Too Good to Miss (3.15.2013)

Most every day I see at least one resource that I want to share. Rather than email it or tweet it, I'll post the links every Friday in this blog so that later you can retrieve them without trying to find them in your email.

Nancy Keane's idea for introducing new nonfiction books to the faculty.
http://thelibrarianinthemiddle.blogspot.com/2013/03/sip-and-see-our-new-books.html?spref=tw Nancy Keane correlated the new non-fiction books to Common Core Standards, but you could do it just as easily for the TEKS or STAAR.

Open Minds in Library Centers 

http://librarycenters.blogspot.com/2013/03/opening-minds-in-library-centers.html Opening Minds: Using Language to Change Lives, by Peter Johnston, a book this librarian just finished, discusses how have such a profound effect of our students. Then she explains how 5 quotes from the book are relevant to her and the creation of centers in the library. Although you might think centers are only for elementary libraries, they can be "planned opportunism" for secondary students as well.

Knowledge Quest
The Mar/Apr 2013 issue of Knowledge Quest is now available! The theme is Mentoring through Partnerships: ow.ly/iPzV4
Mentoring where collaborative partnerships form between new and existing librarians is essential to empower emerging and proficient leaders with knowledge, competencies, and networking to expand their influence on the learning community. This issue explores what one needs to understand about mentoring to impact professional practices and teaching.

The 7 Critical Services All Libraries Should Offer http://edudemic.com/2013/03/critical-services-all-libraries-should-offer/ Seven Services: (1) Accesss to electronic resources; (2) Create [teen] advisory board; (3) Educate the community; (4) Become the Center of Excellence; (5) Establish cooperative relationship with local schools; (6) Provide hardcopy resources to students, teachers, and parent; (7) Enable social collaboration. Although it was designed for a public library, I believe this infographic is very relevant for school libraries as well.

A Librarian’s Guide to Makerspaces: 16 Resources http://bit.ly/YYeKOF

Makerspaces, sometimes also referred to as hackerspaces, hackspaces, and fablabs are creative, DIY spaces where people can gather to create, invent, and learn. In libraries they often have 3D printers, software, electronics, craft and hardware supplies and tools, and more. Even if you don't develop one for the library, Makerspace is a term you need to know. 

In the Digital Era, Our Dictionaries Read Us http://chronicle.com/article/In-the-Digital-Era-Our/137719

"The days of displaying a thick Webster's in the parlor may be past, but dictionaries inhabit our daily lives more than we realize. "There are many more times during a day that you are interacting with a dictionary" now than ever before, says Katherine Connor Martin, head of U.S. dictionaries for Oxford University Press. Whenever you send a text or an e-mail, or read an e-book on your Nook, Kindle, or iPad, a dictionary is at your fingertips, whether or not you're aware of it." A really interesting article you might want to share with students and teachers.

Less Clutter, More Useful | The User Experience
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/11/opinion/aaron-schmidt/less-clutter-more-useful/
"Keeping libraries free from clutter shouldn’t be solely the purview of the fastidious. It’s something we all can and should be able to achieve. With less clutter, people will have an easier time of finding what they want, and they’ll have a more peaceful experience. Conversely, clutter in and around the library is a user experience issue we all must address." Use this article along with an Image Audit to improve the library's physical appearance.