#library things
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As a librarian I feel like it's my duty to ask
Reblog to spread the word 💜
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I need to stop leaving things like this in the drafts because I could not tell you what book this is BUT thankfully the call number is a little visible in the beginning of the video so I was able to figure it out.
Quantitative chemical analysis by electrolysis (1908)
#library things#chemistry#history of science#tumblarians#modern books#monographs#marbled papers#marbling#satisfying video
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I just got a submission for a kid’s book by a self published author for work (children’s librarian) and instead of being mean I’m just going to give some advice to aspiring children’s authors.
1. Please read some picture books. Many people write books for kids cause they think it’s easy. It’s not. They never get the voice. They think they can tell a bland story and bludgeon the audience with morals but that’s not compelling. Just because your book has pictures does not mean a 3 year old will want to sit through 10 sentence paragraphs every page. Go look at Eric Carle, Janell Cannon, Matthew Cherry, James Dean, etc. See how they do it. Kids can tell, man.
2. Do not get mad when you try to bring your book to your local library and they don’t want to add it to the collection. Libraries have collections policies you should be aware of before trying to pawn off your work. Some libraries have dedicated local author sections. Others don’t accept any self published material because they receive literally hundreds of submissions a month. Shelf space is limited. Time to review and order material is limited.
2a. Do not submit AI generated spam. Goes without saying.
3. PAY AN ARTIST! Seriously, I’ve gotten books that look like someone took the clip art from Canva and threw them together into a book. Sometimes it is actual clip art. Sometimes, this is by very serious artists who are probably not being paid much if anything to do the work and sometimes it’s by the author themselves. The art is the biggest selling point of a picture book. Do not skimp because you think your story/message is SOOO powerful it can overcome looking dull and like it was made with the cast of bitmojis.
4. Do not put fake awards on the cover. It just makes the book look faker than it already is.
5. Hire an editor. Your friends, partners, family, etc are fine to bounce ideas off of but if you’re serious, hire someone to read your book and make pointed critiques. You need critiques and feedback.
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When you have a ludicrous idea at work and somehow end up making a real life I Spy book.
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I'm at work processing some donations from a deceased patron and there's stuff in some of the books like Google maps directions from when he went on a trip to San Francisco in 2014. It's weird when you can peruse people's lives like that.
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Last year I made a log of my daily thoughts during the book fair and completely forgot to share them.
So please enjoy this extremely belated post about 2023's book fair! :D
DAY ONE
New year, new secretary. I have tactfully requested that she not call the library to ask if I'm ready for customers when the schedule says I'm open. (If the fair opens at 7:30 and it's after 7:30, then it's super-duper obvious I'm open.)
Because EVERY YEAR the secretary calls the library to ask "you ready for customers?", and EVERY YEAR after I wade through a huge crowd of kids to get to the phone, it gets harder and harder to answer politely.
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This year, we're open before the bell. Completely dead in the morning, not a single pre-bell customer. Exactly like I told the principal, who appeared to be disappointed that there wasn’t a rush on the very first day.
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Good news: I finally remembered to ask for seed money before we opened the fair!
Bad news: I forgot to ask for fives and tens and my first customer of the entire fair is paying with a hundred dollar bill.
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Kids used to Scholastic fairs find out that Literati doesn’t sell books with cheap necklaces and erasers attached. Stunned to have to choose books based on their interests. I edge inexorably closer to my “the kids these days” phase.
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Me: “Teachers, please call ahead before you bring your entire class at once.”
Entire Fifth Grade: *turns up at the same time unannounced*
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Fifth grader paying with his own Apple watch asking to return Stranger Things: Kamchatka because “it’s not really Stranger Things, it’s just a ripoff!”
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Me: “Please remember the library is closed because I had to physically remove the check-in computer to make room for the registers.”
Teacher: [keeps sending kids to get new library books anyway]
DAY TWO
No, you can’t use my phone to call your mom to ask for money.
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No, you can't go to the office to call your mom to ask for money.
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How to summon customers- sit down to do one (1) thing. This instantly activates a shopping frenzy.
