As a first year librarian the Library Department Directors meet with all newbies every week to share policies, procedures, and to answer any questions and offer encouragement.  Today was…the BEST meeting ever!

We met at the Library Services Processing Office where I was introduced to the two lovely ladies that make all of my books shelf-ready when they come to our library.  Here is where the BESt meeting ever part comes in: I learned that we have a REVIEW LIBRARY.  What is this, you may be wondering.  It’s shelves of books that publishers send to our district to preview.  In exchange for a written review the books become…OURS!!!! Hello!

I tried to be still and not show my excitement at the possibility of acquiring new books, but I don’t think I was 100% successful.  You see, we were standing in front of the shelves listening to our processing center experts telling us about the process; I tried to not let my eyes wander over to the shelves, but  I glanced, and tried to make out the titles of some of the books, five times.  I did my best I promise you, but the opportunity to find new treasures for my students for FREE, was a lot to handle.  I’ll try to do better next time, or better yet, I’ll just mosey on down to their office when we are not meeting, that way I won’t have to fight my impulse to POUNCE on all those gems!

Now, the ladies at the processing center, they already know who I am because I’ve worked to get the library, book donations which they have to process, so when I started my tour down the shelves they kindly placed a BOX next to me.  They know me well, I couldn’t resist, I hugged them several times!

How amazing was this discovery! I will now have a wider selection and know personally books that might be the perfect fit for many of my readers.  Today was a good day, bless all the publishing houses who want our opinion about their books so much that they are willing to gift us with them!