TEXAS TEEN LIBRARIAN ROARS!

Welcome to Library Lions Roar -- interviews Raising a Roar for libraries and the outstanding librarians serving youth in schools and public libraries across the U.S. Please Roar today’s guest, Teen Librarian Veronica McKay!

Hello All,

I am the Teen Services Librarian at the Rita and Truett Smith Public Library in Wylie, Texas. 

I have worked at the library for eight years. I started as a Circulation Tech and then went to get my Masters in Library Science. In February 2011 we moved into a brand new building and I became the Teen Services Librarian. I created new programming that has gotten bigger every year. My biggest program to date has been our cupcake challenge that had 80 teens.

It was organized chaos. I also established a very successful TLC program with anywhere from 10-20 teens who do everything from advocating for the library at City Council Meetings to helping the Friends raise money for the library.  My latest project is an outreach book club with the local high schools. I noticed that when teens reach high school they forget about us as well as being so busy to par-take in activities I decided to go to them. They read the same book as us and we go to the school once a month to discuss. I noticed that when they love what we are reading they then come to the book club at the library so they can further discuss the book. It has been very successful so far ranging from 10-25 teens each month at the high school and this endeavor has also increased participation in the Teen Book Club at the library to about 25-30 kids each month.   

The Skinny:
I love interacting with all types of people. Teens always amaze me and I am sad that we as adults over look how bright and insightful they can really be. Their outlook on the world is very interesting and they tend to pick up on things that I never thought about. I also love that my job is always changing and that every day I learn and encounter new things. Also, working in Wylie my co-workers have become part of my family. I love that the Children’s Department is such a close nit group of people who really take the time to get to know you and care a great deal about you.    

A Mighty Roar!
Libraries to me are the gatherers of knowledge. They are an ever changing environment because its’ patrons need to know how to use certain technology or want information about a new hobby, thus librarians have to keep with these demands and keep libraries relevant. It is also a place where there is no judgment because all different types of people use them and their interests are all different so the people working in them have to learn to be neutral. They are also very much a place that has something for everyone.

A Lion’s Pride of Programs:  I would like our teen patrons to know about all the programs that we do at no cost to them. We do everything from cooking classes, author visits, to gaming classes.  We have a room dedicated to them with gaming systems, board games, and loud music playing. We also have a Facebook, book club blog, and tumbler accounts just for them. I would really like to hear from them on these social media sites as well as know how many teens actually use these sites to communicate with their local libraries.  

My favorite programming when summer rolls around. We have programs for teens 6-12^th grade twice a week in the summer. These programs are heavily attended. This is the time we experiment to see what works and what doesn't and it’s my favorite time to be innovative and creative. I also love that I get to meet new teens that don’t typically use our facility in the fall. I also love that we are still able to give away great prizes and coupons due to the wonderful community business support we receive every year for our summer programming.  I am enclosing photos of all the summer programs we had this year, they include: Stage Combat, 

World Building Writer’s Workshop, 

Photography, 

Craft-a-paloza, Archery,

Cooking,

Face Painting: Zombie style,

CSI and End of Summer Bash!

They were all a lot of fun.

Library Laughs:
Our Teen Library Council President loves the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer. We had our TLC Halloween and we had creepy pictures hung on the walls so our TLC President decided to put pictures of what her fantasy Kai looked liked on the wall next to the creepy pictures.

I took all these pictures of her doing this and sent it to the author explaining how much she loved her series. The author wrote me back and asked if she could send her a bunch of swag. I asked her to send it to the library

and took a bunch of pictures of Wynne freaking out as she opened the gifts. It made me feel really good making her day and having a teen get that excited about an author.  

We also get into Halloween.

Readers Roar: (Let’s hear from the kids!) 

“This is the best library in the world”-Wynne 10^th grade

“Arrr..Pirates are the best”-Jacob 2yrs old

“Thank you for bringing all these authors”-Dakota 9^th grade

“Mom, Diary of a Wimpy Kid is the best book ever. Gregg is like a boy I know”-Unknown-maybe 5^th grade.

Let’s Link:
Blog: SmithTeenBookClub 

Library Website

Facebook: Teen Center Smith Public Library 

Tumbler: teencenterspl 

Thank you Veronica for your terrific interview!

