Books, beautiful books

They're here! I was able to preview the cart of new books before lunch today. Even though the bulk of the cart, both picture book and juvenile fiction, were not titles I ordered, I was able cherry pick eight for the Mock Caldecott panel scheduled for later this month. My perusal was not "deep" by any way, shape, or form. But, I have to admit one made me laugh out loud. The Middle Child Blues, by David Catrow, is full of wit and Catrow's signature artwork. Angst filled middle child Lee looks wonderfully like a 50's rock star, complete with requisite attitude.

Coming soon

Hurray! I learned today 95 children's books will be arriving this week in our Baker & Taylor shipment. The naked book shelves will once again feature new books, I'll have opportunity to choose several more "new to us" titles for the Mock Caldecott sessions scheduled for later this month, and there will be something new to read!

Storytime memories

A Halloween tradition, it was treat bag week for my student workers; a fun selection of sugar. As with other holiday's, it meant an increase in student teachers looking for appropriate picture books to share in the classroom this week. Almost every appropriate pumpkin, fall, Halloween, and slightly scary picture book is currently circulating. Helping students find story time holiday books always takes me back to my days in the public library as a children's librarian. Here are a few of my favorite read-alouds for Halloween, since I have been an academic librarian for over eight years, these titles are older (oldies but goodies).

• Froggy's Halloween
• The Hallo-Weiner
• The Little Scarecrow Boy

And my favorite, Big Pumpkin, by Erica Silverman (drat). "They pulled and they tugged and they tugged and they pulled ..."

Shameful follow-up

Monday, I posted about gleefully working my way through six back issues (or three months) of Booklist and School Library Journal. Before I was able to feel too smug about the accomplishment, even with the fine sheen of shame, the September issue of Booklist appeared in my mail box. Since I was in the mood and this issue had a few Thanksgiving titles, it was a simple matter to peruse and purchase another 22 titles for the juvenile collection. Here are a few of my selections:

• Angry Management, Chris Crutcher
• Al Capone Shines My Shoes, Gennifer Choldenka
• Hate List, Jennifer Brown
• Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, Holly Black
• Duck for Turkey Day, Jacqueline Jules
• Turkey Trouble, Wendi Silvano
• Punctuation Celebration, Elsa Knight Bruno
• And Then Comes Halloween, Tom Brenner
• Breathless, Jessica Warman

Purchasing holiday books is often a bit of a conundrum; student teachers are in the classroom for the fall season, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, yet finished the first week of December. The juvenile collection does include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Chinese New Year (to name a few), but they are not as extensively used during the traditional down times between the fall and spring academic year. With luck on my side, the Halloween and Thanksgiving titles on this list will be shelf ready in time for classroom use.

Slightly shameful

The most recent additions to "my" juvenile collection are titles reviewed and selected to finish empty budget lines for the 2008-2009 academic year (ending June 30th). After noting release dates, titles pending publication after May 31st were placed in a B & T folder; on hold for purchase at the beginning of the 2009-2010 academic year (beginning July 1st). With permission given to the acquisitions librarian to begin purchasing, they have since become the only books added to the collection over the summer. Even experiencing back-up in cataloging, this is not a good way to begin a new school year ... my new book shelves are empty sans ten titles. Most of the new books have already begun circulating, the patrons expect and peruse the new books on a regular basis.

For weeks I have been dragging three months worth of Booklist and School Library Journal, not to mention print lists of Horn Book newsletters and Publisher's Weekly feeds, back and forth between my office and the resource center hoping for a few minutes to begin the review process. Today, I had an opportunity to spend the afternoon selecting children's books. It was very enjoyable, except for the short window of purchasing due to availability and print runs of juvenile literature. Titles from the July and August journal issues were sold out, out of stock, and awaiting restocking with our jobber. Chances are I will still get many of them, but after repeated instances of OS, I did something I rarely do; something frowned upon from a collection development perspective. I went through the June titles and looked at the stars for purchase.

I did not automatically choose a starred review, but they did get a significant amount of my attention. I am feeling slightly shameful ... but, I will persevere. ;-)

Holiday books and more

A planned lunchtime blog post was happily interrupted by an invitation to dine at a local pizza parlor; one pepperoni pizza with extra cheese later with library cheer and gossip later and my lunch hour had expired. The remainder of my afternoon consisted of what could be classified as the old gigo theory. Instead of garbage in, garbage out, I was effectively reminded when I order materials and supplies for the resource center I have to put them away when they arrive (especially when there are no student workers in residence). It takes time to put away boxes of poster board, construction paper, and cases of copy paper.

