A Day in the Life of a Reference Librarian

Some days are calmer than others (as are some weeks at times), but yesterday seemed to move in a tornado formation while at work leaving me utterly exhausted after getting home. I'm sure the rest of the week will be smooth-sailing from here.

9:00 am - Programming Meeting/Brainstorming session with Adult Services, representative of Youth Services, representative of Circulation, and Branch Manager. Happy to report we're pretty set with ideas for the rest of the year.
10:00 am - Prep computer lab for Library Orientation.
10:30 am - Present Library Orientation to attendees regarding services for our community and to the students of the university campus.
11:30 am - Coffee Break, though I was unable to sit with said coffee as my fellow Supervising Librarian needed to speak with me about our audiovisual materials order.
12:00 pm - Reference Desk in which I observe one of my library assistants in her customer service and offer assistance where needed.
1:00 pm - Lunch with beau.
2:00 pm - Impromptu meeting with Colleague regarding a matter that occurred earlier in the week. The matter was resolved on Monday, and I explained the situation to my Colleague.
3:00 pm - Reference Desk in which we assist several college students with a project to locate full-text, scholarly articles regarding human development and social patterns.
4:00 pm - Revise reference and information desk schedule for following week. (It will be rather gnarly.)
4:30 pm - Snack Break and conversation with Academic Librarian regarding next week's schedule and events.
5:00 pm - Reference Desk in which I did a reader's advisory for a student who had checked out a book I'd recommended to her before though she had been unable to read it due to time constraints. Makes me happy when they return for the same book when they do have time to read. ^_^
5:30 pm - Begin closing procedures in which Desk Partner and I informed two young students of other study areas for after the library closes at 6:00 pm. Some have difficulty paying attention to the closing announcements and choose to pack up their belongs at 5 minutes til closing. And be advised, if a reference question is asked after the final closing announcement, we will give the short answer and recommend coming to the library the following day for a more detailed answer. ^_^
6:05 pm - Close the library after a patron with several children finishes checking out materials.

Stacking the Shelves (10)

We are all book lovers and the need to share our enthusiasm is sometimes overwhelming. Stacking the Shelves, created and hosted at Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks!

It's been awhile since I've done a Stacking the Shelves post (mostly because I've been buying more for others than myself), but this past week I found some lovely Middle Grade books I just HAD to borrow from my library plus a graphic novel I'd been anticipating the release of for quite awhile.  

Bought:

Soulless: The Manga, Volume 2 by Gail Garriger, drawn by Rem

Library:

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Dork Diaries 4: Tales from a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess by Rachel Renee Russell

That's all for me this week.  What did you stack on your shelves?

Stacking the Shelves (9)

We are all book lovers and the need to share our enthusiasm is sometimes overwhelming. Stacking the Shelves, created and hosted at Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks!

For Review:

Amarok ARC by Angela J. Townsend (From Spencer Hill Press)

Wild Ink by Victoria Hanley (From Prufrock Press thanks to LibraryThing)

I'm really excited to read Amarok and also to have a great writing tool like Wild Ink.

Bought: 

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma (Bought)

Haunted by Joy Preble (Bought & Signed)

Anastasia Forever by Joy Preble (Bought & Signed)

It was so exciting helping Joy Preble celebrate the completion of her Dreaming Anastasia trilogy. I look forward to seeing future books from her. ^_^  Also, Christin from Portrait of a Book nudged me into getting Forbidden, so hopefully I'll be able to read it soon.

From Library:

A Bride's Story Volume 2 by Kaoru Mori (From Library)

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout (From Library, sorry about the Interlibrary Loan tag)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (From Library)

My library is so efficient when it comes to getting the requested books I want to read.  Looks like August will be a very good month of library books. 

That's all for my shelves the past couple of weeks.  
What did you stack on your shelves?

Stacking the Shelves (4)

We are all book lovers and the need to share our enthusiasm is sometimes overwhelming. Stacking the Shelves, created and hosted at Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks!

