So here we are, a little over 6 months since the start of Covid madness. It's amazing how fast time can fly and drag by all at the same time. On the one hand, I am in total disbelief that we are displaying our Halloween books, but on the other I feel like I have been stuck in this Groundhog Day time warp where every day is the same as the one before. This is what happens when Miss Jen doesn't get to create and lead programming! I get even weirder than usual! Yes, it apparently IS possible!
Slowly but surely, we are getting busier here at the library, although busy might be a stretch. Most days there is still a bit of a ghost town vibe. According to our system stats we are seeing crowds 40% of what we would normally be seeing. Granted the whole school situation makes things even weirder. Some of our local schools are in person, most are currently on a 100% virtual, although that will shift to hybrid soon. Words and phrases like "masks", "social distancing", "synchronous learning", "hybrid model", and "contact tracing" are part of every day vocabulary now. These are some all around weird times. It really makes me wonder what kids will be like as adults, having experienced all this during fundamental developmental years. My kids are 7 and almost 9. I wonder what they will be telling my future grandchildren about their school years. My grandchildren will hear stories that seem unbelievable to them just as I sat and listened to my own grandparents talk about their own youth.
This is definitely going to influence children's and young adult literature. It already has. Yesterday I was looking at some galleys for books coming out late this year and early next year. Many of these books are nonfiction titles about community helpers, frontline workers, social distancing challenges, and Covid 19. I plan on reviewing some in future posts. What I really wonder about are the fiction books, in particular realistic fiction stories that are based on everyday life experiences.
On the program front, my library system is slowing rolling out plans for regular virtual programs. That should help my overall ennui that I am currently experiencing. Sometimes it feels like I just don't have a purpose. The moments where I can recommend books or see the smiling eyes of my library kiddos are few and far between, but man oh man do I savor them! I got to read a book to my daughter's 3rd grade class, and I was so nervous because I hadn't read aloud to kids in ages! It was a very strange feeling because I had been so used to always being "on" and ready to do a storytime with little to no notice. It was second nature. It's crazy how much things have changed, and how we have had to adapt to these new ways of doing things. It's so bizarre that it's shocking to see entire faces during Zoom meetings because we are so used to just seeing eyes. My normally bustling children's play area is now blocked off by caution tape and slightly resembles a crime scene. During this time of year the hours between 2 and 5 can get a little wild with big crowds of kids coming in after school, but now we get a handful. Of course, when our local schools go from virtual to hybrid, that will increase which should be interesting with our new social distance protocols. When I became a librarian almost 15 years ago, I never even imagined something like this. The two libraries I have worked in are normally crazy busy. Usually the big thing to do on my program list is program planning and storytime prep. Now I write blogs, review books, and film TikTok videos alongside our teen librarian who got me hooked. Granted, a change of pace is nice, but it is definitely not the norm. Of course, this might be the new norm.
How are all of you? How are you holding up during this continued madness?
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