Five Star 2015 Books

Better late than never. So many kids books this year. 

Disaster Preparedness

My city was recently hit by a huge tornado that made national headlines. And if you have seen this floating around on the Internet, it should not come as a surprise.

We were so lucky that no one in the City was killed and that all of our coworkers were safe (although some had some hair-raising stories!)

These are the awesome things we were able to do for our customers.

1. Stay open a little later so people needing Internet access could come in.

2. Entertain those that have nothing else. Our story times were on hiatus, but we had two big parties; Noon Year's Eve (go me!) and Winter Reading Club. These were both very well attended and I think parents really enjoyed the break as well. 

3. Gave people a sympathetic ear. I think this was the most important. 

4. Asked for guidance. 

This one wasn't really for our customers, but very important. I immediately went to a well-known library social media hang out and asked for guidance. All of the members were extremely supportive, and someone led me to an awesome librarian from Moore, Oklahoma who had been through this before. She not only gave us tons of ideas, but may have acted as a temporary therapist.

These are the things that I wish I had done BEFORE the storm hit;

1. Made sure there were plenty of disaster books that are appropriate to our region. 

Obviously tornadoes are a big risk in North Texas. I wish we had invested in more in books for all ages about loss and disasters before this had happened. However, we were able to organize a list through our catalog and share it with our patrons

2.  Organized a Pillowcase Project

This project allows 3rd-5th graders to become involved in disaster preparedness and gives them a sense of control. 

3. Been a part of the essential city staff

When I worked for a different system, I always groused at the fact that library staff was made to come in on extremely icy days. When another staff member asked about this, we were told that the library should always be considered essential staff. Now I completely get it. It was horrible to not be able to come in and serve the customers you love so much when they are in a bad position

That time Michael Ian Black made gentle fun of my review.

And thought I was a dude. 

That time Merrill Markoe responded to that tweet about me.

Then when my friends chimed in to tell me I am great...and then Michael Ian Black liked that. 

That time he tweeted about my reviews again. 

Noon Year's and Lessons Learned

The Noon Year's Party went well with 108 party-goers! That is great for our little library. Even though it went well, I learned a few things;
*There should be a break in the action, an hour of dancing got a lot of the kids riled up
*Kids will try to use almost anything as a sword
*The apple juice for a "toast" was unnecessary and I don't think the kids really got it (maybe a popcorn bar next year?)
*You will get the bubble machine when you can handle the bubble machine!
*The best moms have your back, don't worry!

Review: Michael Ian Black Navel Gazing: True Tales of Bodies, Mostly Mine (but also my mom's, which I know sounds weird)

Navel Gazing: True Tales of Bodies, Mostly Mine (but also my mom's, which I know sounds weird) Michael Ian Black

I had not read Black's prior work, but am a big fan of his TV work. This makes me want to go back and read his other stuff. 

Black switches between his complicated feelings about his mother's health and his own quest to stay healthy through running. He happily admits that he actually does not enjoy running, which I appreciate. He also talks about his mother's coming out, family secrets and that he may have a desire to kill his wife. 

An enjoyable, fun read. Buy it here.