This evening's post is a welcome respite from laboring over my 125 word speaker bio for ACRL and a mad search for a recent photograph. While I find it odd to submit these things for a poster presentation (as opposed to a session speaker), I finished the bio and submitted it, along with my smiling digital self-portrait, just a few moments ago. Now all I have to do cross my fingers funding is granted and register for the conference after the holiday hustle and bustle.

I was adding catalog links for Christmas LC subject headings into a children's literature LibGuide this afternoon. In the spirit of the approaching holiday season, here are a few non-traditional - titles:

• Auntie Claus
• How Murray Saved Christmas
• How Santa Lost His Job
• I See Santa Everywhere
• Mrs. Claus Takes a Vacation
• Olive, The Other Reindeer
• Peter Claus and the Naughty List
• Santa Claustrophobia
• How Santa Got His Job

And, last but certainly not least, a few favorites:

• The Mouse Before Christmas
• Peef: The Christmas Bear
• The Polar Express
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• The Night Before Christmas Pop-up
• Room For A Little One: A Christmas Tale

Merry Christmas ... and happy reading!

Missing, lost & paid, or under the bed

Approximately twice a year the technical services/cataloging assistant brings me a listing of juvenile books that are missing, lost and paid, or gathering dust living under beds in the dorms until the end of the year. I go through the list and determine what titles and their corresponding records can, and should, be deleted from the catalog. The multi-page document has been sitting on top of my growing "to do" pile (yes, I did mean to write pile and not list) beckoning me for attention. The end of last week I determined what could be deleted and what I wanted to re-order. And, because I am greedy about my book buying budget, I asked the acquisitions librarian if the replacement copies should be ordered from a specific line. If money was collected for "lost and paid," that same money should be used to purchase replacements.

While the cataloging librarian was a bit taken aback that I asked, she almost speechless to learn the answer to my question was yes (hah!). The answer I wanted, as opposed to the answer I was expecting, did not change the number of titles I had slotted for replacement; but it does mean I can spend that money elsewhere. Many of the missing books were dated with the topics better served by newer titles and others were unavailable due to the short publication life of non-award-winning and/or classic children's literature. However, some of titles were award winners and purchasing replacements was easy. Here are a few of the books being replaced:

• Dream snow, Eric Carle (Eric Carle!)
• Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me, Eric Carle
• Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech (Newbery Medal)
• A Year Down Yonder, Richard Peck (Newbery Medal)
• The Deaf Musicians - Pete Seeger (curriculum use, new title)
• The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales - Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith
• The Messenger - Lois Lowry
• Remember: The Journey to School Integration - Toni Morrison

As the end of term nears, Friday is the last day of classes, it is also time to clean up things around the resource center. Bulletin boards were updated before Thanksgiving, and today the new book shelves were emptied and sent to the circulation desk for shelving. Even with constant use by the students, there were six shelves of books to be returned to the collection. I no sooner finished loading books on to a cart than the technical services assistant brought me a full cart of new titles! Here are a few of the juvenile and young adult books that caught my interest and have been added to my personal cache of reading materials in my office:

• The Chicken dance, by Jacques Couvillon
• November Blues, by Sharon M. Draper
• Looking for JJ, by Anne Cassidy
• The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex
• The Slippery Map, by N.E.Bodeand Brandon Dorman
• Spanking Shakespeare by, Jake Wizner and Richard Ewing
• Bounce by, Natasha Friend
• The Black Book of Secrets by, F.E. Higgins
• What the Dickens: The story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy, by Gregory Maguire

Whether or not I actually read all of these books is still to be decided. But, as of today they are mine for a month. Plenty of time for some lunchtime reading and even to take home over the holiday.

Graphic novels, bulletin boards, & tyrants

Compiling the graphic novel information yesterday, it occurred to me that it had been some time since I updated three book review bulletin boards in the resource center; two of which support graphic novels in the juvenile and regular library circulating collection, and the third supports young adult titles. Each graphic novel board highlights eight new books by presenting details on cover art, book title, call number and location, and a book review with accompanying citation information. They are easily updated displays that give students something to read while looking for materials kits, waiting for the computers to login, and when they are gazing about daydreaming. While compiling the updates (color print, laminate, display) I found something to read, Tiny Tyrant, by Lewis Trondheim and Fabrice Parme.

The cover art caught my eye featuring King Ethelbert himself standing on top of the world, scepter in hand and crown perched on the back of his head, surrounded by his loyal subjects. If that was not enough, the back cover features a wonderful tagline: "What if the most powerful person in your nation was a spoiled brat?"

