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| "BIBLIOPHILE: One who prefers the company of fictitious characters" |
ORIGINAL LIBRARY ART : The Cheshire Cat (in the hat)
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| The Cheshire Cat for Read Across America Week |
This year I am eschewing Dr. Seuss and the Cat In the Hat for Read Across America Week. I work in a high school library, and Dr. Seuss is for BABIES. Yes, I said it. For BABIES. It's fine up until you're 5 or whatever, but to me Seuss does not have the lasting quality that Sendak, or some other classic children's writer/authors do. Anybody can just make up shit to fit a rhyme. I appreciate Seuss's art a lot more than I do his "writing."
I'm fully aware that Read Across America Week was created to coincide with Seuss's birthday on March 2nd, and that's nice. It's fine to give a nod to Seuss. But it's short-sighted and simplistic to think EVERYTHING about Read Across America Week has to be ALL SEUSS, ALL THE TIME, EVERY YEAR. Unless you're just not familiar with the great wealth of children's, teen, and young adult lit we have to draw on.
Especially for junior high and high school.
So I came up with the idea to decorate the library like Wonderland for the week of February 29th through March 4th, and my flyers and promotional stuff will all feature my version of the Cheshire Cat, wearing the Mad Hatter's Hat, and the tagline,
"Uh-oh! A different cat in a different hat is taking over Read Across America this year in the library!"
This will give me a chance to highlight Lewis Carroll's original works, plus related works like Beddor's Looking Glass Wars, Gaiman's Coraline, books on mathematics, chess, poetry, dream interpretation, Victorian England, etc. (And yes, even my own Wonderland graphic novel that I wrote and Sonny Liew illustrated for Disney Press/SLG)My campus is doing a week-long celebration in cooperation with our Alumni Association for RAAW 2016, and I'm on the planning committee, along with our admin. The Alumni are spotlighting alumni authors, and published works that are influenced somehow by our school. We have a bunch of local authors scheduled to do author forums in the auditorium on Monday and Friday of that week, and there will be a display in the library of books by alumni, and books about our school.
Throughout the week I have planned Wonderland-themed contests, and will give out prizes. There will be a Cheshire Cat scavenger hunt, a house-of-cards building contest, and a Queen of Hearts "guess how many candy hearts are in the jar" contest. Plus the library will serve as a hospitality room for any guests during the week, so I need to make sure it all looks really nice.
The culminating event of the week will be the author forum on Friday, and immediately following that will be a Mad Tea Party Reception in the library, which I'm currently planning with my awesome Volunteer Mom. Petit fours, multi-colored macarons, cucumber sandwiches, and a selection of teas will be offered.
I suggested that maybe for that week the Main Office could be Seuss's "Whoville," to appease Seuss-enthusiasts, and maybe the English building could be Hogwarts or something like that. I think all it would take would just be a little effort to decorate, and put some signs up. They could even have students do that part of it.
We have SSR at my school, although sadly many teachers don't observe it. For RAAW, we plan to reinforce SSR by having a different staff member on the video announcements for "Staff Book Breaks," in which they can share a favorite book, and maybe read a passage from it.
I've ordered paper lanterns that we're going to string across the library, and we're creating a Read Across America-themed backdrop for the presentations that will take place during the reception and also serve as a photo op. There is a very long, old, heavy wood table in the library that we're going to place in the center of the room and decorate as the Mad Tea Party table. One of the strange things we found in the library's back room when I started working there was a full silver tea service, so of course we'll use that! Plus the Nonfiction section will be transformed into the Tulgey Wood. I'm making myself insane with all of this, but I think there's enough time to get it in order by February 29th.
Incidentally, I recently finished reading Gregory Maguire's After Alice, and really enjoyed it. LOTS of food for thought. A very smart, multi-layered little book. Probably above the heads of most teens, though. It was almost over MY head.
BULLETIN BOARDS & DISPLAY : Curl Up With a Good Book
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| "How do YOU curl up with a good book?" |
So this was the last of the January bulletin board displays to go up. My Mom, Super Library Volunteer, put this together, and the slogan was her idea, and I totally love it.
