The Chaos Before SLP

Things are a bit crazy here in library-land. The month of May is quickly flying by, and the end of the school year isn't far behind. For children's librarians across the country, this means spending our working hours gearing up for the summer library program.

SLP is a big deal. This year will be the first time that I'm the person in charge of this massive 8-week program, so I'll admit that I'm a tad nervous. The children's department is also quite chaotic at the moment as dozens of small projects are strewn about (several only half finished) as they wait for the big day arrive so that all can be unveiled to the public. Don't even get me started on the state of my office, which is far too embarrassing to share.

Here are a few pictures of the back counter, where most of the summer paraphernalia are currently stored:




It's much more massive in person than the photos indicate.

And guess how many photocopies I've made so far. Just take a stab at it.

3,868! Plus, most of these copies were double-sided. That's a lot of paper and toner. It's also a lot of cutting, folding, and stapling. The scary thing is, this number reflects the fact that I work in a small-ish community. Imagine the amount of paper that a large library goes through during the summer!

I, for one, will be very glad when all of the planning is over and the fun of summer programs can begin.