Tiny Tyrant is a collection of twelve short stories featuring King Ethelbert, his prime minister, loyal staff, and other wonderful assorted characters. Each individual vignette reveals another charming side of the lovely little despot and readers will laugh out loud at his trials, tribulations, and contrariness. In "The Magic of Christmas," Ethelbert is spreading his own brand of cheer demanding only desserts served for his holiday meal. When the palace chef refuses, stating even Santa eats a balanced meal, the Kind determines to visit the North Pole and ask the jolly old elf himself. During the nine hour plane ride to "the north pole," Ethelbert is bored wondering what he is supposed to do.

"We have several novels, plays, philosophical treatises, and autobiographies on board if you wish."

"Whoa, whoa. Next you'll be recommending I read a book." p. 38.

Resplendent in full color, the novel is presented in comic panel format without traditional panel demarcation. Readers are able to follow along easily, characters have different color text balloon, while readily enjoying the many nuances within each panel details. This book has a lot to offer for kids and kids at heart.

Tags: Tiny Tyrant, Lewis Trondheim, Fabrice Parme, Graphic novel

Post-it note tagging books

It's that time again, this afternoon there was a lovely cart of new books in technical services; and while they were not all mine, perish the thought, several were. During lunch this afternoon, stretched out with my feet propped on a chair in my office, I perused the titles, placing lovely blue post-it note strips inside the covers of titles that caught my interest.

• Hauntings and Other Tales of Danger, Love, and Sometimes Loss, by Betsy Hearne
• Sofi Mendoza's Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico, by Malin Alegria
• What they Found, by Walter Dean Myers
• The train jumper, by Don Brown
• Ethan Suspended, by Pamela Ehrenberg
• Love, Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli
• Billy Creekmore, by Tracey Porter

Yes, there were more than seven titles on the cart. Yes, there were picture books, juvenile fiction, young adult fiction, and juvenile literature. No, I do not want to read everything I order for the library. I am building a collection to support the curriculum, not greedily purchasing what I want to read.

Interesting timing ... a cart has arrived to be cataloged and I have been going through the most recent copies of Booklist, Book Links, and School Library Journal making selections for September and October.

Tags: Juvenile books, YA books, New books, Academic library

It's my Saturday and I'll whine if I want to

Ever the busy bee, I go caught up in my current project and managed to work through my lunch break. Not worth the time and effort, I'm having a snack and blogging in lieu of lunch. Today is the last Saturday the library is open during summer term; classes are finished middle of next week and we move to summer hours (M-F, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm). I was lucky enough to pull today as my requisite summer weekend. With the resource center closed, I'm reference, it's possible to work on a couple of projects - slides and the juvenile collection.

Slides? You might ask. Yes, we have a small collection of slides covering a wide array of educational topics. The collection itself is dated, mostly from the early and middle 1970's, and was never officially cataloged when the library moved from cards. And similar the fate befalling the laser disk collection two summer's ago, there is not technology on campus to utilize the collection. I have a single projector in the resource center, but it is wonky at best. Two hours of my day was spent documenting the slide titles, number of parts, and publication dates. We'll send the information out to faculty offering opportunity for anyone who wishes to rescue them from their planned fate -- trash and recycling. All I will say about the dust and dead critters in the bookcase is, ewwww.

As to the juvenile collection project, simply put a finite space housing a growing collection causes a myriad of issues. We need more room. There is no room. Really, we need more room. Solutions to this problem include making more room, weeding the collection, or to quit buying children's literature. I have no desire to week the collection and there is no way I will quit buying children's literature, so I found a way to increase shelf space without adding to the overall stacks space. To protect the books from dust above and dirt below, when this collection was moved (prior to my arrival) decisions were made to not use the very top and very bottom shelves. That luxury no longer exists. I am in the process of removing the top shelf, replacing it with a flat shelf, and shifting all of the books within each section up a shelf to then utilize the bottom shelf. Instead of five shelves in a section, this will create six and free up room on every shelf for new books.

I have managed to adjust seven sections today (and will do two more before leaving) for a total of nine. A drop in the bucket considering the size of the collection, but it is possible to have the project completed before school begins if we have enough flat shelves ... and time. Further complicating the move is height; patrons have to be able to reach the books (go figure). Luckily I'm average height, 5'5" and figure if I can reach most patrons will be able to do so as well. Just in case I will be purchasing two library stools to place within the juvenile collection.

Back to work.

Tags: Collection space, Juvenile collection, Academic library