Call of the Sea ARC by Rebecca Hart (From Publisher for Blog Tour, thank you Kelly!)

The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegan (Interlibrary Loan FTW)
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (Library)

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg (Library)

What did you stack your shelves with this week? ^_^

Stacking the Shelves (3)

We are all book lovers and the need to share our enthusiasm is sometimes overwhelming. Stacking the Shelves, created and hosted at Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks!

Firethorn by Sarah Micklem (Gift from Marla at Starting the Next Chapter, thanks hun!)

Taken at Dusk by C.C. Hunter (Bought from B&N)

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (Library)

Orcs: Forged for War by Stan Nicholls (Library)

Spike: After the Fall by Brian Lynch & Franco Urru (Library)

Needless to say, I'm trying to make great use of my library system, especially since I started ordering for the collection. :)

What did you stack on your shelves this week? ^_^

TGIF: Book Appeal

TGIF is a weekly meme created and hosted by Ginger of GReads! that recaps the week's posts and has a different question each week.

This week on Denim-Jacket Librarian Dishes:

In My Mailbox (22)

New Blog Design!

The Librarian's Advice: Entering Library School

Top Ten Tuesday (33): Books I Think Would Make Great Book Club Picks

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Book Appeal: When you're browsing Goodreads, the library, or another blogger's reviews, what grabs your attention to make you want to read it?

My Answer: Shallow answer comes first, I know, but a cover will often grab my attention first and foremost.  However, a gripping summary will definitely make me want to read a book.  I think it really depends on the genre of the book to determined whether I want to read it.  Recently, I was caught off-guard by a lovely and wolfish cover for a new title by a well-known women's literature writer, but when I read the summary, the cove definitely had nothing to do with the actual story held within the pages.  Just goes to show I shouldn't always judge books by their covers, but luckily I know to read the summary after being captivated by the cover. ^_~  Here are some samples of great books with great covers.

Reviewing Books You Did Not Finish Reading

I'm going to speak freely and frankly as a librarian here: it's okay to not finish a book and still have an opinion on what content you did read.  

Sometimes, we feel the obligation to read and finish each and every book we start.  If that's the case, then perhaps some of us wouldn't be as avid readers as we are simply because of books that might have really disappointed us in some way or prevented us from reading a title we might have actually enjoyed.  I do believe in finishing what I start, however, there is a limited amount of time given in order to do the things I love, which includes reading.  If I am not enjoying a book or if there is some aspect about a book that makes me furious, melancholy, befuddled, or at the worst bored, I will stop reading and sometimes give the book away.  

Off-hand, I can only think of one title that I had to put away (and I did this 2 times) before finally saying I just couldn't read it and had to give it away.  If I had forced myself to sit through the entirety of the book, would I have been any better off?  Possibly but in my honest opinion, I felt no need to continue reading that particular title.  It just wasn't my cup of tea, and I will leave it at that.  

There are some bloggers who post either "non-reviews" or "semi-reviews" of books they were unable to finish for one reason or another.  I actually like the idea because they can still get their opinions out in regards to the book they were attempting to read.  Maybe it was the pacing, the characters, the overall story, or perhaps even the sub-story (which might have had more page-time than the actual story), who knows?  But that doesn't mean their voices should not be heard as long as it is done constructively.  

The bottom line is:

1) If you're not enjoying a book or do not feel compelled to continue reading a book, you don't have to.  

2) If you want to express your thoughts on why you couldn't finish the book, that's perfectly reasonable.

3) Remember, when you do "review" the book, inform your readers that you did not finish the book.

4) If you could recommend the book to readers of a certain applicable genre, feel free to do so.

And most important of all:

5) Move on and start reading the next title on your TBR list.

