Today I had a Shakespeare conversation with one of you rocking teens -- you know who you are! -- and I figured I just had to use one of his most popular "sound bites" for this entry's title.
Many of you already know that tomorrow, Thursday May 22nd, is my last day at the library. Now that I'm finished with my librarian degree (ow ow!) I have plans to return to Texas and bring some mad Spanish-language programming to my old neighborhood. I'm all about giving back to the community n'at... Oh man. I'm gonna miss Pittsburghese.
So please know that I've had a fabulous time here at CLP Main, and I've learned heaps. I shall carry pieces of you all in my heart-- wait, that sounded a bit creepy. Never mind. In any case, if simplicity is best, then I'll just come out and say it: I'll miss you.
Here's my info, in case you'd like to stay in touch:
http://teenbibliotecaria.blogspot.com/
narajaponesa@yahoo.com
Use this email address to look me up on Facebook or MySpace.
May the force and the faeries be with you.
~Violeta
P.S. Lots of faeries. Lots and lots of 'em.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Parting is such sweet sorrow...
Friday, May 16, 2008
Check Out this Amazing Video from the Multnomah County Teens
On May 3rd, the Multnomah County Library held their Teen Council Retreat, in which over 30 teens hung out, played games, and impacted the future of their library. One amazing part of the retreat was the "Books" video they made (if you've ever seen the Kelly "Shoes" video, you'll know what they're up to). Check it out!
What do you want to see happen at your library? Join the Teen Advisory Council here at Main, and you too can meet new friends, eat snacks, and help bring the library into the next century.
Teen Advisory Council: All Teens Welcome
Sunday, May 18, 2008
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Help the Teen staff make decisions about future programming and services. In the past, the Teen Advisory Council has helped design the Teen department at CLP, Main, in addition to planning many programs.
Location:
Main (Oakland)
4400 Forbes Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Contact:
Teen @ Main
412.622.3121
teensmain@carnegielibrary.org
~Joseph
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Got holidays?
You ever get bored and wonder what day it is? I mean, it's easy knowing the date. But what does each day mean to everyone out there? There are people out there having birthdays... having children... having their very first samosa... or their very first smooch...
It may not be so easy to know about the little historic events in people's lives but there are ways of knowing which holidays are being celebrated all over the world. Earth Calendar makes it easy. You can look up holidays by date, country, even religion. I browsed some of the pages and here's some random worldly holidays coming up next month.
- June 4th: Revolution Day (Ghana)
- June 14th: Day of Mourning and Hope (Lithuania)
- June 22nd: Schoolteacher's Day (El Salvador)
*majestic horn tooting*
I have to admit, I feel all warm and fuzzy here. We all have problems with our families. There are times when family members are made of awesome, and times when they suck soooo bad. I find, though, that even after difficult phases, I can always come back to family.
And speaking of families! (*smooth librarian move here*) You know we have plenty of books at the library on this fascinating subject. Here's just a wee sampling of them-- in 3 words, and with lots of exclamation points.
- Family! Nascar! Music!
Yellow Flag by Robert Lipsyte - Family! Competition! Religion!
Bee Season by Myla Goldberg - Family! Adoption! Multiculturalism!
The Women Who Raised Me by Victoria Rowell - Family! Secrets! Chickens!
The Chicken Dance by Jacques Couvillon - Family! Witchcraft! Dancing!
Bras & Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski - Family! Graphic! Autobiography!
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel - Family! Heritage! Self-identity!
It's Not About the Accent by Caridad Ferrer
~Violeta
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
CLP Teens Talk Music
Six teens at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh recently talked to us about the whens, whys, and hows of their music listening habits. Watch the video here and leave your own thoughts in the comments (or stop by the library and check out the hundreds of CDs we have available, from Lil Wayne to Kimya Dawson!
~Joseph
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main
Monday, May 05, 2008
SAGDA Meeting Minutes - 05/03/08
The Carnegie Pittsburgh's Teen Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance (find us on Facebook! search "SAGDA") was back in session on Saturday, with some new members. We talked about stuff. Want to know what? Read on...
First thing on the agenda was checking in with teens who celebrated the Day of Silence, to see how it went. CAPA had one of the sparsest years yet, because people thought 1) it cost money to participate and 2) it was only for "gay kids." Of course, the answer to both of those questions is "No!" The Day of Silence is free for students in the school to participate, and it's for anyone who is interested in protesting the many ways in which students are silenced from being themselves, due to bullying and harassment.
Allderdice, on the other hand, had more people than expected, despite having no posters. Like CAPA students were a little confused about who was allowed to participate (yes, it's for EVERYBODY!). They also thought that they had to put duct tape over their mouths (ouch!), though all you really need to do is hand out cards with a statement explaining why you aren't speaking. Another interesting aspect limiting interest in the Day of Silence is the belief that the Day of Silence puts teens "back into the closet." The organizers hope that by bringing attention to harassment and the silence that people already experience in the closet of their choice, that more and more people are going to have space to start fully communicating themselves to their friends, family, and schoolmates.
North Allegheny surprised people with a small but enthusiastic Day of Silence, which spread through word of mouth. People wore all black in mourning.
So how can SAGDA we help ourselves promote the Day of Silence? Perhaps by making some buttons. Let's think about it.
