Story Hour Postponement

Hello SAPL patrons,

I know I've been determined to bring back story hour next month but without a clear understanding of the communities' wants and needs in terms of library programming, I've decided to wait.

I'm not a patient person.

I know I look mild-mannered and librarian-ish, but deep down I can be just as impatient as the next soul. I get excited about programs that I feel will help my patrons, I just haven't figured out how to get my patrons' excited about them.

So, respecting your silent wishes (I've haven't heard from any of you) I'm retreating to my corner of Library World to hash out a more detailed plan to draw you into my lair of doom and get you excited about reading.

In other news, I finished Across the Universe by Beth Revis. Summary and review are on the library Book Club wall! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Steeleville-Area-Public-Library-Book-Club/537497213020781

Surprisingly, I've had 37 likes on the wall since I've offered to dye my hair pink if we get 100 likes and some posts from someone other than me.

Please keep checking out the Book Club and please, read and review a book! Start a conversation about one you've liked in the past. TALK! Everyone is always talking and texting, yet I find my patrons to be silent about their reads....

Yours-in-Impatience,

Sarah

Current Read: I'm going to have to finish the Lux series. I've had it stashed in my bag for a week now...I don't want it to end!

Current Mood: Impatiently Waiting for a response from someone...anyone?

Current Location: Library World

P.S. I bought a bag of Cappuccino flavored lays--I'm not a huge fan but I figured I'd put them out tomorrow and let you guys decide.

Plagues and Pink Hair

Hey,

Sorry for the no-post yesterday. My 5 year-old brought the plague home from school as a sort of science experiment and I've been dealing with affects since Saturday morning. I got called Rudolph yesterday and that sort of sealed the deal for me and working. I might survive but Clarabeth has it as well and getting up every 3 hours to comfort her has me beat.

Chances for a full recovery--50/50 at this point.

Anyway, I'm here until noon. I had to get time sheets in and bills paid.

A few quick things before I pass out, the new Book Page is in and ready to be sampled. Don't worry I washed my hands before handling anything. I'm buying hand sanitizer once I get off work.

Also, I finished a Splintered by A.G. Howard and posted a review on the Book Club wall. Please read the review then go and read the book. After you've done that, please then post a review on the Book Club wall about said book. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Steeleville-Area-Public-Library-Book-Club/537497213020781

I'm serious about dying my hair pink (more magenta really) if I get 100 people signed up and posting for our Online Book Club. I'd probably look awesome/awkward with magenta hair so please, please join and I'll let you gawk at me for 6 months before returning to my boring, librarian self. 

Lastly, I know the heat is killing us, but don't be afraid to hop in the car and drive down to visit your library. It's been a slow and agonizing three weeks and the only excitement I've had in this building has been the students' forced return. 

Bring back some excitement and check out a book!

Yours-in-plagues, 

Sarah

Current Read: Unhinged  by A.G. Howard (I'm close to finishing but this sickness has slowed me down.)

Current Mood: "Bring out your dead!"  Oh, Monty Python. 

Current Location: Getting ready to leave work and return to bed or more realistically, get the kids and survive until 8 p.m. tonight. Well, hello there Casey's pizza.

P.S. Revenge of Seven by Pittacus Lore has just arrived!!!

Story Hour Troubles

Hello dear patrons,

I know I've been trying to bring back story hour. I've talked-the-talk but now that it's coming up to that time, I'm finding the walk a bit trickier than anticipated.

The snag I've hit is how do we get the kids into the library? Or better yet how do we convince the grownups to drop the kids off at the library for a little fun and some reading?

I know how grownups are, I think my age qualifies me as one, though my family isn't convinced. Saturdays in my family are riddled with errands, chores and the oh-so-tedious tasks of looking ahead to next week's schedule.

Thankfully, my five-year-old hasn't started the endless cycle of basketball-volleyball-softball-music-dance-clubs and I'm not taxi-driver extraordinaire yet.
Still, when it comes to story hour it's easy to find an excuse not to go:

"I have to get my shopping done."

"I'm in the middle of mopping the floors."

"Clarabeth is eating."

"Sock monster ate my sock."

I have more lost soles in my house than any other person I know. Totally blaming this guy.

What I'm getting at is that we need the kids and the grownups to help us with story hour. We really can't have it without you guys. If you have better day or time or place where story hour would fit into your schedules we'd love to hear it! We welcome suggestions. 

I'll offer free coffee to parents who which to stay and socialize while their children get read to and play games.

I'll throw in an hour of babysitting services to those who have a quick errand to run and can't stay the whole time.

I think I sound a little desperate, but I'm sad to see this great service, traditionally offered by libraries, being discarded by ours due to lack of attendance.

Please give us some WORK! You pay taxes for our services and it's you who decides what services we offer.

