Author Visits: A tutorial

My fieldwork school is preparing for an author visit in a few weeks.  Today as my site supervisor spoke with our students about the visit, I learned a few things I want to keep in mind regarding author visits.

1. Form relationships with local bookstores.  They are the key to getting well-known authors to visit your school (at no cost).  It sounds as if authors typically have time to visit 1 or maybe 2 schools, and you want to be on the short list.
2. Prepare your students for author visits.  Take the time to introduce them to the author and his or her works.  
3. Request that students who wish to purchase a copy of the author's book (which of course is not required) NOT purchase the book from Amazon or even from a local store.  Purchasing the book through the author visit/bookstore is preferable because then the book gets signed, the local bookstore gets the sale, and (sometimes) the school PTA gets a percentage of the sale.  This is how we say "thank you" to the bookstore for bringing us the author.
4. Have the students start thinking of questions for the author.
5. COME TO SCHOOL on the day of the author visit and let the rest of the school staff know it is happening.  This seems obvious, but apparently in a different school this was an issue.
6. Stock the library with copies of the author's works, because they will skyrocket in popularity before/after the visit.  This is an instance when paperback copies might be a smart choice.

I am super excited about this visit.  Although it is not on one of my regular fieldwork days I am really going to try to come to it.

Next week, I will deliver a lesson to first grade students, again focusing on the differences between fiction and nonfiction works.  I think it will be good.  Because my site supervisor is so focused on getting the older students prepped for the author visit, I don't think I'm going to have a chance to teach them a lesson.  While it's kind of disappointing, I certainly understand her desire to "own" the process since it is her relationship with the bookstore and she does need to protect it.

I've had a chance to learn a few more "tricks" in the library circulation program, which is good.  Collection development projects continue (and keep expanding to include more Dewey areas).  I only have a few weeks left and still have a lot of projects I want to get done.  I am finished with my e-Portfolio, though, so should have more time at home to focus on them.

I also had a good discussion with my supervisor about the importance of relationship-building with volunteers even though sometimes it costs time in terms of getting other things done.  She said she prefers to put her classroom visits back to back so that there is a "forced" cut-off to chats with volunteers (not that she doesn't enjoy them but she does have other things to do).  But I do recognize the necessity of making a connection with library volunteers so they are invested in YOU and the library.  And the time volunteers save her is WAY greater than 15 lost minutes because of a conversation at recess.