December was a Dud

In my quest to help other librarians, it is good to be as transparent as possible.  I'm going to be honest here, my December was a dud.  There were only 2.5 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas break anyway; then I had jury duty the first day back from Thanksgiving break which morphed into a whole week.  So I arrive back at school with 8 days left, too many fun activities and projects I wanted to do, and not enough time.  At first, I was super depressed (especially when I realized that 4 of those 8 days were school-wide EOC retesting days).  I had no time to plan anything new, and I had to reschedule my clubs which led to lower turn outs since we were meeting on a day that didn't follow our normal schedule.  Then I had to cancel a lunch which I am still trying to reschedule for my aides.  However, I seem to be running out of calendar days.

The first couple of days back were BUSY & paralyzing at the same time, if that makes any sense.  I could hardly catch my breath, and panic definitely set in.  Then on the way to work the following day, I took a deep breath and decided whatever I can do will have to be enough this year.  Not every year is going to be like this, and I need to own it and keep going. So I put on my big girl panties, recycled my Christmas decorations and revised my "12 Days of Christmas" scavenger hunt from last year.  The library isn't as festive as I had planned, and a lot of my activities are missing, but this is what I can do.

 However, it is hard not to be super jealous of those libraries who have created book trees or other fantastic decorations, hosted a Christmas-themed hour of code event, made ornaments with their 3D printers or Christmas movies with a green screen, and/or enjoyed hot cocoa by the fireplace constructed of discarded books. (yes, that is a thing . . . )

 Having said that, it is just as important to know your limits and forgive yourself for the things you had planned but cannot do. For those of you who need to hear this, my December was a dud, but I'll live.  I think I'll start planning my winter activities for January & February.

Happy Holidays!

Spooktober Fun in the Library

It seems so hard to believe that October is in full swing.  Our weather is finally starting to reflect the fall temperatures one would expect.  Last week we were steadily at 92*F until Thursday when we went from 92 to 42.  Now we are somewhere in between. Today's high is 81*F.  So Yay!  It's Fall.

The library has a few things going on during the month of October.  Our "Bathroom Book Talks" are back up for another year of "Potty PD."  This month we featured Graphic Novels.

We are also running a "Spooktober Bingo" reading challenge . . . that I totally stole from a generous librarian who posted her resources on the Future Ready Librarians FB page. Thank you!

We just had our second meeting of the 40 Book Pledge.  So far we have members who have finished 15 books and some who are still finishing up their first book.  No matter where the students are on the journey, they are welcome to come each month and talk books.  Today was a good day.  I book talked a few of my favorites, and the students talked about their current reads.  We also made name tags, which we should have done the first time . . . but oh well!

In talking about fun October activities, we can't forget the LEGO club.  It is going strong this year.  I moved it from after school to all 3 lunches, and I am having a bigger turn out this year.  This club meets 2 times a month.  The club had so much fun on October 8, they came back for an encore on October 9th.  Who am I to say no to an enthusiastic club?

The first day, we had LEGO tic-tac-toe.  Build 3 in a row and win.  The second day, the students came up with their own timed challenges.  Loved that!

This week, I am heading to the English Hallway with my Pop Up library to try and get some of those overdue books.  Later this month, we are going to give out Halloween treats for checking out/renewing/returning books.

In the midst of this activity, we still are seeing classes, checking out books and helping individual students who come to the library looking for assistance.  Did I mention that we also had Year Book pictures in here earlier this month?  Another BIG THANK YOU to my library clerks, Ms. Truong and Ms. Walters.  Without them, none of this would be possible.  They are truly "Wonder Women."

 And . . . just in case you were wondering, here are our usage statistics for the first 6 weeks of school.

Have a fabulous day!

40 Book Pledge

When Donalyn Miller came to Mansfield ISD last year to speak to the English teachers and librarians, it was such a treat.  She mentioned how she wrote about the 40 book challenge in which she and her students participated, and how that challenge has been interpreted over the years.  Ms. Miller remarked on the number of teachers who have created the 40 Book Challenge instead of a 40 book challenge.  Many have developed it into a program where students have to do book reports, take quizzes, etc. over all 40 books.  During her visit with us, she also mentioned a post on her website called the 40 Book Challenge Revisited. So I made it my mission to read The Book Whisperer, where the book challenge was first mentioned, and her website, where she explains the original intent of the book challenge, before introducing something similar to this on my campus.

