A very late round of applause

I haven't really said this out loud but I am SO HAPPY the ALA took a chance and invited Dan Savage to deliver the opening keynote speech at annual conference. A sex columnist and gay rights activist might not seem a likely candidate for a big talk for a bunch of librarians but I for one applaud their choice.
As someone who has worked on the front lines with kids and teens I get how important it for young people to find characters they identify with in the literature they read. At a time when they are feel like no one 'gets' them and that they are so different from their parents, great stories with strong characters can create a safe haven for those who feel they are on the fringe.

Dan discussed the “subversiveness that librarians have,” he said, “making information available to people can put you in a high-fire position, because there are other people out there who do not want everyone to have access to the facts or the information they need.”

Well said Dan.
And well done ALA for the choice.
And just in case you've missed the 'It Gets Better' vid with authors and illustrators have a watch:



-AB

Transliteracy in your Summer Reading Program

Transliteracy in your Summer Reading Program: "
June 2, 2011 — by Gretchen Caserotti at Libraries and Transliteracy

It’s that time of year again when Children’s Librarians in public libraries all across the nation are busy making their plans for the summer reading program. You remember those, right? Read 10 books and get a cheap prize like a READ pencil made in China? Aw c’mon, everyone has those fond memories, nostalgic for the ‘good old days’ when the public library was all about BOOKS!

I’d like to share some ideas about ways to incorporate Transliteracy into your library’s summer reading program. Or at least share with you how we are trying to do it at MPOW.

When I started at my library a few years ago, I sat down with the Children’s Librarians and we talked about what the goal of the summer reading program (SRP) was. I wanted us to step back from the traditions and examine the core values we desired in an SRP. We agreed that we wanted it to be about reading, sure, but also about creativity, discovery and FUN. So, we set out to restructure our program to focus on those elements and embrace multiple literacies. At the time, I had never even heard the term Transliteracy. Yet, what we came up with actually supports it! We created a Passport that is filled with about 30 Reading Quests (though not all quests are actually about reading). Quests are activities that ask kids to read, think and create through various platforms. Children record their answers and ideas in their very own mini Library passport. Over the last 2 years Quests have included:

• Read a book set in the future (read)


• What is the coolest invention of your lifetime so far and why? (write)


• Draw a futuristic car and name it (draw)*


• Draw a map of your bedroom. Be sure to include a key (draw – spatial)


• Take a picture of yourself holding your favorite book this summer and email it to the Children’s Library (digital)


• Watch a movie about a different time period (visual)


• Use Google Translate to translate the first line of the book you’re reading into another language (digital)
  
  

*in case you’re interested, the cars of the future will have ice cream machines in them, if kids have anything to say about it.

And so on. Some quests could be done many different ways like Find out when the town of Darien was founded. Some kids read it on the town marker sign, some went to Town Hall, some looked it up on Wikipedia, some IM’d a Librarian – all kinds of different ways to answer! When kids had completed Quests, we stamped their passports and entered them into raffle drawings. The kids wrote and drew in their passports all summer long and the more Quests they completed, the more chances they had to win in raffle drawings for prizes. Instead of spending a ton of money on cheap prizes, we spent our money on prizes they would be willing to compete for – iPod Shuffles, Flip video cameras and this year, an iPad! Everyone got a free book prize just for singing up and we had other ways to win prizes throughout the summer.

The program as we run it now has been a HUGE success. The parents have raved about how their kids are eager to participate, the family can participate together or the kids can go alone. Each family is different. It also levels the playing field. A 3rd grader can zip through series books lickety-split while a 5th grader may take all summer to get through a dense chapter book. With the passport, kids can imagine and create at whatever level is right for them.

We also ask the kids to write reviews and tag items in our catalog (SOPAC). We’ve gotten our school librarians to help us spread the word and all the kids have been shown how to do this simple activity. We’ve shown them how they can use tags to create custom reading lists and ask them to write reviews in the catalog in order to receive an invitation to our finale event where they get to meet a popular author and get an autographed copy of his/her book.

For kids who couldn’t come into the library to check in, they could enter their quests online through a simple form we created using WuFoo to be entered into raffle drawings. I think our web portion of the program has much room for improvement, but sometimes you just have to make do with what you’ve got!

You know who has a GREAT summer reading website that also incorporates the ideas we talk about here? The NYC Summer Reading website. They have the traditional elements of summer reading available digitally, but also include elements of social media and gaming through the use of avatars, the ability to “Like” another child’s review and win badges. I see this activity as embracing a few literacies beyond simple traditional print literacy and have been impressed with it’s first year out and will watch to see how it evolves.