Love Libraries? Give a Roar in “Comments” below.

Note to Librarians: If you’re a Youth Librarian working in a school or public library we’d love to hear about you and your library. Contact Janet at jlcarey@hotmail.com for an interview slot. The calendar for 2015 is currently wide open J

Note to Authors: If you’re interested in Roaring for Libraries on this blog, contact Janet at jlcarey@hotmail.com for an interview slot. 

DAWN R. ROARS!

Welcome to Library Lions interviews Raising a Roar for libraries and the outstanding librarians serving youth in schools and public libraries across the U.S. Please Roar for today’s guest, Dawn Rutherford!

Hi!  I’m Dawn Rutherford, the Teen Services Coordinator for Sno-Isle Libraries. 

We are an awesome library system just a bit North of Seattle with 22 locations spread over two counties.  I’ve been working here for seven years, and before that I worked at King County and also Chicago Public.  My job is to oversee all things teen at a system-wide level.  This includes our great teen website, events like Teen Read and Teen Tech Months, trainings for staff, spearheading proposals for shared programming kits and equipment, and generally supporting my Teen Contacts at each location to do the best they can for serving teens.  This year has been an exciting one.  We are currently working on a GenYZ project with the consultant OrangeBoy Inc. to craft better strategies and services for 13-29 year olds. And we just finalized our brand new Teen Service Purpose Statement which will not only focus and strengthen our services to teens (which we define as 12-18), but expands it to better serve tweens (9-12) and young adults (19-20).

Outside of the wonderful work I get to do for Sno-Isle, I’m also active in YALSA, and have worn many hats for them. 

Photo -YALSA fashion show

My favorites were co-planning an amazing Get Graphic @ Your Library graphic novel pre-conference (where I got to meet and introduce Neil Gaiman), chairing the first Great Graphic Novel for Teens committee, serving on the Margaret A. Edwards award committee that honored Francescia Lia Block, and now I’m chairing this year’s Odyssey Award committee.

 

The Skinny: What do you love most about your work?   

My stock answer used to be “working with the teens”, but the sad fact is that I’ve reached a point in my career where to best utilize my experience and abilities to serve teens, I don’t actually get to interact with them all that often.  I’m hoping to change this over the next year by implementing a brand new system of teen councils at our libraries, with representatives that will serve on a virtual council that works directly with me.  But even if I don’t get the face time with them much anymore, I love that I get to constantly work creatively to connect teens with libraries and all they have to offer…especially books.  I served on Spokane Public Library’s Young Adult Advisory Committee (YAAC) back in the 80s under the late great Christy Tyson, and I still cherish the connections I was able to make with library staff and other book loving teens.  Thank goodness for Facebook…not only do I still connect with some librarians and other YAAC members through that, but I’m now friends with former teens who were dear to me at previous jobs.  More than anything I love the connections I make with individuals: be it teens, library staff, authors, fellow YALSA members…and if we can share a good book, all the better!

A Mighty Librarian Roar!
Human civilization exists largely in information our species has created and shares together to make stories of how the world should be.  Storing this information externally (outside our brains) gives us tremendous room for growth and possibility, but it also sets up potential for loss and disconnection if that information is not accessible.  Libraries have grown beyond a physical place where information is stored, into a gateway to the world. Library staff don’t just help you find the right book, but help set you on the journey to the place you want to be, and the person you are aspiring to become.  And all of this happens because communities believe individual should have this sort of access and assistance, which to me is a very hopeful and beautiful thing.

Library Laughs
I was very fortunate early in my days at Sno-Isle to have made a connection Shannon Hale before she hit it big, and was asked by her publisher if I could host her and Libba Bray on their joint tour. 

Shannon Hale, Dawn and Libba Bray
[photo from flickr set: keepingfaith] 

I worked extra hard to plan a fun even that would be enjoyable for both the authors and the audience, because I love both of these author’s work and wanted to share my excitement with everyone.  When they showed up, it turned out all three of us were wearing practically the same outfit…black cardigans, dresses, and black boots.   We had so much fun…I still feel lucky to have gotten to know them before they both got huge :D

A Lion’s Pride of Programs
Hmmm.  Two of my favorite programs I’ve done are probably Book Buddies and last summer’s pilot of the Sno-Isle Super Summer Scavenganza. 