After reading Ms. Miller's words (where she was able to convince me that I needed a bigger purse to carry my books) and "Googling" all of the 40 Book Challenge programs/worksheets, I came up with The 40 Book Pledge.  As a librarian, I do not have students assigned to me.  So I opened the pledge to all students and staff members on our campus; I guess I am running it more like a club.  In our club, we gather once a month to celebrate, book talk and share what we have read thus far.  Our goal is to read 40 books, but we plan to celebrate any and all books read.  I think we should meet more often than once a month and longer than 20 minutes, but I am going to let the group decide that.

Once the patron filled out the pledge page, I gave them a bag with . . .

• a spiral 
• a BHH Reading prompt to help with journal reflections (borrowed from Disrupting Thinking by Beers & Probst)
• a list to keep track of their books
• more information about the club
• a "40 Pledge Participant" poster
• "I love reading" stickers 
• a couple of pencils 
• a bookmark.

All the information I gave them is optional to use.  I have asked that they keep a running list of books read and a reflection journal.  How they manage this is their call.  If they choose not to keep a traditional journal, they have to tell me how they will keep track of everything.  So far most are keeping a written journal.  Some are using the notes in their phone, and one is posting to a social media account . . . I think it's Instagram.  I am planning to keep a traditional journal, and use this blog along with my social media accounts.  I'd like to model both tradition and technology.  We'll see if I can keep up with all of this.

The things the patrons love the most (so far) are the free bag all the SWAG came in and the "40 Book Pledge" participant poster.  Most of the students have taken the poster home while the staff members are hanging it on their classroom doors or the doors to their offices.  The bags were all freebies I have collected from various conferences.  I knew they'd come in handy eventually!

So far I have 30 participants, which is about 25 more than I thought I would have.  It's been fun so far.   We have only met once, but both the students and the staff members are coming to the library more frequently to talk about books.  That makes me happy.

Here is a link to all of the materials I have made or borrowed so far.  As I mentioned in a recent tweet, I'm not the biggest fan of TpT.  I believe educators should share without a price tag involved.  Feel free to make copies and use whatever you need.

Works Cited List

Beers, G. Kylene, and Robert E. Probst. Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters. Scholastic Inc., 2017.

Miller, Donalyn, and Jeff Anderson. The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child. Scholastic Inc., 2011.

“The 40 Book Challenge Revisited.” Donalyn Miller, 12 Aug. 2014, https://bookwhisperer.com/2014/08/12/the-40-book-challenge-revisited/.

TLA 2019

As always, TLA does not disappoint.  This conference is a great opportunity to interact with colleagues, visit with friends, listen to authors, and learn some new stuff.

Here are all the sessions I attended with links to the presentations (if available).  Mostly I do these conference recaps for me.  I use past blogs to remember what I have done and to review presentations as needed.  However, if you are interested in some of these topics too, that's what we call a win-win!

Monday, April 15

• Conference Orientation
• Collaborations to Promote Reading
• Librarians & Techs talk TexQuest

Tuesday, April 16

• General Session I
• Diverse Voices in YA Lit
• Creating Library Spaces for all Learners
• When your School Library is Closed, Take it Outside
• Dynamic Duo! Pairing Fiction and Nonfiction for Teens
• TexQuest + Digital Tools

Wednesday, April 17

• Tayshas Reading List Author Panel
• Digital Tools to Support Reading and Writing
• Best of the Web
• 50+ Makerspace Ideas for high school

Thursday, April 18

• 9:15-10:45 Disrupting Thinking & Engaging Readers

I totally enjoyed all of the author sessions I attended (#authorsaremyrockstars), especially Disrupting Thinking.  I read the book as a book study last summer.  It was an easy read, and now that I saw the authors in person, I can see why.  They have great chemistry, and they are really funny too.  It is always exciting to hear an author talk about her/his book.  However, I also love hearing about what other librarians are doing in their libraries.  So I try to balance the sessions, some author sessions and some instructional sessions, when deciding where to go.  I don't really attend any of the round table meetings.  I know there is a lot of good information there, but sometimes they can be a bit overwhelming.

