Bother Me--Please!

As many of you, my dear fans, know, I am twittering (or tweeting) happily on the perch, ever-ready for your library-related questions.  Many of you are considerate, which is very nice, but some of you are considerate to the point that you feel like you're bothering or interrupting me in order to ask me a question.  I have one word for you--don't.  Don't feel like you're disturbing me because you need to ask me something.

My number one priority as a perch librarian (a.k.a. reference librarian) is to be available to answer any questions you may have or to provide you with the help you need in finding library materials.  While I'm waiting for you to come to me, I'm taking care of different odds and ends to make use of the time.  I may be answering e-mails, preparing future library programs, doing some library training, processing materials, or writing posts for this blog.  All that, however, is secondary to helping you.

So even if I look busy working on something, please, PLEASE bother me with your questions!  I'm here first and foremost for you, my dear patrons.  That's why I get paid my bird seed.  To be here for you and to help you make the most of your library and your library experience.  After all, what good is the library and its information if not to serve the patrons?

My very humble opinion from the perch.

 

Reader's Block (Conclusion)

The last time you heard from me, dear readers, I was suffering with a bad case of reader's block.  I didn't know what I felt like reading or what kind of literary mood I was in.  Well, you'll be happy to know that I got over my reader's block quicker than I expected.

Sometimes, as I discovered, finding a new book is like finding a new outfit to wear.  You touch it, take a good look at the outside, and then take a look at the inside.  If it's appealing, you try it on to get a feel for it and decide whether it's you or not.  That's what I ended up doing in order to find my new book.  I looked at a few books that seemed good, then read the first few paragraphs to get a sense of the story and the writing style.  Quite a few books didn't feel right for me at the moment, but then I found one that was just what I needed.

If you're wondering which book broke my case of reader's block, it was Jamie Ford's Songs of Willow Frost.  Ford, who also authored the highly regarded Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet which I absolutely loved, writes about a 12-year old Chinese-American boy in a Seattle orphanage during the 1930s who believes the movie star Willow Frost is his mother.  As with his previous novel, Ford does a wonderful job of storytelling and brings his characters to life in a way that makes you care and connect with them.  And his writing style is clean and down-to-earth--no mires to trudge through.

Should you have a case of reader's block, I wholeheartedly recommend Songs of Willow Frost.  It may be the book to get you going again, and if not, try on different books to find the book that's just right for you.

My usual 2 cents from the perch.

Reader's Block

I'm going to admit something to you, my dear fans, that you won't hear from many perch librarians.  I have no idea what I want to read next.  Yes.  I've said it.  I officially have reader's block.  Sure, I have lists of what I want to read on my Pinterest page and in my mind, but the problem is I don't know what I feel like reading.

I don't know about the rest of you, but besides choosing a book by its setting and time period (something I wrote about ages ago), I also have to be in a mood for a certain book.  Usually I know what kind of a mood I'm in.  Modern or historical.  Light or deep.  Domestic or foreign.  At the moment, though, I really don't know where I want to go with my reading.  Yikes!

I've been playing perch librarian to myself, conducting my own reference interview:

Q:  So, PL, what do you want to read?
A:  I don't know, PL, but I want to read something that's light and gets my interest.
Q:  Have you considered trying a romance novel?
A:  I have, but I often can't get past the first page.  I like love stories, but I need something with substance.
Q:  You've read Fifty Shades of Grey...
A:  I have and thought about reading the second book, but I remembered how I felt after reading the first book and I vowed not to touch the series again unless I'm desperate.  And I'm NOT that desperate...yet.
Q:  I see.  So you're looking for something light and interesting...
A:  And something that's not too long.  I normally have no commitment problems with my books, but this is one of those rare times when I'm up for a quickie, nothing long term.
Q:  Have you tried Richard Paul Evans' The Walk?  Most of the chapters average 3 pages.
A:  Funny you mention that book.  I just finished it, but I'm not ready to read the next book in the series.  Have any other ideas?  PL...?
Q:  I'm thinking...

Now you get a sense of my anguish.  So with that, I turn to you, my dear fans.  Have you read a book that you absolutely loved and couldn't put down?  I'm sure you have.  If not recently, then probably some time in the past.  Please help me out of my misery and share your favorite reads--I'd love to hear from you!

Your ever humble perch librarian with good reading thoughts the perch.

Weeding--It's Not Just for Gardens

Spring is finally beginning to make an appearance in the Inland Northwest, and those of you who are into gardening are probably starting to prepare the soil, plant the seeds, and do some weeding.  It may surprise you to know that your very own perch librarian also does some weeding...in the library.  Weeding in the library?  You might be wondering whether we have a lot of plants around here, and although we do, I'm not talking about weeding that's of the horticultural kind.

From time to time, we in the library need to take a look at the shelves and decide what needs to get taken out of the collection or "weeded."  I think I just heard a collective gasp from you, my dear fans.  How dare we get rid of our precious books?!  Those books that are so dear and benefit so many.  I can assure you, there is no greater advocate for our bibliofriends than yours truly, but some friendships occasionally need to be re-evaluated, die of natural causes, or move elsewhere.