 

Book Buddies is a program where teens mentor struggling readers in 2^nd-4^th grade over the summer.  It is a wonderful intergenerational program and not only helps kids enjoy reading more and get comfortable doing it, but it is really great for the teens, too!    The Scavengana is a two month long online scavenger hunt where teams of teens were given missions each day of the summer, and competed against each other by making videos, writing book reviews, and other creative endeavors.

 

I really hope to do it again next year, but with some simplifications and tweaks to make it easier to run and participate in!  It was one of the most satisfying projects I’ve worked on in a long time.  We left everything up on the website, and here are some photo highlights of the teams entries.

Readers Roar: Let’s hear from the kids!

To me the best indicators of passion for our libraries are some of the entries for contests our teens have made for us.  My personal favorite is Emily B.’s submission from our 2012 art contest (http://www.sno-isle.org/teens/art-contest-winners/), a Harry Potter themed synchronized swim that two sisters made for our Scavenganza last summer, and this infomercial by another Scavenganza team, Dragon Army.  That our fans are willing to create such wonderful things for our library community is super exciting to me.

 

Art Contest Winner Emily B.

Andrew K. - Mill Creek: “One thing I really like about the Sno Isle teen section, on the website at least, is that it feels like you can contribute to it, i.e. the reviews, which you seem to be the main moderator for! I also enjoy that there are lists by subject matter added and edited once in awhile, and when I was first especially looking for new books before I started using GoodReads, those lists were extremely helpful! I still check back on them once in awhile if some are updated.”

Sophie K. - Arlington: "The founders of our nation believed in self-education-the idea that every single individual ought to learn by reading books and studying the thoughts and ideas of those who have come before them. Can you imagine our nation without libraries where you can accomplish this goal? I know of no better place than a library to explore ideas, rethink your philosophies, entertain different thoughts, and change your mind. Just one person can change the world-and just one library can change a person."

Teen Advisors 

Author! Author!       
For me, the perfect author visit is one where the readers are super jazzed and have all read the book and have tons of questions for the author.  And then the author responds to teens with total respect, humor, and grace.  Some of my favorites have included the one I mentioned with Shannon Hale and Libba Bray at the Mountlake Terrace library, when we had Scott Westerfeld at the Edmonds library, a Skype interview Adam Rex did with the teens of the Mukilteo Library, and great guest visits at two different Teen-Adult Book groups I’ve co-run with school libraries:  Ben Michaelson at Tillicum Middle School, and Kendare Blake at Brier-Terrace Middle school.

Let’s Link

Blog:  Snoisleteens http://snoisleteens.tumblr.com/

Library Website: sno-isle.org/teens/  http://www.sno-isle.org/teens/

Facebook:  snoisleteens https://www.facebook.com/snoisleteens

Twitter: @snoisleteens  https://twitter.com/snoisleteens

Pinterest: snoisleteens http://www.pinterest.com/snoisleteens/


Thanks again for the terrific interview, Dawn!

~  ~  ~

Love Libraries? Give a Roar in “Comments” below.

Note to Librarians: If you’re a Youth Librarian working in a school or public library we’d love to hear about you and your library. Contact Janet at jlcarey@hotmail.com for an interview slot. The calendar for 2015 is currently wide open J

Note to Authors: If you’re interested in Roaring for Libraries on this blog, contact Janet at jlcarey@hotmail.com for an interview slot. 

ROAR FOR BANNED BOOKS WEEK

 Library Lions Roars for BANNED BOOKSWEEK one of our favorite posts of the year!

Adult/Teen Librarian Danielle Dreger-Babbitt from Mill Creek Library WA is here with us this week. Welcome Danielle.

Tell us about Banned Books Week
Banned Book Week was started 32 years ago to celebrate the freedom to read after more and more books were being challenged in libraries and schools. According to the American Librarian Association, over 11,000 books have been challenged since 1982. Over 200 of them happened in 2013! You can learn more about Banned Book Week on the ALA website.

