Books--The Best Gift

I was recently invited to a baby shower, and along with the invitation came a request to give the baby your favorite children's book with a personal message written inside to the baby.  The intention is not only to build a small library for this baby girl, but also to introduce her to books from the start.  As a perch librarian and someone who loves reading, I thought this was such a sweet and wonderful idea.

I know I'm biased, but I think you're never too young (or too old) for books and libraries.  Small children gain so much when someone reads to them.  They learn sounds, vocabulary, and language.  They learn to pay attention and focus.  They develop their thinking and reasoning abilities.  They get social interaction and forge a relationship with the person reading to them.  And this is just the beginning.

As children grow, they progress to different and more advanced books.  They learn letters, and how those letters form words, which then form sentences.  They learn about children just like them, about the world, and about life in general.  They learn that they're not alone, that they're not the only ones experiencing the things they face.  That other kids are learning how to use the potty.  That other kids are worried about school and whether they'll be liked.

Children discover that with books they'll never feel lonely or bored.  Books can be their best friends and teach them so many different things, subjects and skills that they will use in various situations for the rest of their lives.  The gift of books is precious and can do so much in shaping both the mind and character of children.  It helps them transform into the adults they will become one day.

Be sure to give the children in your life the gift of books.  Give them the tools to read, to learn, and to dream.  After all, some dreams turned into reality have made the world a better place.

Wishing you and your loved ones beautiful reading from the perch.

Spin-a-Yarn

In a little over a week from now, summer will officially be over.  The end.  Fini.  Bye bye baby.  The weather will be getting colder, the days will be getting darker, and most of us will be spending more time indoors.  It's the perfect time of year to work on a hobby.  If you're thinking along the lines of knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, or counted cross stitch, then the library is the place to go!

On the 3rd Tuesday of every month, we hold a Spin-a-Yarn at 6:30 in the evening on the big cozy chairs in the magazine section.  At its most basic, the monthly get-togethers provide the opportunity to work on your craft in a group setting and to talk about books or anything else that's of interest.  Going a little deeper, the meetings are also a chance to see what other people are creating, learn how to do new things, and make friends.

Don't worry if you don't know how to work with a needle or hook.  Yours truly or other fellow Yarners (as I like to call the participants) will be happy to show you how to knit, crochet, or sew.  I'm amazed when I hear that some yarn shops in Spokane actually charge as much as $25 per class to teach knitting or crocheting.  Why not save your hard-earned dollars and come to the library where you can learn for free?

In our crazy, busy world, the calm practice of yarn crafting seems to be going more mainstream.  It's a connection to the past, when handmade and slow was the way to go.  Maybe it's your way to go?  Don't be concerned about your age--we've had middle school students to military spouses to grandmothers joining us.  And don't worry about your gender.  Right now, The Crochet Dude is one of the superstars in the craft world proving that yarn crafts aren't just for women!

So bring in your projects and have some fun.  If you're new, Wal-Mart is a great place to go for some inexpensive yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks, and anything else to help you get started.  See you on the 3rd Tuesday!

Yours truly looking up and pinning free craft patterns on the perch.

Seasons of Reading

The summer reading program may be coming to an end, but that doesn't mean the reading has to stop.  Sure, vacations may be over--people are returning to work and kids are going back to school--but reading isn't.  It's not just a summertime activity but a year-round thing to do. 

Picture reading on a bench in the early fall with the leaves just starting to turn color.  Maybe you're enjoying a bestseller with a cup of warm apple cider.  Imagine reading in the middle of winter cuddled in a warm throw blanket on the sofa while the wind howls and the snow beats on the window.  Maybe you're indulging in a timeless classic while sipping on a cup of hot cocoa. Or envision reading on a picnic blanket in the park in spring with the sun shining on early blossoms.  Maybe you're cherishing a captivating memoir while quenching your thirst with a cool iced tea.

Get the idea?  Reading is something that you can do no matter the season, no matter the weather.  You can do it outdoors or indoors, when it's snowy or sunny.  You can do it with your favorite drink or no drink at all.

Whether you're small or tall, we hope you'll continue to enjoy your summer reading into the rest of the year.  Be sure to take the time to keep up with your reading, even if it's only for 15 or 20 minutes a day.  Those minutes will turn into hours of pure delight.  And if you need a good read, you can always stop by the perch and your friendly neighborhood perch librarian will be happy to recommend some picks.  Don't be a stranger to your library.

Looking forward to fall reading on the perch.
 

Not Just for Teens

Once upon a time in Libraryland, books were tailored to specific readers.  Teen books were for teens and could be found in the teen section; adult books were for adults and could be found in the adult section.  If you were a teen and wanted to feel all grown up, you ventured to the adult section and checked out the adult books, but if you were an adult, you wouldn't want to be caught dead in the teen section.  Oh, the humiliation!  An adult reading books meant for younger readers?  How preposterous!  That adult must undoubtedly be emotionally stunted!

The Harry Potter series in the late 1990s perhaps started the widespread trend of adults reading teen books.  In Great Britain, adults were secretly reading the wildly popular books wrapped in brown paper or newspapers out of shame that they would be seen reading a children's book.  When the publisher of the famous series caught wind what the adults were doing, they came up with an "adult" version of the book.  Technically, it was the same book only with a more sophisticated looking cover.

