We don’t operate within Downton Abbey-like social strata, and no impenetrable physical barrier (that we know of) seals off the library’s first floor from the second. Still, top-floor reference librarians go for long stretches of time without speaking to first-floor youth librarians.
And we like them! We just stay busy and fail to cross paths.
When our schedules eventually coincide, we share reading suggestions. Staffers who work with grownups love a top-drawer children’s book as much as youth staff relish an accomplished adult novel. Colleague David–he works on both floors–recommended a Bluebonnet Award winner to me last week: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger. Sure, I love a great title (so this story had me at “Origami Yoda”) but of course what has impressed critics, judges, and readers about this tale is the self-empowerment achieved by a sixth grader who overcomes social ineptitude by crafting a paper Yoda puppet to dispense advice to fellow students.
Brilliant. We may forget that everyone else finds interpersonal issues difficult, too, but a perfectly timed solution is a universally acknowledged prize.
We don’t label any particular section in the library as “SELF-HELP”. At a bookstore, such a sign would guide you to volumes fostering higher earning power; discovery of the perfect life partner; acquisition of beneficial habits; clutter dispersal, etc. Our library offers those, too, along with databases that cardholders can use even when the library is closed; free tax filing assistance; free digital downloads; and many other options. Even fiction books (see above) can prove wonderfully life-enhancing.
For libraries, SELF-HELP could serve as front-door signage.
Some advice has held up admirably for centuries. Consider Polonius’ tips on fashion investment in Hamlet: even Tim Gunn couldn’t improve upon those. But lessons can become outmoded or at least suffer from that perception. Imagine basing your efforts to achieve teen social success on a 1950s popularity manual!
That’s precisely what 15-year-old Maya Van Wagenen did. Intrigued by model Betty Cornell’s Teenage Popularity Guide, Van Wagenen devised an experiment: try out some of those Eisenhower-era tips while keeping a detailed diary of the experience. Whatever social benefits Van Wagenen derived from the project, she can add a $300,000 book deal to the sum. Her manuscript, now titled Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek, is due out April 15. Even better, Cornell’s inspirational volume is also being republished that day.
No need to wait until April for newly released books offering all manner of guidance, though; here are a few titles I just spotted on the New Nonfiction shelf:
Arduino Robot Bonanza
Decoding Your Dog
Man Up: A Practical Guide to Being a Dad
Compelling People: The Hidden Qualities That Make Us Influential
200 Skills Every Cook Must Have
Timeless Chic
Smart Tribes: How Teams Become Brilliant
The Religions Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained
Online, you can access expert tips–even videos–on a very timely topic. Produced locally with Round Rock concerns in mind, Water Spot, City Water Conservation Program Coordinator Jessica Woods’ amazingly helpful blog, offers advice and strategies that none of us can afford to miss.