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Honey, how about you just give me all of your change right now instead of handing me yet another handful every time I finish counting?
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Honey, how about you ask me how much things cost instead of buying one item at a time and seeing how much change you get back?
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Kindergarten Music Program lets out, SWARMS OF PARENTS AND FAMILIES APPEAR! IT'S SUPER PROFITABLE!
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Had to yell at a kid in front of their own mother. (It's okay, she agreed with me that kicking stuff is bad.)
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Kid who returned the Stranger Things book annoyed that his refund hasn't reached his Apple Pay account yet. Purchases a poster instead. I suggest cash next time.
DAY THREE
Principal and counselor bring the webcam in to promote the fair during morning announcements and do the pledges.
Me: *slowly and quietly finishes ringing a child up during the moment of silence, hoping nobody notices*
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I am eternally grateful to my parent volunteer who is able to be here for hours on end and I wish nothing but the best for her and her daughters.
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Pretty sure this fifth grade boy is buying little trinkets to woo the crowd of girls following him. I should probably touch base with his teachers about that.
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I can tell you didn’t even try to read the book you picked. Because it’s in Spanish, that’s why. No, I know you don’t speak Spanish. Because I know your mom, that’s why.
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Kid walks in, instead of shopping waits patiently by the register to ask me “Do I give you my money now?”
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Kid who bought and returned Stranger Things book wants to return poster that is now dinged up.
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To the kid who only has $5 for the week- I feel ya, but no matter how many times you bring me an item and ask "how much?", it doesn't change anything. I've already told you which items are in your price range.
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Have to cut off the Stranger Things kid because he keeps wanting to return things that are no longer in sellable condition. Sorry, bro, this sale is final!
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First Grader: *smugly buying a chapter book she can't read because she knows I can't do anything to stop her*
Me: *sells her the chapter book because she'll be able to read it eventually and maybe the spite will motivate her to practice more*
DAY FOUR
That's it, I’m making a list of basic financial lessons we need to start teaching the kids:
YOU HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR SALES TAX
No, change is not “extra” money you get as a treat. No, you don’t get to decide how much change you get.
You can’t ignore the numbers after the decimal point. $2.99 does not mean $2.
When a price includes cents, that doesn’t mean you have to have exactly that much in coins. You can simply give me more dollars and then you will get change back.
The answer to “How much can I get with $20?” is “it depends on what you’re buying”.
The answer to “How much do the books cost?" is "it depends on what you're buying".
If you don't have enough money to buy the book you want, you can simply NOT buy anything today and bring the correct amount tomorrow.
...or you can bring three bucks every day, be surprised that the book still costs $10, then spend all your money on erasers and go home and ask for more money...
...okay, seriously I need to make a chart or a TikTok or something to explain this. You're sad you don't have enough money for that Dog Man book, but you brought $3 EVERY DAY and instead of saving it you bought trinkets that you keep losing! I WENT OVER THIS WITH YOU EVERY DAY, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT ANY EASIER!
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To the 5th grader who only had $5 for the whole week and keeps buying and returning various items and is mystified that this hasn't resulted in him making a profit- I'm cutting you off for your own good, and also I'm sending an email to your math teacher to let her know you may need extra tutoring.
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Book Fair Gift Card: *can only be spent on books*
Kid: *only wants a spy pen*
Me: *agrees to buy him the spy pen myself if he will pick a damn book already!*
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Girl: "I have $15. How much is this?"
Me: "Let's see...with sales tax, it's gonna be ten dollars and eighty-one cents."
Girl: "Oh...I don't have any cents."
Principal: *aghast choking noise*
Me: *quickly defuses the incoming lecture with a Fun Math Lesson!*
DAY FIVE
Time to deploy the annual "We have nothing left under $X. Please don't send kids shopping if they have less than $X." email.
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Gently turning away three dozen kids that have less than $X.
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"If I bring $10, can I come shopping tomorrow?"
"Honey, tomorrow's Saturday."
"Oh. I mean next week."
"Next week is Spring Break."
