Wait...that's strange!

Happy Friday and happy last day of April! Wait…that’s strange. Does anyone else think this year has gone by really fast? It seems like just the other day I was starting my classes, and now I’m drawing near the close of the semester. It seems like just the other day I was hired as the Young Adult Librarian, and now I’m already approaching three months in the position. Strange!

I thought I’d talk a little about some exciting things that have happened this week.

First of all, our summer plans are starting to materialize. We are going to have music events, game nights, sand art, science experiments, jewelry making, movie nights, and waves of other fun activities. It’s pretty cool how things start coming together. I came up with the idea to do a jam session for the older teens during our “Rock the Boat” program. I just thought that some musicians and rockers would like to get together and rock it up at the library. Turns out that there is an event this Saturday, starting at 5pm at the Guitar Shop on Government Way, where local high school bands will be performing. I thought, what a great opportunity to invite them to perform at the library! It’s also amusing that I titled the program “Rock the Boat,” and several of the programs have to do with music. Strangely awesome!

Secondly, Karen and I got to meet with Rosie Astorquia, the director of Secondary Education for the Coeur d’ Alene School District. We were excited to explain some of our program, ideas, resources, and she seemed excited to have another partner. Rosie was very willing to get the word out about our programs, and we are excited to offer new programs, and to support the programs that already exist at our schools.

Lastly, one of my videos is on an author’s blog! A few weeks back, I made a video about Rash called “The Safer States of America.” Rash was written by Pete Hautman, and my video on his book is on his blog. Just the day after I posted the video on my Youtube channel, Hautman re-posted it, and it has gotten over a hundred views in a couple weeks. Needless to say, I was really excited when I found that, and thank you again Pete Hautman!

Anyways, I hope that all of your weeks have gone well, and I hope that this new week will find you energized to do work, school, or anything else on your plate.

Somewhere out there...

How did everyone’s week go? Mine went pretty well. I had a couple final presentations and tests in school, and even though I don’t have a grade on the test yet, I’m pretty sure I did well on it, and the presentation went well even though it was really hard to prepare for.

This week at work has been a lot of planning and finding contact information. I'm working on getting the word out about our programs, and this means finding people to send the information to. Karen and I are meeting with someone from the school next week to discuss promotion in the schools. I’ve compiled a list of churches that I’m going to send the word to next week, and I'm also going to contact our local homeschool groups.

While I’ve been studying and researching what other libraries do for their Next-Gen adults, I can’t help but get a little anxious. Will our programs ever be THAT successful? Is my audience interested in programs at the library?

Although its easy enough to think that my library won't be able to be this successful, I have to think that if these other libraries have patrons coming in, then that proves that Next-Gen adults are interested in fun, interesting programs. I also have to take comfort in the fact that there are many businesses and organizations that are interested in partnering with other people reaching their same audience. We just have to find each other.

So, I’m going to do my best to come up with programs that will be of interest and be fun for you guys, and I’m going to continue to build my network of churches, schools, and businesses so we can have an even bigger group of folks to hang out with. If anyone is interested in programs, or has some ideas for people I could reach, feel free to contact me.

Nick Madsen-Young Adult Librarian
Email: nickm@cin.kcl.org
Phone: (208) 772-5612 ext. 120
You can also find me on Facebook under Nick Madsen or Next-Gen Adults of the Kootenai Shoshone Libraries or you can search for KSL4NextGen on Twitter or Youtube.

Hope you all have a great week.

To blog, or not to blog...which is a cliche, but too much fun to use

So here’s to another week as a young adult librarian. I figured I’d mention why I started this blog.

First of all, starting a blog just seems obvious in this tech savvy world that we now inhabit. As many organizations, businesses, and libraries have realized, the internet is a great resource to connect with your patrons, and is able to deliver content in a whole new way.

Secondly, Karen Yother, the Youth Services Director at the Hayden Library, has just gotten back from a month of traveling all over the country to different conferences. Most of the conferences had workshops on utilizing new technology, and the benefits it brings.

Finally, I’ve been poking my head around, researching what a young adult librarian should be doing. As I’ve read magazines and found information online, I keep finding a common thread; start using the internet. For these reasons, I’ve started several accounts online, including Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Library 2.0, and now this blog.

But, as my communication theory instructor said yesterday, everybody has a blog. If everybody has a blog, then mine might get lost in the plethora of digital voices out there. It might. But, I hope that my web log will find some people interested to listen, and if not, I’ll at least be gaining some experience in the digital world, and hopefully a few readers can have some fun with me along the way.

From Page to Librarian

First I figure I'll introduce myself. My name is Nick Madsen, and I'm the young adult librarian for the Hayden Library in Hayden, Idaho. I was hired at the beginning of February, and I’m trying to get some teen programming off of the ground. For a few years now, Karen Yother, our Youth Services Director, has wanted to get some programming started. Unfortunately, it fell by the wayside because there just aren't enough hours in a day. So, when one of our children's outreach librarians had to retire, there was a vacancy for another position. Karen discussed the position of a young adult librarian with the director of the Hayden Library, John Hartung, and the assistant director Larry Almeida. All three decided that a young adult librarian position was the best use of those vacant hours.

You might be wondering how I fit into this picture. Well, I've been working at the Hayden Library for the past three years. I started as a page (a person who shelves and organizes incoming books) and then added a few more hours by helping out in the Children's area as a youth services assistant. I’ve cut out crafts, come up with programming ideas, dressed up as a fairy king, become Captain Book, read stories, made posters, hung Christmas decorations, and many other odd and awesome tasks. Last summer, I also got a chance to start a summer reading program for 10 to 14 year olds. We got to do tie-dye shirts, puppets, and even some sowing. Karen, John, and Larry apparently liked the work I did, and have given me the opportunity to start tween and teen programming, and I’m looking forward to the challenge, and the fun.