Just say No

      When you are asked to do a task / job/ activity from your board or Administration , take a second before saying yes.  Will  accepting that  t task or job, take away time and effort from your mission and goals?  Or does it go along with your objectives?   Will it help further you mission as a librarian Media Specialist?  Does this new activity help you complete your focus of tasks and activities? ( Example- hosting a book fair in the library will help increase your visibility and get students and teachers into the library.)

     If the task is not going to further your goals,  saying no  may be appropriate. One good way  to give yourself time to think about the task and your missions / goals is to say, “Let me think about it” or “I’ll have to get back to you.” .

   Saying No with grace and then decide explanations is  a skill learned  by doing. Try to imagine someone asking you to do an activity that does not advance your goals.( Example: You are asked to direct the school play) Rehearse what you would say-first thing comes to my mine- "I'll have to think about it and get back to you."

   We do not want to offend or discourage, but we want to make known the work we do and why we do it.  Perhaps you can agree to a supporting role (helping without being the person in charge) ," "I will have end of year inventory at that time and will not be really able to give full attention to the play- perhaps I could help with props or scenery ?"

   At any rate, stop and think about your goals . Just say no when it is appropriate  .You do not have to compromise your library for the sake of an activity that takes too much time away from what you really need and want to do,

 

 

 

 

Using goals and mission statement daily

   Now that you have your mission and objective/ goals, it is time to use them on a daily basis. If you work each day without clear goals and missions, you will not get as much accomplished as you would like.  If your missions and goals are posted in your library and office  , you will be reminded of the important things you need to do.

   So either before you leave for work each day, or first thing in the morning, make a to do list of no more than 5 items to accomplish. This simple act will provide focus and then closure.  Check these five items with your goals and mission statement. Make sure that what you plan will further your steps towards your goals and mission. This also allows you to complete items that are high on the priority list, and  disregard the tasks that do not make a big difference to you mission.

     Keep the list in a prominent place( on your desk, on a clipboard, in your planner) where you will see it as you are working. Check each item off when you are done.  While it  may  take a while to get used to this technique, it will bring you to accomplish your missions and goals.  It will provide a sense of satisfaction in seeing tasks completed and your mission becoming part of your daily program.

    Preparing this simple list each day will help you become more focused and more aware of what is really important to your library.  By making this list you will also get much more accomplished  to further your mission of your library.

Wired Wednesday- Technology Tools

     I have  found some great sites that provide book reviews on a regular basis.   Since most of these blogs are librarians , and book lovers ,I have found that they are great ways to stay current with some of the great new books. It is actually more fun to read these reviews because you know that they are having a great time with all their reading.

http://mrsnthebookbug.blogspot.com/

 This site is maintained by an elementary school librarian and is a great site in general.  She has a list of books that she is reading running along the left hand side.  On each book is a link to her GOODREADS site.  She does a   Monday What are you reading  post which always has some interesting books. She also has some great Freebies you might want to check out.

http://thebooksmugglers.com/
                      This site is run by tow booklovers who love to read, ( and write reviews).  They give straight review and opinions about books .  Also they provide a monthly newsletter that you can subscribe to.  In the newsletter they give a listing of books they will cover in the month. They have a great rating system for the books they read.
                     Most of the reviews are YA and science fiction . This will be a good source for the YA and teen librarians.



http://librarygals.blogspot.com/

This blog is a collaborative blog written by a group of librarians and other blogging friends. Each Monday they have reviews and comments on books (It’s Monday-What are you Reading?) that they are reading. It is very cool to get comments and insights and enthusiasm from this group and also find some great reads as well.  

 

Creating Goals to align to Mission statements

      Now that your mission statement is done, the next step is to create goals. These goals will explain in detail how you will accomplish your mission statement.   Your goals should be measurable and observable,  as to the activities , tasks, programs,  and  lessons ,  so the documentation that they produce will be available to your administration or board. 

       Goals are specific items that you will do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to accomplish your mission.   So take your mission and then think about what you will do to accomplish   this mission. So what will you do each day to further your mission?  These can be your goals /objectives.

      Another wise choice for goals is to attach a time frame in which the goals will be achieved.  Like your mission statement, your goals or objectives , should follow along with your organization mission.

     These goals will be useful when  you are planning what items you will do each day. So write them down and even have them posted so that you accomplish your goals and missions.

More Games in the Library

  No I have not completed all the ways to use games and gaming in the school and public library.

There are a few more ways that I have used homemade games to help reinforce library skills.

1.Learning and Reading Call numbers. After teaching a unit on call numbers , challenge students to
   A) Use riddles and puzzles to have students guess the topic of a book with a certain call number. Have a scavenger hunt for students to locate books with certain call numbers

2. After a lesson on using the online card catalog have students  find a particular took using in few keyword, a call number, authors names, or other location type . Younger students can work in pairs to accomplish this game.

3.  Provide a trail of questions and clues that students solve( of course using the library resources)


4. Have students find  fascinating facts or items of general knowledge.

Articles &Advocacy: Resources

  Teen Librarian

http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2011/11/game-on-your-library.html

Talking Points about Gaming in Libraries

 http://gaming.ala.org/resources/index.php?title=Advocacy

Technology Tools- Wired Wednesday

    The site of the week is   http://wonderopolis.org/


         Wonderopolis, a program provided  by the National Center for Family Literacy,. This  engages  students to  become more educated in a natural way. The power of discovery is strong . Young people love to discover  and this site will  give them engaging questions.

     Each day there is a wonder of the day. They answer the question and then go into further details. There are videos, photos, vocabulary and even activities to go with each wonder. Students and teachers and readers of the site can nominate a wonder also, Which will really get the students thinking.  . All in all a very interesting site!! Check it out!


        Wonderopolis  has thousands of free educational resources for parents , teachers and students to use in  and out of the classroom. Teachers can also  sign up for free  online  or face to face training to learn how to make the most of Wodneropolis and Thinkfinity.   Financial support for Wonderopolis is provided by the Verizon Foundation;  and Wonderopolis is a member of Verizon Thinkfinity.


For Presidents Week/Month:

classroomhelp..com/lessons/Presidents/index.html

bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/government/natinal/executive.html.

Library Missions and Goals

         Yesterday we spent the day checking out new towers and laptops. I think we picked the one that we will get, so at least now that  is over. We sometimes have a hard time making a decision on new technology because there is SO MUCH out there. It would be easier if there were not so many choices.

        Now that you have your mission statement, post it !   Type out in bold letters ( I use a slide from Power point)  . Then I printed and placed it where every staff and patron can see it.   I also would put one in my office ( if I had one ).

        Why should you do this? Well it lets you and your staff and your patrons know what you do and why you do it.  Glancing at this during your work day will also help you stay focused on what is really important to you and your library.   Stop and think about your mission when you start a new project and see if  the new project aligns with your mission and goals.

      Say "NO "or "Let me think about it "when some asks you to do something that does not go along with your mission. You don't want to ignore library duties and responsibilities to do something that will not further your mission and goals.
    
      Having missions and goals will help you  get more done each day.    The goal for this week is to finish and post your mission. Any one want to share ? or need help? Let us know!!

      Then if you have time- work on your goals!!