Scholastic Book Fair coming to SRCSA Library

A Scholastic Book Fairs planning kit arrived this week at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. The book store will operate out of SRCSA Library from Feb. 26 to March 2.

OverDrive, record year in digital lending

This past year set a record for library digital lending. OverDrive reported that among libraries around the world, more than a quarter-of-a-billion titles were circulated. Not only that, but “Libraries hit individual milestones as well.” In the United States, Canada, Singapore and New Zealand, 58 library systems surpassed 1 million eBook and audio-book checkouts in 2017.

‘Shelf-reading,’ essential for library operations

Shelf-reading is one of those “behind-the-scenes” jobs that are done by a library professional. When library books are shelved in order, correctly, patrons will never have to be frustrated by looking for a book in the location on a shelf where the book’s “address” says it will be, but not being able to find it. Time budgeted for shelf-reading is part of my commitment to library customer service.

‘Wizard for Hire’ by Obert Skye

Ozzy, a boy surviving on his own in rural Oregon, enlists the help of an eccentric man named Rin, who calls himself a wizard. Ozzy is trying to locate his parents, who were kidnapped years earlier, and piece together their involvement and discoveries in a mysterious experiment.

Wizard for Hire is very entertaining, definitely a fun read. Written by Obert Skye, it will be published this March by Shadow Mountain.

At first, I was concerned that Ozzy didn’t display much agency; several years went by before he tried to find his parents. This inaction was explained by Ozzy thinking it was “normal” for children’s parents to be taken away, and I did note that as Ozzy acquired more information and stimulus, he began to engage more with the outside world.

‘Yarn Bombing at Your Library,’ in sixth year

Has it really been six years since I embarked on my fiber-art and social-media curation project, Yarn Bombing at Your Library? The yarn-bombing “tags” I feature were either installed at a library, or a library was instrumental in creating the piece. Through showcasing these installations, I raise attention for the value of libraries and their vital place in society. And while most of the projects I feature were created by other artists, I’ve “yarn-bombed” a few libraries myself. From January 2012, here’s a nighttime installation of a “Support Libraries” tag at the Central Santa Rosa Library in the Sonoma County Library system.

Publishers need input from people with disabilities

A while ago, I wrote that library staffing diversity needs to include autistic perspectives to help identify trouble-areas when evaluating materials for the library. Well, mainstream publishing houses are a frequent channel for disssemination of these resources — but a Diversity Baseline Survey conducted by Lee & Low stated that 92 percent of publishing-industry staff do not have a disability.
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SRCS: ‘Aqui usted esta seguro’

(En español / In Spanish)
Las escuelas de Santa Rosa City Schools son espacios seguros (boletín del distrito para enero 2018). Dos carteles están en una ventana de la escuela. Ellos dicen, “Estamos aqui con ustedes. Aqui usted esta seguro.”

(En inglés / In English)
The schools of Santa Rosa City Schools are safe spaces (district newsletter for January 2018). Two posters are in a school window. They say, “We stand here with you. You are safe here.”

Green-herringbone jacket and hat

Here are a couple of my recent sewing projects, out of a beautiful green herringbone flannel. The jacket is from an old McCalls pattern, #7799, enhanced with a layered applique that I made from repurposed garments.

The newsboy hat is a rare monochromatic creation. I usually combine various colors, textures and patterns when I sew these hats, but I needed a hat in a plain neutral color — and for me, “neutral” is dark green. It’ll easily go with the many other shades of green that dominate my wardrobe.

Facebook news, we have options for control

What do you think of Facebook’s decision to prioritize posts by friends and family in a user’s feed? Are you concerned, as Audrey Cooper is, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, that this emphasis will make it more difficult for users to be exposed to legitimate news, while biased, “fake news” posts that are shared by friends and family, will be given an advantage in the news feed?

Classroom book display with overstock

The daily course of a library worker’s day draws upon many “hats.” Here’s a representation for the bookstore stocking clerk. In a teacher’s classroom, these booklets were bundled in sets, but the teacher needed them accessible for students to freely browse. She’d begun putting books, in order by title, into clear plastic sleeves in a hanging-pocket display — so I continued her efforts and put the overstock into an organizer. I used crafting paper and a label maker to separate each title with dividers — making it easy to locate titles when it’s time to restock.

Un libro está listo en la biblioteca

Mi tarjeta de la Biblioteca del Condado de Sonoma

(En español / In Spanish)
Los sábados, me gusta caminar a la Biblioteca del Condado de Sonoma. Hoy un libro que había solicitado estaba listo para recoger. Con mi tarjeta de biblioteca, puedo sacar libros y otros materiales. (Nota del autor: Entiendo y hablo solo un poco de español; estoy escribiendo mensajes español para practicar. En medios sociales: #EnEspanol.)

(In English / En inglés)
On Saturdays, I like to walk to Sonoma County Library. Today, a book I had requested was ready to pick up. With my library card, I can take out books and other materials. (Author’s note: I understand and speak only a little Spanish; I am writing messages in Spanish for practice. On social media: #EnEspanol.)

Scapegoated while working at JOANN’s

In September 2017, I walked away from a part-time job with JOANN Fabric and Craft Store in Santa Rosa, California. I chose to leave after being singled out and scapegoated, for being held responsible and threatened with write-up for long lines at checkout during a heavily-advertised sale.

‘Gabe & Izzy’ by Gabrielle Ford

As a survivor of bullying, I enjoy reading the accounts of fellow targets like myself, who devote their efforts to speaking out against bullying and raising awareness of how serious it is.

In Gabe & Izzy, Gabrielle Ford shares her experiences during middle- to high-school when she was bullied by classmates but bullying was not spoken of openly at her school. She didn’t know how to ask for help, or even which adult to talk to.

Having been diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia — which as it progressed affected how Ford was able to move and to walk — Ford exhausted herself with trying to appear “normal.”

When a dog named Izzy entered Ford's life, Ford was completely isolated, but Izzy’s own unique challenges helped Ford to become more involved with life again.

Written for young readers, this book is Ford’s generous gift to students who face bullying. Interspersed with her story are facts and suggestions about what is bullying and how to address it.

Disclosure of material connection: My taxes support local libraries’ acquisition of this and other resources. I consider the access I enjoy to be a “priceless” return on my investment.

‘Ms. Marvel, Vol. 6: Civil War II’

Ms. Marvel is faced with the moral implications of so-called “predictive justice.” Is it OK to arrest and detain a person before they’ve committed a crime?

A meta-human named Ulysses uses mathematical probabilities to identify people who are about to commit a crime, and Ms. Marvel’s idol “Captain Marvel” assembles a team to intercept the people whom Ulysses identifies.

Ms. Marvel is given the task of being Captain Marvel’s liaison and supervisor for the team.

At first Ms. Marvel is relieved at at the idea of no longer having to worry if people she cares about are in danger, by stopping dangerous criminals before they can hurt anybody. And so excited is Ms. Marvel to be in a position of responsibility that was given to her by her idol, that she doesn’t listen when friends and family raise ethical concerns.