Showing posts with label collection development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label collection development. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Inventory Time at My school library.

     I am getting  the scanning for my inventory all done. There are just a couple of sections yet to do. MY non-fiction has not been done for at least 8 years! My Reference section probably even longer~! So we will see how that all comes out.
      The next  step is going back  to look for copies that were either missing or did not scan into the scanner, It is a new scanner so we do not have the ability to punch in the number if the barcode does not go in. Then we input the number into the report section if the item is  found. ( This is a step in the Destiny/ Follett system which is something new for me)
     The third step is to finalize. I am not sure if this is done though the reports , book by book, or we can d o it a section at a time.
      The inventory has gone pretty good  so far. But I also need to remember that my collection is very small and we did weed out books that were terrible shape. This collection has not been weeded in two years at least.
     But by doing the inventory I was able to learn more about my collection and what is exactly in it. This is will help me in future orders and also in helping  teachers and students when they are looking for something specific.

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Weekly Reading

    Every week , I pick at least one book to read from my middle school collection.Sometimes it's a brand new book, other times it's just one that catches my eye and I think looks good. I want to be able to recommend books to the students and also know whats in my collection.

   I am reading Phillipa Gregory's Changeling. Actually I had read it before , but now I am reading to determine if we should get the then next one in this series- I am thinking I already read the next one because I have read all of her books as they are interesting and a great read.

 Short summary: Luca ( age 17)  is recruited to record the end of times across
Europe. Isolde ( also 17)is trapped in a nunnery, following her dead fathers wishes.  Luca is sent to the nunnery to investigate some strange occurrence.

  

Monday, June 27, 2016

First Week of Summer Vacation!

    We are off to a good start of summer vacation! I have lots of plans- let's see  how many I get done.  
     One plan is to read , read, read!  Right now I am on the 5th Poldark book- I am really enjoying the series.  I did watch the  one or two episodes of the PBS series. But I am thinking I would rather  read them  then watch them.  You may see a review - not sure yet. 
    I will eventually dive into some Ya's since I am already building my book list for next year. I am looking for good reads for 7th and 8th graders- so if you have any favorites please leave a message in the comment section!  
   One of my other plans is to get out my cookbook collection- and plan out some good recipes!   ( and then actually make then!)  One of my  favorites is the Pioneer Women. I just love love her. Her recipes are for real people using regular ingredients.
    It rained here this afternoon , so we sat  inside at the edge of the garage and read for about an hour. It was nice!

Thursday, September 3, 2015

New York Comic Con 2015

ALA will be presenting an exhibiting at New York Comic Con (NYCC) in the Javits Center on October 8-11th.
NYCC is the  east coasts largest  popular culture convention. There you will find the latest  in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, movie's and television.

Visit the NYCC web site to register . A free Professional badge will be given for Thursday October 8th,  A 4 day Professional badge is $40.00. This does not cover any special event  tickets, they must  be purchased separately. Deadline to register is Tuesday, September 1, 2015.

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Free online conference for Teen Librarians

  On Thursday, August 13th, School Library Journal will have a free full day online conference for Teen Librarians.  Topics  will include  programming, and collection development.

  There will be author talks about their current and new titles, and will include a question and answers time for participants.  Focus will also on teen issues and trends, selecting non-fiction , and romance for Ya's/  Also  other topics will be gaming in the library,  and setting up volunteer groups  .  There will be a virtual exhibit hall where you can see publishers newest items.  For more information  and to register visit  Summer Teen Web site.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

What does your library lend?

   While traditionally libraries loan books, cd,s DVDs. and audio books, many libraries offer more non- traditional items to their patrons.   Our library has offered ( in the springtime)  fishing poles and tackle boxes for young people under the age of 16. ( In NY, children under 16 do not need a license)

  Many other libraries  offer: telescopes, microscopes, spinning wheels, seeds, and ebook readers.
In the past I have lived in places where they also loaned art works.

 Is there any thing special that your library  allows to be borrowed??( tools, artifacts, toys, ?)
Comment here! Please leave some ideas below to we can share what other public libraries have to offer!

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Ideas on Professional reading! -

  Do you keep track of your reading - both professional and for fun? When I read for fun ( I love historical fiction and biographies ) I don't. I just read for pure enjoyment.

  However when I do professional reading ( books, journals) I have my notebook with me.I like to jot down ideas that I gleam that I can use , ideas for lessons, quotes that inspire me, ideas for advocacy, or ideas to share with library colleagues or teachers. I can look back in this notebook and make sure I have the quote or idea correct.
  Also I can look back  and reread . It sometimes sparks an idea for displays, organizing, or staff development.  This is also a record of what I have read- Yes I do note titles and authors, So if some one asks for a recommendation , I can give it to them . This is especially true of really good professional books,

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

yournextread.com

   Yournextread.com has  a mission of providing input for the books you want to read next.  This site is designed for people who love to read but do not have lots of time to search for their next book.    One of their  ideas  and missions is to help readers find new authors.  

   Yournextread will help you find books, recommend books , link to other readers and also link you to Amazon if you wish to buy your next read.

