Things that make me go "Hmm..."

A woman came up to the desk asking for books on fire for her son. My reference librarian instincts kicked in, and I asked if he had to write a report for school, or if he wanted information on becoming a firefighter. The answer to both was negative, but the mom said "He saw a program with a firefighter, and now he has an obsession with fire, playing with lighters and burning paper," etc. She kept repeating this. I found a few books on fire for them, but do I really want to encourage the little pyromaniac?

Teen Programs

My first ever teen program and my first ever teen book club both happened this month. Even though I told practically every teen I saw about my upcoming programs, when the time came, the turnout was...well, less than spectacular.

First was my book club. It's called "Getting Graphic: Beyond Manga." The point was to introduce teens to some of the great graphic novels out there that aren't Japanese Manga. Don't get me wrong, Manga can be okay (although I'm not that into it). But it seems to be all that teens read. The books for the first meeting were Halo and Sprocket by Kerry Callen and Grease Monkey by Tim Eldred. At first only one girl showed up...a regular who loves reading, and who I really like. She had read one of the books and half of the other. When the club was about to start, I roped another teen into joining us, even though she hadn't read either novel. She seemed enthusiastic, though. We ate the junk food I had bought and started discussing...or rather, I lectured and they listened, jumping in occasionally at my prodding. Then, about halfway through, a 9-year-old boy wandered in, wearing a huge shirt that was about 10 sizes too big for him. He immediately started his own conversation with me, telling me how he used to "have class" (storytime) in that room and how much shorter he used to be. I tried to explain to him that this was a teen book club and that he was too young to join, but I felt sorry for him and said that if he were quiet, he could hang out and eat some food. And he was quiet, for awhile, until I asked the girls another question regarding the book art. He chimed in, saying that he thought the books should be in color. The comment was actually relevant, but then he segued into how he and his brother saw Spider-man 2 and he wasn't even scared at all. He kept going on this tangent until I had to ask him to take some food and leave.

Other than that, which was actually pretty funny, and the fact that no one else showed up, I thought the club was minimally successful. The girls seemed to enjoy it, at least. And after the meeting was officially over, we chatted about Buffy and ate more junk food.

The next week was my Teen Trivia Tournament. Again, only one person who signed up showed with his mom and baby brother, but another girl appeared with her mom, and I roped another regular into coming. The big problem was, both moms decided to stay the whole time, and I was too shy to tell them to leave. It was a teen program, after all, and having the moms there made it terribly awkward for me, making me feel like I was performing for the approval of the parents. The teens did pretty well at answering the questions, although next time I'll ask more questions about Miley Cyrus rather than questions about 70s and 80s rock bands. The moms didn't help them, thank goodness, although one kept saying things like "I know this!" or "You should know this!" Then, at one point I decided to have an intermission and go find some music for us to listen to. I have to admit, although I know a lot about teen books, I don't know a lot about teen music. So I picked up Janet Jackson and Norah Jones off the shelf. When I came back with the music, the mom with the baby said "Could you keep the music down really low? If the baby wakes up, he'll cry and we'll have to leave." I was thinking...and the problem would be...? But again I was too shy to say anything, so I put the CD on and turned the sound down low.

The program went on about an hour longer than I had planned, but that was okay. I declared the winner, handed out the prizes (a bubble-wrap keychain for first place, inflatable rafts for second, and a notebook for third, with tiny Rubik's Cubes for everyone) and told everyone to take home bags of chips. I count the program as a success, although I learned my lesson for next time: NO PARENTS!

Golden Interview

At the end of April I had another interview, this time for a Teen/Youth librarian position in Golden, CO (part of the Jefferson County Library system). It would have been the perfect job, I'm sure. To let you know right off the bat, I didn't get it. So, it's kind of painful to talk about it, but I'll go over the basics of the experience. I went to the library a few weeks ahead of time to scout the place out. It's small, but well-kept and neat. Right in the library's back yard is a river with a nice walking path on either side and lots of statues, and I decided right away that it would be the perfect place to take a lunch break. When we went inside and I observed how quiet the patrons were (a rare thing at my current library), I knew I had to get this job.

So then was the interview. John came with me, for moral support. I felt I was very well prepared. I had "studied" for the interview for a week or so, compiling a list of possible interview questions and my answers. I had prepared the storytime and teen booktalks like they had asked. I even went the extra mile and made up a craft for the storytime, although it wasn't required. I was ready.

