Do we need library lessons? - SCIS Barbara Band looks at the many benefits of regular library lessons, and speculates what would be lost without them. A school library is (or should be) a whole-school facility, enabling the learning needs of all students, supporting staff to deliver the curriculum, and providing resources for reading and information within a unique space. That’s the theory. The reality, however, is likely to be library staff constantly juggling between the diverse needs of various groups, library lessons full of hands-on activities, busy research lessons using a multitude of resources, quiet periods of study, and times of silent personal reading. All this usually in one room during one day! Most of the time this works, although it does depend on what sort of space you have — an area that lends itself to being ‘zoned’ will be more accommodating to differing needs than a large square room — and it also requires tolerance, recognition of diverse needs, and flexibility. Does this matter?
Literacy Matters! - Home Navigating the information landscape through collaboration - SCIS Elizabeth Hutchinson, Head of Schools' Library Service in Guernsey, writes that information literacy is at the centre of student learning, making the role of library staff as important as ever. School libraries and school library professionals have a huge role to play in supporting teaching and learning within a school. I often hear visiting authors comment on being able to identify a good school by how well the library is used. School librarian Caroline Roche penned the phrase ‘heart of the school’, which is used to describe schools whose library is at the centre of learning. In a perfect world, all teachers would know how to access their school library and understand why using the library is beneficial to them and their students. In order for school librarians to remain relevant it is important for us to keep supporting the next new idea in schools. Information literacy starts in the school library Identifying resource quality through referencing How can library staff help?
How to Rescue a Wet, Damaged Book: A Short, Handy Visual Primer After the hurricanes in Florida and Texas, the question has surely been asked: How to save those wet, damaged books? Above, you can watch a visual primer from the Syracuse University Libraries--people who know something about taking care of books. It contains a series of tips--some intuitive, some less so--that will give you a clear action plan the next time water and paper meet. Follow Open Culture on Facebook and Twitter and share intelligent media with your friends. If you'd like to support Open Culture and our mission, please consider making a donation to our site. Related Content: The Art of Making Old-Fashioned, Hand-Printed Books How to Clean Your Vinyl Records with Wood Glue How to Open a Wine Bottle with Your Shoe
Reading All Year Long From booklists to tips for reading out loud, find what you need to inspire students to pick up a book and become lifelong readers. Each year, NEA’s Read Across America program creates a colorful calendar of books and reading lesson ideas for our members, highlighted here. Join us as we celebrate children’s literature and work to cultivate good reading habits that will last a lifetime. NEA is committed to celebrating reading and literacy throughout the year by showcasing popular children’s authors and trends in children’s literature. "Watch Me Read" HMS Choir, Hyattsville, MD, presents Watch Me Read to the tune of the Whip and Nae Nae in honor of Reading Rally Day. We Need Diverse Books! NEA's Read Across America is proud to partner with We Need Diverse Books, the collaborative effort by diverse authors and illustrators and literacy advocates to support diversity in children and young adult literature. Looking for Books?
Why school librarians matter: What years of research tell us - kappanonline.org When schools have high-quality library programs and librarians who share their expertise with the entire school community, student achievement gets a boost. Since 1992, a growing body of research known as the school library impact studies has consistently shown positive correlations between high-quality library programs and student achievement (Gretes, 2013; Scholastic, 2016). Data from more than 34 statewide studies suggest that students tend to earn better standardized test scores in schools that have strong library programs. Further, when administrators, teachers, and librarians themselves rated the importance and frequency of various library practices associated with student learning, their ratings correlated with student test scores, further substantiating claims of libraries’ benefits. Skeptics might assume that these benefits are associated mainly with wealthier schools, where well-resourced libraries serve affluent students. Librarians and student achievement References DEBRA E.
