Recently, a teenager waved me over to the computer on which she was working and asked for my help in accessing her PowerPoint presentation. Thinking that she had never before created a PowerPoint, I was preparing to walk her through it. However, her problem was not what I expected. She opened up the PowerPoint program, and then … [Read more...] about Where’s my Powerpoint presentation?
Life as a Librarian
Reading on the job
I supervise four library assistants, and I encourage them to read as many children's books as possible. My rule about reading on the job is simple: If we are slow, by all means read a book; but, it must be a children's book. One of my assistants is a college-aged girl who recently discovered Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner. Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese cat who thinks he's … [Read more...] about Reading on the job
Why I hate the Accelerated Reader Program
Recently, a mother came up to the desk with her third-grade daughter. The daughter had selected a book about horses that she seemed very eager to read. The mother asked me if it was on the Accelerated Reader list. It was not. "Well," she said, "there's no point in my daughter reading this book if she can't get points for it." The child was then made to put the book back on … [Read more...] about Why I hate the Accelerated Reader Program
Between the “O” and the “P”
Recently, I had the pleasure of hosting a class of kindergartners for a story-time and a tour of the library. I was reading the book, Curious George Goes to the Library by H. A. Rey. At one point in the story, Curious George rides a book-cart into a stack of encyclopedias. He goes flying up into the air with the books, then lands between the "O" and the "P". As I read this … [Read more...] about Between the “O” and the “P”