A well-oiled Library is nothing without its calendar! You may have noticed our calendar on our website looks a little different! I've been slowly revamping it to make it easier to see our programs!
From the patron side of things, you only see the website calendar, but I work from 4 different calendars! That's kind of embarrassing to admit...but let me explain!
First, Sandy, our Head of Children's Services, and I share the community room for programs. We have an internal calendar, so we don't double-book each other. This calendar is also where I can put place holders for our rentals or schedule proctoring. It is also where we figure out what's called "the buffer." Have you ever come to the library for a program just a bit too early, and our lot is completely full? But when you come at regular time, there's plenty of spots! That's the buffer! We try to leave enough time between programs on our busy days to make sure things are always moving! No matter how hard we try, those busy days still can feel like an airport terminal!
My second calendar is good old paper! This is just for adult programming. I map out our regular and special programs each month, record numbers for the state, and put in placeholders for future programs. This calendar is color-coded and lasts all year long. This is where I put movie and book club selections for staff to find.
My third calendar is my personal calendar. Every day of the month, I have different tasks to get done in preparation for the next month. I also have some daily tasks just to keep Adult Programming running smoothly, from sorting the puzzles to throwing up tables to checking in with presenters. I'm also responsible for making sure our movie license is up to date, and our monthly displays are refreshed and current. I'm one of those people who likes to be able to look back and see when I called so-and-so and when was the last time I did a certain task. This calendar is a special kind of paper that uses erasable ink, and I scan the pages and download them to my computer. It becomes a "smart" calendar because it becomes searchable (by OCR, not AI!) in my Google Drive. I can search a person's name or a task, and it will come up with a list for me.
Lastly, the website calendar! I've changed the format so that for every program, you can see the intended audience in the title. The location, presenter, and description are listed when you click on a specific program. Planned library closures are marked off in advance. I've also made sure upcoming book sales will be listed once they are confirmed with the Friends of the Library. Patrons will now see when the community room is unavailable. This is mostly for rentals. When we don't have a program, we allow rentals, and the proceeds go directly back to the library.
So that's the calendar situation around here! I didn't even go into my personal calendar/bullet journal (or the BuJo, if you're a StationeryHead). I have a daily log as well as trackers for my reading, my hobbies, and whatever else I want to keep track of. I've recently gotten into junk journaling and actually using my sticker collection. A blank notebook HATES to see me coming!
I hope you are enjoying summer reading! I love hearing about what you're reading, and I especially love helping people set up their devices to take books on vacation. I love hearing about where you're going and how traveling is the gateway to our digital library.
Since I do a lot of the back-end of the library's summer reading program, my kids don't participate in our official summer reading program. I actually create our own family summer reading. (Don't worry, they still win prizes; they are not deprived!) Once again, I have no set TBR, I'm just reading what moves me and what's available on Libby or on my shelf. I just finished listening to Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann.
It's a true crime adventure mixed with glamour and show business. It's set up like a mystery; you don't know who is guilty until the very end! The narrator of this audiobook reminded me of old-time radio announcers. It very much added to the whole vibe of this book.
I'm slowly moving through Mary Roach's latest book: Replaceable You. It's about the science and history of the parts we can replace in the human body. From teeth to joints, to eye lenses, to other things, it's been a ride. I do not consider myself a squeamish person (I will absolutely eat before and after visiting the Mutter Museum), but I had to put this book down a few times just to get a breather after she describes witnessing (and hearing) a hip replacement surgery. Regardless of that, Mary Roach is one of my favorite non-fiction writers. Her books are great in audio and print. She balances humor, history, and information perfectly. If you are just getting into nonfiction, she is a great author to start with.
Enjoy the rest of Summer reading! See you at the Library!
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