#ILoveNYLibrariesDay

Growing up in Queens, I frequented two branches of the Queens Public Library.  It was always fun to go down to the main branch in Jamaica on the weekends. They had bins and bins of albums that you could check out.  Being a kid (copyright?) I remember playing and recording the songs I liked on my portable cassette player.  The Briarwood branch was more like home.  I could walk over there after school, do my homework, dive into random subjects in the World Book Encyclopedia (so much more kid friendly than the Encyclopedia Britannica set in my living room) and chill.

When I moved back to New York from stints in Maryland and Maine in 1996, I landed in the Capital Region without a job. My boyfriend, now husband, and I lived in an apartment. I spent a lot of time at the Guilderland Public Library searching for jobs. This was way before I became a librarian. Since 1999, the Castleton Public Library has been my home library.Yeah, I'm not feeling old right now.

I met some good friends at that library once I became a mom.  We would go for story hour and stay. And stay. And stay. We started making a lunch pot luck. "I'll bring the PB and J." "OK. I'll bring the goldfish."  "I got the juice boxes."  It got so crazy that one of my friends sewed a special tablecloth just for us to keep down there. Good times.

Today, more than ever, New York libraries have a lot to offer.  Have you checked out the Castleton Public Library website lately?  There are so many free resources.  Even if you don't have a library card, you can still check out books   They have additional databases (ie, Tumblebooks math) and even ideas for virtual field trips. Check out this LINK for a curated list  of activities and ideas for kids and teens.

Want more? Check out the New York Public Library page for tons of remote resources for parents, families, kids, and educators.

Of course, I have to include resources from my original home town library, the Queens Public Library. Check out their Facebook page for a calendar of all their virtual events. Just have to throw this out there--growing up in Queens that has made me who I am today.  Anyone from Queens can probably agree.  I am forever grateful for that and I love the Queens Public Library.

But we can't leave our upstate friends out.  Gosh, in just a few clicks, I'm realizing that you could go to any public library website and find virtual things to do.  After reading a tweet from my Buffalo friend, Maria, I went to the Buffalo Public Library page and woah! They have a ton of activities in their calendar! Between all these libraries, you could be busy literally every minute of the day! And we didn't even mention reading! If that doesn't make you love New York libraries, I don't know what will.

Yes, I love my friends in Texas. I proudly wear my Texas Bluebonnet award shirt. I have a Texas flag postcard by my circulation desk. But, I am undeniably a born and bred New Yorker and I love ALL my NY libraries. The ones from my childhood, my 20s and now. #ILoveNYLibrariesDay

PS: I got some amazing snail mail today from my friend, Elisha Cooper.  Could it BE more appropriate for #ILoveNYLibrariesDay ?  I don't think so. And a great way to end a celebration of #NationalLibraryWeek.  Thank you, Elisha.

I was hoping you could get a bag, too! So I went searching, sadly unsuccessfully, on NYPL's website.  Maybe when this is all over you can purchase one at the branch? However, I did find a link to free downloads of crosswords, wordfinds and coloring pages for kids and adults. Check it out.  And if you still need more to do, you know where to go! I 💙 Libraries!

#NYLibrarySpotlightDay

"Woke up. Got out of bed. Dragged a comb across my head...

...I read the news today, oh boy..."

-Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart's Club Band

Happy #NYLibrarySpotlight Day.

Woke up. Got out of bed. Did NOT drag anything across my head. Yoga. Coffee...and...and the news? Well, oh boy is right.

Today was a good day for this New York school librarian.

I got up early in a panic thinking I had to get an email out to a teacher by 6:50.  Oops. Am I on Texas time?  It was SEVEN 50. Bonus hour to get things done.

Before 9, three first graders were in front of me eager to learn how to access SORA. Once they got their logins and a reminder to use their public library card, too, the world of books was exponentially opened up to them. Good feeling.

Answer and send emails.  

Read a picture book about the coronavirus.  There are a lot out there but what makes this one special is that it can be translated into 25 languages. Forward to my faculty and staff and the HS Spanish teachers.  One Spanish teacher immediately replies, "I love it."  Win. 

(CES Parents reading this: I have a whole folder of books like this on my resource page.)