Here are the authors from Disrupting Thinking . . .

In addition to all the great sessions, Blanca, Alleasha and I took a trip to the new Austin Downtown library.  It is amazing!  I always enjoy seeing someone else's space; it gives me new ideas.  The big takeaway from this outing is the fact that the library has an ongoing scavenger hunt for their library, and it is broken down by age group.  This is something I would like to do starting next year.

I especially loved the rooftop garden which is probably not something I will be able to do, but it sure would be cool.

Here are a few of the pictures I took of the library . . .

Every day is a good day when you are learning something new.  Thanks for stopping by!

#FirstPageFriday

I have a new promotion called First Page Friday.  Last summer at a library training, I came across a librarian who promoted First Page Friday in her library by using audio books.  She would play the first page of a book, like a digital book talk.  It left the students wanting more which led to her audio-collection statistics rising.  After hearing that story, I decided to do some research (on Twitter) to see all the different takes on First Page Friday.  There are a LOT of unique ways people use this hashtag.  Some record themselves or another person reading the first page of a book; some use the audio book, and others just use the hashtag as another avenue for a book talk.  I even saw one publisher that took a picture of the first page of the book and posted it.  Other libraries are doing the same. Clever!

As with most book talks, the problem then becomes having multiple books for the students to check out.  All students want the book you have spotlighted.  As with most libraries, I have one (maybe 2) copies of a book.  So I decided to use our subscription to Open eBooks.  It is a free service for all Title I schools, and it is a huge collection of current fiction and nonfiction eBooks.  All books have unlimited check outs so more than one student can read the eBook simultaneously.  This is a win-win.  I can promote the Open eBook app while not having to worry about how many copies of a book are available after promoting it.

(Here is some Open eBook information in case you want to learn more about that, and whether or not your school qualifies for this free service.)

My version of First Page Friday is not a video or even a snapshot of the first page. Mine is a PowerPoint that I then saved as a JPEG.  I display the cover and the first paragraph of the book.

Here is the first one I did . . .

Using the hashtag #firstpagefriday, I launch a new book on the library's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram each Friday.  Since I am in charge of the school's TV monitors, I also make sure the books end up on that rotation as well.  It's kind of handy being in charge of so many media outlets.

Here is a Sneak Peek for this week's  #firstpagefriday . . .

Each month I change out the background color, but the rest of the formatting stays the same.  It is pretty simplistic.  Due to #firstpagefriday, I have had a few more requests for accounts to Open eBook.  So maybe it is working.  Yay!

Fabulous February at the SHS Library

This post is a tad bit late, but we did have a fabulous February.  It is always a short month, but definitely busy due to Valentines Day and Black History Month.  I divided my time between the 2 themes.  We started off the month with a book promotion .- check out a book and get a winter treat.

Then the library had a "Romantic Book Couples" contest . . .

 . . . and we also did "Blind Date with a Book."

Note to self for next year's Blind Date with a Book . . . pick more action and fantasy books.  I had a plethora of romance, and a lot of boys who participated.  Some boys enjoy romance, but I might need to find some romance with a bit more action in them.

For the second half of February, our contest was "Celebrating Black Authors."

I was able to fit in one Pop Up library for the English teachers, and do a bit of decorating too.  Most of the book displays stayed with the Winter theme, but I did change one to incorporate both Valentines day and Black History Month.  This display was a repeat from last year.

For students and teachers who participated in our contests, I gave away books and snacks.  I am happy to say there was lots of participation, and my book stash is about to be depleted which is a good problem to have.

Fortunately, I found out that First Book, the company that sponsors Open eBook, has a book bank.  I just purchased 92 books for $36.00!  Now that's a deal.  You shop for boxes of books that have been donated by the publishers, and you only have to pay the shipping.  There are both paperbacks and hard backs, and the books are for all ages.  Librarians and teachers should definitely go to the First Book website and explore the First Book National Book Bank.  It was quite the find for me.

Happy Reading!