Summer Reading Programs are a great way to experiment with Transliteracy. What does your program look like? Would kids want to participate or do they only do it because their moms make them?

Filed under: 21st Century Literacies, Best Practices, literacy, Multimedia Literacy, Transliteracy in Practice "

ALA and ISTE: Attending Conferences Vicariously

ALA and ISTE: Attending Conferences Vicariously

originally posted by by Fran Bullington at Infomania

Cold Light

Ever feel like you’re on the outside, looking in? It’s not a bad thing! If, like me, you are not attending either of the “biggie conferences” this weekend, you can still keep connected to those who are and learn vicariously though them.

Getting Live Feeds

First, you need a Twitter account. (If you have never used Twitter, now is the PERFECT time to see this powerful learning tool in action – promise!)

Have no idea how to get started? Visit David Wees’ “Eight Videos to Help Teachers Getting Started Using Twitter.” He includes information on not only how to sign up for and customize your Twitter account, but also videos on how to use Tweetdeck, an application that simplifies and organizes your Twitter experience.

The Twitter client I use is HootSuite which is an online application (you don’t have to install anything on your computer). There are many YouTube tutorials to help you get started with HootSuite, but I’ve embedded one below you might want to watch.

HootSuite

Using Hashtags

Once you have chosen your Twitter client, you want to set up columns, or threads, based on hashtags. Then either Tweetdeck or HootSuite will do all the work of finding the conference tweets for you and you can sit back and let all the conference updates come to you!

American Library Association Conference – #ALA11, #ala11

International Society for Technology in Education – #ISTE11, #iste11

HootSuite Conference Columns

Let the Learning Begin!

Some of the best professional development of the year is about to begin. Are you ready?

Image used through a Creative Commons license

“Cold Light” by Scott Ripton (Quasic) www.flickr.com/photos/ripton/3108800277/

5 Ways To Support Your Library

In the UK over 400 libraries face closure due to dramatic budget cuts. Libraries are sometimes seen as a 'soft target' because they do not offer essential services like water or transportation. But today is a day to reflect on how our community might be impacted if the local library closed. What would be missing from our lives and the lives of those who rely on the library's services? What hole would b created if the library closed?

So on this the national day of library action in the UK, I offer 5 ways to support your library. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but a starting point for those wishing to help.

1. Use the collection
Here's a secret about library budgets...they are all about statistics. Libraries regularly have to argue for more money to keep up with inflation, argue to keep the budget they have, argue for money to upgrade all of those computers, etc, etc, etc. And the simple fact is that the more popular a library's collection and services are they more weight the library has to fight for that money. So go to your library today, borrow something, get on a computer, sit and read a magazine, whatever. And take a friend with you, double down those statistics.

2. Share your story
Has a library helped you at some point in your life? Are you a mother who met some new friends at storytime? Did you go to your local library and use a computer when yours was unavailable for some reason? Did you take refuge in the library one steamy summer day when you were a student and couldn't afford to go to the movies like everyone else? Share your story. Blog it, tweet it, email it, video it, just get your story out there. Does your library have a Facebook page? Post your story on their well. Libraries love this kind of stuff. Again, these are the things libraries can use when they are fighting for their existence. Plus, you can give a librarian warm fuzzies, what could be better than that?

3. Tell 'them' how much you love your library
As much as librarians love to hear your library stories, politicians NEED to your library stories. Tell your local representative how much you love and need your library. Tell them how important this resource is to you, your kids, your 97 year old grandmother, etc. Keep them believing that a library is an important place for the community. The library you save could be your own.

4. Discover you library online
Here I go again with the statistics... every time you go to your library's web page the hit is recorded. We know that. But remember that all of those hits add up and when it comes to budget time a library can try to argue for more cash to offer more online services if the numbers are there. Does your library have their local studies collection online? Do they offer access to journals from home? Do they have an 'ask a librarian' facility? Can you access e-books from home? Do you even know? If nothing else make today they day that you explore your library's online presence. You might be surprised what is there, and the more people use the online resources, the more your library will try to offer.

5. Donate
Most libraries take book donations, but please do not use the library as a dumping ground for all of those musty paperbacks from the 80's. The rule is, if it's too gross for your shelf at home, it’s too gross for your library's shelf. But if you have the money, next time you are at the local book shop browse the top 10 display and buy one book to donate. It really doesn't matter what one you pick, cook book, crime fiction, kids book, just pick something uber popular. Most libraries cannot afford to hold the 35 copies Eat Pray Love to keep up with demand, and even if they do have 35 copies, the books are probably so worn out a new copy would be greatly appreciated. But please (please please) do NOT put this new book through the nigh drop chute without a note, the library most likely will have to put your donation into their lost property for the next 3 months before they can add it to the collection. Or if that sounds too hard you could just write a cheque....

