Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

We are very fortunate in our consortium that we can reach out to over 80 other libraries/directors, etc. when we have questions, I did just that when the Board gave the go-ahead for our expansion project. I emailed all the directors and asked that others share their renovation architects if they liked who'd done the work. Like most things, you cast a large net, and only gather a few fish--in my case I heard back from 3 libraries and 2 of them both had had wonderful experience with the same architectural firm out of Columbus. Monday as soon as I arrived back from Chicago, Prairie Dawn, a board member and I piled into my car and headed 2+ hours south east to look at one of the two libraries that recommended this Columbus firm. It was interesting to hear her experience, snap photos of things we liked, ask as to why/how they did certain unique things, etc. What I'm learning about going through renovations/expansions in a library: Go out and look around, not only at recently r...

This weekend with Chicago Boy was woooooonderrrrrful and so hard to come back to work from--at least this is only a 3 day week, as I have a 4 day weekend in Michigan coming up Friday! Chicago Boy and I: Skillet apple pie. Tasted a lot better than it looks. :) Went to Lou Malnati's for a pizza celebrating his recent birthday I made him my first homemade apple pie. We loved it and gobbled it up in just over a day with copious amounts of ice cream. I had forgotten my pie pan and since he didn't have one I wound up Googling skillet apple pie recipes--basically the spiced apples in a buttered pan with crust only on top. Hands down DELICIOUS.  Had a Lord of the Rings-a-thon all day Saturday. Staying in pjs and air conditioning on a muggy day was fine by me. Grilled dinner on Saturday Swim practice getting cancelled Sunday morning meant more sleep and making breakfast together A PERFECT Sunday--forecasted rain be damned. We had baby blue skies and puffy clouds for my fir...

Off for a 3.5 day weekend, heading to Chicago to catch a Cubs game. YAY! I love the city, and this time I'm really hoping that I will be able to see the damn, elusive BEAN! Somehow I've missed it every time I've been there! HAPPY WEEKEND!!

Speaking of building: before I started at Sticks Library an expansion project had begun, before eventually meeting it's demise after a Cleveland-based architectural firm went way overboard and way over budget. The Board at the time put the kabash on things. Fast forward 2+ years later to present day Sticks Library; we've outgrown the space--we had over 1,200 people at our Summer Reading programs and had to do all of our bigger programs elsewhere!--and the Board feels that because of the positive feedback they've gotten since I started (can you say, THAT WAS AWESOME TO HEAR!?) and because I've made such a huge programming push and we don't have the space, now is the time for trying the expansion project again. So, working with Sticks College engineering students who used us as a capstone project, we were able to get a new layout of how best to utilize our current space, while adding on roughly half of our current size. We loved their drawings, and the Board vote...

This freaking PERSONALIZED Sandra Boynton book WITH PHOTOS OF YOUR KIDDO IN IT popped up in my newsfeed on Facebook and then again in one of the ads here on my blog.I am totally getting this for 1st birthday presents for all of my little monkeys this year! All of my friends and sibs LOVE Sandra Boynton, so this is pretty AWESOME. Made my day!

My 5 nieces in nephews, Thanksgiving 2013 with my Mom and A1. Yes, I'm the cool Aunt who buys mustaches for the kids. Then nephew Alex joined us in February. This weekend was not only about his Baptism, it was also about half our family meeting him for the first time--including all of this cousins. Who LOVE babies. Which meant lots of cute photos: Alex with cousin Gala Alex with cousin Noah I think the boys love having another boy in the family--Aidan pointed out that now the boys are tied with the girls (I am 1 of 4 kids: 2 boys, 2 girls; each of my siblings has 2 kids: 1 girl, 1 boy) Savannah was so excited to have some big kids to play with--her baby brother does laugh at her now, and roll over, but he isn't as fun as these monkeys: Syd and Aidan Gala, Syd, Noah, Savannah The girls: Gala, Syd, and Savannah with her Dad--my brother is such a good Dad. It's been interesting to watch my sibs become parents.  The time with my family was ...

