As I work from home while the schools, the libraries, the town, the state, the nation, and the world are shut down for social isolation tactics, one of the things I'm working on is library content for FB (for now) and perhaps the library website (eventually). I have a word document open where I put links to use over the coming weeks. I have a dozen tabs open, as is my normal work style. And I have a pug as my constant companion, which is pretty sweet.
I made myself a posting schedule. I have a plan for what kind of content goes when. I'm posting on FB to At Home In Los Alamos page on Facebook, which is a shared place that other Los Alamos county non-school educators are using to connect with the community. That's my goal. I don't think our patrons are going to forget they love the library. I don't think that kids are going to ruin their academic futures because of the schooling interruption. I don't need to create hours of original content. The Internet already has more than I could possibly share or use and more is being made every day.
I do think that we all need one another. We need to talk, even asynchronously. We need to have similar experiences because that deepens our ties. I know too, that I need to share with people, even if I can't physically be with people. I need to balance my anxiety and fear with information and entertainment.
Tonight I'd like to offer a Twitter thread from writer and educator Sim Kern. They had some good advice for people who are at home with kids and worried about how to teach, how to think about school, how to retain some kind of educational connection. In Los Alamos, we have amazing public schools and stellar public libraries. The structure those institutions and their staffs give us is vital in normal, everyday life. Sadly, we're not living normal, everyday life. So we adapt. This advice is not just for kids. Adults need to recognize our vulnerability too. I'm working at home. I'm also walking several times a day. Petting the dog. Getting out my ukulele to play.
See you soon, online or in real life.