These are just a few ways we can all support our local libraries. When services like this are taken away it is nearly impossible to get them back. The final thought in this post will fall to Paula Poundstone, Emmy-award winning comedianan library lover. Paula has been working with the Friends of the Library in the US:

“It’s funny that we think of libraries as quiet demure places where we are shushed by dusty, bun-balancing, bespectacled women,” said Poundstone. “The truth is libraries are raucous clubhouses for free speech, controversy and community. Librarians have stood up to the Patriot Act, sat down with noisy toddlers and reached out to illiterate adults. Libraries can never be shushed.”

-AB

Library of Congress then and now

On this day in library history Thomas Jefferson named John J Beckley as the very first Librarian of Congress. Beckley, who was sent to Virginia from London by his family started his working life as an indentured servant before working his way up to not only finish university but also own property and serve twice as Mayor or Richmond, Virginia. All this before joining the Library of Congress in 1802 earning the princely sum of 2 dollars a day. But his time as the LOC was short lived, Beckley died only five years later. Interestingly, when was Beckley was appointed he had no formal librarian training and to this day no special qualifications are prescribed by law for the job of Librarian of Congress.

Fast forward to last Wednesday and a hawk was found trapped in the Library of Congress. (The Great Hall shown above) The female Cooper's hawk, nicknamed Jefferson, proved to be a difficult bird to catch, quickly became dehydrated and emaciated. The news of the hawk quickly made the social networking rounds and the librarians at the LOC were received comments and suggestions via the LOC blog. But after much determination (and a few sacrificial bait birds) good news from the LOC. Jefferson was captured earlier this morning! Jefferson will spend a some time in rehabilitation but is expedited to make a full recovery and should be out terrorizing the local starling population soon.




Sounds like the end of January is a busy time at the LOC

-AB

6 more sleeps until the ALIA Information Online Conference. I am so lucky! I'm attending all three days AND I'm participating in a mentoring program where I'll get to meet some of the 'rock star' librarians who's work I've been reading.
So cool

-AB

Library Day in the Life (of a school library)

Well, here goes my Library Day in the Life post. This week is sort of strange, so it won't really showcase how things are normally run around here, but that's how it goes. Due to training (and BDO) I'm only in my Library for one day this week, so this will truly be a Day In the Life.

To the left there is Palmer Bear, our Library's mascot. The girls just love to read to him. He's holding one of his (=my) favourite books.

Happy Library Day in the Life!

8:10am

Arrived at work a bit late this morning, the students are still away (they start back up next week) so today will mostly be an admin day. The new staff are at orientation on our other campus so this place will be a bit of a ghost town. But I have the AmLib 2011 Checklist to work through, the magazines that have piled up over the summer to accession and a Library Lovers Day display to create out of thin air. That should keep my busy.

10:21am

Hungry, is it morning tea time yet? AmLib checklist is done, well as much as I can do. I'll have to talk to our tech guru in the senior school library to find out what I'm meant to do and not meant to do. Can't go breaking the system my first week back.

12:24

Almost lunch time. How did that happen? Finished up my Library Lovers display. We are going to get the girls to add notes about what they love about their school library. We did that last year and ended up with a really wonderful display and some quotes were used in the school's newsletter. My favourite quote was 'when all else fails, the library doesn't', out of the mouths of babes, eh? We are updating our web site this year so I'm hoping to get some good quotes from the students that I can share on our page. I read about James Sheahan Catholic High School where they posted photos of the teachers' wedding photos in the library and students had to guess who each teacher was. That's a clever idea I thought, maybe next year.

2:30
The pile of periodicals is almost to a reasonable level, don't know that I'll make it to the new magazines this arvo, seeing as I'll be out of the Library the rest of the week and the kids would rather have the newest Diary of a Wimpy Kid over the newest Tennis Australia (and a girl can't accession everything, ya know?)

3:50
Almost time to go. (I finish up at 4 most days). Must remember that I wont be back until next week, don't forget the training manual for tomorrow and the 'problem periodical' to dicuss with the trainers.

4:00
Just got an email about the mentoring program I'm participating in at the ALIA Online Conference next week and I must say I'm SO STOKED! Looks like it will be a huge learning/networking opportunity for me. And the conference itself it going to be amazing. I hope I get a chance to meet Sarah Houghton-Jan at some point. She's giving one of the keynote speeches at the conference. But I digress.


I'm not going to be able to blog much for the rest of the week, unless anyone is interested in AmLib tips. Is it bad form to blog information from a training session? (yeah, probably)



-AB

(of course I forgot my camera at work and had to drive back to retrive it...ug)