Hello, friends and fellow bookworms!
My name's Aron (he/they), but the kids at work call me Mr. Aron. I'm a Library Associate in a busy youth department at a public library. I lead a middle school volunteer program. I provide readers' advisory and reference services at the youth desk. Last but certainly not least, I coordinate youth programs. When I started my library job five years ago, I never expected I'd be answering letters on behalf of the library turtle, creating book displays for Neurodiversity Celebration Week, or singing Lil Miss Hot Mess's The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish at a Pride Month storytime. That's why I love working at the library. I can cultivate my passions alongside my skillset, which is also why I'm excited to take MLIS classes. Although it'll be years before completing my degree, I hope to enjoy the journey one course at a time. I'm confident that these classes will lead to professional and personal growth. I'm also incredibly nervous, thanks to my lifelong friend Anxiety.
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Outside of libraryland, I'm a proud snake dad to a banana ball python named GG. Well, sometimes he's called GG. He also goes by noodle, banana boy, peanut, and boop snoot. When he gets cranky during his sheds, I call him by his full name Giorno Giovanna. He's named after the character Giorno Giovanna from the anime Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Like his anime counterpart, GG is beautiful and bold. Case and point, I held many ball pythons when I visited the reptile store for my future pet snake. All the snakes balled up in my hands, spooked by the giant holding them hostage. GG did not ball up. Instead, he slithered right into my sweater sleeve, boldly going where no noodle had gone before. I knew he was the one as soon as his snoot booped my elbow.
Aside from geeking out about snakes, I geek out about poetry writing, video games, and as expected for librarianship, books! However, I don't spend all my time huddled up with a good book. I also lead LGBTQ+ events in my community, such as coffee meetups, hiking excursions, and queer book clubs. My LGBTQ+ identity and neurodivergent identity are both integral to my life. I can talk nonstop about neurodiversity. It's fascinating to learn all the different ways our brains make us...well, us!
Speaking of what makes us who we are, I believe that technology shapes us and is shaped by us. For example, technology is an invaluable asset for managing and accommodating my neurodivergences. Audiobooks make novels more accessible - and in many cases, more enjoyable. I could write a whole blog post raving about my latest special interest - Tamsyn Muir's novel Gideon the Ninth.
In addition to my personal reading life, technology shapes my professional life. For example, I utilized a variety of technological tools to create my book display for Superhuman Day. With its roots in the Paralympics, this day celebrates the superheroic achievements of people with disabilities, as well as honors the ongoing advocacy for disability rights. I used Canva to create a flier for this book display. I used Wi-Fi to print this flier. I used BiblioCommons to publish a booklist for this display. For past displays, I've used QR codes to direct library patrons to booklists, so they can access booklists on their mobile devices. At the library, I'm continually learning that it's not just about having technology, but knowing how to make the best use of this technology.
I also enjoy using technology with the students in my library programs. For example, I used Google Earth for a Writing Club program. Students could travel anywhere in the world, writing a story in their setting of choice. Beanstack, the platform for our summer reading challenges, has been a wonderful resource for writing challenges. During Poetry Month, Writing Club students used Beanstack to earn prizes for creating poetry and art.
Just as my Writing Club students challenged themselves to develop their craft, I'll challenge myself to develop my technology skills. Since I'm brand new to blogging, I'm excited to learn about blogging as a tool for education and connection. Blogging can be an incredible resource for my own growth as a writer, as well as a catalyst for my students' growth. If I can learn how to blog, I can potentially develop a library blog for my Writing Club students, giving these young creators a platform to share their writing, art, and creativity with our community.
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Hi Aron! Thank you for sharing your post! You sound like a fun youth librarian associate, and I would like to witness you answer questions on behalf of the library turtle. That sounds like such a great idea and is a comforting way to communicate with the shyer children.
ReplyDeleteGG also looks adorable. Pet snakes and their mannerism are so fascinating. Unfortunately, my sisters/roommates do not want any snakes in the house after one too many encounters with tropical snakes.
I also agree with your point about how audiobooks make books more accessible. People tell me that children are not really "reading" when they're listening. I argue that audiobooks can help children with literacy. Narrators model and use phrasing, pacing, tone, and intonation to express meaning and emotion smoothly. I enjoy and understand the story more when I am listening to an audiobook and reading the printed version at the same time.
On another note, I love Canva. It has saved me many times.
Thank you very much, Jessa! Fun fact, some kids assume that the library turtle and my snake are friends, presumably because they are both reptiles that the kids can write to for the library program. It is now my headcanon that GG and the turtle are besties.
DeleteI can understand why snakes would be a no-go after encountering tropical snakes. The only snakes I've seen out and about are garter snakes, which I presume are much less dangerous than the tropical snakes y'all have seen.
Very well said about the benefits of audiobooks. I've heard the "not really reading" comment from parents - moreso with graphic novels, rather than audiobooks. I am a big advocate of both as forms of storytelling. I like how you discussed how the delivery of a story expresses its own unique meaning. I fully agree.
Thank you for reading my blog, fellow fan of Canva!
Hello, Aron. Gosh, from your post you would never know that you are new to blogging. It also sounds like you are continuously busy! I have to ask...how do you know when a snake is cranky during shedding? Does GG bite?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Yes, busy is an understatement, although I am happy to keep busy with work that connects me to my interests and my community. Having said that, one of my goals for this semester is to make better use of the word "no" for additional commitments, so I don't overbook (and overwork) myself. Wish me luck!
DeleteAs for GG, I can tell when he is shedding because he hermits in his hide (a rock cave) on the hot side of his tank (over the heating mat). He gets very lethargic, much like me before I have my morning coffee. If I pick him up, he will slither right back into his hide, rather than wrap around my arm. So that's how I can tell he is cranky; perhaps stressed is the better word, since shedding is stressful for snakes. He gets back to his usual non-cranky, non-stressed self when the shed is over with.
GG has only bitten once, though that mistake was on me. I wore a glove to clean his tank, which was the same type of glove that I use to feed him. I suspect he smelled the glove, assumed that I had dinner, and bit my hand. He let go immediately, since my hand was not a rat. I cleaned it up and bandaged it, and it healed up quickly. Honestly, I've had worse injuries from volunteering with shelter dogs and shelter cats. It turned out to be a good lesson for me. I'd been afraid of getting bit, and now that it's happened, I'm not afraid of it happening again. I also learned that GG will bite the hand that feeds him if this hand smells like dinnertime...lesson learned!