First-chapter Friday : Fresh Ink

Each Friday I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from SRCSA library. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for Jan. 27, 2023 is Fresh Ink, featuring contributor Jason Reynolds.

Milestones in U.S. public library history

My studies this week addressed several important milestones in the history of U.S. public libraries: including establishment of the idea that local taxes would support public libraries, an emerging focus upon library services to young people, and the desegregation of public libraries during the civil rights movement of the ’60s.

Public libraries and democracy

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “democracy” as “government by the people, especially: rule of the majority” (2023). In my reading this week for LIS 5804, McCook and Bossaller describe the public library as “democracy’s hope.” They tell us that “The narrative linking democracy and public libraries has been a consistent theme (with many variations) that can be seen in professional statements, landmark decisions, and library literature (2018, p. 2).

LIS 5804 : Ways that libraries enrich my life

In its Declaration for the Right to Libraries, the American Library Association lists several ways that libraries change people’s lives. Among them are statements that “Libraries empower the individual” (ALA, 2013, p. 16), and that “Libraries support literacy and lifelong learning” (ibid).

First-chapter Friday : Oddity

Each Friday I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from SRCSA library. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for Jan. 20, 2023 is Oddity, by Eli Brown.

Medina appointed National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

Meg Medina, author of Merci Suárez Changes Gears and the Young Adult novel, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, has been appointed National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2023-2024, by the U.S. Library of Congress and Every Child a Reader. From my “First-chapter Friday” video collection, here is a reading from Merci Suárez Changes Gears.

LIS 5804 : Haiku and reflection

For my first week of studies in LIS 5804, The Public Library, I was to write a haiku in response to a photograph in Robert Dawson’s The Public Library: A Photographic Essay.

First-chapter Friday : Nikhil Out Loud

Each Friday I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from SRCSA library. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for Jan. 13, 2023 is Nikhil Out Loud, by Maulik Pancholy.

Character education : Perseverance

Here are several books available from SRCSA library, which address the character trait of Perseverance.

UCM, LIS 5804 : Introducing myself

I am taking graduate courses in Library and Information Science through the online program at University of Central Missouri. For Spring 2023, I am taking LIS 5804, The Public Library. I made this video to introduce myself to classmates.

Stone Soup magazine in SRCSA library

Thanks to an unknown benefactor, our library is the recipient of Stone Soup magazine, which features artwork, poems, and short stories by young people. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you are enjoying my videos.

LJ Librarian(s) of the Year : Books Unbanned at BPL

Library Journal has announced its 2023 Librarian(s) of the year: the “Books Unbanned” team at Brooklyn Public Library, which offers “free ebook access to teens and young adults nationwide, defying rising book challenges across the country.”

To apply for a free BPL ecard, all that young people ages 13 to 21 need to do is “send a note via email to BooksUnbanned@bklynlibrary.org or through the library’s teen-run Instagram account, @bklynfuture, describing the censorship challenges they are experiencing and why they feel libraries should have diverse collections.”