Let us read to your children. Let us take away one hour of their usual boredom. Let us help you encourage of love of reading that can last a lifetime.

Yours-in-sorrowful-need-of-story-hours,

Sarah

P.S. Did I mention this would be FREE?

Current Read: Splintered by A.G. Howard I'm preparing to write the review on the Book Club wall...wait for it!

Current Mood: Furiously glancing at current read and then at the clock--why is this day so looong?

Current Location: Wonderland

The Return

Yeah, our students are back! Today marked the first day of our students visiting the library.

I'm happy to say that some branched out and tried our newer books and others were content to start the year with a secure favorite. Overall, a great start to a wonderful year.

I also ordered Large Print books today. I don't have a large budget for Large Print so I went with only 2 this time and hopefully, as the year progresses, we'll get more money for this section.

 I must admit that this week has made me ready for fall. The final heat wave of summer has arrived and I can almost smell the pumpkin spice lattes. Of course, I now think it's too hot to go outside and I should stay in, enjoy the AC and a good book. 

What building has AC and books? 

Yours-in-heat-waves, 

Sarah

Current Read: I'm too tired to read. (I am hoping for a second wind and for Leona to cover Splintered).

Current Mood: Tired.

Current Location: Heading toward Du Quoin to drop off brochures. 

Hump Day Delights

Good day patrons,

I'm sorry about not posting yesterday, but nothing newsworthy happened and so I used my time to do newsworthy-ish things for today.

On my agenda, is grant writing and donation-seeking for the most part, but this last hour I've been working on adult fiction books and getting excited about tomorrow.

Why?

Because classes start coming in tomorrow! I can't wait to see the students and help them select novels to read. I plan on strongly encouraging checking out our, so-far, neglected Book Club (seriously, am I the only geek in Steeleville?) and make them an offer they can't refuse.

Go ahead, repeat the last part of that sentence with a Godfather's accent. You know you want to...

Okay, okay, enough rambling. Here are my adult fiction picks for August:

I will be ordering some large print later this week, so keep an eye out for it. And if we don't have a book you are wanting, please let us know and we can get it for you!

Yours-in-great-reads, 

Sarah

Current Read: Just finished up and looking for something new--Leona's got a book to cover that I'm dying for!

Current Mood: Excited for school to be back in session. 

Current Location: Avoiding coffee.

Board Meetings and Take overs

Good Monday,

Today has been rather uneventful in our Library World. I hovered over the new books and tried not to jump gleefully when I thought about how I was going to read them once Leona's covered them.

I have a board meeting tonight and in my world that means Clarabeth comes to play. Which means I get a little work done and spend most of my day trying to convince, the un-convincible Clara, to take a NAP.

That happened--at my expense (think high heels and carrying a 20 pound baby around for an hour).

*le sigh* Clarabeth is definitely in charge and she knows it. Here's the proof:

She was trying to grab the phone...Clarabeth is not into photography.

Anyway, to any interested parties, our board meeting will be from 7 p.m. to usually 8 p.m. and is open to the public. Mini-director will be there in all her glory and most likely in desperate need of sleep. 

Also, any interested parties are more than welcomed to try and put her to sleep for me. 

Yours-in-tyrannical-babies,

Sarah

Current Read: 168 Hours:You Have More Time Than You Think by Luara Vanderkam

Current Mood: Clarabeth is trying to bring me her Moby so she doesn't have to crawl anymore. Can you say "power struggle"? 

Current Location: Awaiting Clarabeth's orders. 

Uninteresting

Hello SAPL folk!

Sorry about the short and uninteresting post. We haven't seen many people in lately and it's been really quiet here. So most of my work has been looking for good books to draw you guys back in.

I do have some exciting news though, our teen books came in on Thursday and I totally geeked out when I saw them! Can't wait to read them once Betty's catalogued them and Leona's covered them!

Keep an eye out next week for them to hit the shelves.

Also, an early welcome back to our students! We've missed you guys visiting us and hope you enjoy the new reads.

See you next week!

Yours-in-slow-happenings,

Sarah

Current Read: Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout (I had to catch up on my Library Wars series and it's put me behind on my Lux novels.)

Current Mood: Over-caffeinated...if that's possible.

Current Location: Weekend errands time.

Mid-Week Reads

It's a beautiful day outside. The bees are buzzing and whatnot. I haven't seen more than a dozen people inside the library and part of me thinks "Geez, I should be outside reading."

Well, aside from moving my workstation outside, the best I could do was open the window and gaze longingly at the stack of unread books on my desk. (I've left a short review of Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout and on After the End by Amy Plum if you interested...check Facebook Book Club).

My mom visited me and needed something to do for the next 3 hours while she waits on her carpool pal.

