I’d like to introduce you to someone I’ve known for over 30
years- fellow book lover and librarian Kristen Harvey, one of my amazing and
talented offspring. Now that she’s all
grown up, I still love being part of her life, especially helping out with her school’s
Scholastic Book Sales where I can tell students that even Mrs. Harvey brings
her mom to the book fair. The excitement of the students coming to find new
books that Mrs. Harvey recommends fills the school library…
Q) As a child, you loved books and writing. Did this influence your decision to become
a library teacher?
A) My sister and I would play librarian as kids complete
with check out cards and then software. I didn’t know I needed a lot of school
to be one. I figured that out in college.
Q) What drew you to teach in an urban setting?
A) The first school I worked at was in Lake Forest where a
lot of kids are privileged. This was an assistant library job. I thought this
was a job you ended up in after you worked at a place where students’ parents
couldn’t afford to buy them whatever they wanted. When I applied for the position I now hold, I
didn’t expect them to hire me right away, which is what happened. Many years
later, I’m still here and enjoying it.
Q) So how did you end up book blogging?
A) The summer before my first library job, I became addicted
to the GoodReads website. More social parts were added, including a discussion
group on YA literature. One of the feeds was about people’s book blogs so we
could follow each other. One of the girls I talked to frequently stepped me
through it a bit and I started my very own free blog on Blogger – a free
hosting site through Google.
Q) Your first book blog became popular and then your current
blog, www.thebookmonsters.com,
now has thousands of followers. How did this happen?
A) I spent two years on my own blog before I decided to join
with another blogger, one I had co-hosted online book events with frequently and
talked with nearly daily. We decided to join together since it was becoming
hard to keep going for each of us. We
changed over to Wordpress for our joint blog and made it look a little more
original. I used to spend hours networking on Twitter, GoodReads and especially
other blogs. Our name was out there and things were going great. It has staved
off quite a bit. I only post once a week if that and my partner is MIA, but I’m
working on getting another partner up on the blog site.
Q) You seem to be good at getting “free” books and such
online. How did that come about?
A) So I did a free blog at first on Blogger. That’s when the
first publisher contacted me for reading books for review (soliciting.) So it
all started because of GoodReads, a company contacted me about reviewing books
and they sent me my first ARC – I believe it was called Candleman. As I blogged
more, I found myself networking and ending up on lists. My favorite contact I
actually met at a book event and ended up getting invited to a lot of publisher
events. We just really hit it off! Since then, I can’t remember how I came in
contact with other publishing houses, it just kind of happened. Netgalley also
really did help in a way, which is a website that you can download ebooks from
and the publishers can look at your contact information and ask you if you want
physical copies of books for review as well.
Q) Where does your book blogging, reading and school library
work tie in/connect?
A) I probably read more than anyone in the school or
library. So because I was on the CYBILS first round panel, an online reading
award, I have to read as many books as possible. I read on top of that for fun
so I can tell my students what new stuff is coming out…I read for escapism,
too. My job is sometimes stressful especially this year with students confiding
in me because teachers no longer stay with their classes in the library
anymore. I work in an area with underprivileged students.
Q) What are some of the enjoyable aspects to your work as a
school librarian?
1) I love storytelling, which I didn’t think I would. 2)
My students tell me they want to be librarians when they grow up. 3) I love
finding students the right book, it’s really rewarding. I walk around and see what
they’re reading. It is challenging to keep up with over 900 students in the
school. 4) It’s nice to see them grow up from 1st through 5th grades, the 25%
that remain. We have a 16% mobility rate in our urban area so over 4 years, we
don’t have many left.
Q) What are some websites or blogs you’d encourage readers
to investigate?
A) GoodReads is my favorite social media for books. I’m now
also addicted to the #bookstagram tag on Instagram. Some of my favorite blogs
are as follows:
Thanks for visiting
the Extraordinary Ordinary blog, where ordinary folks with extraordinary
adventures are highlighted.
