Posts by Kristy Raffensberger

I love it when librarians put their story time plans online. I “borrow” them all the time! In an act of reciprocation I figured I might as well throw my story time themes at the Internet to see what sticks.

Hanging on the wall next to the clock at Webster Library is a painted figure of a girl, pointing toward the ceiling. She's unassuming; wearing muted colors. People see her, but no one ever asks why she is there or (even more intriguing) what she is pointing at. When I started working at Webster Library, that was the first thing I noticed because I knew instantly who had painted her...

Being a librarian, it's not surprising when I say that I'm surrounded by stories. But in reality, we are all surrounded by stories, every day. This was never more apparent to me than when I officiated a friend's wedding. She asked that I include a reading from a children's book, and while neither she nor her fiancé had any particular connection to children's literature, we created a whole ceremony around the power of story.

At the Webster Branch, we recently put up a display with all of the books covered in brown paper. Above it there is a sign that reads: “Do You Judge a Book by Its Cover?” The rules are if you unwrap a book—based on the short description taped to it—you must check it out. Even if you’ve read it before, or if you think you won’t like it. Take it home, give it a shot. Don’t judge it by its cover alone!