That pug is the BEST.
BULLETIN BOARDS & DISPLAY : Rainy Day Reading
My mom (Library Volunteer Extraordinaire) found the slogan, "It Starts Raining, I Start Reading," so we created this bulletin board in the hallway just outside the library. We had to work fast, because soon we'll have to focus on preparing for Read Across America Week, and some big plans for that.
It was overcast when I took the above photo, and it made the color look super weird.
Above is a nice little alcove the students pass on their way out the door of the library, so it seemed like a good place to remind them to keep their books dry. Those purple things are supposed to be storm clouds. Do they read as storm clouds? I was in a hurry.
BULLETIN BOARDS & DISPLAY : Book Thief Rain Quote
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| "She gathered books like clouds and words poured down like rain." |
Working on January displays a little late, and my awesome volunteer Mom went online and found the slogan "It Starts Raining, I Start Reading." So we were working with that, and then I found this great reading- and rain-related quote from The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak, and did some cut and paste to create this display on one of the stack ends.
But wait, there's more cleverness...
In the close-up, look what I used for the streaks of "rain."
BLOODY UNICORN
This is just a brief glimpse at what it's like working with kids.
In the high school library where I work, kids were dressed up for "Pajama Day," and one very slight and childlike 9th grade boy was also clutching a stuffed panda that doubles as a pillow. Here's the gist of our conversation:
ME: Nice panda pillow!
KID: Thanks. My little sister wanted to borrow it, but I was like, "You have your own!"
ME: She has a panda pillow, too?
KID: Well, hers is a unicorn.
ME (distracted, trying to work): Mm-hm...
KID: But she always wants to take mine...
ME: ...
KID: Because a couple of years ago I accidentally knocked into her when we were playing around, and my elbow hit her head and her head cracked open a little and bled all over the unicorn pillow.
ME: Wh-- Yikes! So... there's not STILL blood all over her unicorn pillow, right? I mean, your parents must have cleaned it?
KID: Well, they tried, but it didn't really come out, so it's still covered in dried blood stains.
ME: And your sister still uses it.
KID: Yeah, she still uses it.
ME: Huh.
KID: Well, I guess I'll go find my friends outside. See you later!
*
In the high school library where I work, kids were dressed up for "Pajama Day," and one very slight and childlike 9th grade boy was also clutching a stuffed panda that doubles as a pillow. Here's the gist of our conversation:
ME: Nice panda pillow!
KID: Thanks. My little sister wanted to borrow it, but I was like, "You have your own!"
ME: She has a panda pillow, too?
KID: Well, hers is a unicorn.
ME (distracted, trying to work): Mm-hm...
KID: But she always wants to take mine...
ME: ...
KID: Because a couple of years ago I accidentally knocked into her when we were playing around, and my elbow hit her head and her head cracked open a little and bled all over the unicorn pillow.
ME: Wh-- Yikes! So... there's not STILL blood all over her unicorn pillow, right? I mean, your parents must have cleaned it?
KID: Well, they tried, but it didn't really come out, so it's still covered in dried blood stains.
ME: And your sister still uses it.
KID: Yeah, she still uses it.
ME: Huh.
KID: Well, I guess I'll go find my friends outside. See you later!
*
SMELLS LIKE LIBRARY (the comic)
LEAVES
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DISCARD TIME! Your Cat...
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(Is it, though? Is it really?)
You're ok, your cat's ok by Marcus Schneck & Jill Caravan. Sigh.
I guess I should just be thankful that they used "you're" and "your" correctly, and also used an apostrophe correctly.
I know this is probably (hopefully) supposed to be funny, especially with that "meaningful relationship" part. But it's really just, like, "Ugh..."
Right?
Anyway, it's old, nobody has checked it out in at least a decade, and it's on its way out the door.
Good DAY, sir.
BULLETIN BOARDS & DISPLAY : Star Wars Reads Day 2015
Hopefully these pics will be self-explanatory, because this is another one I'm posting a while after the fact. Good thing I took pictures.
