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.