Libraries, Schools, Social Media and lots more...: 4 ways the school librarian can save teachers time and help support independent learners Independent learners What makes an Independent learner? • The ability to understand which resource is going to help you find the best quality information and being able to use research skills to locate it. • Knowing and understanding the importance of referencing, copyright and giving credit. Many teachers believe that if a student can find the answer via Google they have an independent learner. Independent learners start by connecting and wondering about the topic they are researching. Why does this happen? School librarian’s curators of information and collaborators One of our roles as information professionals, is to curate physical and online resources that not only are age appropriate but also good quality. Another role is using digital literacy to help make connections. Our collaborations This year we have been able to use and share both Padlet and Flipgrid with our teachers. Collaboration saves time and impacts student attainment! What can the librarian do for teachers? References
Young Tech Girl Superheroes create an app that makes reading fun - Nicola O’Brien - ABC Splash - A team of Year 4 and 5 girls have combined their love of reading and coding to create Reading Republic, an award-winning app that encourages kids to read books, write book reviews and take quizzes about the books they’ve read. The team’s coding coach Nicola O’Brien writes. When the team of Year 4 and 5 girls sat down to talk about their favourite books, it was hard to get a word in. They couldn’t wait to share which books they’d enjoyed, and why, and they loved the idea of making their own “must read” list based on friends’ recommendations. The girls also loved coding and were learning about how to use code to make an app. They decided to enter the 2016 Search for the Next Tech Girl Superhero Competition, which has a focus on solving a problem in the community. An app for young readers Reading Republic app inspires kids to read and share the love of reading. “Now you can add video book reviews - that makes it even more fun.” says Angelica Talevi, the team’s designer. Tips for making apps
ON LIBRARIES – The Highly Effective School Librarian – Hilda K. Weisburg When school librarians are recognized as a leader they are called highly effective.” Until now the best tool for evaluating this has been the Danielson Framework – Library Media Specialists, but thanks to ALA Past Presidents Sari Felman and Julie Todaro their ALA Initiative, “Libraries Transform – The Expert in the Library has given us something more precise. Now we can point to eleven competencies based on the National Policy Board for Educational Leaders’ Professional Standards for Education Leaders (PSEL). Thanks go to Susan Ballard, Dorcas Hand, and Sara Kelly Johns who have created a way we can self-assess and determine our own route forward. The website for School Librarian PSEL Competencies – Building Our Expertise has directions and the host of resources you need to act on what might be the best PD you ever had. To help you get started, I will unpack what is available for you on the website. First, there are 11 Competencies they have identified along with the explanation for each:
What is information literacy? - CILIP: the library and information association What is information literacy? CILIP's Information Literacy Group has released CILIP Definition of Information Literacy 2018 at the LILAC Conference and reinforces the relevance of information literacy in the current age: “Information literacy is the ability to think critically and make balanced judgements about any information we find and use. It empowers us as citizens to develop informed views and to engage fully with society.” A lot has changed since 2004 when the first CILIP definition of information literacy was devised. There is a greater recognition of the value of information professionals as teachers in either formal or informal settings and across the sectors. • Everyday – when people find information online • Citizenship – helping people to understand the world around us • Education – developing critical thinking skills at all stages of education, from school to higher education • The workplace - Contributing to employability
Eleven Reasons Why Librarians Rock – EveryLibrary Whether they are doing storytime, teaching classes about social media privacy, or discovering new books to add to their collections, librarians always work overtime — and wear many different hats — to bring the magic that they do day in and day out to their communities. In short, librarians rock. Here is just a handful of reasons how and why: Librarians love books. Librarians don’t just read books, but they read about books as well. There's So Much on the Web! Helping Students Become Internet-Research Savvy No matter how much we emphasize the importance of books and databases, the reality is our students are using the Internet for research and will continue to do so. The plethora of high-quality resources available online cannot be ignored. But teaching our students how to navigate the intricate web of invisible wires cannot be ignored, either. Seventy-four percent of college freshmen report that they struggle with keywords and searches, and once they complete searches, nearly half of freshmen are overwhelmed by the amount of irrelevant information. Some librarians overcome this issue by providing all of the resources for their students, but there is great danger to this–finding and assessing resources is part of research, and this has become a critical life skill in today’s media landscape. Searching requires a certain savviness in language, and students who lack high-level vocabulary struggle the most. In conversation, provide students with search terms using your own prior knowledge.
Why school librarians are literacy leaders Earlier this year, I wrote a post about how teams of teachers can work together across subject areas to improve student reading. I received comments on the piece from two school librarians, pointing out that they have important contributions to make to the effort, and questioning why I had not included school librarians in my suggestions in the first place. Well, they are absolutely right about this, and their voices prompted my reflection on the topic. I've taught in four public schools in New York City and only ONE had a true functioning library with a certified librarian in it. Let me tell you, that one school library was small, but game changing, thanks to the wonderful work of the librarian, Leslie Gallager, and the wise choice to fund it by school leaders at Brooklyn Prospect. When the school (which was new) created the library, I was not accustomed to having the resource of a school library or librarian, so it took me some time to figure out how to utilize it in my ELA class.
Want to live longer? Read a book Could a bit of light reading every day add years to your life? A new study by Yale University found that reading books was positively correlated with increased lifespan -- people who read books lived for around two years longer than those who didn’t. In the study, published in the journal Social Science and Medicine, researchers evaluated data on 3,635 Americans aged over 50. Respondents were separated into those who read for 3.5 hours or more a week, those who read for up to 3.5 hours a week, and those who didn’t read at all, controlling for factors such as gender, race and education. The researchers discovered that those who read for more than 3.5 hours a week were 23% less likely to die within 12 years, while those who read for up to 3.5 hours a week were 17% less likely to die within that period. Co-author of the study, Becca R. The researchers found that people who read books showed stronger cognitive abilities, such as recall and counting backwards. Share