Tuesday's Tome: Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

 

I picked this one from my Libby account through the Dallas Public Library.  I often need books for my commute to and from Arlington.  This one fit the bill.  It's a clean, young adult romance.  When it's 90 degrees in October, it is fun to escape to a town that has an a actual Fall season.

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice is a young adult novel by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc about 16-year-old Lucy, who loves the autumnal season.  She helps at her mom's coffee shop, "Cup of Joe's," and she enjoys the work. Just as the Fall season is taking off, the big chain "Java Junction" moves in across the street.  Lucy and her mom are concerned about the competition especially since they do not serve the ever popular PSL - Pumpkin Spice Latte.  This just happens to be Java Junction's speciality.  To make matters a bit more complicated, Lucy discovers the cute new boy at school just happens to be the son of the owners of Java Junction.  His name is Jack, and Lucy's competitive nature gets all tangled up with her attraction to Jack.  Throw in a PSL contest during the annual Fall Festival where a famous Influencer comes to town and pits Cup of Joe's against Java Junction, and chaos reigns supreme.  This definitely reminds me of a teen Hallmark movie.  If you are into wholesome books with a splash of romance, this is an excellent pick.  Recommended for ages 13 and up.

Everyone is Welcome

 

I always thought my library was welcoming until I invited our EB (Emergent Bilingual) classes to visit the library for a library orientation.  I let the teacher know ahead of time about the scavenger hunt, and she asked for a copy so she could have it translated into all the different languages her students speak.  That got me to thinking that I probably need to translate my presentation too.  After asking what languages were spoken in her classroom, it came down to 6: Spanish, Vietnamese, Persian, Arabic, Uzbek, and Pashto.  I had to simplify each slide down to one sentence because then I had to repeat that sentence 6 other times.  It really made me think what I really wanted them to learn about the library, and then I used AI to help me translate.  I used Chat GPT, but I know everyone has their favorites.  After that, I gave the first slide to the teacher to have the students read the sentence in their own language to make sure it made sense.  I love AI as much as the next person, but I had no idea if those translations were correct.  Turns out they were. Yay!

Here is my EB presentation.

Then I decided we needed signage in the library to help these students out.  So one of my goals this year is to translate the major areas of the library into these 6 languages.  These major areas include the Technology Office, our conference room, the circulation desk, school supplies, fiction section, nonfiction section, computer lab C 6 and C 9, computers, book drop, & Go Center. As I do with all of my goals, I like to set a timeline.  This one is no different.

Goal: to have library signage that is clear and readable in multiple languages (Voluntary Standards 5.5.2)

Timeline:

• September - have signs for Circulation Desk, School Supplies and Book Drop in time for EB classes
• October - signs for fiction, nonfiction, and genres
• November/December - all other signage 

Resources I have:

• Canva Pro to create signage
• Access to AI
• Students/Teachers to check AI for accuracy
• Poster Printer to print signage

I have links to all of the signage that has been completed so far.  There is still some time left in October, and all I need are the main Fiction and Nonfiction signs. So I call that a win-win.

Wish me luck, and see you soon!