mary_j_59: (Niki)
Today, I had to tell two of my 14-year-olds they had to leave the library because we were closing. One boy responded. "Why does something so good have to close?" He also said, "This is the only place I can be myself." Isn't that cool?

Editing today to tell the rest of the story - I think the boys wouldn't mind.

Me: "I really want you on my teen advisory board!"
Boy who'd spoken: "What's a teen advisory board?"
Me: "We get together and share snacks and you tell me what you like about the library, what you'd like us to do, what we're doing right and what we're doing wrong."
Boy: "The library's doing NOTHING wrong."
Me" "Great! I need you to tell the grown-ups that."
Boy: "Don't they know that? Why don't they know that?"
Boy's friend: "Because they're grown-ups."

Wise words. We grown-ups need to be sure we don't forget what it feels like to be a kid, and that we don't forget to listen.

And yes, libraries rock! Just look at the young teen in my icon - she thinks so, too!
mary_j_59: (bluey)
I Just want to wish a happy Easter or Passover to all who celebrate, and happy spring to everyone else. I'd also like to share a video I just posted to the library youtube channel. This is a very talented family doing dances from South America. The boys are regulars at my programs. Enjoy!
mary_j_59: (Default)
My sister, [livejournal.com profile] deirdrej and her colleague have a minicast up of the baby chicks they raised in the library. It's the cutest thing ever! Note: I tried to embed the podcast, but it wouldn't work, so here is the link. http://minicasts.podomatic.com/play/1014997/4171162
mary_j_59: (mary)
Here's a poem I drafted in the journaling workshop I held today at the library.

Blue eyes,
And a blue dress.

The little girl stares at the tigers
through the cage bars.
They are pacing towards her.
They are cream, striped with chocolate,
their eyes as blue as hers.

She shivers in the breeze
coming from the water.
"Don't be afraid," the woman says.
"They can't hurt you."

She is not afraid. She is sorry,
so sorry, for the great cats
with eyes like hers.

She shuts her eyes and turns away,
facing the sun.
Kaleidoscope colors flash under her eyelids.

There is no blue.

Mary Johnson, 2011
mary_j_59: (girl)
My sister had a wonderful program at her library yesterday, and, since I got off work early, I got to film a little of it. Here is the result.

mary_j_59: (Default)
Just want to set this one down before I forget it. Several of my regular patrons came into the teen room this p.m. One boy (about 14 or 15) pulled another boy's phone out. He had one of those phone decorations on it that are so common in Asia.
Boy one: "I like your crystal dragonfly."
Boy two: (deadpan) "Yeah. It animates itself and eats people."

Somehow, that made me smile.
mary_j_59: (Default)
Just a quickie - we had four Wizard Rock bands at the library today, AND several of my teens from film club came to film the concert! Cool! The kids did a great job, and the concert went really well, too (Deirdre and I were singing, in about the middle. Terribly scary when we first started, but then lots of fun.) The bands were the Hungarian Horntails (Darius does a fine job on the violin), the Princess of Hogwarts (that little girl has a great voice), the Gringotts Grrls, and the Whomping Willows. Whompy is really clever and good-hearted, and I'm so glad the kids actually managed to film some of his performance. We had a pretty good audience, too! I'm happy.

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