Share the Love

2 days ago, I spoke with a parent, via phone, about our library pumpkin contest (more on that this weekend!).  Before she hung up, she said, "My husband and I just want you to know that you are the reason our son likes to read.  He always comes home excited about books you have talked about or read."  It made me feel AWESOME, AMAZING, SPECTACULAR!  And, on a day when I was a bit stressed out in libraryland, it was perfectly timed.  Had she not had a question about the pumpkin contest, I probably would have never heard such a lovely thing.  We all need those attaboys and attagirls once in a while.

Yesterday one of the resource teachers in the Office of Digital Learning (ODL) sent out an email about the Letters About Literature Contest.  I flagged it to look at later and determine how to get my students involved in some way.

Last night I finally had a minute to read the whole email.  Buried within the text was this bullet:
·         Christine Sarbanes Award Nomination information. The award is open to those whose students participate in LAL. Educators cannot self-nominate, but a principal or a colleague can do so: http://bit.ly/1M6Sp7u

I've been privileged this past year to attend more professional conferences than ever - both physically and virtually.  As I read about the presenters, I am always impressed by their list of credentials and awards.  They are amazing individuals.

Today I am heading off to one of my favorite places, Professional Development, with some of my favorite people, fellow librarians in BCPS, and I know that sitting next to me in one of those meetings is some one just as amazing and awesome.  I know that sitting in my faculty room back at school is someone just as amazing an awesome.  The only difference is that somebody somewhere took the time to nominate them for that award, accolade, acknowledgement. That's a big deal!

 It takes time and effort to think highly enough of someone's abilities to want to share their wonderfulness with others.  We are all busy and we all have very full plates.  We all have the same 24 hours in a day that we have to balance with family, work and self.  But what if we took just a few minutes and sent an email, dropped a note or nominated a colleague for an honor?  How incredible would they feel to be acknowledged - even if they don't win?  How incredible would YOU feel knowing you made someone's day?

Share the love!

Fiction Princess

Remember that movie with Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, The Princess Diaries? (I love those predictable feel good movies.)  Today felt a lot like that movie and first date prep all in one!  To refresh you (with thanks to Disney for the images), here's her before:

I had looked at my date's digital footprint (blogs, posts and articles online), planned my outfit (signage and book labels) and had directions to our meeting place (my "map" of the planned shelving areas for the Fiction section).  I was ready and waiting. (It was Elementary Conference Day so there were no classes just families coming in for conferences with teachers- perfect day for this.) So at 8:30am, this is what the Fiction section looked like:

Stacks of books (much like piles of discarded clothes before a date) awaiting labeling and reshelving.  The clock moved ever so slowly as I awaited the "crew" coming to help me.  The thought of leading the charge was daunting.  I wanted someone to tell ME how to make this work.  I wanted direction and instead I was the one who would be giving the direction.

So the helpers (hair and makeup people- if you will!) arrived and we got down to work. (Here's the movie reference again!)

Labels were placed on each book spine.  First problem of the day - where do they go?  Above the spine label or below?  What about the books with Black Eyed Susan stickers?  Uhhh...ummm...Below?  Put it over the sticker? Uhhh..help!  So the stickers go under the label unless there is a Black Eyed Susan sticker.  Then it goes above the spine label.  After the label is affixed, cover it with a clear label protector.

Everybody grab a book and jump in!

 The clear covering (for the labels we created) were "challenging" to remove from the roll at times.

 Note to self: Bigger trashcans needed for Nonfiction!

 

 

Second hiccup of the day: Fantasy and Science Fiction.  If you remember, I was pretty adamant that they be combined.  However, I listened to the rationale for separating them and decided it would be in the students' best interests if they were separated.  After all, that is how it is done in the "real world" libraries.  So now I have a Fantasy section and a Science Fiction Section.

 

Third hiccup:  The 5x7 and 3x5 copies of the labels were missing and the school's color printer was not working.  Not a catastrophe by any stretch of the imagination but disappointing.  It was like not finding the matching earring for the pair you want to wear. 

 

So after all the books were labeled (which surprisingly only took about an hour and a half), it was time to return the books to their new shelves.

         Not too many pictures of this because we were busy!                                                 

 

Throughout this process, curiosity from people passing by was high.  Parents peeked in.  Teachers stopped in for a second.  We kept working.  And, just like in the movie, we have a pretty amazing finished product:

 

 

 

 

Take a peek at our final results,

 

Princess Amelia is all ready for the ball and the Fiction section is all dressed up and ready for the doors to open Monday morning.  I hope the kids like their "date".  I sure do!  I so appreciate the help of Fran, Chimere, Kelly, Ben, Jennifer, Justin and Val.

 

When we were finished, we basked in the "beauty" of it all for a few minutes and switched gears to look ahead at what is happening next - Nonfiction and new learning.  A much larger undertaking to be sure!  More on that in a later post.  Right now, I just want to gaze (in my proverbial mirror) at the loveliness that is my date ready Fiction section fit for a Princess.