, to discounted online courses, to access to various grants, scholarships and stipends, to the award winning YALS journal and much more.
Current board practice is to engage in discussion about dues policy and structure approximately every five to ten years. These discussions include looking at membership categories along with the cost of membership. In 2010 the Board discussed these topics and decided to add categories – for example the non-salaried category – and revise its dues structure with regular member dues increasing from $50 to $60, student dues going from $20 to $25 and corporate dues being raised from $60 to $70.
In an effort to help YALSA to remain financially stable, the board will discuss board document #33 on Monday, June 29, 2015 at the ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco. The document provides an overview of current YALSA dues policy and structure and outlines a way to create a more sustainable method for ensuring the financial stability of the association while at the same time supporting members.
If you will attend the conference remember that you are more than welcome and encouraged in fact, to sit in on YALSA Board meetings. And even if you won’t be in San Francisco for the conference you can still read item #33 and all other board documents that will be discussed over the three days, Saturday through Monday. If you have any questions at all any board member would be happy to help you so just reach out.
Nicola McDonald, the 2014-2015 YALSA Board Fellow is the Chair of YALSA’s Board Diversity Taskforce and a Library Manager at NYPL.
Get Away @ Your Library!
Get Away @ Your Library can mean a lot of different things to different people. When I think of it I think about why I read. One of the best things about reading is how it takes you to new and exciting places. Whether it is books about other cultures, time travel or historical events, books take us beyond our everday lives.
I love to read historical fiction, fantasy, and science fiction because I love being taken outside my normal day-to-day world. With historical fiction, I learn so much about other time periods and get some insight into what it must have been like to be in that period. Certain periods are so far removed from our current world that they may as well be classed as Fantasy or Science Fiction. Speaking of which, when it comes to Fantasy and Science Fiction I am amazed by the worlds created by the author.
My newest interests are reading about books that take place in other cultures or countries. Sometimes you don’t even have to go very far away from home. Reading books about people from rural areas when you yourself live in an urban area or vice versa can take us into a place we have never experienced. Other cultures also help us to be more empathetic and knowledgeable about what we do not understand.
Some of the books that have taken me to other places that I highly recommend include The Precious Stone trilogy be Kerstin Gier, The Colours of Madeleine by Jaclyn Moriarty, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, The Grisha Series by Leigh Bardugo and so much more. Please check out the TRW Pinterest page for more recommendations!
Kristyn Dorfman is a School Librarian at Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn, NY.
YALSA Board @ Annual Preview: Aligning YALS to the Futures Report
One of the items on the agenda for the YALSA Board at Annual Conference in San Francisco is a discussion of YALS and how to make sure that the official journal of the association is in line with the findings and recommendations of YALSA’s Future of Library Services for and with Teens: A Call to Action report. The Board document – under new business – presents some things for the YALSA Board to think about including:
- A revised function statement for YALS that focuses on the YALS Advisory Board having an active role in developing an editorial calendar for the journal and to make sure that YALSA’s resources and initiatives are successfully highlighted in the publication. Continue reading YALSA Board @ Annual Preview: Aligning YALS to the Futures Report
Develop Creative Programming for Teen Read Week
I’ll confess that there have been cycles in my ten years of teen services where my creativity to develop innovative library programs suddenly depletes itself. It takes time until I kick my own butt back into gear. I’m sure you’re familiar with this feeling that can result from the graduation of most of your teen advisory group, or your programming budget substantially shrinks, or your energy lags after delivering an outstanding summer reading program. If you are a newly minted teen librarian, you may not have experienced this sudden loss of drive to deliver 100% amazing library services. We all have our secrets for how we regain that equilibrium, especially when feeling depleted from intense summer programming.
Here are just a few tips to energize your programming creativity before, during, or after Teen Read Week:
Challenge yourself to explore their interests. Have those card playing teens who are always in your library after school teach you how to play Vanguard or Pokemon. It’s easier to understand and own the argument that these games make reading, math, and strategy fun when you are actually having to do it yourself. Once you comprehend the reasons for their enjoyment, it becomes easier to develop creative programming because you GET IT. For instance, our middle school anime and manga group will make Pokemon balls out of styrofoam and bring in a favorite stuffed animal. They’ll create a new Pokemon name and ability for their animal and have them spar against each other.
Continue reading Develop Creative Programming for Teen Read Week
Annual 2015: Check the Wiki!
Annual is almost upon us! We in the Local Arrangements Committee have been working hard to provide you with information on eateries, activities, neighborhoods, and more. You can find all this information on YALSA’s Annual Conference wiki: http://wikis.ala.org/yalsa/index.php/YALSA_at_ALA%27s_2015_Annual_Conference
Some highlights include:
See you in San Francisco in just a few short days!