Posts by Cari
Read On! Adult Literacy
We’re still working on the final wording for our Strategic Plan, but some of the projects we want to tackle are too important to wait until the Plan is fully complete. Two of those projects are the Adult Literacy and English Language Learning programs.
Haley, our point person for both programs, is in the process of selecting the curriculum we will use for both programs. While she’s working on that, we have begun our search for students. That’s where you come in, dear reader.
If you know of anyone who wants some one-on-one tutoring to strengthen their reading or literacy skills, please send them our way. We are a judgement-free space at the library. We don’t care why they need help, we just want to help.
Also, if you know of anyone who wants one-on-one tutoring to learn English, please send them our way. We simply want to help anyone who wants it.
Eventually, when we have students, we’ll also be searching for tutors, so keep that in mind.
And finally, as part of our English Language Learning, we’ll come full-circle to help English speakers who are interested in learning another language. We’re looking for languages of interest and students of those languages so that we can start small conversation groups. Likely, they’ll meet on a Monday evening and consist of a group of people speaking entirely in Spanish, Vietnamese, etc.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to encourage prospective students to reach out, consider volunteering to help those students, and languages you’re interested in learning, languages you’re proficient in speaking, and whether you’re willing to spend some time with us to make these programs successful.
Feel free to call the library (918) 825-0777 and ask for me or Haley if you’d like more information.
Read On! Help for Job Seekers
Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash
Much to the dismay of some of my friends and family, my quest to answer questions and promote library resources doesn’t stop when I leave the library. I’ve recommended books to people while standing in the checkout line at Walmart, I’ve researched information for people while at church (never during the sermon, Rev. Hubbard), and I’ve fact-checked many a Facebook post while scrolling in my pjs.
I sing the praises of our Learning Express subscription every chance I get. It’s an amazing resource for anyone who needs to study for a standardized test like the GED, ACT, GRE, etc. and it’s a robust and helpful tool for job-seekers. So when a friend posted on Facebook looking for advice and suggestions for a career change, I sent him the link to our “Research & Resources” page and instructions for how to get to Learning Express.
Learning Express has resources to help explore different career options, quizzes to take to determine what careers best match your interests and skills, and study guides for entrance exams. The Job and Career Accelerator portion of Learning Express also has resume and cover letter help as well as built-in job searching (using Indeed). While Learning Express may not be the one-stop-shop for job seekers, it’s certainly a good first step.
You can access our Learning Express resources anywhere you have an internet connection and your library card number. From our website (pryorlibrary.org) click “Use the Library” and then find the link to “Research & Resources.” On that page, scroll down until you see the light bulb.
Fun fact: This is my 52nd “Read On!” article! I absolutely love writing these and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to share with you the happenings at your Pryor Public Library in this format. Here’s to many more articles and many more weeks!
Read On! Books & Their Movies
I love comparing books with the movies or TV shows that they inspire. My current favorite comparison is with the show “Trollhunters” and the book by the same name.
Inspired by the book “Trollhunters” written by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus, Netflix created a TV show of the same name. It and the spin-off series “3 Below” have become favorites in our house. Because we discovered the show before we knew it was a book, I waited to check the book out (via Overdrive) until we finished the full Netflix series.
The book is vastly different from the show (surprise, surprise). The two are similar, to be sure, but so many big details like character genders and origin stories are changed that I’m fascinated imagining the discussions and reasons behind the changes. Especially since the authors of the book have been so instrumental in the creation of the show.
The show is clearly aimed at a younger audience than the book. The book is grittier and more dangerous, which is appropriate for a more mature audience. Sure the characters are fighting trolls and saving the world in both works, but Daniel Kraus’s influence in the book makes all the difference.
I’ve read two of Kraus’s other books and liked them a lot. His writing is dark and compelling. Kraus has the ability to write the details of a fast-paced action scene in slow motion while never actually slowing the pace or distracting from the urgency. His characters are also incredibly complex and deeply flawed. The characters in “Trollhunters” are no different. They’re cleaned up and made more whole for the show, which makes the show more of a romp for a younger crowd.
Both are worth your time if you like adventure or fantasy works. You can check out the “Trollhunters” ebook via our Overdrive library. The show is available on Netflix.
Read On! Thunderbird Youth Academy
I’ve written before about how much the library staff enjoys our partnership with the Thunderbird Youth Academy and their twice monthly visits. Thunderbird’s newest cadet group started library visits last week and reminded me what a joy this partnership is for us.
It’s an opportunity for the library staff to flex our professional muscles by recommending books to read, teaching cadets how to use the library, and sharing our love of information and reading with an eager group of young people. These are things we do every day, of course, but on Thunderbird days we get to do what we do best for over 100 cadets in quick succession. Each hour brings another group of 20 or so teenagers looking for information or a good read.
After each Thunderbird visit, the staff is exhausted but exhilarated. We compare notes and are always excited when we’ve been asked something new. Marie and Amanda, who are in charge of selecting and ordering library materials, make note of titles or subjects the cadets asked for that we couldn’t get for one reason or another. We talk about trends we see with each group and what types of books seem most popular. We rejoice when a cadet comes back to tell us he or she liked (or didn’t like) a particular book we recommended.
By the time they’re ready to graduate, we also celebrate (with only the smallest hint of smugness) the fact that many cadets come to the library insisting they hate reading and then morph into some of the best people to ask for book recommendations. Watching and helping to facilitate the transformation from a non-reader to a reader is one of the most validating parts of being a librarian. I’m so glad Thunderbird is part of my librarian experience. I only hope the cadets and their staff get half as much enjoyment out of their visits as we do.