A Reference Librarian's Day

Being a full-time librarian, I have my busy days and not-so-busy days, and with new staff to train, most of my days are busy.  Sometimes, I have the feeling that some still believe the stereotype that librarians sit at the Reference Desk and read, which actually is against policy unless reading through professional review journals.  Here's a brief schedule of what my Monday was like. ^_^

12:00-1:00 pm: Arrive at the library, updating and printing copies of the weekly meeting schedule to distribute to all departments.  Update meeting log to include applications accepted over the weekend.

1:00-1:30 pm: Prepare the conference room for the Adult Services Book Club meeting, printing out reading guides and handing out the title for next month.

1:30-2:30 pm: Have a rousing and enlightening talk on current month's Book Club title.  Help direct the discussion along the reading guide's questions.

2:30-3:00 pm: Take down and close conference room, taking a 15 minute break afterward to check out next month's Book Club title and discuss possible titles for next year with coworkers.

3:00-4:00 pm: Review and contact patrons' requesting the use of the library's meeting/conference rooms if clarification is needed.  Take meeting room applications down to branch manager for approval.

4:00-5:00 pm: Lunch/dinner

5:00-7:00 pm: Cover Information Desk and Reference Desk, answering patrons' questions, directing patrons to titles and/or research materials, and opening meeting/conference rooms for tonight's outside organization meetings.

7:00-8:00 pm: Start planning out Reference Desk Schedule for following week and update Shelf-Reading Schedule to reflect new full-time and part-time employees.  Clean staff kitchen.

8:00-8:30 pm: Cover Reference Desk and train new full-time paraprofessional in closing procedures.

8:30-9:00 pm: Prepare the branch for closing, checking technical closets, straightening out the bookshelves, tidying the desks and tables, vacating the study rooms and meeting rooms, and closing the computer lab.

If you're a librarian, tell me how your day goes!  And if you're a library patron, tell me how your librarians help you! ^_^

RIP Library Cookbooks

When opening the library this morning, I got quite a shock to see that there was a huge leak in the ceiling... right above the cookbook collection.  There is good news and bad news.  The good news is the leak was above the end of one shelf panel.  Also, the cleaning crew who apparently noticed the leak during the night made the effort to save the books on that area of shelves by pushing them through to the other side.  For that, we are all definitely thankful.  The bad news is that we lost about 12 cookbooks due to heavy water damage.  When a book is soaked through to the spine with a liquid, there is no way to save it especially from book mold.  Rest in peace, dear cookbooks.

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where bloggers post about all the books they have received whether in the mail, if we purchased it, or checked out from our local library.



All of my books came from my library this week, including: 

The Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman & P. Craig Russell
(Always was a Sandman fan, and I can't wait to read this one.)

The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
(Nothing like revisiting old comics. Gotta love nostalgia ^_^)

Dust City by Robert Paul Weston 
(This novel arrived quickly by inter-library loan, hallelujah! ^___^)

My friends, what books arrived in your mailbox this past week?

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where bloggers post about all the books they have received whether in the mail, if we purchased it, or checked out from our local library.


This week I received several of my requested books from the library plus I was able to find a couple at Borders and Goodwill Store. :) 


From the Library (mostly nonfiction since I've been meaning to do some research):

Shark Life by Peter Benchley

Wolves by Candace Savage

Handbook of Norse Mythology by John Lindow

The Norse Myths retold by Kevin Crossley-Holland

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg

The Great American Wolf by Bruce Hampton

From Borders and Goodwill Store:

Masques by Patricia Briggs

Natsume's Book of Friends Volume 3 by Yuki Midorikawa

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (Goodwill)

What was in your mailbox this week?

In My Mailbox (1)

After seeing this meme on several blogs I follow, I had to join in this week since I finally have something to talk about! ^_^ In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we post about all the books we have received whether in the mail, if we purchased it,or got it from our local library. 


From Amazon.com:

From the Library:

From Half-Price Books:

Sunday Salon: Saturday Crew Shout-out!

