What is a Librarian's Job?

Okay, this is NOT a complaint. What it is, however, is a description of the various things I spent my day on. Some of them clearly fall under my other job--Special Programs--but I find that my days are not what many outside the field would envision.


Today I:

• worked on creating a template in Davkah (which supports Hebrew and English) for a booklet that will contain text and artwork by our 5th grade students when they read Torah for the first time.
• designed a Publisher template for an invitation to an event celebrating the learning of our 1st and 2nd graders--the illustration on the invitation will be created by the students using KidPix
• added a new category and link to our staff wiki to help teachers work with special needs students
  
• worked with a teacher and afternoon school principal on creating and finding materials to use on the SMART board--included teaching how to do a screenshot
• helped 5th graders use their personal log on for one of the first times
• worked with a teacher to create a few shelves of "good books" for 7th and 8th graders
• worked on a SMART board lesson on "Ben's Dream," a Chris Van Allsburg picture book
• planned my lessons for the week, which includes having 3rd and 4th graders begin to do basic research on some popular children's authors
• took down a display case on the Bubble festival which we did about 6 weeks ago

Gee, I'm tired just looking at the list! No wonder I come home and want to take a nap. I confess, if someone had told me 10 to 15 years ago that my job would involve so much time on the computer, I would have laughed. But I find myself energized by the interaction between reading and using technology--I enjoy the daily complexity I encounter. Now if only someone could invent a book that puts itself away....

A Perfect Day for Reading

It's rainy, and an autumn chill is in the air. I want nothing more than to curl up with a book, a cup of tea or coffee in my hand, with some music in the background.

Instead, it is computers, lunch duty (with 7th and 8th graders), and maybe a couple of stories for the smaller ones. Sigh. I least I get to be NEAR books, if not amusing myself with them.