Off the topic of the Day of Silence, SAGDA has a budget! We need to come up with events or other projects to spend our money on. Please submit your suggestions to the comments.
We also discussed the story of the pregnant man, as well as how transgender rights organizations have been distancing themselves from the story. The group more or less agree that these organizations should be supporting this man in the decisions he's making about his body. Fear of a public backlash seems to be against the principles that transgender rights organizations should uphold.
If you have an interesting article you want to share, bring it to our next meeting, which is Saturday, May 17th @ 2:00 PM, on the second floor of Kiva Han.
Notable upcoming dates:
Youth Invasion is Saturday, May 10th @ the Andy Warhol Museum
Pittsburgh PrideFest is Sunday, June 22nd @ Liberty Ave., Downtown
We may be having tables at both of these events, so if you have any ideas of what we should do, post a comment!
Joseph
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main - Teen
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
"I'm Looking for a History Book..."
It's that time of the year when you, Schenley High School students, are asked to read a book featuring American history. You can read fiction or non-fiction, and you can read about any aspect of American history you choose. There are just two considerations to make when choosing your book:
- it has to be 150 pages
- ideally, it's going to be about something you're interested in!
Sound like a difficult assignment? When hundreds of your classmates are all searching for the same thing, it definitely can be. Thankfully, we offer a few ways to uncover the books that will be fun and informative.
Non-fiction
You can find many books on history through our LibraryThing catalog, where we've been inputting new books for the last year and a half (please make sure you click on the link to our suggested style). Through a few searches, you'll get a good feel for what we have available. Searches such as American history, United States history, and US History will give you a good idea of what's available, though if you don't find exactly what you're looking for, try a search for just plain history, where you might find a book that's slipped through the cracks (you might also want to take a look at often-overlooked memoirs). If you find a book you like, click on the link that says, "Find this in the catalog!" That will tell you what libraries have it, and whether you should expect to see it on the shelves.
If you're looking to expand your selection, you can browse around our catalog for all subjects starting with United States -- History. This will connect you to the whole gamut of literature the library has to offer (from the most academic to the very basic) and help you focus on a specific time period.
Fiction
Searching our LibraryThing catalog for historical will show you the latest fiction taking place in history (though keep in mind they aren't limited to America). We also offer a service called Novelist, which is one of the best tools available for you to search out fiction.
Browsing through historical fiction is as easy as checking the box marked "Teens" and searching for "historical fiction."
Since that includes historical fiction from all over the world, you might want to try a couple of other searches, including "historical fiction and america" or "historical fiction and united states." However, to get the full range of what Novelist offers, try searching for historical fiction and a specific event.
Other libraries may have already done the work for you, including great suggestions from the Plymouth District Library, the Beaverton City Library, and the Madison Public Library.
All that's left is going back to our catalog and making sure we have the book you're looking for.
150 Pages?
When you are looking at an item in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's online catalog, pay careful attention. You'll be able to see how many pages the book contains, so that you don't waste time searching for anything less than your minimum. For example, the record for Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers, you'll notice that's 309 pages full of Vietnam War fiction.
When you're searching Novelist, you can use the "Advanced Search" link to only search for books that will meet your requirements.
Good luck, Schenley, and happy searching. Remember, you can always stop by the library and get help from any of our librarians.
~Joseph
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main - Teen
Free Comic Book Day
"Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their stores."
***
From manga to horror, superhero comics to those wacky teens from Riverdale, Free Comic Book Day has what you need! What a great way to get into comics, or -- if you've fallen off the wagon -- what a great time to get back in the habit! Check out these local comic shops this Saturday to see what it's all about:
Phantom of the Attic @ 406 South Craig St. in Oakland. Open 10 AM to 7 PM on Saturday.
The Copacetic Comics Company @ 1505 Asbury Pl. in Sq. Hill. Open 11 AM to 5 PM on Saturday.
Eide's Entertainment @ 1121 Penn Avenue, Downtown. Open 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM on Saturday.
***
And remember, comics are always free at the library! We've got thousands of graphic novels, manga and zines to choose from. Stop by the teen desk and we'll recommend something great.
- Corey W.
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main - Teen
Saturday, April 26, 2008
But what exactly do you do?
I get this question quite often as a librarian, so I thought I'd share some of my activities from today.
1. Created weekly schedules for the staff.
2. Tried to problem-solve existing scheduling glitches.
3. Helped someone who was doing a research project on Muhammad's views regarding violence.
4. Added tags to previous blog entries, since I always forget to do so when posting.
5. Looked at the bestselling teen fiction books at Barnes and Noble and Amazon, and crossreferenced titles with our catalog, to be sure we have them at the library.
6. Shelved manga and graphic novels like Genshiken and Persepolis.
7. Helped the Tell-a-tale Theater teens suprise Karen with a birthday cake.
8. Sent emails regarding Teen Summer Reading visits to local Pittsburgh Schools.
9. Worked on the schedule again.
10. Discussed volunteering with an interested teen.
11. Read reviews of upcoming teen fiction books, to decide which to buy for the Teen collection.
12. Renewed computer time for teens... a lot.
13. Set up paint and supplies for a teen who wanted to paint our meeting room doors.
14. Worked with teens to help get their library cards renewed.
15. Did I mention scheduling?
It's Saturday, so it's a slow day. :) See you at the library!
Holly
