Toilet Turtle

Our library made a strange discovery this week. Thursday morning we found a small green turtle in our bathroom. We have absolutely no idea how he got there. Did some kid bring his pet turtle to the library and leave it accidentally? Or did the turtle somehow wander into the building, crawl (slowly) past the DVDs and sneak into the bathroom? Or was it a prank of some sorts? A few kids tell themselves: "Hey, I got an idea, wouldn't it be funny to leave a turtle in the library!" Each scenario is unlikely and the turtle could not have crawled up from the toilet, it would not have fit. We are stumped about how he got there but either way we ended up with a small water turtle swimming in an aquarium in our staff room. We named him Lou after the name of British toilets.

Chopstick Races

This week for my anime club's first meeting of the school year we had a chopstick program. For the last few weeks I have been sneakily stealing chopsticks from the local Teriyaki Bowl each time I go. I would go up to refill my drink and slip several pairs of chopsticks down my purse. After a few visits, I got 22 pairs of chopsticks. I was ready for the races.

I divided the teens into two lines and set an empty bowl at the end of the line. Then at the other end was a bowl full of mini marshmallows. The teens were to take a marshmallow with their chopsticks and then pass it to the person on their right down the chain and into the empty bowl. This proved to be difficult and I had to reprimand a few teens for their cursing. So then they decided to curse in Japanese, and I had to reprimand them again.

Eventually they got into it and we did the race a few times before they had enough and wanted to resume eating the food I brought with their chopsticks. I made a bowl of jello for them to eat just to watch them struggle to pick up the wiggly stuff with their chopsticks. The challenge of the jello only spurned them on. It was an entertaining and successful afternoon especially considering that some of the teens wanted to throw their chopsticks and no one's eye got put out.

Empty Libraries

It's going to be tough for me to post as much since I'm back in school this semester and my professors are loading me up with tons of papers. But I'll try.

Our library has decided to delete all VHS, Books on Tape and Book Cassette kits by the end of the year. Then CD-Roms will be gone by the end of next year. I read in American Libraries that they estimate that CDs will be mostly gone in the next decade. 75% of Americans have internet at home and the number is increasing and eventually there will be less need for computers at the library. DVDs are streaming too. With all of these things fading. What are we going to do with all this extra space?

Libraries can fill their extra space with a cafe, or couches and make the library more like Barnes and Nobles or a Starbucks. But will people really go to a library to get their coffee or hang out? I really wonder what the future of libraries are going to be, I imagine they will be more like community centers.

Whatever the case may be I suggest to all librarians to start working on a second degree so they can have a plan B in place. It's what I'm doing. You really never know what the future is going to bring.