Basically, a few of my fellow library techs in our school district shared that they were doing displays and activities/events for Star Wars Reads Day, which I had never observed before. So I felt like, "Shit, I guess I better add this one to my October file..."
I mean, I wanna be cool. And Star Wars is cool.
All the other techs were submitting requests for these free giveaways some of the new Star Wars books' publishers were doing. I got some cool card thingies with that new droid, BB-8, that punch out and make little stand-ups of the character. I gave those away as part of the "consolation prize" to all the contest entrants who didn't win one of the 3 grand prizes.
Luckily, my high school library has plenty of Star Wars novels, chapter books, even some nonfiction about the vehicles and creatures, etc.
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| BTW, one of my library tech friends noticed my error on the sign above, and I quickly fixed it, my cheeks burning with shame. |
The prizes I gave out were:
- A 6' tall cardboard character stand-up of The Force Awakens' Captain Phasma
- New hardcover book Aftermath: Star Wars: Journey To the Force Awakens by Chuck Wendig
- The Darth Vader head bank you see pictured above, which we used as a raffle box during the contest.
BULLETIN BOARDS & DISPLAY : Banned Books Week 2015!
*I'm posting this way after the fact, but don't judge me. Things get really hectic in a school library.*
Every year I struggle a little to make sure the students understand Banned Books Week as much as possible. I know some libraries call it "Intellectual Freedom Week," but usually that's partially for the sake of simplification, and partially because they shy away from anything that might sound controversial. I do NOT shy away from what might seem controversial, plus I like how arresting "Banned Books Week" sounds. It's SUPPOSED to get your attention because it's an important issue!
But it also means you can't be lazy, because you'll probably be explaining the same things to your students all month. (No, we are NOT banning books, yes you MAY check out the books on display because we're celebrating the fact that they are available in OUR library, well- do YOU think one person or group should have the right to decide what YOU have access to and what you do NOT? No, this doesn't mean I'm going to put Fifty Shades of Grey in our school library, etc...)
Most of the stuff I put up this year is stuff I've already posted about, so I didn't post pictures of the old stuff. Instead, here is a link to a few older posts with display ideas for Banned Books Week.
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| I added this to my display this year, hoping for increased clarity on the issue. ;) |
Every year I struggle a little to make sure the students understand Banned Books Week as much as possible. I know some libraries call it "Intellectual Freedom Week," but usually that's partially for the sake of simplification, and partially because they shy away from anything that might sound controversial. I do NOT shy away from what might seem controversial, plus I like how arresting "Banned Books Week" sounds. It's SUPPOSED to get your attention because it's an important issue!
But it also means you can't be lazy, because you'll probably be explaining the same things to your students all month. (No, we are NOT banning books, yes you MAY check out the books on display because we're celebrating the fact that they are available in OUR library, well- do YOU think one person or group should have the right to decide what YOU have access to and what you do NOT? No, this doesn't mean I'm going to put Fifty Shades of Grey in our school library, etc...)
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| Several teachers created extra credit assignments based on the lists I sent out of Frequently Challenged and/or Banned Books that are available in our library. I thought that was really cool. :) |
Most of the stuff I put up this year is stuff I've already posted about, so I didn't post pictures of the old stuff. Instead, here is a link to a few older posts with display ideas for Banned Books Week.
BULLETIN BOARDS & DISPLAY : Women's History Month 2015
Waaaay back in March, I did some displays for Women's History Month. Why didn't I post this back then? I dunno.
I drew that fancy lady. She was originally for a NaNoWriMo display, but I realized she'd also be great for Women's History. But now I can't use her for NaNoWriMo. Because that would be cheating. Creatively speaking.
