Hang in there! Things will get better and energy will return. Take time to nurture and celebrate YOU! It's the best way to make your way back to balance. And don't worry about us. We'll wait for you.
Thanks Abby. It's good to remind folks (um, I guess annually!) that books not chosen by committees are not unloved books. Hundreds of books are published and only a few can get the honors. Of course many more are wonderful. We can still promote them and be grateful we have prestigious awards to highlight youth literature and media and to support continued publishing of amazing books for kids.
I was on the Newbery waaay back in '95 and found it took me years to get back to reading juvenile/tween fiction for pleasure. Part of it as the intensity of HAVING to read. Part of it was, having read such great books, that when I picked up a "meh" book, I was hypercritical and couldn't enjoy the experience. It helped me to step outside that genre and read kids nonfiction, adult fiction and non-fiction and lots of magazines (I believe I helped maintain a strong circ in the library's periodical collection during a year or two!). It does get better with time!
Wise thoughts. Most of us have a long time in our lives to do all the things. Savoring our time and slowing down is worth it!
Is it any wonder you were my guest lecturer on our week on planning in the SLIS youth grad course?!?!? Abby, this is so practical and needed. Thank you so very much for your thoughtful, supportive, fair approach to taking vacation during SLP. Far too many libraries forbid their youth staff to take summer vacations. Preach it sister!
Great post! And thanks for the shout-out. I myself started out small with everything I learned from the crowd-sourcing geniuses in the class. Eating the frog in the morning and cleaning my desk before going home at night. Zen!
OMG, OMG, OMG!!! I read a comment like that recently too and it KILLED me!! Thank you for your reasoned and sane response. It's going as a link into my course for grad MLIS students...and anyone else I can preach about it to.
What a great idea! And you are so right - perfect for volunteers to put together. It's funny how we worry about the reaction - and then people just simply accept the change. We are doing "no weekly prize" model - instead kids get stickers to stick on paper blocks that "build" our robot and so far not a peep about the difference. The big prize, as it has been for many years, is a book and kids work hard towards that. Sometimes our own fear stands in our way!
I'm a huge believer in connecting reluctant reading boys (or girls) to nonfiction. We always slam dunk this one when we head into the NF stacks. I worry sometimes that parents, teachers and even librarians rely too heavily on fiction. As someone who has spent her life as a VERY reluctant fiction reader, I know the wealth contained in a well-curated NF collection for kids!
Great post and I am 100% there. I agree that Cory's post - and yours, my friend - should be required reading for children's librarians. We can't do all things but all that we do is worthy and important. I may not use everything I learn at the virtual feet of all my tweeps and blogger colleagues but they teach me every day and that is worth the ride!
And your comment, "your career is a marathon, not a sprint" needs to used as a mantra by everyone. My first director taught me that and with all my 38 year career time I have been able to do and support all the things in a bodacious and rich way because of it.
Man, I was in a blogging dry period and ten posts just popped into my mind over this stuff!
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lochwouters 
Brainchild