Ah, 6-day work week, you do try to exhaust me so each and every time you come around.  Yet you failed to completely deplete me of my energy this week.  I think it helps when I have an awesome Saturday crew to work with.  These are the ingredients that make working that 6th day worthwhile:

- One awesome paraprofessional ready to assist as the librarian's partner in the library, especially when cleaning computers

- Two patient library assistants that cover the info desks so the librarian and paraprofessional can have a breather, the favor of which is returned for the assistants

- Children's staff that are ready to jump up to answer questions the Adult staff cannot fully answer

- Circulation staff that makes sure books are on the hold shelf where patrons can find them...and even search for books/DVDs/etc when they are misplaced.

For even when you have sudden meeting cancellations, when you have a staff like the one mentioned above, there is no need to be frustrated.  They're the ones that help the day go smoothly so the librarian knows all is well and the patrons are happy.

Thank you to my Saturday crew. :)

One Librarian's Journey

Title:  The Night Bookmobile

Author:  Audrey Niffenegger

Summary:  The Night Bookmobile tells the story of a wistful young woman who one night encounters a mysterious disappearing library on wheels.  This library includes everything, and only everything, she has ever read.  Seeing her history and most intimate self in this library, she embarks on a search for the bookmobile.  But over time her search turns into an obsession as she longs to be reunited with her own collection and therefore, her memories.

The Dish:  The Night Bookmobile is the first book I've read by Ms. Niffenegger, and it is a rather different type of graphic novel.  From the outside, it looks like a picture book one would find in the Children's Section of the library, but the story within is deeper than one expects.  Niffenegger is a rather unique storyteller, and she does tell a marvelous and touching story, one that not only librarians but anyone who loves books will hopefully appreciate in some way. 

Alexandra, the narrator, is walking about the city of Chicago one night and comes across a rather out-of-place Winnebago in the street.  Curious about it's appearance and the fact that the lights are on, she approaches it and the person in the driver's seat allows her entrance.  This Winnebago is actually a Bookmobile of sorts, but not just any Bookmobile.  When you first see the amount of books inside, it fills almost the entirety of the Winnebago.  This actually reminds me of a drawing by an artist I encountered at the Jazz & Arts Festival in Denton.  It is a one-point perspective drawing of a library that seems to go on endlessly, and if any library could represent one that adds more and more books to it as the reader reads, it would be within this piece.  Below is sort of an example of one-point perspective in a library; I would rather not show the drawing itself without a link to the artist's webpage.

For anyone who is searching for something or has ever felt the need to search for that something that seems to be missing in their life, I would recommend this graphic novel.  The story does have its sad points, but I hope that readers would find some peace in reading the end. 

"Waiting On" Wednesday: A Discovery of Witches

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's "Waiting On" Wednesday selection is:

A Discovery of Witches

By Deborah Harkness

Publication Date:  February 8, 2011 by Viking Adult

From Publishers Weekly~
In Harkness's lively debut, witches, vampires, and demons outnumber humans at Oxford's Bodleian Library, where witch and Yale historian Diana Bishop discovers an enchanted manuscript, attracting the attention of 1,500-year-old vampire Matthew Clairmont. The orphaned daughter of two powerful witches, Bishop prefers intellect, but relies on magic when her discovery of a palimpsest documenting the origin of supernatural species releases an assortment of undead who threaten, stalk, and harass her. Against all occult social propriety, Bishop turns for protection to tall, dark, bloodsucking man-about-town Clairmont. Their research raises questions of evolution and extinction among the living dead, and their romance awakens centuries-old enmities. Harkness imagines a crowded universe where normal and paranormal creatures observe a tenuous peace. "Magic is desire made real," Bishop says after both her desire and magical prowess exceed her expectations. Harkness brings this world to vibrant life and makes the most of the growing popularity of gothic adventure with an ending that keeps the Old Lodge door wide open.


How can I not want a book that combines two of my favorite subjects, namely a library and the supernatural?   Not to mention it sounds like a good thriller, perhaps similar to The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova?