Summer Dreaming

Over break this cycling librarian has been reading the pile of magazines that has been growing at home since school started. I got some good summer ride dreaming done. In the November 2010 issue of Bicycling magazine, there is an article titled "The Perfect Getaway." This seemed like a perfect article to read on a cold December day. It is about a ride in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. The author discusses how perfect the ride is with rolling hills and unique Midwestern scenery. There are two parts of the ride that I like the best. First, the ride is in Wisconsin; very close and actually someplace I can afford to visit. Second, the author offers the statistic and observation, "With 3 cars an hour, the roads have room for all users to roll in peace." Sounds like a great area and I'm dreaming of summer rides!

Getting through the winter months

I got the bike on the indoor trainer over break. In an attempt to make riding in place a bit less tedious, I hooked up a TV and VCR. The plan is to get in hours of riding while watching VHS tapes that I haven't watched in years. Also, the plan is to watch these for the last time. Time to downsize and reduce. If I come across a videotape that I can't do without, I will transfer it to a DVD. Not holding my breath on anything that I can't do without.

Game Nights

The library hosted two game nights last week. One night was for the middle school students and the other was for the high school students. Several students and teachers came both nights to play games. It was fun to see everyone having a good, relaxing time outside of school hours. This will definitely be an activity we will do again.

Scholastic Book Fair

The book fair went really well last week. Thanks to everyone who purchased a book or books to support the library.

Interlibrary Loan

Our library lost interlibrary loan a few years back and when I started in this position in August, I made it one of my goals to get delivery back to the school. Without too much difficulty, we now have delivery twice a week. I have really been pleased that several students, upon learning that they can request books from other libraries, have been using the RSA catalog and asking me to process loan requests. I have been pleased that most of the students' requests have been filled. In turn, I have done my best to fill requests from other libraries. It is a great program and service to all libraries, and I hope the state does not cut the funding any more than they already have.

Checking in

Wow, I can't believe that an entire month has almost passed since I last posted. I don't get the time to blog as much as I would like. Anyway, I have two follow-ups from my last two postings. First, the school's Veteran's day celebration was a terrific event. All of the students in the elementary school participated and a large number of middle and high school students participated in the parade as well. I stood on the parade route taking pictures and as the parade passed, I followed it to the ceremony where the rest of the students in the school waited. There was a nice ceremony to honor many veterans in attendance.
Second, the National Young Reader's week activities were a success. All of my guest readers were able to attend and they did a terrific job! The students really enjoyed having the books read to them by local celebrities. A full report of the local "celebrities" can be found in my November newsletter found on the library wiki. Just click on library documents in the menu then the November newsletter link.
Next week the middle school/high school library is hosting a Scholastic book fair. It will, obviously, be the first time I have ever chaired a book fair, but some teachers were telling me today that it will be the first time many of the middle school students will have had a book fair in the school. It shows with their excitement. I have student helpers from sixth through freshmen grades and they are all willing and excited participants. It was funny this morning when a group of high school students came in and swooped over the books in the fair. A few made purchases while one read humorous anecdotes from a book while the others listened and had a good laugh. It was fun to see the kids having fun in a "constructive" way.
Also, next week, in conjunction with the fair, I will be hosting two game nights. Tuesday will be the middle school game night and Wednesday will be the high school game night. Student council chipped in and donated some money to purchase some classic games like Monopoly, Risk, Stratego and Clue. I am looking forward to having a good time with the students after school next week.