It's almost time for the daily 10:30 read aloud. This week Grace Lin is reading her Newbery honor book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, via Facebook Live. I know my students would probably not watch on their own so I offer it up as a meet with me. Look at them, especially the one in the bottom left with his arms up. They. Are. Listening. It is always a challenge getting these things going, though. Every day. Today was unusually difficult so I finally pulled it up on my laptop and projected it on my school computer.  Crisis diverted. (CES Parents: So far the read alouds have been middle grade but next week they will be all picture books.  Meet code: 56reads.)

I try and take a brief break to watch Governor Cuomo's press conference.  Today was no exception. My son baked a loaf of sandwich bread last night and I ate the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich I ever had. I'm not kidding.

A belated book birthday party is better than no party at all, right? So for my 6th grade Dewey Duty lunch we celebrated Lauren Wolk's Echo Mountain. I just received the e-galley on Monday but lucky for me, I couldn't sleep that night so I got a bunch of it read before the release yesterday.  So far, amazing. Gripping. Can you really go wrong with Lauren Wolk?  I pulled out a cupcake, we read the first two chapters together and everyone was hooked.  Juliann was randomly picked to receive a copy compliments of me via Northshire Bookstore. She was SO excited! To this date, this is the 10th book I have given away. Money well spent that normally would have gone to coffee, gas, doughnuts,  theatre, Montreal, concerts...

Back to bookstores, Grace Lin gave us three tips today. Buy books and audiot books from: bookshop.org and libro.fm (to support indie bookstores) and check out her podcast, https://www.kidsaskauthors.com/. The podcast sounds awesome! Kids come up with questions for book creators and they answer. Great questions to remember for author/illustrator Skypes and school visits.

Faculty meeting. More emails. Plan. Walk. 

Facetime with a friend. Wait. She's key to this entire day. I would not have had it without her. 

In 2006 Val and I met at a party. She was a 3rd grade teacher, NOT a librarian. We just met. I was on maternity leave and ready for something new. She told me to become a school librarian. Seriously. I heeded her, a stranger's, advice. I did not know her AT ALL. Six months later I quit my job and enrolled full time.  The theme for National Library Week is "Find Your Place at the Library." Thanks, Val, for changing my life by helping me find my place and giving me today. 🧡📚😍

#NYLibrarySpotlightDay #NYLibraryWeek #NationalLibraryWeek #LibrariesTransform #SchoolLibraryMonth

A belated School Librarian Day Shout Out

Happy School Librarian Day, just a day late due to snow!

I just smiled from ear to ear about RePete...

LOL.  I'm the ONLY librarian at CES.  But that's ok!  I can still be the best!

I don't know if you can read that but it says, "Thank you for sending my letter to Emma."
She is referring to Emma Virjan, the author and illustrator of the Pig in a Wig books.

"I love that Sarah Weeks is coming soon." Me, too.

Mrs. Pryde's kids wrote me letters and gave me flowers today.  I'm overjoyed.  The letters were so sweet and touching.  Libraries transform even the youngest learners.  I can't believe what an impact our Geisel project had on them.  From collaborating on the Stone Soup books in the fall to Skyping with authors from New Jersey, California, Texas, Massachusetts, Kansas and probably more that I'm forgetting. They remember it all.  Chris Grabenstein and Monica Wellington.  They can't wait for Sarah Weeks and they loved meeting RePete.  "I've never met a talking bird."  Neither have I ;-)

You are MOST welcome!

I'm the BEST leaping librarian!  Is there another one?

Hey! I'm glad you appreciate Pebble Go.

Thank YOU for the Geisel.  That was such a rewarding project!
And we made so many new friends while we were at it!

I wish you could do it again, too, Brendan.  We'll have to talk to your second grade teacher.

Every day I am thankful that my library is flexibly scheduled and I have a supportive administrator.  I can meet with these kids regularly, do intense research, organize parties, author visits and more.  We can do projects that last a day, a week, a month or months.  It's a true joy and I'm so happy to celebrate School Library Day and School Library Month every day and month of the year!

I hope that all of my school librarian friends celebrated yesterday, today or just another day of the month.  You all deserve it!  You are fabulous at what you do and each and every day we are enriching, engaging, indulging, exposing and transforming the young people in our buildings.  Happy School Library Celebration!  Now let's party!

Oh yeah, we are having a big party tomorrow to celebrate Booked by Kwame that came out today. Yeah, just a day late in it all...

What other first grader knows the Pi symbol???!!!