Collaboration is Key

Librarians are always excited when given the opportunity to collaborate with teachers, and I am no exception to that.  I have had quite a few opportunities to collaborate this semester, and it's only February.  That is really exciting for me!  (Yes, I am one of those librarians . . . the ones who feel they are not doing their job unless they are helping others.) So far, I spent time with Ms. Boykin's Lifetime Nutrition classes, Mr. Santanello's English II classes, and the English III team.

Ms. Boykin's classes needed to research restaurants, find a menu item, and create/find a recipe that would make that menu item healthier.  We did this same lesson last semester, but we tweaked it a bit to make it run more smoothly.  To learn more about this lesson, go to November's blog, Pop Up Library and Bathroom Book Talks.  Basically, we took one of the restaurant categories out (chicken) and replaced it with a more popular one (Italian food).  Other than that, we still did the restaurant "speed dating," but we called it a restaurant introduction.  This semester we made sure there were computers available right after our activity so they could do the research while the introduction was still fresh in their minds.  It is amazing how those little changes made all the difference with this lesson.

          

Mr. Santanello came to me when Media Literacy popped up in the English II TEKS.  We decided that website evaluation would be the best route to go since that is such a necessary skill in today's tsunami of information.  After careful consideration, I decided to use the CRAAP method of reviewing websites.  I created a library guide for his classes, and here is what that lesson looked like . . . Media Literacy - Mr. Santanello

In addition, the English III classes began their big research project on the topic of College and Career readiness this semester.  I created a library guide for them, College and Career Readiness - English III, and then I went into each of their classes to teach the students how to use the library guide including how to access our eBooks.  When I first arrived on the scene last year, I was amazed at the number of teachers who did not use our digital resources.  I am slowly introducing both teachers and students to the credible sources within our databases, and I feel as if I have made some progress. Having said that, I am still amazed by the amount of general Google searching that continues.  That is why the media literacy lesson with Mr. Santanello's class is so important.  Hopefully, I can get the other English II classes on board for next year.  I swear, some days I feel as if I have hit a brick wall, and other days I feel as if I really am making a difference.  It's always an adventure!

Montage of Decorations

It is no secret that I like to decorate the library from time to time.  A friendly atmosphere is important, and I believe a few well-positioned adornments help with that. There are 2 main focal points that I like to swap out every couple of months.  They usually include decorations and books.  There is a "new books" area that is changed out when new books roll in, and then there are two window displays I change out every so often.  I do not utilize actual books in the window displays, but I always include pictures of books we have.  Here is a montage of displays I put up last semester.  Since I used a winter theme at the end of the semester,  a few of the displays are still up, but I did swap out the books.

Here are some pictures of my displays thus far & which months they were or are being displayed:

Readbox 
August & September

Fall Into a Good Book 
October & November

Winter Peanuts

December & January

(No catchy reading phrase here.  I just love the Peanuts!)

These Books are Poppin'

August & September

Once Upon a Crime

October

We are Thankful for our Veterans

November

Hot Reads for Cold Nights

December & January

The window displays do not photograph well.  So I don't always document those.  This fall I did Leaf Through a Good Book (displayed September, October and November) and Fall in Love with a Good Book (displayed September, October and November). 

The ones I did photograph are . . . 

Snow is Falling and Books are Calling 

December & January

Our Books are "Snow" Good

December & January

In addition, I have decided to expand my decorating expertise beyond the library.  I am beginning to realize that there is a whole population of students who have not set foot in the library.  That is part of the reason I instituted "Bathroom Book Talks" and the "Pop Up Library." (See Nov 2018 Post for more info.)

Back to the point . . . decorations.


So I dug out some old library posters and hung them up in the cafeteria.

  

Then I recycled a winter book display from last year and utilized an area directly across from one of our most trafficked bathrooms. Apparently no one uses lockers anymore.  So I did.  The display turned out better than I imagined.

Chill Out with a Good Book

It has just occurred to me that I use the word "good" A LOT.  My next challenge . . . creating a display without the word "good" in it.  LOL!

Of course I would love to take credit for all these clever sayings, but just about everything I did came from Pinterest.  I still love that website.

Stay Warm!