There's a few things you can do to help.
See if your local library accepts donated books. Some libraries are happy to set up an ARC lending system, and many accept finished paperback and hardcover copies of books. If they don't, a local high school probably will. I recently set up an in-classroom ARC library for the juniors at my old high school!
Offer to run an event for free. A lot of libraries can't afford to bring people in for events or activities, so if you offer to do something - a crash course on how to blog, tips for writing mainstream, or just something about books - they might be willing to accept it, depending on your credentials. If you can convince local authors to stop by for free, even better!
If you're young, see if they hire pages! Or volunteer. Pages just put away books and help organize the library; not all libraries hire, but some do. (And in my opinion, they're all the better for it. Former page, holla!) If they don't hire, many will take volunteers.
Request books you know are good. Many libraries want to fill their stacks with books people want. So request your favorites to be added to the shelf - and them shamelessly share them with your friends.
To further talk about how blogging can help libraries - or librarians! - here's Kelly from Stacked!
Tell us a little about you and your blog, for those who don't know who you are.
I'm a librarian in Wisconsin and have been working in libraries with children and adults (with a focus on teens) for almost four years. I've been blogging at STACKED for almost four years, as well.
Why did you start blogging?
After graduating with my master's in information studies (library school), my classmate Kimberly and I decided we'd start a blog to talk about the books we were reading. We haven't looked back.
You're a librarian! What do you do specifically in your library? (Obviously, you're not just a desk clerk.)
Not a desk clerk at all. I work the reference desk, which includes answering patron questions, assisting with database research, reader's advisory (helping people find books they want to read) and a million other things. I also am responsible for collection development for YA materials, meaning I get to buy what's on our shelves. I also do programming for teenagers.
How have you incorporated your blogging into your library work?
I haven't really. But maybe that's not fair. I think because I'm SO invested in blogging and reading YA that it just is part and parcel of my work as a librarian. I know what kids are reading and can anticipate what they'll want to be reading. I purposely keep my blog very separate from my job. I don't want the two of them merging. I can talk about things relating to my job, but I always do so in a broader way.
Have you had opportunities within your library that you wouldn't have had without blogging?
Yes. Because I've made a lot of really great connections through blogging, I've been able to offer programming and knowledge of books that I may not have been otherwise. I've been able to do author visits for my teens -- virtual and in-person -- with authors I've made contact with through blogging. I'm also a go-to for YA book knowledge/advice/ideas. It may have been that way without blogging, but the blog itself is a paper trail and proof of what I know and how I think about things.
Has blogging inspired you to add or try new things in your library?
Sometimes. I think it's helped me think about reading in different ways and think about how teens might want to discover new reads. I think more than in terms of books, reading other people's programming ideas on their blogs has helped me think outside the box.
Have you ever had an idea for an event or library-theme that came from blogging?
Most programming ideas are borrowed and modified from blogs, honestly. I have a core group of fellow librarian-bloggers who I turn to when I'm thinking through ideas. I met them all through their own blogs. A lot of times the things I end up blogging about in terms of book lists or trends in books I end up using as inspiration for book displays or book lists or reader's advisory in my own library. Or sometimes, I'll have something come up at work that sparks an idea for a blog post.
What's your favorite part about blogging?
Meeting and talking with people about the things that get me fired up -- books, reading, libraries, and serving other people (especially teenagers). I've made some of my closest friends through my blog, and I wouldn't trade that for the world.
What's your least favorite part about blogging?
If I didn't like it, I wouldn't do it. If you want an answer, though, it's probably just the mechanics of putting the posts together -- getting images, making sure they look okay, etc. Guest posts, for example, can be time consuming with formatting.
What advice do you have to new bloggers?
Try out whatever you want to try out and don't be afraid to fail. Also, don't be afraid to succeed. The more you do things, the more easily you'll figure out your voice.
What advice do you have to bloggers who want to use their blog in 'real people' stuff?
I've written an entire blog post about how you can leverage your blogging as professional experience, including how to incorporate it into your resume, cover letters, and interviews. The biggest piece of advice is to just be professional and courteous to everyone.
Any anything else you think is helpful!
More than how blogging has helped me in the library is how blogging has been eye-opening and enriching for me professionally in other ways. I've had the chance to meet and engage with so many people who have made me realize what I can do with my own career. I've had the chance to present at a number of big and small conferences -- both in the library world and outside of it -- because of my blog. I've spoken to graduate students at a library school program about how blogging has been beneficial to me professionally. And all of these things came because blogging has been a chance to give myself a professional presence and voice on the internet. As much as I'm a librarian, I don't know if I'd equate everything I've done with my blog as professional value to me only as a librarian. It's been great in making me think about how my skills in thinking can be applied in so many different places and in so many different ways. If nothing else, it's enriching and rewarding to me personally. That personal fulfillment is, I think, how you find professional satisfaction in blogging.
Thanks for the ideas about helping out my library-I do already make sure to request my favorite YA titles (for example Code Name Verity) but that's been about it. I'll see if there's anything else I can do now!
ReplyDeleteAt my library, we encouraged teens/patrons to write reviews for our blog. We accepted ARC's as gifts for our summer reading program prizes and had a HUGE summer volunteer program for teens. We always took patron suggestions for events and were more than happy to have them help out. Social media and blogging were a HUGE part of our outreach at the Lawrence Public Library. I think they're doing it right.
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