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Re: This amazing conversation
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From: Melissa Techman <mtechman_at_k12albemarle.org>
Date: Sun, 09 Feb 2014 15:34:31 +0000
I really want to share this conversation with everyone I know in many worlds. Last night, my brain put together some things from this list with something Buffy Hamilton said to me yesterday ALL advocacy is local and I dreamed I was at a Continuing Ed conference for surgeons (good old non sequitur dreams) and I was buttonholing everyone in the hotel, exhibit halls, restaurants about how one of the top 5 reasons to support libraries is .and then I heard myself quoting from your posts about the B&N buyers and how librarians have a larger vision. So, just to let you know: You guys are wonderful. Love seeing your thinking! Melissa
Melissa Techman, MLS, NBCT School Librarian Broadus Wood Elem School 185 Buck Mtn Rd Earlysville, Va 22936 434-973-3865 mtechman_at_k12albemarle.org
Twitter, Pinterest, Diigo, Symbaloo: mtechman
From: "maggie_bo_at_comcast.net<mailto:maggie_bo@comcast.net>" <maggie_bo@comcast.net<mailto:maggie_bo@comcast.net>> Date: Sunday, February 9, 2014 10:07 AM To: Debbie Reese <dreese.nambe_at_gmail.com<mailto:dreese.nambe@gmail.com>> Cc: CCBC-Net Network <ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu<mailto:ccbc-net@lists.wisc.edu>> Subject: Re: [ccbc-net] Resending (Just wondering about market)
In answer to Debbie's first question--who buys books from Amazon--the easy answer is "everybody." Certainly many school libraries (the libraries I'm familiar with) do, but Amazon is not likely to be the primary vendor, in part because they don't provide marc records or other processing services. They also do not have many school-market nonfiction titles in stock, and if they do, they're not discounted. However, I bet many teachers use Amazon to buy books for their classroom libraries or "lit circles" (groups of three to six students in the class all read the same book; the students thus get some choice over which book they want to read out of a pre-selected group of books, and have classmates to discuss the book with--it works well.)
Speaking of which .... "lit circle" books are one area where librarians have a wonderful opportunity to recommend some great options to teachers. Often, teachers choose the books THEY loved as a child for lit circles ... but if they know you're willing and able to help them, they're usually THRILLED to have the librarian provide recommendations. It's the perfect time to start a gentle conversation about stereotypes that might exist in some of the titles they've been using. I have one teacher now who wants to use lit circles as an opportunity to have her kids choose from a variety of books featuring protagonists of color. We're working on the list now.
And lists! ... if you see a list floating around your school (take note of what your kids bring to the library), take a look. My kids were bringing a 4-page-long list of historical fiction books about American History to choose from for a project. Don't know who made it, but it was HORRID. I went to the chairman of the dept.; it was apparently over 10 years old and no one had the "time" to update it. I asked if I could .... now they have a new list, complete with wonderful new titles on it from points of view other than just white.
As far as reference with individual patrons: That, honestly, can only be done when requested. If a kid is in the stacks, I might ask if they need help, and if the answer's yes, we can have all kinds of conversations, but if the answer's no, I leave them alone. And if they come up to the circulation desk with a book that's .... disappointing, I don't ever make comments on it. It's a privacy issue. What you check out is your business, and the kids need to feel safe that they're not being judged in any way.
Debbie, re observations/analysis on books for Native Americans, I will say one thing: I think the "general public," including many educators, has far less understanding about what is offensive and what is stereotypical for this culture (really, these cultures) than for any of the others. (Why this is the case is a whole topic for discussion in itself.) In any event, I think this ignorance is the main reason so many "cringeworthy" books like Indian in the Cupboard keep selling.
Thanks to everyone on the list for providing ME with such a wonderful education.
Maggie Bokelman Eagle View Middle School Mechanicsburg, PA
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Date: Sun, 09 Feb 2014 15:34:31 +0000
I really want to share this conversation with everyone I know in many worlds. Last night, my brain put together some things from this list with something Buffy Hamilton said to me yesterday ALL advocacy is local and I dreamed I was at a Continuing Ed conference for surgeons (good old non sequitur dreams) and I was buttonholing everyone in the hotel, exhibit halls, restaurants about how one of the top 5 reasons to support libraries is .and then I heard myself quoting from your posts about the B&N buyers and how librarians have a larger vision. So, just to let you know: You guys are wonderful. Love seeing your thinking! Melissa
Melissa Techman, MLS, NBCT School Librarian Broadus Wood Elem School 185 Buck Mtn Rd Earlysville, Va 22936 434-973-3865 mtechman_at_k12albemarle.org
Twitter, Pinterest, Diigo, Symbaloo: mtechman
From: "maggie_bo_at_comcast.net<mailto:maggie_bo@comcast.net>" <maggie_bo@comcast.net<mailto:maggie_bo@comcast.net>> Date: Sunday, February 9, 2014 10:07 AM To: Debbie Reese <dreese.nambe_at_gmail.com<mailto:dreese.nambe@gmail.com>> Cc: CCBC-Net Network <ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu<mailto:ccbc-net@lists.wisc.edu>> Subject: Re: [ccbc-net] Resending (Just wondering about market)
In answer to Debbie's first question--who buys books from Amazon--the easy answer is "everybody." Certainly many school libraries (the libraries I'm familiar with) do, but Amazon is not likely to be the primary vendor, in part because they don't provide marc records or other processing services. They also do not have many school-market nonfiction titles in stock, and if they do, they're not discounted. However, I bet many teachers use Amazon to buy books for their classroom libraries or "lit circles" (groups of three to six students in the class all read the same book; the students thus get some choice over which book they want to read out of a pre-selected group of books, and have classmates to discuss the book with--it works well.)
Speaking of which .... "lit circle" books are one area where librarians have a wonderful opportunity to recommend some great options to teachers. Often, teachers choose the books THEY loved as a child for lit circles ... but if they know you're willing and able to help them, they're usually THRILLED to have the librarian provide recommendations. It's the perfect time to start a gentle conversation about stereotypes that might exist in some of the titles they've been using. I have one teacher now who wants to use lit circles as an opportunity to have her kids choose from a variety of books featuring protagonists of color. We're working on the list now.
And lists! ... if you see a list floating around your school (take note of what your kids bring to the library), take a look. My kids were bringing a 4-page-long list of historical fiction books about American History to choose from for a project. Don't know who made it, but it was HORRID. I went to the chairman of the dept.; it was apparently over 10 years old and no one had the "time" to update it. I asked if I could .... now they have a new list, complete with wonderful new titles on it from points of view other than just white.
As far as reference with individual patrons: That, honestly, can only be done when requested. If a kid is in the stacks, I might ask if they need help, and if the answer's yes, we can have all kinds of conversations, but if the answer's no, I leave them alone. And if they come up to the circulation desk with a book that's .... disappointing, I don't ever make comments on it. It's a privacy issue. What you check out is your business, and the kids need to feel safe that they're not being judged in any way.
Debbie, re observations/analysis on books for Native Americans, I will say one thing: I think the "general public," including many educators, has far less understanding about what is offensive and what is stereotypical for this culture (really, these cultures) than for any of the others. (Why this is the case is a whole topic for discussion in itself.) In any event, I think this ignorance is the main reason so many "cringeworthy" books like Indian in the Cupboard keep selling.
Thanks to everyone on the list for providing ME with such a wonderful education.
Maggie Bokelman Eagle View Middle School Mechanicsburg, PA
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Received on Sun 09 Feb 2014 09:34:49 AM CST
