Jennifer pictured here at Edith Wharton’s Library
Jennifer is the teen librarian at Otis Library in Norwich, CT
Jennifer’s believes librarians should keep up with their reading. She read 350 books in 2010! Her terrific blog YABookNerd has book reviews, library news, pop culture events, author interviews, and contests.
Jennifer contributes to the eastern CT Librarians Blog. She reviews books for VOYA, TeensReadToo, and makes and posts booktrailers on youtube.
The Skinny:
I love how YA books have become so popular. I like seeing adults and teens come into the department and exit with an armload of books. I love chatting with teens about books and giving them some to read. It’s especially great if they don’t really like reading, but need a book for school and then they come back for more just like that one!
I believe that teens are in a make or break it phase of their reading lives. I think everyone has the perfect book just waiting for them and all it takes that one book to hook a person and make them a reader. I love helping teens try to find that one book that will rock their world.
Library Laughs
Last year, I was showing Iron Man 2 just as it released to video. I had about 15 teens in the room. We started the movie – only to discover that the movie I rented through the Red Box was the first Iron Man. When I came into work, the Head of Cataloging mentioned that the copy from the library came in that morning before I arrived at work. I quickly ran downstairs, but the movie was locked in a cabinet. I didn’t have the key.
I called her at home and we quickly came to the consensus that I should break into the cabinet and we’d fix the lock later. So I used my amateur skills, feeling like I was in a movie myself, I picked the lock. The teens enjoyed watching the intended film.
A Lion’s Pride of Programs
Food Fun
My teens love programs with food. We’ve done make your own chocolates, I-pod brownies, smoothies, popsicles, and candy sushi. I just saw this program about how to make healthy delicious homemade potato chips that I want to try. We don’t have access to a stove, so I have to get creative and grab a lot of ideas from other librarians, books, and blogs. I love how the librarian community is so friendly with sharing their awesome ideas – not every job is like that.
Girls’ Night In: DIY Spa Night
We really had a great time at this event and the girls walked away with bath salts, lip gloss, and a bath potpourri mixture they had all made themselves. Plus, we all tried out an oatmeal mask that made our faces smooth. There was lots of laughter and lots of fun. See the news bite.
Famous Women’s Tea
The first annual event for the library happened because of a program at my Alma matter William Smith (the other half of Hobart and William Smith Colleges). I adapted the program to fit out library. The first year, we focused on famous American women.
We had members of the community volunteer to portray a woman of their choosing who was significant in her times and who helped change the world. All the women, including several students from the local high school, dressed in costume. The response was so positive that we will be hosting it again this year, focusing on Civil War women to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War: Here’s the news bite.
Readers Roar:Let’s hear from the kids!
“This library shows the best movies,” Tiara
“You give me the BEST books” Alexis
“That was really fun! Can I make another one?” John at the I-pod Brownie program
“You’re the cool librarian,” Claudine
Book Brag: What three books are hot this year? Why?
Only three books? Wow this is hard. I’m going to have to choose:
Last Sacrifice - It’s the end of Rose’s story. I just finished it and it’s an amazing end to the series. Plus Rose is so feisty and a girl who kicks serious butt.
Eona – So many people waiting for the follow-up to Eon Dragoneye Reborn, a perfect read. It’s FINALLY coming out in April. Another strong female read.
Across the Universe - I’ve been hearing great things about this book. Here’s the tagline: A Story of Love, Murder, and Madness Aboard an Enormous Spaceship Bound for the Future. It sounds so unique and gripping.
Author! Author! Describe the perfect author visit from a librarian’s point of view.
I love having authors come to the library. I wish more of my teens took advantage of this opportunity, but those who come to my author programs have a great time. I have been fortunate to have some really great authors: Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Marley Gibson, Michelle Zink and Jessica Verday all came last year.
Jessica and Michelle READ poster
I love having the room all decorated. We have a food table full of goodies
I introduce the author, who gives a talk and usually a reading. The author stays to sign books or bookmarks and meets the readers. Then I usually have a chance to gush about how much I love their work and take some photos. I usually take a photo to make a READ poster for the teen area.(Not all the READ posters are from author visits, some might be from authors I’ve seen in bookstores. Other authors I’ve contacted through email or facebook asking for their photos and they’ve graciously sent them to me.)
READ posters vlog:
Note from Janet: Hey I'm in there with Dragon's Keep on the readergirlz READ poster. Thanks, Jennifer :)
Library Lion’s One Last Roar
I’m an aspiring author – and have participated in NaNoWriMo three years in a row (the past two years I’ve held write-ins at the library for other local writers). I’m working on four drafts at various stages. They’re all teen novels. The first novel is in free verse about a girl named Emily who has spent her entire life waiting for something to happen. Now that she's off to college, she expects her life to completely change. Only nothing does. Luckily, her new roommate is spunky and outgoing, the kind of person who makes things happen and Emily and Lauren become fast friends. The girls struggle to balance class, work, romance and their own friendship during that tumultuous first year of independence. Emily must stop waiting and find happiness on her own terms.
The second, set in a different world, features Princess Raphaela whose father has just died, leaving her in charge of a kingdom. However, there’s a law decreeing no woman can sit upon the throne. In order to prove her worth to the council and thus the kingdom, she must locate and retrieve a long lost magical amidst dragons, backstabbers, and worrying about her fate.
The third book takes place in a small town in Vermont where the main character’s family owns a Christmas tree farm. Kate works on the farm while juggling school, figuring out her plans after high school, and dealing with her boyfriend who runs hot and cold.
The fourth book takes place during summer. A group of teens have been united at one particular camp to focus on video games. Each teen excels at video games and has been recruited to test out one particular game. Luke recognized the strange rules, although it takes him a while to understand the camp isn’t really what it seems. Luke might have uncovered the secret, but certain knowledge can get you killed.
Thanks again for the terrific interview, Jennifer!
Jennifer’s Connections
Blog: http://yabooknerd.blogspot.com/
Librarian blog: http://ecya.wordpress.com/
Reviews: http://www.teensreadtoo.com/JenniferRummel
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yabooknerd
Twitter: (as YABookNerd) http://twitter.com/#!/yabooknerd
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/yabooknerd?feature=mhum
Library Lions readers swing by and show your Library Love in “comments”
Librarians who would like to showcase their library programs contact Janet for an interview at jlcarey@hotmail.com
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