I'm hoping she'll review some of these books for me...:P

In other news, I've prepared the last Teen Grant Flyer for you. I couldn't fit all the new books on it but I got as many as I could. So mentally add new copies of the Princess Diary series to the flyer. Thanks. 

I'm going to miss the hours I spent reading reviews and summaries for these books, but I've had to bookmark some of them so I can continue to buy the next in the series.

(FYI I think I'm going to be snatching up the Splintered series, Across the Universe and NewSouls (Incarnate, Asunder, Infinite) series. So don't be too surprised if they aren't on the shelves right away.)

Sleep if for the Non-readers ( and those without kids)

Good Tuesday to you, SAPL patrons!

I bring tidings of mixed emotions...today was the last book order for my teen grant!

Pressing the order button, it hit me, this will be the last HUGE order of teen books for a while. As excited as I am to be receiving all these books (my mother will attest to my ridiculous excitedness over the books), I'm sad that I can't keep ordering and ordering and ordering... I might have to go to an anonymous book ordering group for counseling.

I plan on making a flyer (I love Word Publisher) and posting it up for everyone. Check out tomorrows blog and/or our Facebook for it!

Besides my addiction to scouring the web for teen reads, I've been up late reading and taking care of a very teething Miss Clara. So don't be surprised if I'm half asleep at my desk some days.

I finished reading Jennifer L. Armentrout's Obsidian, Onyx and now am reading Opal. If you were curious about how I liked Obsidian please check out my review on the Book Club wall. I've yet to comment on Onyx but it was pretty awesome...which is why I'm reading Opal. More reviews to follow.

Other exciting news is our mail delivered some wonderful items today:

I call dibs on one copy of Divergent...I didn't see it in theaters and I know I'll be disappointed when I think about the movie versus the book, but I feel like I "have to" watch it. 

I am also planning to pick up on my manga series with Library Wars 8. I got 9 ordered and on the way!

Yours-in-sleepless-nights,

Sarah

Current Read: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Current Mood: Caffeine?

Current Location: Not dreamland

Monday Musts

Hello patrons,

I'm only here for half the day today. My daughters need eye exams and I have an appointment after lunch.

We don't have a lot going on here in Library World, but with one week left until school start, we are getting excited.

I've been trying to read as much as I can...of course, this can backfire. I accidently woke Clarabeth Saturday night/Sunday morning with my reading and she repaid me this morning at 3 a.m.---did you know that 6 month-olds can kick really hard?

Anyway, I posted another review on the Book Club wall and would love it if someone would check it out and maybe check out the book?https://www.facebook.com/pages/Steeleville-Area-Public-Library-Book-Club/537497213020781?ref_type=bookmark

Yours in exhaustion,

Sarah

Current Read: Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Current Mood: Excited for the next book!

Current Location: Eye doctors

Fabulous Friday

Good afternoon SAPL patrons! Happy Friday!

Yesterday I was running late (which seems to be my usual state now) and didn't have chance to post. Today isn't a different story, but I set aside a few minutes to post about the library going-ons.

Because of my recent book-movie habit, I've decided to put together a book-movie display. Now there are a lot more books here that have been turned into movies but these are the movies we had on hand to put out with their books.

Stop by and check out the display or better yet, check out the movie and book to compare the two. A bad movie doesn't equal a bad book!

Also, I've been subjecting my five-year-old to doctor appointments for the much anticipated start of kindergarten. Miss Anna had to come to work with me today. She's still unclear about what she wants to be when she grows up but I think it's safe to say chair tester is not on the list. 

Mom's work is too exciting.

Next week is the last week of summer break! I'm looking forward to seeing our students again and ordering my last set of Teen Grant Books. : ) Monday is the last day for suggestions...

Yours-in-spinning chairs, 

Sarah

Current Read: Haven't decided yet

Current Mood: Ready for the weekend

Current Location: Where the kid is...

Quickly

Sorry for the short post today, but I was in a directors chat meeting, simultaneously listening for this audio book to skip (a patron reported that it wasn't working properly) and working on my Per Capita Grant.

Busy bee.

FYI  Lazerware has been installing our new computers ALL day. I expect to see some faces in tomorrow to check them out! Hello, Windows 8 and goodbye, XP. They are suppose to super fast and well, new...

Guess who gets dibs tomorrow morning?

Yours-in-tech-upgrades,

Sarah

Current Read: I have several and a movie to review. Why am I always busy in clumps?

Current Mood: Exhausted and multi-tasking.

Current Location: Eyeballing the new computers.

Dear Patrons,

How are you? We are doing well.  We missed you today at the library. We've been terribly lonely since we opened at 10 a.m. and would like to see you again.

I know it's a little soon to be writing again, but honestly if it weren't for the books we'd probably be going crazy with boredom about now.

Please come visit us! Please...

