Dispatches from American Libraries

Lisa — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:25:51 -0700

I was so chagrined at having deleted the other week's American Libraries Direct newsletter that contained a link to my Spinal Exam post, I vowed never to delete AL Direct without reading it again. Here's the proof that, last week at last, I followed through! Some highlights:

Librarians, let this be a lesson to you: niceness will get you nowhere. It's time to peer down your nose, draw your mouth into a sour puss, and brandish the shushing finger. ALA has the story: Mean Library Salary Up 2 Percent to $58,960 in 2008. (Thanks to my supervisor for pointing this out!)

Silliness aside, the most surprising thing about this story is the salary figure. (Let's just put it this way: I'll be working quite a long time before I touch $59K, at which point inflation will have pushed the average even higher.) The survey was based on both public and academic librarians, and I have the feeling the academics were skewing it upward.
Have you admired those celebrity READ posters hanging in your library? Have you ever wished that was you in the picture, holding your favorite book? Now you can make a mini READ poster of your own with this toy, thanks to the Shifted Librarian and fd's Flickr Toys (no Flickr account necessary). Here's my own READ poster, starring Mini Me (circa age 3):

(The original photo is here. Yes, even then, I was quite the little reader. I wish I had a clue what those books were. The only one I recognize for sure is the Disney Winnie-the-Pooh and the Honey Tree at left, though I think I see the despised Scuffy the Tugboat lurking at the rear.)
Kati at Alternative Teen Services has written an interesting article, My So-Called Picture Book, suggesting ways picture books can be used with people of all ages, especially teens. She focuses on picture books that speak to readers more mature than the preschool to second grade set, whether overtly or on an underlying level. Some examples: Samsara Dog (Manos and Vivos), Uncle Bobby's Wedding (Brannen), and Wolves (Gravett). Definitely worth a look, especially for teachers who work with teens.

Posts on read posters

Dispatches from American Libraries