100 Books in 2010

In case you’re looking for a great challenge in 2010, I have just the thing. I came across this blog called J. Kaye’s Book Blog and along with several other challenges, there is a great one for 2010.  Sign up and aim to read 100 books this year.  You don’t have to have a blog to post what books you’ve read, there’s a section on the sign up page that will explain just what to do.

You can read absolutely anything……non-fiction, graphic novels, audiobooks, e-books….whatever might have an ISBN number or equivalent.  Then, keep track of your books as you go and post your final total at the end of next December.  Books started before January 1, 2010 are not eligible (so much for those 4 books I have on the go!), so keep anything for after the New Year.  You don’t have to decide on your book list ahead of time, but you certainly may.  Changes to the list are allowed, so don’t feel fenced in if you change your mind about something.

Give it a try! What a great thing to accomplish in a year!

What’s on our carts today?

One of the things I enjoy most when checking in books for patrons is to see what everyone is reading. Sometimes, I’ll come across a book or a series that I hadn’t seen before or maybe just an unusual book that I wouldn’t have pulled off the shelf myself, but I’ll take it home because someone else did.  And a lot of our patrons do the same thing.  They often talk about stopping in and just checking the carts for books instead of going to the shelves.

So what did I find today?  Here is just a sampling of some of the interesting books……

Service Animals and Reading

We have been talking a lot lately about service animals at work, and not because people try to bring them into the library, but because people often bring in animals that aren’t service animals.  This can be a slight issue, even if they are just dropping off a book and carry in a small dog or cat so that they don’t have to tie them up oustide.  But, it gets us thinking about the use of animals as service animals and conversations begin.

I cam across a new and interesting way that people are using animals to perform a specific service called “Reading Education Assistance Dogs”. These dogs are specifically trained to help children learn to read better.  And just how do they do this? They are great listeners.  Children are encouraged to read to these specially trained animals who provide a safe and non-judgmental environment and allow a child to relax and read at their own pace.  The idea is brilliant because children connect so well with animals that they often get so excited about the next meeting that they can’t wait to read more.  And the dogs are trained to listen and act attentively to the child, not to disrupt, which is wonderful.  The dogs and their owners travel to schools, libraries and other settings to work with children on their reading skills.

You can find a lot more information about this program s well as pictures and links from their site to other important reading programs using dogs as therapy animals for children right here.  It is inspiring and I only wish there were more programs like this available around the world.

Sometimes, we just want to read

I came across an adorable and creative little blog that tells stories (of teeth, mind you) with just a series of photos.  This little tale, which begins above, is called “Some Afternoon Mellow”. Take your time and scroll through the pictures.  They are simple and yet so charming that you can’t help but smile.  The blog and photos are the wonderful work of artist Inhae Lee who tells the story of the little tooth that just showed up at her door one day. Please take a look at the rest of her site while you are there.  Very creative!

Book shopping

Later this week, we’re going book shopping!  Yes, its that time of year again to purchase new books at a special sale put on by Scholastic. We are lucky enough to be able to go to these sales a few times each year and then in between, we purchase books from our favourite booksellers that travel around to local libraries, and we visit local bookstores for great deals as well.  But these special shopping trips are usually lots of fun.  Imagine a grocery cart stacked high with books.  I swear, it is like Christmas, going up and down the aisles and throwing book after book into my cart.   But it all benefits the library in the big scheme of things.

We are lucky enough at the Carleton Place Public Library to be able to buy lots of new books each year for our readers.  Not only do we update copies of books that might have been lost or damaged, but we can select new authors, new titles and new genres to keep things fresh.  So do we just buy randomly or is there a method to our madness?  Both, actually.

Janet and I talk about this frequently.  We both look through book catalogs that arrive in the library to learn about new selections being offered by our favourite suppliers, but we both also read book blogs to come up with great ideas.  Sometimes, we’ll just spot a new author, or sometimes, the book blog will feature an author we already have who many have a new title coming out.  It’s nice to be on top of things and ahead of the game.

It is also useful for us to be able to see the books when we purchase them.  No matter how much a book is recommended, you can be greatly disappointed when something arrives and the font is strange or the pictures are not what you’d like young children to look at.  Holding the book and being able to flip through it make choosing books for adults and children much easier.

Thinking about our book buy this week, I found a great site that detailed the Top 100 books for children as recommended by readers, which is a fabulous way to come across books.  Thanks to the SurRural Librarian for the idea and follow up on this list, done by Elizabeth Bird who is a children’s librarian in New York City. The entire list is here and if you visit the books listed separately, you’ll see that she did an amazing job of finding out about each book, author and website.  This is truly fascinating, even if you aren’t a big fan of children’s picture books.

And while you’re there, check out a few of the great book review blogs for chidlren’s books that the SurRural librarian recommends.  They are now going on my list so that I’ll be on top of the books I want to buy in the fall!

Read a book….take a nap!

We talk a lot to patrons about the size of their books and the fact that so many of us read in bed.  Many people don’t like to take out large books because of that fact…they are simply too heavy to read in bed.  One other common complaint is that people often fall asleep when reading.  Combine these two problems and you have this great photo by Rebecca Miller.