Librarians! Ramp up your websites!/ coronavirus

    If your library has been closed  like the ones in my area ( NY/ PA/ CT, )  we need to  keep our  web pages  up to date and  full of resources they can use during this Coronavirus pandemic.  We  really need to ramp up our web sites so that we can continue  services  to out patrons .  I am going to look back at some past posts , library websites that I use, and will continue to search for ideas and sites that can be put on our  pages to help our patrons.
  This will be a good way to show all the resources that librarians and library's provide for students and patrons.  I am praying that this whole pandemic does not last to long , but we won't know til it over until it is over. Keep safe every one, and check back here for some sites and tools for your library pages.
  

All students Need Great School Libraries

All students Need Great School Libraries


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ3b2-9dbb4

  Watch this video!  It has some excellent talking points . And some ideas you can use in defense of school librarians and libraries.  Let me know what you think!

Abby the Librarian

   I keep finding different websites for librarians and just want to share  in case you have not  found then yourselves. Abbythelibraian  is a great site for librarians ( school & Public) who do preschool or Kindergarten lessons or sessions.
    There are routinely Picture book Roundups which I love! She gives us brief summaries and also shows the cover. So if you are looking for  recommendations for new books you will be pleased. Some of the titles are brand new or soon to be released.
   She also gives short reviews of new books for elementary / middle school students . Again a big help for your collection development. She also gives book recommendations for special days and seasons.
   There are several other advantages to this site. Abby gives ideas for programs for preschool/ kindergarten and family reading. So if you need ideas  for story times this is a good place to check out.n There is a link on her site that gives themes    and book lists to go with them.

Read Across America Day/ week

I read this on the Future Ready Librarians Facebook and thought it was a great idea,   I took the main idea and lent some titles that I thought would work. Use these ideas or come up with some of your favoites!

Day 1: Books about Families
         Three days oh a river in a red canoe/ Williams
          In our mother's house/ Polacco
          Tell me again about the night I was born/  Curb

Day 2: Books about taking action
         The Giving Tree/ Silverstein
          Boxes for Katje/ Flemming
           One Plastic bag/ Paul
           Stick & Stone/ Ferry

Day 3: Read a silly story
      Horton Hatches an egg/ Seuss
       Don't let the Pigeon drive the Bus/ Willems
      Any book by Jan Klassen

 Day 4:  Books about different cultures
     Brown Girl dreaming/ Woodson
     Boy who harnessed the wind/ Kamkwamba
     Goal/ Taylor
     House that Baba built/ Young

Day 5: Books about Famous People
      Abe Lincoln the boy who loved books/ Winters
     The story of Ruby Bridges/ Coles
    Let the Children march/ Clark- Robinson
    Inventors who changed the world/ Poelman



Day 5 : Books about famous people.

Library Bulletin Boards for March

March is almost here .  So is Spring!  I can't wait.  
So let's see what we can do to highlight during those days!

 Spring into Reading- Flowers, insects, book jackets with titles of spring like books,

 St. Patrick's Day-  Every Day is a lucky day for reading.
                               Reading is Golden
                               Books to Treasure


Fly high With Reading- kites with book titles blowing in the sky

 Catch the reading Bug!

March- Women's History Month

Dr. Seuss- Read Across America

Bike into Books! Bike scene with book titles around

Why students need a librarian- Pt 2

   Here are a few more reasons why students need you ( the librarian) to help them in their school careers These are good talking points if you need to defend your position in your school.

   1. Librarians teach students how to evaluate the information they find on the internet. Is is authoritative? Is it up to date? Students  are offered areas to look for in order for them to be sure the site is reliable.

   2. Librarians plan lessons to instruct students how to devise different questions so they can find answered  . There are fat and thin questions, they are open and closed questions. Then librarian can help students learn the difference and then how to construct them,

  3. Librarians can recommend books  to suit readers interests  and levels.  The librarian can provide students  book sites and blog where students can look for new and interesting titles

Why students need a librarian

   If you need to defend your position there are lots of resources that you will find. But much of why students need librarians is basic , so here a few to think about and add to your list.
   1) Librarians provide materials matched to student learning styles and abilities.  There are print, on line and audio resources. Many of the online and audio can be adapted to student levels. Some can provide sources that can be read aloud to students,

  2) The library website  ( provided & maintained by librarians) offers 24/7 access to the online catalog and electronic resources, databases and lists of curated sites  for specific projects.

 3) The Librarian and the library provides information that is carefully selected and  appropriate for students learning needs and projects.

