Posts by Cari

We love having kids and teens in the Library. Our Youth Services staff has worked hard to make their department welcoming to kids, teens, and their caregivers. All of our staff (but especially the Youth Services staff) are ready to help kids and teens find materials they want. Ultimately, our goal is to help everyone find materials that will inspire them to read for pleasure and value learning for their whole lives. We’re pretty passionate about this part of our job.

In all of our interactions with kids, our staff has a single, universal assumption: We assume parental permission has been granted. We assume the kids we talk to have permission to be in the Library, talk to Library staff, and choose their own materials to check out.

While staff members know and love the young people who come into the Library, there is no way we know them better than their parents/guardians. My kids consider many Library staff members part of their extended family, but no one on staff would dream of restricting what my kids check out. First, because it’s not their place to do so and second, because it’s none of their business what anyone (child, teen, or adult) checks out.

We select Library materials “to meet the expressed and anticipated needs and interests of the community” as a whole and with different subsets in mind. This means not all the materials in the Library are of interest to all the members of the community, but we try to have something for everyone.

If you have concerns about the material your kids check out, I recommend you talk to your kids about them so they know your expectations when they’re choosing materials. We will always tell them “yes” because we assume you already have. Of course, we’re also happy to help you and your kids find materials that work for your family.

Trivia at Fat Toad has become a new favorite thing of mine (and not just because my team won for the first time a couple of weeks ago). The questions are challenging enough to be in a trivia game, but not so challenging that the fun gets sucked out of playing. Teams are composed of up to six players who collaborate to answer ten questions in several rounds. The team with the most points at the end of the final, wagering, round wins.

The hardest part of trivia night for me is fighting my instinct to look things up. When I don’t know the answer to a question someone asks, it is literally my job to find out. Of course, in a trivia game, that would be cheating. Luckily, we get the answers pretty quickly after each round, so I don’t have to sit in suspense for long.

It may seem silly to want to call the library to answer trivia questions, but those tend to be really fun for the staff to help with. At my previous library, the Reference (Research) Department staff would race to answer the phones every Monday morning hoping “Bob” was calling for help with the Sunday crossword. He’d always greet us with an endearing “I’ve got another puzzler for you.”

Here in Pryor, your library staff answers about 2,000 questions each month. As is the case in all libraries, we help people with everything from school or genealogical work to help finding sports schedules, good recipes, information about works of art (both in the building and around the world), and more. We even get contacted by professionals from time-to-time to help authors with research for a book in progress or journalists for historical local information that pertains to a story they’re researching.

Unless you’re in a trivia game, give us a call whenever you’ve got a puzzler. We’re pretty good at finding things out. 918-825-0777

When comparing a book to the movie (or TV series) based on it, I strongly prefer the book about 98% of the time. The book is often richer, more immersive, and more satisfying than the visual interpretation could ever be. That is, except for that 2%. In those cases, the movie surpasses it’s written counterpart and holds a dearer place in my heart.

“The Princess Bride” may be my favorite movie of all time. The book is not even in my top 30 favorite books. William Goldman wrote both the book and the screenplay, but his screenplay in the hands of Rob Reiner and the amazing cast is, quite simply, magic. The book is good, but it doesn’t lend itself to heart swells or random quotes at parties.

Adam Rex’s “The True Meaning of Smekday” is written as an essay contest entry by the main character Gratuity “Tip” Tucci. She details her trip across the country with a fugitive alien who has given himself the name J. Lo. Eventually, Tip saves the world (as one does). The book is fine, but it doesn’t have the whimsy and joy of its movie adaptation “Home.” To be fair, the two works are vastly different and are aimed at different audiences and age groups. But like “The Princess Bride,” “Home” has a cast whose voicework and quotable lines makes it something to watch over and over. (We won’t talk about the terrible TV show based on the movie.)

I was so annoyed by the writing and art in the “Locke & Key” graphic novel series by Joe Hill that I couldn’t finish it. The Netflix series (also written by Hill), on the other hand, is imaginative and binge-worthy. It sparked fascinating conversations with friends and family, particularly Ep. 3 in Season 1. I can’t wait to watch the new season.

Whether I like the book or movie comes down to how the work makes me feel and how deep that feeling goes.

It’s the Thankfulness Season! I am thankful for so many things – the things I have and the opportunities I have been given – but mostly, I’m thankful for the people who make all of that meaningful. My Library Life thankfulness list goes like this:

I’m thankful for the Library’s staff. They are a group of dedicated and kind people who work hard to serve our community well. They come up with great ideas for programs, events, and services and they are excellent at developing those ideas into reality. I am so lucky to work with them.

I’m thankful for the Library’s Board of Trustees. They help keep the Library focused on community needs, give me valuable feedback about my leadership and vision, and are just as passionate about the Library’s success as anyone on staff. They dedicate so much more time and energy than what’s required of the few hours we meet each month. We are a better Library because of them.

I’m thankful for the staff at City Hall. Without them, nothing in the City would function properly. These fine people make it possible for all other City departments to do our jobs. They handle our payroll, pay our bills, walk us through benefits choices and changes, and offer support well beyond their job descriptions.

Lastly, I’m thankful for the community members of Pryor and Mayes County. You are, quite literally, the Library’s reason for being. I’m thankful for the community members who regularly use the library’s services, those who offer feedback and suggestions, those who quietly (and not-so-quietly) cheer us on, and those who haven’t yet discovered how amazing all the libraries in Mayes County are.

The Pryor Library will be closed Thurs – Sat for Thanksgiving. May your holiday be filled with enough food on your table and more love than you know what to do with.