2019-05-31 SPLAT Curiosity Report: Volume 3, Issue 6
Featured Story
Want to Promote Unity? Start a Reading Group!
For the past three years I have been part of a diverse group of teachers that meets together once or twice a month to discuss young adult literature. Our group includes teachers from all disciplines, and our reading list includes mostly realistic fiction. Why realistic fiction? The reason is twofold. First, it helps us promote books that our students can enjoy while gaining insight into their own lives. More importantly, it helps us gain empathy for our students, and the problems and issues they face everyday. During our book club we share what we liked, what made us think, or what student we would like to hand the book to next, and walk away feeling more connected and ready to promote reading no matter what school room we spend our day in.
I have really enjoyed meeting with my colleagues, especially with people whose teaching assignment doesn’t generally bring them into the school library. It has been interesting to hear what our school counselors, math, science, social studies, art, reading, and English teachers have had to say about the books I check out to students everyday. I have gained so much from this experience, and would like to share a few things I have learned that I think have helped me be a better school librarian.
- Realistic fiction isn’t as bad as I thought, but sometimes it isn’t very good. Generally, I am drawn to fantasy or science fiction. Realistic fiction can be just, well, too real. However, I have been pleasantly surprised by quality of the books available in this genre. There are some really good young adult authors that write realistic fiction for middle grade readers, such as Gordon Korman, Kathryn Erskine, and Sharon Draper, just to name a few. At the same time, there are some pretty sappy young adult novels out there. I’ve really learned, as with all books I consider buying for my library, to read reviews to get the best of the best.
- Reading can truly bring people together as they share their thoughts about what they read. It’s been really great to hear what people think of books and reading who work outside of a school library.
- ANYONE can be an advocate of reading. All of our group members try to be caught reading by their students and often comment that students have asked to read our current club suggestion when their teacher is done reading it. I think our male group members have had a particularly important impact by modelling reading to our boys, who, statistically speaking, may have given up reading as a pastime.
While reading groups are nothing new, I think that the professional diversity in the group has made it unique and is its greatest strength. As Idaho library folk I encourage you to make a place for reading groups of all kinds, not only in your libraries but in your professional lives as well.
– Gretchen Perkins, Caldwell School District
Fail Forward
We’ve all been there. You pour your heart into a program, and no one shows up. You try something new, and you fall on your face. Sound familiar? Fail Forward is the place to share your failures, and give you the opportunity to share what you learned from them. Did you promote your program in a different way after no one showed up? Maybe you took a new approach to the new thing you were excited about? Awesome! Share your story via our online form so others can learn, and realize that failure is often part of the process.
Food Truck Movie Night
I tried an over-ambitious program where I tried to set up a weekly Food Truck Movie Night at my library branch. Attendance was abysmal, and the food truck owners were very disappointed. Except for one, who also happens to make some of the most delicious food in existence. We ended up chatting, and despite the lacklusterness of the food truck movie night, we found other ways to work together. His company is now my go-to catering company, and he uses unBound’s resources frequently. By making conversation about my failure to bring a large audience, we were able to build a better relationship.
– Alex Johnatakis, Meridian Library District
Crush Corner
Is there a library you follow on social media who is always doing new and exciting things? How about a blog you follow that inspires you? What about a new idea, book, or resource that you want to share? Library Crush Corner is a place for those working in Idaho libraries to share what inspires them, and who or what they’re crushing on… in a professional sense. Share your story via our online form so we can publish it in a future issue!
Kuna Klues
I’m totally crushing on Kuna Public Library. They run a monthly program called Kuna Klues in which families can guess the title of a book, using provided clues. The first successful guess gets to keep that book! What I love about this is that it teaches kids to think about the content that they are reading, and rewards them when they can put together the pieces by awarding them a book. Check them out on Instagram, on Facebook or on their website.
– Mike Sloan, Nampa Public Library
SPLAT explores the ever-evolving library world and supports library folks as they adapt to meet the needs of their communities. Library folk throughout the state of Idaho volunteer to serve on the Special Projects Library Action Team (SPLAT). Learn more about SPLAT at splat.lili.org
SPLAT is brought to you by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and was made possible, in part, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (LS-00-18-0013-18). The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.