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Annual tradition of kids being shocked that this is the last day of the book fair despite all the posters and flyers saying the book fair only lasts a week.
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Bonus points for the same kids being shocked every year that the book fair is not permanent addition to the library.
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Volunteer Mom letting her daughters pick out some books to buy.
Her: "How about this one?"
Kid: "No! It's too learny!"
Me: *picked the wrong time to drink water*
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Tracking down teachers to get them to pay for the books they set aside for themselves and their children. Finally down to the last teacher who was going to get a book for her kid. I open the library door to hear him in the middle of a tantrum and her yelling at him...
...I close the library door like "okay, guess he's not getting that book..."
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Re-doing the final accounting because I forgot to factor in the startup cash.
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Re-re-doing the final accounting because I forgot to pull books to purchase for the library
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Going home to put on jammies and sleep for 12 straight hours!
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Yesterday I was in my library's used book store in the classics section looking for this book. I was complaining to my partner about being unable to finish reading Crime and Punishment because someone kept checking out the library's copy and I was bummed that I couldn't seem to find one here either, when a stranger said, "Oh, here!" and handed me the exact book I was looking for (?!). Apparently there was a banned book event where they gave out free banned books, and this gentleman grabbed a copy of Crime and Punishment before realizing he already had one at home. It was such a fun surprise and I was giddy as I walked home with my spoils (I also found two Agatha Christies at the used book store that I somehow haven't read yet).
Thank you random kind guy in the book store, I hope you get everything you want out of life. 📖
#good day#kind stranger#free book#banned books#Crime and Punishment#Fyodor Dostoevsky#reading Dostoyevsky#classic literature#classic lit#secondhand books#used books#used book store#library things#read banned books#its lit
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Just an FYI: Moms for Liberty are fascists
#moms for liberty#book banning#book bans#fascisim#anti fascist#anti facist#fascist#library things#school things
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if anyone ever gives me shit for weeding the collection again I'm showing them this post
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i've reached the point in my librarian career where patrons decide to give me gifts after helping them 😭💜
#one lady stopped me at the grocery store once and gave me chocolate T_T#this old man (who's met me only once) came to my library the other day and said that he'd love to gift me some of his books#our first meeting we discussed books and poetry and we have the same taste in literature and he was so excited to talk to someone about it😭#these types of people restore my faith in humanity istg :')#libraries#library things
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I’ve been in this job for a year and a bit and the prospect of being in the library on my own when two judicial assistants come asking for things that send me on a lone wild goose chase and then into a panic about maybe breaking the library management system still makes my heart go jittery with fear
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I’m so fucking tired of parents shutting their chatty kids down during checkout. I want to make a button that says “HEY KIDDO! PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT YOUR SPECIAL INTEREST!” so that I can tap it every time some embarrassed mom says “Okay that’s enough.”
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not fun truly disgusting library vent under the cut because i have nowhere to say my thoughts but to the void
okay. some people know about the lady that’s been harassing us at the library, firstly because an amab non-binary person was wearing eyeshadow and eyeliner at the children’s desk, secondly because she thinks books about consent/sex ed shouldn’t be in libraries. obviously we’ve learned everything about her, and we know all her facebook pages and all of that. so i decide to check up and see what she’s mad about now and i find that she’s calling us pedophiles and calling lgbt people in general pedophiles and i’m just fucking mad and sad.
i work SO hard every day, i see and welcome everyone into the library and treat them with kindness and respect, and so do all of my coworkers. the branch she’s targeting (MINE) is the most diverse branch in terms of staff and patrons. WE WORK SO HARD DUDE. and this woman who’s mad about the american girl book “the care and keeping of you” is deciding to call us fucking pedophiles. to call me and my friends pedophiles because we’re gay. and the library admin won’t fucking ban her. she comes in and films us when she’s looking for books on consent and sex ed to try to intimidate us. the coworker who she harassed specifically has to be walked in and out of the building by our security guard. AND LIBRARY ADMIN WON’T FUCKING DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. what the fuck dude.
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LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
This is
#library things#just got a new book order in and saw the packing list#I've had the song stuck in my head all day
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