Yours truly,

SAPL staff

Yes, it's been a rather slow and lonely day here in Library World and we've tried to keep busy by covering books and dusting shelves but there is only so much dusting you can do before the quiet gets to you.

Please come and visit us and break the silence!

On another note, I've noticed an increase in our coffee intake here at work (both patrons and staff!) so please enjoy these interesting facts about coffee.

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/coffee
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/11/things-you-didnt-know-about-coffee_n_4738957.html

Yours-in-wishing-you-were-here,

Sarah

Current Read: Coffee Facts

Current Mood: Lamenting our lack of patronage

Current Location: Library World

Slow It Down Monday

Good Monday to you, SAPL patrons!

Today had been rather slow, though I've noticed that as temperatures warm up people start filing in for something reads and AC. It's nice to see some smiling faces!

The only new news we have today, is that an anonymous donor has graciously purchased a fourth computer for us! Yeah! I informed Lazerware this morning and Tony and the team are already working on the order.

Soon we will have some top of the line computers to play games...I mean work on.

In other news, I did finish a few books this weekend. I read Beastly by Alex Flinn, a modern, teen novel remaking the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast, and am waiting on the movie to arrive (I love checking out materials for FREE).

 I can already tell that how much the movie will differ from the book. I mean, the main character gets turned into a beast (yes, think Disney's Beauty and the Beast) but the movie only has him covered in weird tattoos, not fur, and the other star looks nothing like her character as described by Flinn.  Where is the red hair Hollywood? She's got RED hair, not black. I'm trying to reserve judgement.

(Spoiler alerts! I'll give you the basic overview and you sort of already know the ending to this tale so...)

Kyle Kingsbury gets turned into a beast by the witch Kendra, after being a jerk to her and pretty much everyone else he comes into contact with, and has two years to break the curse by falling in love with and being loved by another person. In this case, an average looking girl who went to his old high school.

 Flinn's novel was entertaining. I think all of Flinn's works are fast, enjoyable reads with the right amount of character development and romance. Yet, I kept thinking something was missing. I'm not sure what it is I'm looking for, maybe some more meat or a deeper look into the characters' transformations. As deep into character development as Flinn goes, it almost feels like they transform into better people too quickly.

There is also very little action. Flinn's novel has one action-packed scene, most of the book is sort of a gentle and modern retelling of the fairytale.

I kind of wished that the Stockholm syndrome found in Beauty and the Beast hadn't been reflected in the work. Sure the girl is treated well, and the main character tries to be "not a guard" and have the home be "not a prison". Still felt too stockholmy for me. (Yes, I invented the word stockholmy).

Could there have been a different way of telling the story that avoided his taking a girl, he'd been spying on months earlier, as his prisoner to get her to spend time with him and eventually fall in love?

Probably not.

Creepy aspects aside. Flinn does a remarkable job rewriting this classic fairytale into a modern day novel. I'll give it a 3.5 stars. I almost started another one of Flinn's but I figure I better get to work on the books I have checked out currently.

Like Library Wars by Kiira Yumi. OMG, this manga series is hilarious! I'm on book 4 already and I can tell you that if the main character got any clumsier she'd be me.

I'll give you my opinions on the series after I've finished it!

Off to take my eldest to get her kindergarten physical. She's really getting too big. I told her to stop growing and she didn't think it worked that way.

Yours-in-stockholmy-books,

Sarah

Current Read: After the End Amy Plum

Current Mood: Library Wars enthusiast

Current Location: Library and Coffee.

Weekend Reading

Good Afternoon, Sapl folk!

I, your gloriously, over-caffeinated, dictator, have some exciting news...

It's FRIDAY. Which means that I've 2 days in which, between nappy changes, school supply shopping, cleaning and meal making, I can read!

I'll be honest. I took a coffee break and ended in up in the Graphics section which lead to me reading part of Library Wars: Love & War 1.

  Sooo good. I still have the books I meant to read last weekend and this week though.

Needless to say I now have an incredibly long book list, on top of, my incredibly long TV-watching list, on top of, my to-do list. Being a library dictator is a lot of work.

I am working on my Per Capita Grant, which for those who don't write library grants, is pretty much me asking the state for money for materials and technology. So if you see me hunched over my desk, scribbling and shaking my head while gazing longingly at my graphic novel, I'm working on the grant.

I can't say it's been a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious week here in Library World. We've catalogued, we've reported, we've discussed book purchases, but after the big Summer Reading Party, it feels slow and draggy.

With that being said, I'm eager to see our cheerful school students on a more regular schedule!

Hope to see you all next Monday!

Yours in graphic-novels-and-chores,

Sarah

Current Read: Library Wars: Love & War 1  by Kiiro Yumi

Current Mood: Excited for the weekend.

Current Location: Hunched over desk with coffee.