Snakes in the Library

A couple of weeks ago for our summer reading program we had an animal expert bring an assortment of wild life into our library to show the kids. He brought scorpions, a tarantula, a skink, monitor lizards, tortoises, and other fun bugs. But what the kids were really salivating for was snakes.

He asked for a volunteer and a girl about aged 10 raised her hand. He then brought out a large albino boa. He wrapped it around her neck. The girl froze. She wasn't expected to be a volunteer for this. The boa's head kept creeping up to her face and she kept hitting it down again. I was getting really nervous. I didn't think it was good to hit a boa in the face. She continued to do this 5-6 times. The animal expert did not notice she was so nervous and she was swatting the boa in the face. The audience was gasping. Finally, he saw that she was petrified and took the boa off. She didn't volunteer again.

Disaster was averted that time but then he brought out a ten foot reticulated python. He had eight kids stand up and hold the python from head to tail. They were okay for about three seconds. Then the python started moving and the girl at the front dropped its head. The other kids couldn't support the weight of the heavy python and they started falling. The kids were desperately trying to hold onto this python while they were holding themselves up but then they fell into the black backdrop hiding the other animals and knocked it down dropping some of the ten foot python on the floor. Luckily, this particular python was a professional and did not attack anyone. I don't know if any of those kids from the audience will be volunteering at any more animal programs any time soon.

Is the Internet Making Us Stupid?

I read an article recently that forewarned that the proliferation of media such as the Internet has changed our reading capacity, thus our thinking capacity. Is Google Making Us Stupid?

The author of this article describes the change in his reading processes from reading deeply to only skimming materials. He writes:

When I mention my troubles with reading to friends and acquaintances—literary types, most of them—many say they’re having similar experiences. The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing. Some of the bloggers I follow have also begun mentioning the phenomenon. Scott Karp who writes a blog about media recently confessed that he has stopped reading books altogether. “I was a lit major in college, and used to be [a] voracious book reader,” he wrote. “What happened?” He speculates on the answer: “What if I do all my reading on the web not so much because the way I read has changed, i.e. I’m just seeking convenience, but because the way I THINK has changed?”

I can see this in my library sometimes. I have patrons that specifically request the short reads and I had one balk when I suggested a book of over three hundred pages. I think one reason that graphic novels are so popular with teens is that the way teens think is differently. They think in short, visual bursts, not in long methodical passages. What does this mean for libraries in the future? I can't say exactly, I think that libraries will have to continue to adapt and change for anything, even if people's way of reading dramatically shifts.

High Expectations

The Internet has radically changed people's perception of what libraries have within their walls. People seem to believe that since they have access to any sort of information that they want through the Internet that the brick and mortar library also has access to this sort of information in book form. In many ways they are correct and perhaps when you are dealing with academic libraries they will be even more correct but I get strange requests from people and when I don't have five books on the topic they want they get upset with me. I have been requested to find books on: a 1963 Ford Fairlane, triplanes, books on tiny, unpopulated counties, obscure Western explorers and the list could go on. I've also had people upset at me when I could only retrieve one book on our shelves on pet rat care, platypuses, and thyroid disease. I'm sure every librarian at every public library could come up with a exhaustive list. Public libraries are more popular lending libraries but not all people understand that. Perhaps we should be flattered that people think we can provide all this information. But flattered is not the feeling I have when a woman says, "Is that all?" to me in an annoyed voice.

Tarantula Tales

The last three weeks have been very busy for me, my coworker and our library's pet tarantula Charlotte. We have been going to schools to talk about our Summer Reading program. The theme is all about bugs so we bring Charlotte in, (I wear gloves in case the kids scare her as you can see in the picture above), give ten interesting facts about tarantulas, and then give our spiel about summer reading. The kids have just eaten it up. But there have been some interesting times with Charlotte...

Once I took Charlotte out and put her back in but did not completely close her cage. I thought there was no way for her to escape because she never had before. Then she started creeping up the side of it as I began giving facts about tarantulas. The kids interrupted me and started shouting, "she's getting out!" I said "she can't get out" and continued on with my program. They continued to shout and Charlotte crawled higher up the cage. Then as I wasn't looking she completely crawled right out of her cage a few feet away from some of the children. The room was filled with screams of terrified children. I had to act fast and grab her and put her back in. I bet that was all they talked about in school for the next WEEK.

Another time I took Charlotte out for the kids to see her and she started walking up my arm, she went up and up to my elbow, my shoulder then down my back. The kids were screaming. I couldn't see her down my back to put her back into her cage. I didn't want to push her off and drop her because tarantulas are very fragile. My coworker, who is frightened of spiders had to rescue me because no teachers were even thinking about coming to aid me. She gingerly grabbed Charlotte and put her back in the cage. She was not too thrilled about that.

Finally, one time when we were doing grade level after grade level back to back I reached in to pick up Charlotte and then she reared back and bit me. I was quite surprised, she had never done that before. Luckily I was wearing gloves but she put a nice hole in the leather. I liked telling some of the kids that Charlotte bit me, their eyes would always widen and some would say "No way! You didn't die?"

I told my coworker I don't know what I'm going to do next year for Summer Reading to top holding a tarantula. The only way I can top this is if I jump in there and light myself on fire. Although I don't think that fits with next year's theme.

Graffiti "art" part two

I published in my last post how our graffiti "artists" had not figured out that writing on the door lasts a lot more permanent than on the walls and bathroom fixtures. Apparently either I have more blog readers than I thought or the "artists" have gotten smarter because this afternoon days after I write that blog there was a HUGE gang symbol written on one of the doors. It won't come out of the door no matter how much my manager scrubbed and we might have to get a new door. Bravo guys...your work can now be admired for years by the many hundreds sitting on that toilet seat.