  Use these as needed. In future posts , I 'll add a few more reasons why students need a library and a librarian.

Noodle tools / citation builder

      If you have an active library page and a citation program, make sure to put a link to it on your page. Then be sure the link works.
     Your next goal is to provide instruction the use of your citation program. Connect with your staff and students to show them where the link is. Offer to teach the students how to use the program. Every time you get in front of a group of students and staff, remind them of the link to the builder that is on the library page.
    We use Noodletools so I developed a mini lesson to instruct the students and staff . I also devised a cheat sheet to back up my instructions. This sheet is a hand out for students, which they can refer to for help after the lesson is over,
  

Library Bulletin Boards for February

Now it is time to think about February and what to do about the bulletin boards.   Here are some ideas :

We love to Read!- Give pink or red hearts  to students and have the write their favorite books. Students can write I Love...   and give the title and their name. Place on BB with letters of slogan on top in black letters - Can use a light background and heart /scallop edges.

Black History Month- Place pictures of famous African Americans . You can number them, Give some clues under each one. Students can use references or online sources to find out . Students can give guesses in to you- At the end of the month, place names under each one.

Tech tie in- Tweet a sweet Book! Give students an enlarged note. Place a cute bird on each side of the BB- Students can write their favorite titles on each note and then placed on the BB.

Presidents Day- You  can do this similar to Black History Month.( Use presidents that students do not know) Or you could place some presidents  and have students find little know facts on each person.

Fiction to Film: Scan covers of books that you have in your library that have been made into movies.  Place the slogan in the middle and the covers around. A slogan to add  would be: Have you read these?

Update your library web page!

  How often do you update your library page? What exactly should you update?

  1.If you do a lot of collaboration with teachers and student then you need to do quite a bit. Whenever you work with students, try to add/ edit a livebinder or a curated list of sites for them to use.

 2, Update links/ websites for students to use in projects - check links to be sure they are working and up to date.( eliminate old ones and look for new ones)

 3. Additional resources- add links for staff to use for their information , or teaching resources

 4. Add your newsletter if you do one.

 5. Add Book recommendations ( what the librarian is reading - or have kids do this with reviews

 6. Information about what is happening at the library

 7. Publicize new resources

 8. Add links for student recommendations   to books if you have a section on that.

Quotes about Libraries!

I love to search out quotes about books and libraries.  Here  are just a few of my favorites!

 "Books are the mirrors of the Soul." V Woof

 " A library doesn't need windows, a library is a window." Steward Brand

 "We may sit in our library and yet be in all the quarters of the earth." John Lubback

  " Libraries change lives for the better." Sidney Sheldon

   " When in doubt, go to the library." ( Ron) J.K.Rowling

  "A library could show you everything, if you know where to look" Pat Conroy

   'There's a magical place, called a library." Moria Fowley Doyle

   " All that is necessary for a student is access to a library." Thomas Jefferson


    So what do I do with these? I might add them to my signature line in my emails. ( I like to change mine a lot).  I make up posters with the sayings and fit them on the walls of the library  or in the stacks and in the halls at different spots.   Sometimes I put them on information sheets or work sheets for both students and teachers.  I might include them in my monthly newsletter.  And then I change them whenever I come with more library/ book quotes!

A Book and A hug- Great site

   This is a great site  ( A book and a hug) . If  you haven't seen this site yet , check it out. I think you will be impressed. I only just discovered it and I am loving it!
    First of all you can search for books to read  by author , title and  Everything! There is also an advanced search tab- like category, reading/ age level, and reader personality type and other additional options.
  Students can take a reader personality type to determine what type of reader they are. There are basic and advanced tests.
   Up at the top there are tabs: Books by category, read alouds, authors, lesson plans and a blog. Barbara Langridge  is the creator of the site. She is also a speakers about books and librarians. Barb was a former librarians and book store owner , so she has the experience of a book lover. Her goal is to create readers, and connect students with books.
  At the bottom of the site, there are more links. My favorite is the " If you liked, then you'll like" a great tool for students!

Library Bulletin Boards for January

What bulletin boards will I put up in January? I always try to think ahead and get ready for the next month.  I didn't this time. So here are some ideas that I have used or thought of to use in January.
 
    Let's read til we get snowed under-  snowflakes with book titles in the center. Blue sky in background. Bottom can be a silhouette of the town or school building.

   Sink into winter reading-  student/ teacher in a cozy chair reading, book jackets surrounded the chair.

   Hibernate with a good book- bears reading ( in a cave or in the snow)

  "READBOX"-  a redbox( movie rental)  with titles around that align with popular movies