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Something Different Every Day

September 17, 2008

Drowning in listservs

My listservs are going crazy right now.  Child_lit, CCBC, adbooks, and yalsa-bk have been dropping an amazing number of emails into my box, to the point where I can’t begin to keep up.  What kicked off the frenzy of posts?  The answer to that would be who rather than what:  Sarah Palin.

First came the intense round of discussion on whether or not one should use a listserv with 501(c)3 status to discuss politics.  Once it was officially barred on yalsa-bk, the discussion turned toward how perplexing it was for an organization that dedicates itself to protecting free speech to be telling its listserv members what they can’t discuss.  Then came the dozens of messages beginning “I know we’re not supposed to be discussing this, but…”  Interesting, but yalsa-bk is a busy listserv already.  Those YA librarians have a lot to say about books, programming, teenagers, and most especially about graphic novels.  Add politics on top, and a deluge of email results.

Child_Lit has always come in waves, where one day the only message will be “Is anyone there?” and the next someone will post a provocative comment and the members write back in force.  Ever since the announcement of Sarah Palin, one discussion flows into the next and the number of messages is just tremendous.  Interesting, again, but…I’m drowning!

I salute the moderators of adbooks and CCBC for keeping their discussions focused, though even they have had a hard time reining in some of the discussions.

What do you do when your listservs go crazy?  Delete without reading?  Unsubscribe temporarily?  Or do you just try to keep up with the volume and figure that it’ll die down eventually and you’d better enjoy it while you can?  That’s what I’m doing, but if it keeps up like it’s been the past couple of days, I’m not sure I can continue all the way till November.

Edited to add:  So far today, I have deleted 400 messages!  Sure hope none of those were from my coworkers that got mixed into the listserv tsunami.

posted by Susan at 8:13 am | Comments (3)

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)

July 3, 2008

ALA part 1: I paid for an ARC!

I couldn’t decide what to write about first, but hearing my son’s laughter coming from his room decided the question for me–I have to write about the first time I have ever paid for an Advanced Reader Copy.

Technically, I did not pay for my ARC of John Green’s Paper Towns, due out in October. Technically, I paid for a paperback copy of Looking for Alaska so I could get my free ARC of Paper Towns. But frankly, since I already own Looking for Alaska in hardcover, that makes it a “free” ARC.

I guess I can understand it. Brotherhood 2.0 (the video log between brothers John and Hank Green) generated a huge demand, as is demonstrated by the fact that I didn’t feel I could come home from conference without a copy or the local Nerdfighters might not let me in the house.

But still…they took a risk, making me pay for this. I’d better like this book, because now I’ll be cranky about it if I don’t, instead of just disappointed.

My other big score from ALA:
I have some good reading ahead! I love getting ARCs at conference!
Update: Resident 17-year-old says first 58 pages of Paper Towns are “really good”. He’s a sterner critic than I am, so that’s good news!

Update to the update: He slapped Paper Towns down and said, “The Printz”. I’m thinking that means he likes it. A lot.

posted by Susan at 3:10 pm | Comments (0)

December 17, 2007

Project for Awesome

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a huge fan of YA author John Green’s videoblogging project with his eco-geek brother Hank called Brotherhood 2.0. Today they launched the “top secret project” they’ve been talking about for the past couple of weeks, in which young adults and other Brotherhood 2.0 fans used Youtube to promote their favorite good causes. In Project for Awesome, literally thousands of people have uploaded videos like this one that my 20-year-old son did this morning. If you take a look, you’ll see in the list of related videos the same “nerdfighter power” screen,
which each video maker placed in the exact middle of their video before uploading it. And if you click on the videos, you’ll see an amazing array of causes dear to the hearts of individual young people. What a great idea, and what a fun way to carry it out!

I love the way young adult literature has moved beyond the early “problem novel” of the 1970s to a time when they combine powerful themes with humor, art, and technology. They still talk about serious issues, but as this project so clearly demonstrates, they also empower young people to work for positive change. Awesome.

posted by Susan at 3:27 pm | Comments (0)

September 19, 2007

A happy dance from Scotland

I know it sounds melodramatic, but Brotherhood 2.0 has changed my life. The year-long video project between Printz Award-winning author John Green and his Eco-Geek brother Hank Green is something my two sons and I have been following with huge enjoyment. On one day, Hank may sing a (usually hilarious) song; John last week read the first chapter of his not-yet-published YA novel aloud. Often they just talk about what’s happening in their lives, how they feel about the current state of the world (and gauge the “WorldSuck level”) and in general celebrate being “nerdfighters”.

On September 11th, the subject of where people were came up, and many of the comments began, “I was in second grade…” so although a wide age range is enjoying their video blog, the YA audience makes up a huge part of it, which is a very cool thing.

I say it has changed my life, but that’s because Brotherhood 2.0 has changed the lives of my sons in a very real way. They are seeing a pair of brothers a lot like themselves talking back and forth, and seeing the way they carry out their adult relationship. John and Hank are modeling how adult siblings can live across the country from each other and remain very close. Right now, my two sons are across the world from each other, because older brother Iain is having a semester abroad at the University of Edinburgh. And my two boys are attempting a once a week exchange of videos, which so far only the older son with the shiny new equipment has managed to keep up with. Would it ever have crossed their minds without Hank and John? I doubt it!

The end of this week’s entry from Iain includes a happy dance at the bottom of Arthur’s Seat, which I’m sure he is planning to submit to Brotherhood 2.0 for their happy dances around the world montage. And let me tell you, few things do a mother who happens to be a Youth Services librarian’s heart more good than seeing her awesome son do a happy dance in Scotland for a project carried out by an awesome YA author and his equally awesome brother! In some ways, the world is actually getting cooler.

posted by Susan at 4:05 pm | Comments (0)