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| Mr. Kovac's favorite feminist: Kathleen Hanna |
BULLETIN BOARDS & DISPLAY : Halloween 2015
I meant to post these pictures early in October, but things got away from me. So I'm just gonna post them now. I'm kinda bummed that I totally forgot to take pictures of all the OTHER Halloween decorations we put around the library, especially since my library volunteer (Mom) and I really went all-out and did a super great job with it. So you just have to trust me, we should have won an award for "Best Halloween Decorations On Campus." The Attendance Office and the Counseling Office think they're so great, with all their fancy things on windows and hanging from the ceiling...
We'll see how things fall out when the Christmas decorating contest rolls around. We'll just see about all that...
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| SSR stands for "Sustained Silent Reading" |
I kept having to put my own book down and send kids back, and when I'd ask them why they weren't doing SSR, many of them had never even HEARD of it, which means their teachers were not only ignoring it, but they weren't even MENTIONING it.
Luckily, our Principal was really good (and patient) about doing reminder announcements and emails, until finally I think most of them are doing it now. (3 months down the road)
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| I stole that slogan from somewhere online. I think it's super clever. But I can't take credit for it. I can take credit for the artwork and lettering above, though. Isn't it nice? Why, thank you. :) |
BULLETIN BOARDS & DISPLAY : November 2015 (cont.)
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| NaNoWriMo |
Above is the interior bulletin board version of the NaNoWriMo display I did in the glass case outside the library. I made those big typewriter letters a few years ago, using a silver Sharpie to outline them. I think I just did a Google image search for old-fashioned typewriter letter keys, and copied and pasted into a Word doc, then cropped and enlarged, etc. Really pretty easy.
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| National Picture Book Month |
Our new District Librarian, Regina, who is awesome, reminded us all that November is National Picture Book Month, and if any of our libraries have cool picture books, now is the time to promote them. My high school actually has a lot of great picture books, which rarely get used because it's a high school, and because they're located in a far corner, facing the wall. I think the previous library staff purchased them for all the kids who are struggling at very low reading levels, but most of the time those kids are too embarrassed to check out Goodnight Moon or Bread & Jam For Frances.
I used three end-of-stacks display shelves that face out to showcase some of the better picture books I thought would interest our students. Funny ones, and classics, and ones that are geared toward older readers and are more "all ages."
For more info: nationalpicturebookmonth.com
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| Staff Favorites |
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| Staff Favorites Leaf Template (That's my hulking shadow looming across the page...) |
We immediately started receiving filled-out leaves back, and started cutting them out and posting them on the end of a shelf, with a sign on top to explain what they are. Mom and I both did one, of course.
One of our library regulars already asked for the title I put on mine (The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey) and checked it out. :)
So... that's November so far!
BULLETIN BOARDS & DISPLAY : November 2015 NaNoWriMo
I was in a spastic frenzy to put something up in the glass hallway case outside the library, and there is little time between now and when I need to put Christmas stuff up.
So I did a quick NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) display, including the nanowrimo.org website, and some simple explanation of what it is. None of the English teachers I've asked at this school know what it is, yet. But hopefully they'll start getting interested.
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| I stole that graphic at the top from somewhere online. It didn't have an artist credited, otherwise I would include that. The typewriter with the green background is from a monthly calendar I had a few years ago. The shield I printed in black and white from the official website, and then had a library volunteer (my aunt!) color the blue background. |
On the official website, they had a brief list of some professionally/traditionally published novels that started out as NaNoWriMo books. Here are a few:
Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants
Erin Morgenstern’s The
Night Circus
Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl
and Marissa Meyer’s Cinder
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| These typewriters are just clip art printed on cream-colored paper, and then I cut a slit where the paper would come out, and hand-lettered the genre banners on white paper. |
THE AGE OF THE PUSSYFOOT (weird but interesting old book cover)
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| THE AGE OF THE PUSSYFOOT by Frederik Pohl |
HAPPY HALLOWEASTER!
SMELLS LIKE LIBRARY (the comic)
EXCESSIVE LABELING
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THE COMIC
#79
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#78
(Welcome)
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(Fail)
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"Leisure Reading With Bertina & Tater Lumpkin"
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SMELLS LIKE LIBRARY (the comic)
WELCOME
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ORIGINAL ART : "Sssmart"