What do you do to spread the word about Banned Books Week and Intellectual Freedom Issues?
I do a banned book display each year.  My favorite displays are the ones I did in 2011 when library patrons wrote about their favorite banned books and the 2012 display that took up a whole shelving unit. I love being able to showcase these banned and challenged books.

 

Along with each year’s display, I include Banned Book lists and pamphlets as well as bookmarks and buttons for library customers to take home. We’ve had essay contests where readers write about their favorite challenged or banned books and win copies of banned books. When I visit the middle schools to talk about books in the fall I often bring along books that have been challenged from other parts of the country and have the students guess why they might be banned or challenged.

 

 

Readers Roar: (Let’s hear what teens have to say about banned books)

“If people read the books before they banned them, they might have a better understanding of why the book is important. If you ban a book, it only makes me want to read it more.”- Jessica, Grade 11

 

Any Banned Books you would like to highlight?
Some of my favorite banned and challenged books include Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Shine and TTYL by Lauren Myracle, and 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher.  And my absolute favorite banned/ challenged book is Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Most teens are amazed to hear that it has been taken out of some schools and libraries!

 

What can Library Lions blog readers do for Banned Books Week?
Readers can celebrate their freedom to read by reading one or two banned or challenged books during Banned Book Week. Bonus points for reading these all year long, not just in September and for sharing these titles with their friends and family.

Note from LL host, Janet Lee Carey: I’d like to also add that you can tweet about the banned books you’re reading. Use the hashtag #bannedbooksweek. And if you want to do a temporary profile pick change as I did below, go to this site Support Banned Books Week 

 

My twitter profile: Photo by Heidi Pettit. Poster added on the site link above.

ONE LAST BIG ROAR
The best way to support libraries is to use them! Check out books and DVDs and CDs, use the databases to find information, and attend as many library programs and events as your schedule allows. By doing these, you are showing us that you think libraries are important. There are many ways to give back to your library. Consider becoming a volunteer or join the library board or Friend’s Group.  Teens can join the library’s Teen Advisory Board and help make decisions about future library programs and purchases. You can also donate books to the library for the Friends of Library Book Sale. The money from these sales supports library programs and special events!

 

About our Guest Post librarian, Danielle Dreger-Babbitt
I’ve been a teen librarian for over 10 years and have worked in libraries in Massachusetts and Washington. I’ve been an Adult/ Teen Librarian at the Mill Creek Library for over 5 ½ years.

I’ve been active in ALA’s YALSA 
(Young Adult Library Services Association) for the last decade and have served on committees including Outreach to Teens With Special Needs, The Schneider Family Book Award, and most recently The Alex Awards, for which I was the 2014 committee chair.

In my spare time I write for children and teens. I love to read YA and MG fiction and cooking memoirs/ cookbooks. I own two cats and two badly behaved (but adorable) dogs. I also love to travel and recently visited Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina.

Let’s Link:
Sno-Isle Teen Blog

Thanks again for the terrific Banned Books post, Danielle!

Love Libraries? Give a Roar in “Comments” below.

~Note to Librarians: If you’re a Youth Librarian working in a school or public library we’d love to hear about you and your library. Contact Janet at jlcarey@hotmail.com for an interview slot. The calendar for 2015 is currently wide open J

~Note to Authors: If you’re interested in Roaring for Libraries on this blog, contact Janet at jlcarey@hotmail.com for an interview slot. 

 

AUTHOR JUSTINA CHEN ROARS FOR LIBRARIES

Today we're thrilled to welcome acclaimed author Justina Chen to Library Lions. Check out her newest book and hear her Roar!

Justina Chen is an award-winning novelist for young adults whose most recent book, A Blind Spot for Boys, is a Booklist Top Romance for Teens. North of Beautiful was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus and Barnes & Noble. Her other novels include Return to Me, Girl Overboard, and Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies), which won the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature. Additionally, she co-founded readergirlz, a literacy and social media project for teens, which won the National Book Foundation’s Prize for Innovations in Reading. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University where she was given the Dean’s Award for Service.

When she isn’t reading or writing, Justina can be found hiking with her daughter (who’d rather be shopping) or Skyping with her son who now lives in Abu Dhabi.

