Books + Arts = Book Arts

 I do a lot of different things and with all those things comes a set of digital footprints along a very diverse map. Some paths directly overlap and some are islands out there that were used specifically for some reason or another.  Work I'm, currently, a part-time youth services librarian who works mostly with tweens and teens. This means that I spend a lot of time creating programming (Pinterest and Canva), looking up that "have you seen that video..." (Youtube), and suggesting books that are like ________ (Goodreads). As a city employee, we run on Gmail/Google + all day: emails, calendars, forms, docs, spreadsheets, etc. We also struggle with poor communication so attempts at using things like Slack and Discord have been attempted but then forgotten shortly after.  As a tween/teen librarian it's also imperative that I keep up with what books are being published to offer appropriate recommendations without having to actually read all the books. For this purpose I r...

 A tool I use often at the public library is the lesson builder on Learning for Justice's website . LFJ is the educational component to the non-profit, Southern Poverty Law Center based in Montgomery, AL.  Their mission statement is:  "The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people." SPLC created the Learning for Justice in 1991 (originally called Teaching Tolerance) branch as a way to help educators and community leaders in teaching four areas: Culture and Climate Curriculum and Instruction Leadership Family and Community Engagement The International Society of Technology and Education (ISTE) works to target nine areas of expertise with one of those being Social-Emotional Learning and Cultural Competence. My background is in creating inclusive programming in non-profits and I am always looking for tools ...

  Illustration by Quentin Blake for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Much like Willy Wonka leading a group of kids through his chocolate factory, I think of myself as a similar character. As we progress quickly towards the summer break we are starting to get a lot of school field coming on to our floor looking to fill those last few days. My branch is five stories and every floor is something completely different with their own set of rules, offerings, and assortment of staff. The field trip groups are broken down and placed into a rotation with one these being a tour. They start in the basement which houses our collections department, maintenance shop, and the Library Foundation office/book store house. The 1st floor is the adult floor with all the adult books and computers plus auditorium and coffee shop. 2nd floor belongs to children, tweens, and teens and you know it because I've made it an explosion of color. Then it's on to 3rd which is reference and archives (aka: the q...

photo source: blog author Introduction: Hello and welcome to my first ever blog that isn't just a random assortment of images like the last one I had back in the early 00s. I was born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA - the center of a Venn diagram between the Cajuns on the left and New Orleans on the right. I graduated from Louisiana State University in 2003 with my BA in Theatre Design/Technology with a focus on scenic and costume design. I used this degree to travel all over the country and team up with a circus for awhile before settling back home after Hurricane Katrina.  My career shifted and I became the director of a program that created and supported programming for kids and adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. The programs I ran included everything from swimming to pottery and cooking to therapeutic horse riding. My husband's job relocated us to Texas where I began working in an elementary library and that's where my next chapter starte...