I was a Jack-Of-All-Trades-- or should that be a Marian of all Modes?-- in the Teenspace room.
I answered reference questions, assisted during Teen Advisory Council meetings, weeded areas of the collection and generally bonded with the patrons.
Geeks and teens who willingly come to the library share similar interests--video games, comic books, animation-- which means a lot of common ground for interesting discussion and more helpful reference. One teenager was delighted to find I could give her a list of lesbian superheroes and sci-fi heroines when she complained it was hard to find “someone like her” represented in anything except the Realistic Fiction section and it made my whole day when she told another staff member that she “liked the new librarian.” Sometimes fulfilling the GSLIS Foundations outcome is as simple as remembering things you’ve read.
In February, I utilized my Digital Media and Foundations Outcome skills to construct a ‘Freaks and Geeks’ book display. I picked an assortment of YA books about outcasts and nerds such as King Dork and The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl and created thematic decorations like D20 dice using the Silhouette Cameo and Microsoft Publisher.
My main project was the creation of new genre lists for the Teenspace Reader’s Advisory, a binder of recommended reads binder. By using Novelist, Sierra, and Google Drive, I ensured that my reading recommendations were appealing, age-appropriate, and available at the library as well as easily updated by future staff members, contributing to the GSLIS Digital Media Outcome.
I love recommending books and haven’t had much chance to do it professionally outside of restocking book displays. All of my lists contained both non-fiction and graphic novel selections, in addition to the traditional fiction--something I’ve found lacking in other advisory lists. I also included adult titles where appropriate as I think Carrie is about as close as you can get to a perfect horror novel for teens.
Readers' Advisory List: Bullying Recommendations
Readers' Advisory List: Horror Recommendations