Summer Reading ended on Saturday. There was definitely a collective sigh of relief for all of us. We only do 6 weeks, but our 6 weeks are chockablock full of activities EVERY day. So glad the rest of July is light, and I'm actually looking forward to the tons of meetings and other library visits I have to do this month. Summer 2014 Stats: (our ages are based on where you'll be in the fall) 446 people signed up for Summer Reading: 57-Babies-age 5 (non-Kindergarten) 152-Kindergarten-5th grades 76-6th-12th grades 161-Adults  231 people (of all ages) finished, which is roughly 51% of participants We held 73 programs over 6 weeks, with 1,787 attending programs! We called the prize winners yesterday--over half have already picked up their things--and as soon as the local food pantry picks up all the non-perishables we collected during our Summer Reading "Food for Fines," my office will be clutter free again...err...that is except for the carts loaded down with...

Last night was about a long walk a vodka and soda on the rocks an amazing sunset yoga mediation reading before bed One more day of Summer Reading. Tomorrow. I can do this. "Sunset" Slowly the west reaches for clothes of new colors which it passes to a row of ancient trees. You look, and soon these two worlds both leave you one part climbs toward heaven, one sinks to earth. leaving you, not really belonging to either, not so hopelessly dark as that house that is silent, not so unswervingly given to the eternal as that thing that turns to a star each night and climbs- leaving you (it is impossible to untangle the threads) your own life, timid and standing high and growing, so that, sometimes blocked in, sometimes reaching out, one moment your life is a stone in you, and the next, a star. --Ranier Marie Rilke

Just over halfway through our last week of Summer Reading! We can do it...maybe making it a little weird along the way! And Happy Birthday to bestie L's Lauren; our little girl isn't so little anymore. She turned the big 12 this year! Lauren and I will be celebrating in style in August when I go home--just Lauren and I doing dinner and a movie. Love that not-so-little-anymore Peanut!

We have been slowly redoing the Reading Room--the only thing that will remain unscathed when we expand (more on that later!). A slow process, peeling back layers of time, stripping things down to their naked canvases, to redress, make new, leave my mark on things. It is exciting, frustrating, invigorating, frustrating, did I mention frustrating? An ENORMOUS magazine shelf (which took up an entire wall) in an unholy shade of mauve was taken down and donated to another library, replaced by magazine spinner racks. Walls repainted. Furniture being reupholstered.  Ugly, unholy mauve colored drapes came down and were replaced by blinds. In the removing of drapes we realized that a window had gotten moisture in and over time rotted out an entire sill!! So, now we're playing the waiting game. Waiting for the window guy to make final measurements before the entire HUGE window is removed and replaced. Waiting to choose colors and finally replace the unholy mauve and blue flecked and...

Trying to laugh my way through my last week of Summer. Reading. I'd laugh at this picture my friend Vic put on my Facebook wall, except this is a legitimate fear I still have...*shudder*

I haven't written much lately because I've been getting my ass kicked by Summer Reading. Truly. 2 of my 3 Circ ladies had to take vacation time (for various reasons) during 3 consecutive weeks of our 6 week programs which means A. I've been covering the desk; paperwork is backing up and B. I've been working insane amounts of overtime. I told the Board at our last meeting that I would be keeping track of all my overtime and would be taking a few days off at the end of Summer Reading. I've literally worked enough overtime to accrue 5.5 days off! Downside: I'm exhausted! Upside: Some lonnnnnng weekends coming my way this month! So, think happy thoughts for me this week, as we wind down and finish our final week. I'm doing extra yoga and meditation and trying not to HULK SMASH anything!  

A 3 day weekend--thank you U.S. Independence--and bestie Kim, Joe, and Mika, Chris & Kate and Ellie came down from Michigan for a 4th of July BBQ at A3 & Dayna's house! Had to share this picture of my accommodations; my niece was kind enough to give up her room, my brother smart enough to know I'd love the sheets on my bed for the weekend!