Sometimes, books get a little dated and may do more harm than good.  A health or medical book printed in 1984 may have been useful in its day, but a lot of things in medicine have changed and gotten better in 30 years.  Similarly, how much would you gain from a book that discusses how life will be different once Man gets to the moon?

Other times, books get sick.  Their spines get broken, their pages get torn, their covers get chewed on, or much worse.  When books get sick, they go to the book hospital and get operated on, but every so often there's only so much book-care professionals can do.  Sometimes, even books need to go to that big library in the sky.

Of course, there are those books that aren't old or sick.  There are some books that simply go unloved for so long that it would be heartless to keep them in our collection.  When books haven't been checked out in 10 or 15 years, they are unloved books.  Even though we at the library may love them dearly, we know when it's time for them to move to our free cart, where they can be adopted by someone who will take them to a good home and love them as they deserve. 

The space that's created on the shelves from books weeded out of the collection allow us to bring new bibliofriends to you, our wonderful patrons.  And as you gardeners out there know, to grow the garden and keep it healthy and strong, weeding is a necessary activity.  So goes it with the library as well.

With best spring wishes from your library gardener on the perch.

Just Blog It

As some of you may (or may not) know, the library has a number of programs for adults.  Some we conduct on a regular basis like our Spin-a-Yarn, while others are completely new.  I'm happy to say that we have one such new program we're offering on Wednesday, March 12 at 1 and 6:30 p.m.--Blogging for Beginners.  And as an added bonus, it's being presented by your very own perch librarian!  (Hey, if I don't toot my own horn, who will?)

On a more serious note, if you enjoy writing, have different ideas to share, and want to do something creative, then blogging might be the thing for you.  I'll talk about starting a blog and some basics about blogging for those who are newbies.  So, if you're completely clueless about making a blog or don't know what to do once you have a blog, this is the program for you.

I'll discuss the different free blogging platforms you can use to create a blog along with some general tips about maintaining your blog.  Furthermore, I'll show some examples of simply-constructed blogs on the Internet to help you get some ideas for your own blog.

If you haven't figured out by this time, I really enjoy blogging.  It gives me a chance to share my thoughts with you, my readers (the few but valued), play around with words, and look up some cool resources and photos to include in my blog posts.  The Librarian's Perch allows me to think and share all things library with you.

So come to one or both of the programs on Wednesday.  Meet me, the perch librarian, and learn about some of the tools of the blogging trade.  We'll have some fun!

Eagerly waiting for tomorrow on the perch.

Care of Books and Other Items

If any of you have been to the library lately, you've no doubt noticed that our back door, normally used by the staff, has become our main door.  That's because a frozen water pipe burst upstairs in the atrium several weeks ago, sending water cascading down the stairs into the lobby area and into our library entryway.  As a result, the floor in the lobby was badly damaged and is in the middle of being repaired, a rather lengthy process.  Luckily for the library, our carpet just needed drying and no books were damaged since they were not in the area where there was water.

In light of this recent incident, though, I thought it would be a good time to discuss how important it is to take care of library books and other items so that patrons can continue to enjoy using these things for a long time to come.

Water is not a friend of books or audiovisual materials.  When water is spilled on a book, the pages get stiff once they dry and it's difficult to turn the pages.  Water can also cause mold in books, therefore causing a health threat.  DVDs and Playaways fare no better, failing to play or function.

Besides water, food is also no friend to library materials.  I love munching on a succulent snack while reading a book just as much as the next person, but be careful not to share that snack with your literary companion.  I can't tell you how disgusting it is to get items back with food smeared on the pages or the audiovisual cases.  Nobody likes to touch someone else's sticky leftovers, so please do be careful with your library materials when you have food or drinks around.

There are other threats out there to library items (i.e., the dog, the cat, the baby, termites, etc.), but I'm not going to bore you by reciting them all.  The take home message I'd like to impart is to treat your library materials with care.  They are precious and sometimes irreplaceable.

My usual 2 cents from the perch.

Valentine's Day Help

Hey ho from the perch to all you romantics out there!  Short on cash but still want to do something special for your Valentine?  Never fear!  Perch Librarian is here to help you do something sweet for your sweetie!

The library has plenty of FREE things to help you celebrate a great Valentine's Day.  We have some great romantic movies to watch while you cuddle and snuggle up with your pooh bear.  Try a classic like Casablanca, An Affair to Remember, or The African Queen.  Not up for the Classics?  Then go for Ghost, The Notebook, or Titanic.  We have all our romance DVDs marked with a pink "Romance" dot to help you pick them out.

Want to create "the mood" over dinner?  The library has a lot of great music CDs to listen to while you tantalize your lovey's taste buds.  We got Frank Sinatra, we got Barbra Streisand, we got Rod Stewart, we got Natalie Cole, we got Michael Buble...I'm already starting to swoon and I haven't yet mentioned all the easy listening we have!

Maybe you really want to surprise him or her?  How about checking out a poetry book and reciting some love verses to let that special someone know how you really feel?  Take a look at our Shakespeare and John Donne offerings as well as our other collections of love poems.

Still haven't found something that suits you?  Then come on over to the library and see me at the perch.  I'll help you find the right thing to make your Valentine's Day one to remember!

With good wishes from your cupid on the perch.