Poem for Librarians - by Poet Hans Ostrom

Hans Ostrom, poet and professor of English at the University of Puget Sound, posted this three minute poetic video tribute to libraries and librarians. The poem was featured on a BBC Four program in 2008. “Librarians know where wisdom’s stored. / They catalogue the countless forms / Of silence and tell people what they / Didn’t know they wanted to know.”... YouTube, Nov. 16  

Lyrics are below and at http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/for-librarians/

For Librarians

Imagine you can consider all ideas And images represented by all words And numbers in all libraries worldwide. Open the book of this consideration. Touch the paper. See the illustration Of you, reading, when you were ten In your local library. Turn Several pages. Now read how you And that other person ignited romance In, of all places, the stacks, third floor, In quite a different library. Snowflakes Brushed against dark glass as you two Stood between PQ and PR. Now go to the index. Find “possibility.” Look up from the book. The librarian Who looks away was watching you. She knows how to phrase the question You want answered. Librarians know where wisdom’s stored. They catalogue the countless forms Of silence and tell people what they Didn’t know they wanted to know. They treat the mentally fractured As if they’re whole, the dull as if they’re Sharp, Winter as if it’s Summer. A band of sunlight angles through high Windows, brightens shoes of a librarian, Who knows the patron in the gray enormous Coat will steal a book about sex or wiccans. She knows some Christians will steal books Deemed Satanic, ignoring a commandment And the homeless person sleeping in a chair. She knows some atheists treat Library as Church, so when she moves into shadows, She does so quietly. She worries for books. For the librarian knows books are easily burned, Recycled, or digitized, reduced to oxygen, carbon, Silicon, and such basic elements as hate and Budgetary cuts. She wishes presidents of The United States would consult librarians Before going to war. It would save so much time, So many lives. She knows exactly which references Know how badly any war will go and how soon Citizens come to loathe their leaders. She knows How to find stories about all the libraries Wiped out by war. She knows patrons who’ve Been harmed by war. Sometimes they set off alarms. Someone asks her, “Can you help me find out If I’m related to Napoleon? ” Yes, ” she answers, “Come with me, please.” All libraries may now gather inside invisible Electrons. After closing time, books in Sweden Send emails to maps in Chile. A librarian in Topeka Posts a reply to one in Tokyo, adding to a blue thread Wrapped around the globe. As sincerely as librarians worry for books, for shelves, For catalogues, buildings, and best practices, So should we worry for librarians, for images and ideas. At a table in a library, a circle of light Lies on a book. The hand not writing turns The page, and something important happens. Hans Ostrom

Library Without a Librarian -- A Poem

Fifth grade Milwaukee public school teacher Bob Peterson wrote an article in his Rethinking Schools blog. "A Librarian in Every School, Books in Every Home. A Modest Proposal" describes the background and first steps of the advocacy movement one small elementary school has started. Hope it sweeps the nation.

The children from several classes made posters and the Rescue Our Librarians Club members wrote a poem that explained why having a library doesn’t work without a librarian.

A Library Without a Librarian

A library without a librarian is like

A beehive without bees

A tree without leaves

A brownie without chocolate

A forest without trees

A head without a brain

A book without words

An ocean without water

A bird without wings

A zebra without stripes

A tailor without clothes

A barber without scissors

Blood without iron

A bank without money

A fish without gills

A turtle without a shell

All these things are bad, but a

library without a librarian is worse.

Written by members of the Rescue Our Librarians Club at La Escuela Fratney.

The Save Our Librarians Club encourages advocates to join their Facebook page and sign a petition.

SAVE SCHOOL LIBRARIES - A Poem

SAVE SCHOOL LIBRARIES

Dear Elected School Board sitting there today

I wish I was standing in front of you because I have something to say

I want to save the libraries; I want to save the books

I want to preserve a basic need so children can sit in nooks

I plead on behalf of Andrew; I plead on behalf of Kate

Who come in the library every day, as soon as they’re through the gate!

I plead on behalf of Felix; I plead on behalf of Reese

Who like to come in and pick up a book in a place of sanctuary and peace!

I beg on behalf of Ella; I beg on behalf of Mack

Who fell in love with Bill Peet and now do not look back

I beg on behalf of Kinder, I read to them every week

They’re always happy to see me and always anxious to speak

I beg on behalf of teachers who need to get in the door

When looking for something for STULL day that shows a little bit more

I implore on behalf of parents, busy with car pools and life

Knowing their kids can get books at school helps a bit with the strife!

I plead on behalf of “Shiloh”; I plead on behalf of “Holes”

Books about mushrooms or dolphins, presidents, artists or moles

I plead on behalf of “Despereaux”; I plead on behalf of “Hoot”

I plead on behalf of the library aides about to be given the boot!

You need to let us stay open; you need to let someone care

So that when they come in at recess, the books will still be there!

If the doors do not remain open, if the doors are forced to be locked

Then millions of hungry brain cells from life-changing words will be blocked!

