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. 

TEXAS SCHOOL LIBRARIANS ROAR!

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 today’s guest, Cynthia Bartek!

 

Seen here with the amazing author Libba Bray. (Okay I’m a little jealous of this photo, Cynthia).

The SkinnyI’m one of the Librarians at Becker Library, which serves St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas.  St. Stephen’s is a private school that instructs students in grades 6-12. 

I love playing “matchmaker” for readers with books!  Nothing is more satisfying than finding just the right book for either a reluctant or a voracious reader.  I also love working with our Middle School students in the Computer Lab on their Information Literacy skills.

A Lion’s Pride of Programs
We love to sponsor students at local events and conferences.  Becker Library regularly registers and chaperons students at the Texas Library Association “Texas Teensfor Libraries” Day, otherwise known as TT4L.  A posse of our students gets to attend as special guests for the day, visit the exhibitors’ showroom, and get VIP access to prominent YA authors!

We also sponsor students to serve as greeters and escorts for visiting YA authors at the Austin Teen Book Festival, a growing local event which saw over 3,000 attendees this year!  

 

Becker Library is happy to join with our fabulous committee in hosting our semi-annual Literary Festival, which brings our whole student body into contact with all sorts of people who use writing in their careers:  novelists, journalists, songwriters, bloggers, and historians, among others!

Once a month, our Librarians gather up some of our best and coolest new books and display them in the Middle School building, so that any student can browse and check out books on the spot!  We call it “Booked for Lunch,” and it’s a great way for kids to mingle over reading material.  Word of mouth from peers is the best way to get things circulating.

 

Readers Roar! Let's Hear From the Kids!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 “A book is like a roller coaster ride, you read it and want to read it again.”  Audryanna, 6^th grade

“The library is like Wonderland where we are Alice with a new discovery around each corner.” Kali, 8^th grade

 “I like the library- the knowledge just seems to seep out of these books and into our minds.” – Hallie, 11^th grade

“Upperclassmen like the library because we get the comfy couches.”  - Larkin, 11^th grade

“The library is a great place to chill with my friends.” – Gavin, 7^th grade

“I like funny books; they make me laugh and help me find my next good joke.” – Andrew, 8^th grade

 

Library Laughs

Once, a group of students set up hidden speakers in the library shelves and tuned each of the computers to the same YouTube video so that when we walked in, we were surrounded by the sounds of monkey chatter, elephant trumpets, lion roars, and a general animal cacophony. It was like walking into our own private jungle!

Book Brag: What three books are hot this year? Why?
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is popular because it’s one we recommend a lot(!) and because it contains enough action to satisfy those Hunger Games readers who are searching for a read-alike.  It also appeals to both male and female readers.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: Well, for one thing, it’s by JOHN GREEN!  He has a huge online following; his vlog is wonderfully quirky and informative, and his writing is stellar.  He captures the teen voice better than anyone I can think of.  

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is in demand because of the current movie tie-in.  Our Upper School students are passing this book around a lot, and it’s an upcoming selection for readers in our Literary Society, which is a student-run reading group.

 Author! Author!  

The perfect author visit can be either in person or via Skype.  In fact, a Skype session with wonderful author Laurie Halse Anderson at a recent Literary Festival at our school pretty much fits the definition!  She was candid and open with the students.  She took a photo of us and tweeted it while we were in session!  We had a warm and genuine dialogue, and she even took the time to ask the name of each student who asked her a question.  She’s a real advocate for youth and is honest and fearless when discussing her writing.

Library Lion’s Roar: ONE LAST BIG ROAR

As part of the Library’s outreach, I have developed an Information Literacy class for our 6^th graders, which is part of our curriculum and runs all school year.  We cover all sorts of 21^st Century library skills and learn how to use databases, cite sources, evaluate websites, and stay safe on the Internet as good digital citizens!

 

Let’s Link

Blog (s):  http://blogs.sstx.org/library/

Library Website:  https://www.sstx.org/library?rc=1

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Becker-Library/131592140305957?ref=hl

Thank you, Cynthia! Your school library sounds terrific! We’re here to Roar for Libraries and to create a space for librarians to share their amazing youth programs.  

 To Blog Readers: 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.