Here is Part 2
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I long since gave up on the idea of reading everything that comes into the
library. When something circulates that I haven't read, but have bought
from great reviews, I make sure to ask the students to get back to me with
a review - did they like it, why, why not, etc. They're pretty good about
it. I know some members of this listserve say they read everthing before
it goes on the shelf, but if I want to keep up with the numbers of new
books that I want to have in the library, and have a real life too, it's
too much. So I read what I can, and let the rest go. No, you are not
alone, and I don't think it makes you less professional. :)
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Of course you're not the only one - I just happen to be an empty-nester
now, and have a wonderful husband who doesn't mind if I read! It's a hard
job to prioritize what to read... I'm anxious to read the suggestions!
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Okay, you're not the only one.
My solution--not a good one, nut works for me.
1. Journals---browse through in 10 min or less with sticky notes. Tag only
the ones that look interesting.
Go back and reread those when you have 30 min periods for reading. I
chose one prep period per month for this. Remove stickies if you do NOT
need to forward the article to another teacher, or if you do NOT need to
make a copy for your files.
Then copy off.
2. READING EVERYTHING. Sorry don't have time. But I am REALLY good at
reading booklist summaries. I am also good at keeping track of the BIG
NAMES in childrens lit. Also, I walk the aisles of the bookstores. If
they are out to make money, then they know who are hot selling
authors/titles. AND how ARE you chosing which new titles to purchase for
your school? Use this same tactic to chose which books to read.
Read student books for 2-3 weeks, then read an adult book. HEY, you have
FRIENDS who are reading the TOP books still be written for adults, and
as a librarian you still need to keep up with them. I choose about a
20-30 min block in the mornings as I am getting ready to read. (Okay, I
read in the tub, but it is a set time each day.) It is amazing how many
books you can get through. I also keep a book in the car. For DR appts,
waiting on others times, etc. This is a "should" read, but not really a
"want to" read---you know the Newberys/Classics, etc.
As you are reading, keep notes. I keep a 4x6 card in the book for the
bookmark. Write--Theme, Curriculum area tie-ins. Kids to promote book
to. Enter into a database in your computer, or keep it on the card. I
also keep info on the art style and clip anything in newspaper/magazines
on the book. I put the card in a plastic sleeve with the author's name
on it. And it goes into my AUTHOR's STUDY notebook. (Yes, I am
compulsive excessive--so???)
3. READ EVERYTHING. Why? I have over 5000 fiction titles. I am NEVER
going to get through them all. I am not even going to try. I just try to
keep my subjects as up-to-date as possible. And since I am not on a union
catalog, I have enteries that are specialized. IE: Counselor,
Countries--S AM (S. America--for the teacher who does geography fiction
reading while teaching world geography). This way, I can select a book
FAST through the search method. (Boy I bet the person who comes after me
is going to think I am looney.)
4. WORKSHOP. I attend at LEAST one "WHAT's NEW" workshop a year. Peggy
Sharp's summer workshop for those here on the west coast is GREAT. Debbie
Hines (I think that is her last name), and Judy Freeman's classes are good
also. THis is a fast way to get through lots of new books without having
to read them all. Take notes, and go back and enter into your
database--either electronic or cards.
So, you have created a system that has worked for your job. Extend it
into your reading life. Also, have students help you.
Create---recommendation bookmarks. Have students submit: Brief summary of
book, what makes it a good read, and who might like this book. Put the
bookmark in the book. One more way for students to quickly decide if a
book fits them.
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Have you tried this site? I haven't looked at in a little while, but it
was pretty good the last time I checked... Nancy Keane's Booktalks Quick
and Simple http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/
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You are not alone. I am so far behind, that I no longer read every novel
before I put it on display. Plus, I have seventh grade book discussion
group and an eighth grade one, and am in an adult book group as well, so
that is a given extra three books each month. I rely heavily on lm_net
recommendations.
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Who told you you need to read every book in your
collection? I have been at my three schools for over
20 years and there are still books I want to read and,
yes, some are Newbery winners or other highly
recommended titles. Here's something I ask of my
students. I ask them often to tell me what they
thought of the book they just finished (or didn't
enjoy enough to finish). I want to know what they love
and what they hated. I tell them that helps me make
good recommendations to other students. Works for me.
