Since I started working in libraries five years ago, I’ve found dozens of librarian blogs filled with tons of great ideas, inspiration and practical advice. I will try to connect you with some of my favorites…once I figure out how to do it.
Because I have no idea how to blog. I like the idea of tracking my programs and having a record for myself as much as sharing resources with the online library community that is a constant help to me, but practically speaking, I have no idea how this works. Which is why I have resisted attempting it until now. But it’s a new year, and we just finished the renovation of a new library, so what better time to start a new blog?
Our library building had been mostly unchanged for decades, so we went from 70s style color schemes, mismatched furniture, a poor heating system and inaccessibility issues to a new library… with it’s own set of new issues (our alarm went off every single time we set it for the first month). But everything is a chic, sleek update, from the floors, the wall colors (mostly neutral tones, with a couple pops of color), equipment, and shelving. We even changed our reference model to “proactive customer service”, which means we no longer have a reference desk on the floor (more on that later).
And we’ve amped up the amount of programming we offer. We changed out a preschool story time for a “playgroup with stories” and are attempting a new book club, plus a slew of family and adult programming.
So I’m going to attempt to document the fun–and failures–as I go along. I hope you’ll join me.
LibrariJen 