Librarians as "babysitters"

I stumbled onto this blog from the homepage of my AOL site. The teaser caught my attention--something about a mom who wanted to go upstairs and leave her kid with the librarian and the "response she got upset our writer." As I clicked on the link I thought, "Oh, brother. What kind of 'upsetting' response did this mother receive, and who's the nasty librarian that's giving a bum wrap to all the rest of us?" The story appeared. It seems that "Mom" was in the children's room with her 5-year-old. (Five years old, remember....) Mom wanted to dash upstairs to the adult department to get a book and informed the librarian of this fact. Mom subsequently asked the librarian to "watch" her child for about three minutes. As one commenter to the blog pointed out, it's highly doubtful that three minutes is all it would take this mom to find her book and check it out. Anyway, the librarian in the children's room reluctantly agreed to babysit the kid but warned the mother that a public place such as a library has the same dangers in it as any other public place. Now the mom and the blogger are accusing the librarian of not being helpful and being some kind of paranoid hatemonger.

Perhaps Blogger Lady and Irresponsible Mom should spend a week volunteering in a public library. I'm sure they'd quickly realize why the librarian in this story warned mom. Are Mom and Blogger really that naive that they aren't aware of who visits a public library? Public computers aren't all being utilized for homework. There are plenty of pervs who visit their local public libraries, and although those of us in the library try our best to make the environment safe, the fact remains that it only takes a split second for a pervert to do permanent damage. I love my public library, and I took my own children there--and take my grandchildren there now. But I would NEVER leave any child--especially not a five-year-old--unattended in a public library or anywhere else for that matter. Wake up people: NO place is safe! Be responsible for your child! We librarians will help, but don't put us in a position of being the responsible adult for YOUR child!

Here's the story: http://www.parentdish.com/2010/03/30/can-a-mom-leave-her-kid-alone-at-the-library-for-three-minutes/7#c26709444

YALSA blog mentions pregnant/parenting teens program

Thanks to Angie Manfredi, the presentation I gave at the recent Public Library Association conference was mentioned on the YALSA blog. Angie mentions that my presentation led her to think that collaborations between teen services and children's services library staff can be a great way to conduct library outreach programs to pregnant/parenting teen groups. Oh, to have had time to do the "all day" workshop I have available on this very topic! Angie, you are SO right, and I believe I did briefly mention this fact during the PLA presentation. I go into details about these collaborations a lot more during the all-day workshops I have previously presented elsewhere. Those all-day workshops also help teen services staff realize how to conduct baby storytime programs. So much information, so little time!

It was great meeting Angie at PLA and realizing that she has been challenged to think about "What does my library have available to help teen parents?" I hope the other audience members were equally challenged and inspired! Thanks, Angie!

http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/2010/03/30/public-library-association-conference/

PLA: Confessions of New Directors

Why reinvent the wheel? This PLA blog gives an overview of one of my favorite presentations that I had opportunity to hear at PLA in Portland (second only to my own presentation about serving pregnant/parenting teens, of course!).

http://www.matoumba.com/site360e7b8ea93eaf4e1cd829e05f177a7f_Serving_pregnant_or_parenting_teens.html

PLA Conference: Confessions of New Directors

One of the sessions I attended at the recent Public Library Association conference (in Portland) was titled "Confessions of the New Director." I took comfort from the presentation when each of the four panelists admitted they don't have all the answers, they sometimes doubt their abilities, they realize they can't please everyone, and they struggle with the fact that "someone is watching" their every move. One of them summarized, "It's lonely at the top." Being a new library director myself, I was tempted to stand up in the crowded room and shout, "Amen, brother! Preach it!" At least one of the presenters admitted that he now wonders what on earth he was thinking when he applied for a position as a library director! These presenters (directors from systems MUCH larger than my lone library) were an encouragement for me, as well as a timely reminder that I don't have to be perfect and know all the answers; I just have to be a passionate librarian and be willing to learn. The presenters also reminded the audience of the importance of having a mentor. Don't I know it! How thankful I am for the colleagues in my life to whom I have turned (often repeatedly) for advice and encouragement. As the panelists at this PLA presentation showed me, asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it's a sign of wisdom--admitting that you are wise enough to realize you don't have all the answers and you can't "go it alone."