I already work hours and hours of overtime each week
and when I read at home I read for my pleasure or I
would go crazy!
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You are not the only one. You will not ever be able to read every book in
your library, so don't worry about it. Just try to keep up with the newest
Newbery's and few other hot books. If you've read one Lemony Snicket book,
you know about them--that's enough. Same for Harry Potter (although I love
HP and immediately read # 6 in the first days after its release).
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I don't think there is a librarian out there who has read every book in
their collection! We have over 30,000 in our library and I'm not going to
even attempt that.
Do you subscribe to any professional magazines? I read the reviews in
SLJ. It helps with ordering and simply introduces me to what's out there.
I also work off a lot of lists - Guys Read, Teens Top Ten, Newbery, Printz
award, etc. You can find the lists online. I try to read the Newbery's
each year and several of the Teens Top Ten. Beyond that, I read what I
like.
I often recommend books I haven't read. I'm honest with the students and
tell them that I haven't read this, but ...it won an award for XYZ,
students who liked ABC also seem to enjoy this, it was recommended by QRS.
Even if I DID read all of our books, I doubt I could remember what each
one was about. Ease up on yourself and use the tools that are out there.
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You are SO not the only one. I don't read books that the kids already
love, like Harry Potter, Shredderman, Guardians of Ga'Hoole, etc. I try
to read the new "good" books that kids would read if I can talk about
them. If time allows, I'll read the older books that I'm not familiar
with but could benefit from booktalking.
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I generally don't add fiction books to the shelves until I have read
them. What I do... I catalog them with a call # of "on order" so I
know that I own them and if someone is looking for it, I can bring it
in. This way the new books trickle in during the year instead of
having a big pile of new books in September. Also, it is one of the
few ways I have to make sure they are read. For books already on
the shelf, I used to make a list for summer reading. But now that I
have been here 14 years, most of the fiction books here, I have
added and therefore read. Good luck and keep reading. You may
want to check my blog where I post comments on the books as i
read them.
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You're not the only one! It's impossible.
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I try to read Newbery winner and honor books each year, the Young Readers'
Choice Award nominees each year, and really big hits like Harry Potter. I
do this reading during the summer months, mostly. Getting a taste of what
a certain author is like is enough for me, because I enjoy reading adult
novels and nonfiction as well. For instance, I read Lemony Snicket's The
Austere Academy, book 5 in his Series of Unfortunate Events when it was a
nominee for the YRCA. I didn't bother reading the books leading up to it,
nor any of the books after it. Hope this helps.
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No, I have no helpful solutions but you are certainly not alone! What was
I thinking when I started a staff book club last year for our pleasure
reading.....like there's time for that! No help here, but kinship,
anyway! Please share any insights you get from those smarter than me!
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Don't worry! You're not the only one!! I just work through it as I can,
but I always make sure to read books that I read just for fun so that I
don't get burned out. My problem when it comes to reading books from my
collection is that I'm really a fantasy/sci-fi fan so if it's not in that
genre, I really have to force myself to read it...I've been that way since
I was a kid!
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I have that problem and now resort to telling students "Other students
have read this and this is what they thought...., but I haven't read it
yet." It is a genuine problem, though!
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You are not the only one! I have separate piles at home: children's books
to read, professional/educational/librarian things to read, and my own
personal pleasure reading (not to mention daily newpapers and weekly news
magazines).
I love to read, but I can't handle it!
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It is an ongoing problem - it never really changes.
That doesn't make you feel any better but at least you
know you're not alone! This is my 28th year in this
job and I still feel perptually behind in reading.
I have started taking LOTS of books home in the summer
(this summer I read about 60 of them!) and really
enjoy reading my school library books during that
time. During the school year, I tend to rely heavily
on student reviews and on those of my assistant (she
is more into fantasy than I am and reads a lot of
those). After working all day, I find that I'd prefer
to read things for ME on my down time. Good luck!
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In my opinion, this is a problem that will never be solved. I don't know
one librarian who has read all of the books in her/his collection. I tell
my students there is no way I can read everything here plus everything
that comes in. Have your students tell you about the books when they read
them. Read reviews, summaries. Read as many as you can. I feel the same
way. There isn't enough time. You are certainly not alone.
