…the young summer readers.
I am still in mindset, that summertime is a time to work on projects that have been sitting in the “later” pile — whether it be reorganizing a program, filing papers, updating webpages, rethinking teaching methods, etc.
Summertime, however, at the local public library is a flurry of activity with toddlers, children, middle schoolers, and teenagers. The activity calendar for the next eight weeks is jam packed with craft times, movies, read-a-louds, workshops, game nights, magic shows, and book clubs. Students from the local middle and high schools have signed up to be a part of the Summer Volunteer Program, and they in the thick of leading story times, registering participants, and assisting younger children with crafts.
I’ve declared this summer the Summer of Feedback! It happens much too often that a book is suggested to a patron, and the librarian just doesn’t ever hear back his/her thoughts on the suggested material. I’ve taken it upon myself to specifically ask those younger readers who ask for my book recommendations to come back and tell me (or email me) what they thought of the title I recommended to them. The individual “reference interviews” have been fascinating; and thus far suggestions have included The Outsiders, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Into the Wild, Little Brother, and The Declaration.
This is just one element of my Summer of Feedback. I’ve got a couple other ideas brewing — but I better get a move on; it’s already JULY!