  On the home page  there are featured books which you can click on. If you log in and register, you can create a really cool reading map.( There are examples for you to browse through) . The first thing you can do is to type in a book you like and it will lead you to similar books  , it will give suggestions on all levels.  The site also lets you share what you are reading , and connects up to GOOD READs. 

  Check out Yournextread.com and see if you like what it has to offer!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Fantastic Fiction.com

   Fantastic Fiction is a web site  for librarians and book lovers .  Through this site you can find  information about authors and  their books.   The site is easy to use  and you can click on a title to see the book cover, the description , and the details on the publication of the book.
  There are also links to book awards,  books from different countries( it is a UK based site),  Series books, and Year. There are also links to hardcover, paper back , audio books, and kindle editions where visitors can  click and search.

 Along the right side you can also see  information about books that are coming out in the next several months  This will be a great source for librarians looking to see what is coming up by their  favorite authors.

 There are also genre pages ( towards the bottom) which includes: science fiction, fantasy, YA, horror,  mystery, historical, western, romance, sagas  just to list a few ..

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Fictiondb

     Fictiondb is a great resource for those that love fiction. This site will   be valuable to librarians who are looking to expand their fiction and select books that readers will love to read.

    This is an easy to use tool that helps you discover a great book to read.  You can browse  author book list, series, reviews, and  author pseudonyms. There are also links on the main page to lots of interesting  content:  most popular authors,  essential reading lists,  if you like, try...,   and new fiction  (  has a monthly list of every new book with link to short description). There is also blog news, and  definitions of  different genres.

    Also on this site you can keep track of  your books and series that you have read in one convenient place. There is lots of information here that will help both readers and busy librarians.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

My favorite book review sources part 3

 This is the last post about book review sources - I was trying to think of 10 all together but not sure  if I got to 10. Oh well.

  One of the most pleasurable ways to get reviews and recommendations is through some of my womens magazines that I get in the mail or at the store.   So here goes

  Good Housekeeping: is one of my favorites.  They almost always have an excerto of a new best selling book in the back of the magazine. This gives me a really good idea of what the book is about.  Then they also have  a list of similar reads with brief summaries.

 Woman's Day:  They have just started a new book club page. On this page they have recommendations from book clubs.  They include about 5 descriptive summaries of good books for groups can read .

All You is another my favorite magazines.  Every month they have a recommendations page which alwys have  at least one book, and also a good movie.

First for Women has a page:" The 6 paperbacks we are reading" Some are brand new , some are not but they have a good cross-section  of Types  and also good summaries and comments about  the books.

  Womens world  also has a nice page every month where they post a 'woman's world book club: giving a very brief summary of their new books and also a movie recommendations

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

My favorite book review sources - part 3

   Here are  three more sites / sources  I like to use to find recommendations / suggestions for book purchases.

   1. Kirkus- This is a great source to find out vast amounts of information about the best books out.  I especially like the book reviews, and the Kirkus star given to exceptional books. I find if I concentrate on the stars ( although I like to  read all the reviews ) I can get a good cross section of books .
  Tabs with quick links  also lead to Best of 2014, Best sellers, contests. and Kirkus TV. There are author  interviews , tops of the lists, and an email newsletter. There are also Author services to help authors promote their books.


   2. Library Media Connections .Com is a great source for staff looking for children's and Ya books.  There are reviews which are brief . The best part is the rating system: Highly Recommended, Recommend, and not Recommended.  
  Also you can find a few featured  articles and hot news that will be beneficial to school librarians.

3.  Booklist Online also offers some reviews on line even for those  who not subscribe. I like the best of lists that they provide.
  There is also a  lot of content you can view.  I find this extremely helpful when doing book orders.




Thursday, January 8, 2015

My Book Search Favorites- Book giveaway- Part 2

   Here are some more sources that I use for checking out new books! 

  1) NPR- (National Public Radio) I can listen to NPR on the radio on the way to work. But usually I check out their website to get book recommendations . On their main site towards the bottom of the page there is a link to NPR Books.  They have guides to this years greatest reads, author interviews, book reviews,  and bestseller links.  I really like the lists and reviews  because they help me keep up to date on the best.

2) Barnes and Noble  is another great source to help  keep me up with the best and newest books.
While it may not be as compressive as Amazon , it is easy to use and has very descriptive reviews.

3) New York Times book review section-  it is a nice Sunday ritual to read the NY times  book reviews  and their best seller lists. Again it is an easy way for me to keep up to date.  I also like having most of the  top titles in our library. It shows that we can be current !

 Tell me  what your favorites are and  you will be entered into a drawing for a FREE Link to my "The Organized Librarian"  e book!

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Bookish

  Bookish is a great site that gives readers expert book recommendations. The mission of
Bookish is to engage readers with more stories , books, and authors,\.

  Bookish features great content about both new and notable books  Through this site you can read reviews , check ratings  , and read a sample.  If you are registered you can 'add to  your bookshel' and purchase books in various formats.

  You can get recommendations  to great reads by typing in titles, and then Bookish leads  you to other titles that are similar  or by the same author.

  You can also search by subject( cooking, children's, biographies,mysteries, romance, and Ya just to name a few.

  Check out down at the very bottom of the page  to just browse.  There are further recommendations lists of best sellers , and prize winning books.  I think you may find Bookish  an extremely valuable resource for both librarians and  book lovers.