I hope that you all get the message; I hope that you will see the light

And allow us to do what we do best; we’ll never give up the fight

Libraries are REALLY IMPORTANT, libraries shape students’ lives

Access to books in a nice quiet place and just about everyone thrives

Don’t tell me about “extra” money don’t tell me there was a choice

Library aides work really hard but nobody gave us a voice

Don’t abandon the libraries, don’t allow them to wither and die

Dear School Board who “hold all the cards” please hear my desperate cry!

Carole Koneff

Library Aide – Third Street Elementary

April 23, 2010

From Carole Koneff: "I sent the attached poem about the importance of libraries to the LAUSD School Board, Mr. Cortines and whoever else wants to read it today. I wanted to share it with the group after my rant of a posting yesterday."

LIBRARY - Poem by Carole Koneff

LIBRARY (Sung to the tune of “Agony” from Into the Woods by Sondheim)

Retold by Carole Koneff – May, 2009, Los Angeles, CA

There is a person who’s quietly at the circulation desk

A brilliant librarian eagerly waiting to do their best

LIBRARY

It’s a place full of books

You can read there all day

There is so much to learn

And it’s full of great nooks

LIBRARY

It’s a place you can read

You can search for a book

The computers are free

And find just what you need

Finding a book that’s just right for you, you only need ask

The librarian will help you find what you need they are up to the task

LIBRARY

You can lose yourself there

You get lost in a book

Become one with the page

In a nice comfy chair

It is important that jobs are secured to help people to read

Librarians with know how are crucial to seeing that they can succeed

LIBRARY

Please stop making these cuts

It’s important to read

To be who you believe

And it hurts in our guts

LIBRARY

We will fight to the death

To keep funding alive

And the doors open wide

With our very last breath

A Librarian's Life - Little Lyrics for Librarians

Library history buff Larry T. Nix blogged about a book of Librarian Lyrics and featured a fun one called "A Librarian's Life" (see below). His blog post is "Little Lyrics for Librarians", the title of a book by William Fitch Smyth (1857-1940).

A Librarian's Life

A Librarian's life is the life for me
For there's nothing at all to do, you see,
But to sit at a desk and read new books,
And admire yourself, and think of your looks.
To questioning souls one can tartly say:
"I can't be bothered with you to-day,
For I haven't finished this novel. See?"
A librarian's life is the life for me.

Read, Know, Grow -- T-Shirt Advocacy

Check out the new T-Shirts, pillows, and more for big and tall readers. They are good conversation starters for promoting reading because they include my favorite poem:

The more you read, the more you know.
The more you know, the smarter you grow.
The smarter you grow, the stronger your voice,
when speaking your mind or making your choice.
- anon.

Read Me A Story Before I go to Bed - Acrostic Poem

Look at those sleepy eyes.
Instill a love for reading
Before the lights go out each night.
Remember when you were little and said "read me a story before I go to bed"
And "read one more, please!"
Read to your baby.
Yawn. Day is done.

Acrostic poems have a secret word that runs down one side...
Do you see it? What poem would you make with a word like "BOOKWORM" or "FICTION" or "STORYTIME". Writing poetry is fun, especially when it is for yourself, friends, or family and not something to be graded. After all these years, I'm re-discovering it.

Library Limerick

We went to the library for a look.
And came out with more than one book.
We were ready to go,
But don't you know...
Visiting that place once is all it took.

Need to work more on a Limerick = Line 1, 2, 5 rhyme. Line 3-4 rhyme.

Haiku Poems - reading theme

HAIKU - poems have lines containing 5, 7, then 5 syllables.
Library staff and friends could be invited to create poems in honor of books and reading.

Here is an example, written earlier today. Life is good:

Morning sun on deck,
springtime breezes gently stir
pages of my book.

National Poetry Month

In 1996, the Academy of American Poets had a great idea. It introduced National Poetry Month. This is popular in the schools and libraries, and can be used to encourage poetry along different themes. This year's National Poetry Month Poster was designed by Paul Sahre -- it is a question written on a steamy window: "Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?" I handed a copy of the poster to my college-age daughter and she snapped it up! That is a very good sign.

The Academy of American Poets website includes a tab especially for educators called the Online Poetry Classroom. One program that is co-sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English is the Poetry Read-a-Thon.

There is also a "Young People's Poetry Week in April, sponsored by the Children's Book Council. Year-round is the Library of Congress-sponsored Poetry 180 - a poem a day for American High School Students. Have you looked at the Library of Congress' Poetry "home" page to see what's happening?

My favorite poem appears above in the second line of the blog title:
The more you read, the more you know.
The more you know, the smarter you grow.
The smarter you grow, the stronger your voice, when speaking your mind, or making your choice. - anon.

In years past, the American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services Association promotes poetry slams and other poetry programs. Ever text message mini-poems to your friends or family? It is one fun way to catch their attention!