There were three people interviewing me. They gave me an overview of the town of Golden, the library community, and the Jeffco system. Then they gave me a few minutes to look over their list of interview questions. There were a lot! They said they might not read every question, but they pretty much did, in order. For the first time, many of the questions I had prepared for were asked. During the course of the interview I also explained my storytime, and performed my booktalk. And, a long hour and a half later, I came out of the interview shaking (and in need of a restroom...I had nervously guzzled down the glass of water they gave me) but confident. A few of my answers hadn't been perfect, but I thought most had been very good. I hadn't made a complete idiot of myself, and that was the important thing. It was the first interview where I didn't come out groaning over how stupid I sounded.

They were supposed to let us know the outcome the first week of May. Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck from that point on. They said they would first notify the people who didn't get the job, then call references, then call the winner. That was why, at the end of the week when I hadn't heard anything, I felt a little reassured. Surely they would have called me by then if I hadn't got the job! But when I didn't hear anything this Monday, I broke down again. Maybe they forgot to contact me! Or they sent out those annoying rejection letters, and I just hadn't received mine yet. So I vowed to call them on Tuesday.

I didn't get the chance. Tuesday morning, just before I was to give storytime, I happened to look at my phone and see a message. Hope sprang once again! But when I called them back, it was a rejection. They told me (very nicely) that I hadn't done anything wrong; all the candidates were good. But they chose someone with more experience. They said I'd have no trouble finding a librarian job...I wanted to laugh (while I was starting to cry): they had no idea that I've been looking for a job since before I graduated, almost two years! with no luck. I cried for the next hour or so, sobbing through storytime and calling John to wake him up and cry on his proverbial shoulder. There was just so much buildup for this one. I had waited so long, it was the perfect position, and I was sure I had it in the bag. Although I usually don't get my hopes up, I was already planning for my new life and career. I suppose it wasn't meant to be?! I don't usually believe that, but it seems the only explanation in this case.

I'm pretty sure Joshua isn't a girl's name...

Just had an old man come up to the desk and ask for a CD by a female violinist, last name "Bell..." I said, "Do you mean Joshua Bell?"
"Yeah, that's her."
"Um, I'm pretty sure Joshua Bell is a guy."
"No, that's what I thought at first too, with a name like Joshua! But she's a girl."
Repeat above lines a few times.
He felt so adamantly about this that finally I gave up. "Her CDs are over there."

Amusing Romance Titles

We always get paperback donations at our library, mostly dumb romance books. I came across a few titles today that I thought were hilarious, and I decided to look up the whole Harlequin Romance series and make a list of cheesy titles. No offense to those who actually read these books. For some reason, many of them are Western- or Texas-themed. Many of them also include babies, because hey, after the heroine weds and beds the NASCAR star or the handsome Swedish doctor, the next logical step would be to have lots and lots of his babies.

Courted by a Cowboy
The Inconveniently Engaged Prince
Saved by a Texas-Sized Wedding
Prognosis: A Baby? Maybe
Santa's Texas Lullaby
Shoulda Been a Cowboy
Court Me, Cowboy [not to be confused with Courted by a Cowboy]
Tempted by a Texan
The Secret Agent's Surprises
The Timber Baron's Virgin Bride
Coming Home to the Cattleman
Transformed into the Frenchman's Mistress
Blackmailed into a Fake Engagement
The Nanny and the Sheikh
Her Spanish Boss
Rent-a-Cowboy
The Heart Surgeon's Secret Child
Posh Doc Claims his Bride
Italian Doctor, Sleigh-Bell Bride
Tamed by the Barbarian
Sicilian Husband, Unexpected Baby
The Rake's Unconventional Mistress

Another funny conversation with a patron

Had a regular come in today, a very old lady who never brings her library card because she expects us to know who she is. Because it was slow and I was tired of hearing her complain about how heavy her book bag would be, I offered to carry it out to her car for her. She was grateful, at least, and asked me what my name was. I told her.
"Vicki?"
"No, Whitney."
"Ricky?"
"No." She asked me to spell it out for her, and I did.
"Wicky?" (What the hell is that? It's not even a name!)
"Nope, WHIT-NEY. Like Whitney Houston." That must have done it.
"Oh, Whitney! Well thank you very much, Whitney."
I was trying very hard not to laugh. But even though she was old, it's not just her. For some reason people have a hard time understanding my name when I say it. Usually, though, the most popular substitute is "Wendy."

Librarian Games

These librarian or library-themed games are great time-wasters:

Lightning Librarian

Robo Librarian
(I love how you can mow over patrons with your robot body!)

Stack Attack
(I couldn't quite get the hang of this one.)

I'll Get It! and Within Range