Nowadays, teen books are openly read by teens and adults alike without any embarrassment.  The line between teen and adult books is blurring, and audiences are becoming more varied.  Take for instance Twilight, The Hunger Games, and the Divergent series.  You'll see just as many adults reading those books as you see teens.

In my very humble opinion (and you always know it to be ever so humble), I think adults should feel free to read anything they want.  And I mean anything.  Sometimes, you just need to lose yourself in a teen book.  Other times, you need to read a kid's book (yes, you read that right).  You may not have control over being an adult in an adult's world, but isn't it nice to know you can always take a mental escape from it every so now and then?

Yours truly enjoying her own mental escape from the perch.

Kids and Library Etiquette

As many of you may (or may not) be aware, summer reading in the library is in full swing.  Yay!  And I'm happy to report that we currently have 326 kids, 48 teens, and 54 adults signed up to participate in the summer reading program.  Double yay!  We also have more people coming into the library daily than we normally have at any other time of the year.  Triple yay!

Unfortunately, though, we're seeing that many of our littlest readers are exhibiting some bad library etiquette, and we would greatly appreciate it if parents could help in correcting the manners of our youngest library users.

So here's a basic refresher on how to behave in the library:

• No running in the library.  The library isn't a playground.  Although we're happy to see kids excited about getting their books, we don't want to see them running and getting hurt.  We also don't want to see them playing tag and disrupting other library users who are trying to read and get work done.
• No shouting, yelling, or screaming in the library.  Again, the library isn't a playground.  Please remember to use your library voice (a.k.a. quiet voice or whisper) when you come in so you don't disrupt other people.  Save your loud voice for outside.  And parents--if your children are loud, we're grateful when you take them outside for a moment and return with them once they've calmed down.
• Don't throw library items around.  Books and other library materials aren't intended to stay on shelves unused.  They're supposed to be used and go on visits with borrowers to homes, work, school, and other places.  However, they're not meant to be thrown on the floor and other places where they can get damaged.  If you don't want an item, please leave it at the desk or at other designated areas.  It will be re-shelved properly.
• Don't scribble on the desks (or anywhere else).  You wouldn't scribble on your kitchen table or countertops, would you?  Then please don't scribble or allow kids to scribble on tables, chairs, books, or anything else in the library.  We want to keep the library a clean and inviting place for everyone.  If you or your kids have the need to scribble, we'll be happy to supply you with scratch paper and even crayons!
• Please and thank you are not bad words.  Politeness will get you far in the library, and we at the desk always like it when kids and adults have good manners.  We're here to help you and are happy to do so, but we never get tired of people asking us nicely for our assistance.

Let's make the library a safe, fun, and exciting place for everyone this summer and throughout the year!  After all, it's your library.  Treat the space and the materials in it like you own them, because you do.

My ever humble 2 cents from the perch.

 

It's Time Again for Summer Reading!

Yay!  Hurray!!  WooHOO!!!  I'm so excited!  I'm soooo excited!!  Did I mention I was excited?  And if you're wondering why I'm excited, it's because it's finally time for summer reading!  YES!!!  School's almost out, the weather's getting warmer, and trips to the lake will be happening soon.  It's a great time to kick back and relax with a good book!

Last week was the first week of our summer reading program, and I can happily report that so far we have 140 kids registered, 22 teens, and 28 adults.  That's awesome!  We're hoping to get even more people registered over the next few months, because as they say, it ain't over 'til it's over, and for us that's August 30.

If you can allow me to get up on the soapbox for a moment, I think summer reading is a really great thing.  It's something everyone can do no matter their age (kids too young to read can even be read to by an adult or an older sibling).  You can do it by yourself or with others.  You don't have to worry about reading for school book reports or for college research papers.  You just read whatever you like, whenever you like.  I remember how much I enjoyed the summer when I was growing up because I could read anything I wanted just for the fun of it (I still do, by the way).

And that's what summer reading is all about--reading just for fun.  It's not about what you read or how much you read.  It's just about reading.  That's all.  So come on in to the library, register for the summer reading program, check out some books, and have fun reading! 

Bookishly yours on the perch.

The 100th Post!

Wow!  I can't believe it!  This is it!  The BIG one!  Really!  This is officially the 100th Post of The Librarian's Perch!

To be honest (and modest), I wasn't entirely sure that this humble little library blog would actually make it to 100.  When you start with the first few blog posts, you're just happy to have something out there and hope that some people are reading what you put into cyberspace.  You try to think of interesting things to write about libraries--things about books, things about technologies, and sometimes just interesting things in general.

I hope that you, my loyal fans who have been following this blog, enjoyed reading the various posts.  Maybe some of them have been informative and made you think about different library services and issues.  Maybe some of them have been a little entertaining.  Whatever the case, you were hopefully able to take something away with you.

I sincerely thank you for taking the time to follow this library blog and for being supportive of our library.  As long as there are people like you out there who want to have fun reading, learning, and growing, there will always be a future for libraries.

Here's to the 100th Post and for the next hundred posts to come!

Yours truly celebrating with a happy dance on the perch.