Thinking about Thanking

So much of our personal and professional lives revolve around technology that we often forget the power of notes...written by hand.

Yes, you could say the exact same thing in an email or even using PaperlessPost, but there is something more genuine and meaningful about receiving a handwritten letter in the mail. So, when this time of year rolls around we thank our wonderful library volunteers by sending them a thank-you note. In the past, there was a get-together, but it proved difficult to find a time that worked for everyone during this hectic time of year, so that went by the wayside. 

Generally, our volunteers downplay the large amount of work they do in the library; everything from shelving cartloads of books to checking out lines of chattering kids. These women are truly the oil that keeps this machine chugging along. Without them, we wouldn't be able to teach the number of classes that we do in the Middle School (359 this year, to be exact), complete multiple book orders, process those books, aid students, grade assignments, meet as a group, etc. Though, our circulation has decreased a bit over the years, there are still thousands of books to shelve, not counting the hundreds that are found laying around the library that must be put back in place. 

So, whether you have parents, students, or maybe even teachers that volunteer their time and back (it can definitely get sore) in order to make sure that patrons can go to the stacks and find the book they are looking for, take the time to thank them the right way, by writing a note. 

End-of-year inspiration

Inspiration is a hard thing to come by this late in the school year. However, that's just what I found today at Nancy Jo Lambert's presentation, "Tell Your Story: Designing Your Library Presence," at Region 10. The usual tech tools were mentioned: blog platforms, website layouts, and OF COURSE Twitter, but what set this presentation apart from other Web 2.0 information sessions was the fact that it went beyond the basics of setting up these various platforms and focused on displaying information that people actually care about.

Lambert made the point that while it's easy to become consumed with what YOU think is really important in the library, like an adequate budget, good furniture, working with teachers, etc., what people are going to want to read is the information that relates to them. For students that could be the latest books, for administrators that could be how the library is improving learning, for parents that could be how research will help students muddle their way through those college papers. Looking at the library through the eyes of someone else can inform what we do/don't discuss on our blogs, sites, and social media.

One ah-ha moment came when Lambert said not to worry about grammar and spelling so much that it keeps you from posting as often. The fear of making mistakes throughout a post is one of the main reasons I don't post more often. I feel that I need time to write uninterrupted and that I should have something REALLY AWESOME to write about, but that just simply isn't the case. I smiled when she said that we were being selfish by not posting our wonderful librarian knowledge for others to take hold of. :) So, I'm going to try posting more often, which will inevitably result in more grammatical errors, but will also lead to a lot more information being shared.