SOLSC '23 Day 6: Oh, okay

 

I repeat the same lines to my third through fifth grade classes during library orientation every year.  They are the recipients of this monologue because, unlike my younger readers, several become repulsed by reading as they approach or reach double digit birthdays.

"There are over twenty thousand books in this library.

No, I am not joking.  The computer counts them every year after we do inventory, and spits out the number for our final report.

You may ask me for recommendations for a good book.

You may ask me to help you find a book.

You may ask your teacher, your friends, the library assistant to hook you up with a good book.

You may NOT come up to any of us and say "There is nothing to read in this library."

I am an adult librarian, and there is no way I could read every book in this library before I die.  Nor do I want to read every book.  BUT I can ALWAYS find a book that I am interested in, or I'm willing to try out.  ALWAYS.  Because I make an effort to do so.

You have to make that same effort, too."

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The library is a place in school where our scholars can exercise almost complete independent agency, which is another reason it bugs me so much when they don't want to read.  I will honor a student's reading choices whether it's a favorite picture book checked out by a fifth grader (good for practicing fluency, visual literacy, and general happy feelings) or a graphic novel to a beginning reader who can only follow along with the pictures.  You want to check out only nonfiction military books?  Great--and let me show you these historical fiction accounts you might like, too.  Getting bored with novels?  How about a cookbook, instead--just be sure to make something for your teacher and the library staff.  (I've only had three students in ten years who followed those directions...sigh.)

The greatest reward I get is when I put a book into a reluctant reader's hand that they didn't expect or realize we even had, and I get an "Oh, okay." before they head to the circulation desk to check out.