PLA 2010 Conference in Portland

This morning I presented a session at the Public Library Association conference titled "Pregnant/Parenting Teens: Promoting Library Services Among the Underserved." Little did I know that someone from School Library Journal was in the audience blogging about my presention!

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6724273.html?desc=topstory

Getting Tough on Overdues

This week, ABC news had a story they posted online about a man in Colorado who was arrested for failing to return a DVD to the library from which he had borrowed it. (Well, actually he was arrested because he ignored a summons to appear in court. The summons was in regards to the overdue DVD.) While the story is certainly not a new one (in fact, I believe I've previously made a blog posting about this very topic a year or so ago), the "readers' comments" about the story were extremely passionate--either for or against the incident. It seems that most all of the library-related postings (likely made by library employees) believed the Colorado man deserved what he got. Other readers weren't so friendly toward the library and found it difficult to believe that the police should get involved with library materials that aren't returned.

One reader's comment particularly bothered me. This commenter (known as "mrandmrsrogers") indicated that libraries aren't needed. The writer noted that anyone can get wonderful books from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and all other information is available online. Who needs libraries, anyway?

Am I the only one bothered by that reader's comments? I would like to believe that the reader is alone in those thoughts, but I fear there are more like him/her. Too many people think libraries are not an integral part of a community, that "the Internet" is the new know-all/tell-all service and that books are readily available to everyone just by "going online or to the store." Too many people have no clue about libraries and the vast services they offer. Libaries aren't just about books or computers any more. They're about transforming lives, about providing opportunities for education and advancement, about promoting literacy (including information literacy) among the community. I could go on. Sadly, many of people like "mrandmrsrogers" also serve on city councils, state boards, and other legislative bodies that oversee funding to libraries. That can be the only reason why some of my library colleagues (directors of other libraries in my area) are facing budget cuts as high as 39%.

If your library isn't already touting itself and its services in your community, there's no better time than now. Get the library value calculator posted to your website. Add up the figures for all to see! Let your community members know what you're doing. Tell them about the programs, services and resources you offer. Spread the word! Let the "mrandmrsrogers" folks in your community know what the library is REALLY all about.


View the ABC news story at this link:
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/arrested-cuffed-overdue-library-books/story?id=10062565

"New" Study About TV and Babies

This week, researchers from Children's Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School released findings of their recent study regarding infants and television. According to the CNN article, authors of the study said, "we found no evidence of cognitive benefit from watching TV during the first two years of life."

My question about the article is this: Is anyone surprised? I know many librarians who have been expressing this same fact to their new-parent patrons. These librarians encourage reading and talking to babies as a better way to develop those little synapses in babies' brains. Yet most of our public libraries still have assorted "baby friendly" movies/DVDs in the collection, and items such as Baby Einstein DVDs still circulate well at most libraries. Past studies such as this recent one have shown that even these kinds of "educational" videos are not healthy for babies. Should libraries then continue to carry these kinds of materials? After all, if we realized that a particular puzzle in the children's room had repeated documented choking hazards, I'm guessing that most libraries would pull those puzzles out of the children's room.

I'm reminded of a comment a respected library colleague friend of mine once posted to her own blog. She questioned whether public libraries should purchase Kevin Trudeau's books. (Trudeau is author of books about natural cures.) With many of Trudeau's ideas being challenged by the federal government, cases of fraud being filed against Trudeau, and possibly even allegations that Trudeau is promoting dangerous and unhealthy ideas, my friend wondered if she (as a collection development librarian) had a responsibility to keep Trudeau's books away from unsuspecting patrons. Would this be akin to censorship, or would she be ensuring that patrons had access only to viable health information?

I am debating the same kinds of questions about the so-called educational baby videos. Should my library keep such items on the shelf as an effort to avoid censorship, or should I pull all of the Baby Einsteins (and other similar DVDs) from the shelves in an effort to protect children? We librarians walk a tight rope. For now, the DVDs will stay on my library's shelves. I may, however, post copies of the CNN article near those shelves where the kids' DVDs are located! I won't consider it a "disclaimer," but simply a "here's some information that may interest you" service to parents.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/03/babies.watch.TV/index.html?iref=allsearch