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I know that frustration! One thing I've done is to listen to books on
tape/CD in my car. I started this with NB so that I could review the prize
winners, and it's great! I do this for a book club I'm in as well as for
entertainment and previewing. Maybe this'll help a little!
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You're not the only one!
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You are not alone. It is a wonderful problem to have...too many books to
read. I used to read a book a night when I first started. Now after 31
years I find myself falling asleep after a couple of pages or rereading
the same page over. It takes me longer to get done. You simply won't get
to them all. Resign yourself to that fact. I read as many as I can and I
depend on reviews and even the students themselves. I ask them to
'booktalk' anything they read that they really enjoyed.
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I don't have a solution :) I'm only in the beginning of my 2nd year as LS
librarian, so I'm curious what your respondees say! Please post a hit, or
mail me back? Thanks so much, and good luck! I get SLJ as well as Horn
Book, and Bulletin for the Center of Children's Studies for reviews (other
magazines have reviews but I haven't prioritized reading those.)
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You can't possibly read all the books in your
collection and why would you want to? Skim, read
blurbs, reviews, have discussions, etc. I really like
books like Best Books for Young Adult Readers and What
Do Children Read Next? Gives a summary of the book,
selected reviews, read-alikes, etc.
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First off, you are not the only one. Is there anyway to keep up? After
26 years, I don't think so. The only thing that has helped me is joining
the reading committee for our state's book award. It focuses me in on the
books that others have thought are worthy. With an entire committee
reading from this list, ours usually averages 120 a year, we easily find
the good and the bad. I also do not make myself read the entire book if I
don't like it, or at least if I think that the students will not like it.
Why waste time on reading something bad when there is so much good stuff
to read. I would also mix my books up. Read one type of book, then
another. Something really current and a classic that you've missed. That
will prevent you from getting bored. I also have the students help me,
especially the kids that I know read all the time. I always mention how
much I liked a certain book or tell them to let me know what they think of
a book that I haven't read. I would also keep a list of what you have
read. We have a scoring rubric for our state committee and I've found it
useful to have that and the printout from Titlewave for books that I've
read. It is then easy to go back and see your comments and reviews for
the book. I have a friend who also lists one thing that she liked and
disliked about each book. She feels that way she can be upfront with the
students.
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When you figure it out, could you please clue me in??? Not only do I have
thousands of children's books never read, but also all those professional
books and then the entire bookcase of pleasure reading that's waiting for
me at home. I also have about 1½ years of magazines (both pleasure and
professional) that are gathering dust around my bed. And while you're at
it, could you figure out when I should catalog the 300 or so books in my
backlog?!
There's at least 1 other person (me! here in Texas) who's behind!
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You are definitely not the only one! I feel the same way, too. In fact,
I think I'm 4 months behind on reading my School Library Journals, I
haven't read Kira-Kira yet, and there's a long list of professional titles
I want to read but haven't gotten around to.
Sometimes I get really stressed about this, but I try to calm down by
reminding myself that reading every book in the library is truly an
impossible task, and the School Library Journals will still be there in a
few weeks (or whenever I find the time!), and that there are some
librarians out there that unfortunately don't read a young
adult/children's book in a year. Of course, chanting this to myself
doesn't always work so if you get any great ideas from other librarians,
let me know.
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You are definitely not alone! I'm having the same problem right now. I
just took a HS librarian position at the end of Sept. and I feel like I
don't even know where to start! I'll be interested to see what others
tell you.
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I am right there with you in that boat! I'd like to hear responses of
those who have a system or means of handling the situation.
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No, you are not the only one. I try to read 50 pages per day (minimum) in
addition to one or two articles from the professional magazines. Then I
also have my hobby (genealogy) magazines.....I usually save my "adult"
books for the summer. Even then, I always have a stack of YA lit to read.
Please post a hit; I'm interested in how others handle this situation.
Good luck.
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I read the reviews and then read the ones that I know kids will really
want to read if I push them. The best years for reading were when I was
on the school library assn. book award nominee committee - looked at over
100 books and read most of them.
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