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Something Different Every Day

August 25, 2008

Facebook, YAs, and Adults

So yesterday I finally created a Facebook page.  I held off for a couple of years because it was initially something for students, and I felt like I would be horning in on something that was rightly the turf of my two sons.  But now, everyone has a Facebook page, and with the two of them heading off to college, I wanted to have access to the info they were sharing with everyone else.

But it does bring up the question we struggle with when we try to work with Young Adults, which is How do we reach out to them without intruding on them?  We sit in our meetings or write on our listservs about meeting them on their own turf, but the sad fact is that as soon as a library creates a page on whatever the hottest service is, it by definition is no longer that cool.

I think there are particular librarians who are sensitive and cool enough to be able to try to mix with YAs on their own territory without embarrassing anyone.  But I’m not sure about the rest of us…

posted by Susan at 7:16 am | Comments (0)

August 14, 2008

A small community with a great library

Every summer, we go off to the north woods of Michigan for a couple of weeks of reading, eating blueberries and cherries, and hiking around.  It is blissful, especially after six weeks of summer reading bedlam.  But every once in awhile, you still need to check in with the world, and these days, that means email.

We make a trek into the local public library and use their computers.  The staff is warm and courteous, and never make us feel like vacationers shouldn’t be taking up their resources.  It’s always a very pleasant trip to make.

While in another even smaller community on the Lake Michigan shore on a short trip this year, we visited another library, just because librarians on vacation find it really hard to pass up peeking at a library.  What a contrast it made!  When you enter the building after climbing the stairs to get to the library, you are greeted with a sign saying, “Please do not leave donations of books.  Our shelf space is very restricted.”  Friendly!

Those shelves?  It’s like taking a trip into my childhood (and maybe my mom’s, too).   Of course they have those Landmark and Childhood of Famous American books, as well as lots of old Bobbsey Twins and many other books the Baby Boomers remember fondly.  But far worse were the nonfiction children’s shelves:

Oh my gosh!  That Boys’ Book of Science and Construction was published in 1958, if I recall correctly.  I especially liked the chapters on atomic science.  Not every community has the money to support a great library, but come on…1958?  So I was especially happy to get back to this wonderful library:

At this library, the first science shelf looks like this:

I’m just so impressed because this is a beautiful, busy library in a community that is struggling with some economic issues and nothing like the wealth of the community with the library above.  It’s a great resource to the kids and the adults as well, and even their out-of-town visitors.  Kudos to you!

posted by Susan at 4:25 pm | Comments (0)