This document contains the work journal of Leah Giarritano from her practicum at the Pleasantdale library from January to April 2012. She observed the children's librarian Jana and learned how to balance playfulness with authority. Leah also learned the capabilities and limitations of the library software system Sagebrush. Her practicum project involved collecting book recommendations from students to help their peers select new books. The project was well-received by students and administrators when installed at the end of her practicum.

1. Leah Giarritano
Spring 2012
Work Journal
LIS591M
Work Journal
Friday, January 20, 2012
Today I had a great opportunity to observe Jana
interacting with the kids. She strikes a great balance
between playfulness and authority. The kids like and
respect her, yet she has no problem being stern when they
are out of line. I enjoy her style of interaction and feel like I
would like to incorporate some of that style in my own
demeanor as a librarian. I am anxious to continue
observing her interactions throughout the practicum so I
can learn even more and develop my own hybrid style
incorporating aspects of the balance she maintains with
the kids.
Monday, January 23, 2012
I got a little more exposure to the library software system,
Sagebrush, used at Pleasantdale. Jana walked me through
all of the different capabilities of the system and taught me
how to use some of the different features. In addition to all
of the benefits, she explained some of the nuances and
pitfalls of the system. This exposure afforded me a better
understanding of the versatility of a library software
system, but also what to be wary of when selecting/using
my own system in the future. She is required to do a lot of
manual overriding to certain aspects of the system which

2. can make things challenging. This insight, gained from
utilization of Sagebrush, will allow me to be better
prepared and know what to expect from my own system in
the future.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Today I presented my practicum project, Peer Readers
Advisory, to nine separate classrooms of 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th
grade students. I introduced the idea behind the project
and handed out worksheets for each of them to complete
with the title of their favorite book as well as three
descriptive sentences regarding why they would
recommend the book/what made it their favorite book. I
enjoyed being in front of the children and talking to them
about this project. When I explained that I would be using
their recommendations to develop tools for them to use in
selecting books when they come to the library, they
became very enthusiastic. I am excited about this project
and know how important peer relationships are at this
stage in their life. Tying peer book recommendations into
the library is a great way to tap into their developmental
stage. Assuming the output of this project is productive, I
will definitely implement this type of project in my own
library. Just from the initial enthusiasm and interest I
received from the kids, I can tell that book
recommendations from their friends are very important!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Today I spent my time in the library preparing for an author
visit for the 5th and 6th grade students. A.J. Hartley, author of

3. Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact, is scheduled to visit
Pleasantdale on Thursday, February 16, 2012. I helped Jana
create PowerPoint slides to run on the monitor in the
entranceway of the school as a way to get the kids excited
about the visit. I distributed order forms to the classrooms so
the children would have the opportunity to purchase a copy of
the book and have A.J. Hartley sign it for them. I also helped
organize the books that had already been signed to make it
easier for the author to know how to dedicate the book. I
enjoyed my involvement in preparation for the author’s visit. It
was fun to see the excitement in the kids’ eyes, knowing an
author was coming to visit their school. As a librarian, I will be
sure to schedule regular author visits as they certainly create a
lot of buzz about the library and reading. I learned that
Anderson’s Books, a local bookstore, coordinates a lot of these
author visits so I will plan to develop a relationship with them
and express my interest in scheduling author visits for the
school I end up working for.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Today A.J. Hartley came to Pleasantdale to speak to the 5th
and 6th grade students. There was excitement in the air
prior to his arrival as students eagerly awaiting the
announcement that it was time to gather together to hear
him talk. The PowerPoint presentation was playing in the
entranceway and children were excited clutching their
books. A.J. Hartley was a great speaker and provided
wonderful advice to the children about his experience as
an author, how he gets his ideas, what it feels like to have a
book rejected and how you have to just keep on writing
despite the rejection. He allowed plenty of time for
questions and, much to my surprise, the children were full
of interesting and engaging questions. The room was like a

4. sea of hands waving back and forth to be called upon. The
questions were thoughtful and proved to me how
important it is to have author’s come and visit children at
the school. They were very interested to better understand
his writing process and I could imagine them keeping his
advice in mind as they write their own papers and stories.
This experience further reinforced my commitment to
make a regular practice of scheduling author visits when I
become a librarian.
Friday, February 17, 2012
There was a teacher in-service today that I had an
opportunity to participate in. One of the topics I found
most interesting and useful for application to my own
career was use of the Promethium boards. We received
demonstrations on the various functionalities of the
boards and suggestions for various uses with the students.
They are very powerful and dynamic tools and I think it
would be a great educational tool for use in the library. I
am hopeful that if one doesn’t already exist in the library I
end up working at, I will be able to persuade the
administration to consider its value as a significant
learning tool.
Monday, April 16, 2012
After lots of behind the scenes work, I finally began to
“install” my practicum project in the library. It was
exciting to see the fruits of my labor come to life and think
about the students utilizing the tools I created. I think that
this project will gain a lot of interest and momentum in the

5. school and, while very labor intensive, I would definitely
consider doing another similar project in the future at my
own school.
Monday, April 1, 2012
Today was my last day at Pleasantdale. It was sad to finish
my practicum as I loved working at the school with the
kids and Jana. It was exciting to see my practicum project
fully installed. The PowerPoint presentation was running
in the front entranceway and the kids were very excited to
see all of the book recommendations from their friends.
Both the principal and assistant principal commented on
how fantastic it was. Within the library, the shelves, by
grade, are all set up, with customized bookmarks with
recommendations by grade, a posted list of all the
students, by grade, with the books they recommended as
well as the recommended books displayed by grades with
multiple copies for the kids to view and check out. All in
all, the project, as well as my time at Pleasantdale, was a
great success. It was a rewarding way to end my time
there with the implementation of a successful project that
is sure to be used long after I am gone and that is getting
the kids so exciting about new books to check out based on
their friends’ reviews.