All Good Things. . .

Well, even though this project didn't completely fall into place until that last few days before it was due, I'd have to say that it was something I thoroughly enjoyed. I've always believed that to truly connect to youth today you have to be fully aware of what's going on around them. You have to know what their interests are, what kinds of music they like, what they watch on TV , etc. Basically, you have to gather any and all tidbits of information that you can. You have to become a packrat! Which, I'm not ashamed to admit, I always have been. :-)

However, unlike a packrat, you have to keep your bits of knowledge current and you have to know what to keep and what to discard as the years pass. Some things learned will remain the same for youth no matter how much time goes by and others will come and go in trends. For example, right now I'm seen as "cool" because I know a lot about Japanese animation. When I was in school, that same knowledge categorized me with the freaks and the geeks (not that I minded.) Personally, it's my hope that I will be able to always be seen as a "cool, sometimes absent-minded" librarian to the younger generation. Someone who can talk to young people without seeming like I just stepped out of the dark ages. I want them to be able to come to me with questions and trust the answers that I give.

This project was a great way for me to realize that while there will always be a gap due to my physical age, if I work hard and listen to what the youth have to say then I'll never have too much trouble connecting with them and helping to make their experiences with the library as fun and as interesting as possible.