“Educators and librarians hoping to engage female readers want to add this novel to their shelves.” –VOYA

Shana Wilde has always had a blind spot for boys. Can she trust the one who’s right in front of her?

Shana is officially on a Boy Moratorium. After a devastating breakup, she decides it’s time to end the plague of Mr. Wrongs and devote herself to her true passion: photography.

Enter Quattro, the undeniably intriguing lacrosse player who slams into Shana one morning in Seattle. Sparks don’t just fly; they ignite—and so does Shana’s interest. But just as she’s about to rethink her ban on boys, she receives crushing news: Her dad is going blind.

Shana and her parents vow to make the most of the time her father has left to see, so they plan a photo safari to Machu Picchu. But even as Shana travels away from Quattro, she can’t get him out of her mind.

Love and loss, humor and heartbreak collide in this new novel from acclaimed author Justina Chen (North of Beautiful).

About writing the book
Of all my novels, A Blind Spot for Boys was the most fun to write. Machu Picchu, a bedbug sniffing dog, a girl who puts herself on a Boy Moratorium? Those were such fun elements and balanced some of the more serious themes in the book. Seeing your blind spots clearly—the blind spots we have for our mistakes (especially the ones we keep making over and over and over again). The blind spots we have for people. The blind spots we have for our past.

Teachers and Librarians check out the free Educator’s Guide

Library Love When You Were a Cub
My second home when I was growing up was the Cupertino Public Library. I would spend hours and hours in the library, browsing books first in their children’s section when I was in elementary school, then in the adult section as I grew up to be a teen. The few YA books at that time were housed in slender rounders on the second floor that I would check every visit in hopes that a new book had been written for girls my age.

This deeply ingrained memory of wanting stories that reflected me propelled one of the literacy projects readergirlz spearheaded, Operation Teen Book Drop (Operation TBD)For a number of years, we partnered with Young Adult Library ServicesAssociation  (YALSA), publishers, Children’s Hospitals and libraries to get 30,000 YA novels into the hands of teens around the country.

More Library Love
Celebrating librarians and teachers who work so hard to match books to teens drove Janet Lee Carey, Dia Calhoun, Lorie Ann Grover, and I to create readergirlz.

Readergirlz with Nancy Pearl

That same mission to nurture librarians has led me to commit to create small happy hour gatherings

for librarians and teachers so we could celebrate the launch of A Blind Spot for Boys together with Lorie Ann Grover’s new novel, Hit.

 

I’d like to give a personal shout out to Michelle Lane for organizing a fantastic Northwest book festival. Through A Cavalcade of Authors  thousands of teens have been able to meet with their favorite authors because of her, her vision, and her team of literacy-minded volunteers.

We are so blessed in the greater Seattle area to have truly great librarians who are providing amazing thought leadership on what it means to be a library and provide youth services. Their programming is cutting-edge and community-building. So a special shout out to Jackie Parker Robinson, Rachel McDonald and Darcy Brixey.

A Lion’s Pride of Programs
One of my greatest joys as an author are my visits to middle and high schools where I get to spend time with remarkable students, teachers, and librarians.

Photo with Middle School librarian “Walter the Giant”

With Hanna Teter and Arlington Librarian

One of the most memorable visits was to Charlotte Country Day School in North Carolina. Megan Fink is a truly wonderful librarian who worked with media specialists to sponsor a multicultural day where I had the privilege of being the keynote speaker. The school district bused in a couple of hundred of students to Charlotte Country Day so they could hear me. On display outside the auditorium was a student’s senior art project: a pair of wings crafted from maps and inspired by my novel, North of Beautiful. I was beyond touched that my words could catalyze a young woman to create art.

Let’s link
JustinaChen.com
Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorJustinaChen
Twitter: @JustinaYChen

Thank you Justina for sharing your books and your Library Love with us!

Love Libraries? Give a Roar in “Comments” below.

Note to Librarians: If you’re a Youth Librarian working in a school or public library we’d love to hear about you and your library. Contact Janet at jlcarey@hotmail.com for an interview slot. The calendar for 2015 is currently wide open J

Note to Authors: If you’re interested in Roaring for Libraries on this blog, contact Janet at jlcarey@hotmail.com for an interview slot.