delicious website, value added services, 'maximum learning readiness'

Well, I figured out that it makes a whole lot of sense to open up one tab in the morning, and have all my links there! Ha. The lightbulb goes off. This is my new assignment to myself
http://www.delicious.com/ru4libraries

Ever ask yourself what is a value added service and one that is not? What would you give to stop fighting fires and more on planning?  20% dedicated learning time for something different that makes a better impact on delivering library services?

For everyone who earned ticket to Lancaster Barnstormers -- see you at the game on Friday night! Yahoo for Summer Reading learners -- now there is an educational program that supports (did you hear it on NPR this morning) 'maximum learning readiness'. Librarians help shape it all the time.

Travels

I'll be up in State College tomorrow for a Commonwealth Libraries Leadership Conference, "Strategies to Get Through Tough Times".

Yesterday was a day of travels of the mind. You know how you get to some point in your thinking and it's one way or the other and then again its maybe both? I had one of those conversations where you just keep thinking 'what's the solution here?' Well, today I hoping it has been resolved, yet, time will tell. Anyone remember 'thinking is the best way to travel' by the Moody Blues?

What I'm reading now --- Mockingjay -- yes, we have our copies! Kudoze to our CDTS department -- no problem here for acquisition. Sorry to read about all the angst out there for those who won't be getting them anytime soon.

The 2011 ALSC/Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Committee is asking the ALSC membership to submit titles for consideration. The Sibert Award is presented annually to the author, author/illustrator, co-authors or author and illustrator of the most distinguished informational book published during the preceeding year. Honor books may be named.

Informational books are defined as those written and illustrated to present, organize, and interpret documentable factual material for children from birth through age fourteen. (Poetry and traditional literature are not eligible. Authors and illustrators must be U.S. citizens or residents. Other terms and criteria can be found on the ALSC website:  http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/sibertmedal/sibertterms/sibertmedaltrms.cfm

So much is happening

Mission Go to the private schools, our big summer end party for kids at DW, maybe another fundraiser, Bouquet for Books, kids for the pre-game ceremony at Lancaster Barnstormer game nights, financial literacy programs for 6-10 year olds, the OCL summer reading survey (reminder I would like both participation & completion numbers), another museum pilot project too!
oh, and YALSA opened up the Teens Top Ten today at
 www.surveymonkey.com/s/teenstopten2010   The Teens' Top Ten is a reading list chosen entirely by and for teens. The twenty-six official nominations were chosen by fifteen teen book groups from across the U.S. that participate in YALSA's YA Galley project, in which publishers provide book groups with galleys and the teens provide feedback. Last year, more than 11,000 teens voted for the Teens' Top Ten, choosing Paper Towns by John Green as their favorite title.

Twitter thing

Right now I'm going to skip signing up for twitter. I've created so many passwords, that I need a little book to keep them all in.

Webinars & Podcasts

I've participated in a bunch of webinars. Some really great ones from our Homework Help Service, Tutor.com. For podcasts, I think it was on programminglibrarian, for summer reading, there are some very fine ones there which I highly recommend.
It's been extremely busy week, with end of summer reading and trying to connect with 25 private schools about our Mission GO, grade one library card campaign. I've made several trips over to local IU warehouse to get the materials delivered to schools. It's a new process to get used to. I hope the school educators get them soon!
Oh, great workshop here in Lancaster. We had Cathy DeRosa from OCLC speak about marketing libraries and geekthelibrary.org   I sent my friend one of the postcards. She has a jewerly store, so I imagine she'll geekjewerly!  I asked my husband what he geeked. He replied "I geekRenee".  He geeks more than that  -- I know. His cellphone met some water recently and he took it apart and dried it out and put it all back together -- and voila! We didn't have to get a new one. It works. Eric geeksmechanics.

Penny Talbert from Ephrata Public Library presented an upbeat and very informative session on Public Library & School Library Collaborations. If you don't know your high school coach or musical director -- you need to. Who is going to set up those 100 chairs the next time you have a big program! and what about students performing chamber music at the next adult program at your library -- who are you going to call!?

Check out what I'm reading

Just joined goodreads.com and am finding it fascinating. I see lots of potential. I sent a recommended read to my facebook page (which I haven't checked in what 'weeks!' or a month). I think this Thing will be useful for the youth librarians to build some of their own shelves and we put together a group. A great way to know what a colleague thinks is a good read, or one that bites.
Check out my books on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/profile/R_Christiansen

smiling

'just because I'm smiling doesn't mean I'm happy" quote from a colleague in my office! which got us both laughing!

Summer ends & what's next

Summer Reading Program ending tomorrow! This week has been a whirland at local public libraries, between hosting what has been a fantastic show, Flow Circus, to receiving hundreds of completed reading sheets!  I know I can hear everyone breathe a sigh of relief that it is just one day away.

Thanks to all Lancaster County youth and family members who participated in the countywide summer reading program. 

What's around the corner you ask? Mission GO is. Our countywide library card sign up celebrating National Library Card Sign-up Month. First graders will be signing up for their very first public library card! A great milestone of childhood celebrated with parents and adult caregivers -- yes-- actually taking snaps of their child using their library card for the first time. Now that is a Kodak (did I just date myself?) moment.  Anyone out there ever be a part of this picture taking moment? It's really quite wonderful. Right up there with attending a naturalization ceremony--makes you think about all the good things in life.

delicious account fun

I had a great time going through months of old email from several listservs which posted lots of interesting websites on all sorts of useful topics. delicious proved extremely valuable! I opened up the links, saw what I needed, if good, they went to delicious and tagged. Whahoo! now it's one stop shopping for when I need to find grants, early literacy, teen programming, and more. Why did I ever wait so long to use something so incredibly useful?!
Hoot! 
http://delicious.com/ru4libraries

Comments?

Member Library Youth Services Librarians -- make a comment on this blog and I'll send you an ARC (as long as the current supply lasts!). Tweet!

End of Summer Reading

Hoot! End of the countywide summer reading program this week. We blast out with fantastic Flow Circus everywhere--what fun! Thanks to all the readers and participants who joined and read, visited and experienced a rewarding summer. If you haven't finished yet -- still time to turn in your reading sheets -- Saturday is the last day.

Thanks to all our special sponsors -- McDonald's, Strasburg Rail Road, Auntie Anne's, Dutch Wonderland, Country Barn & Farm Market, Lancaster Ice Rink, Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, Dunkin Donuts, Rita's Ices, Lancaster Participating Bowling Centers, Isaac's Restaurant & Deli, Laserdome and Lancaster Barnstormers--we appreciate your generouse support of youth literacy.