The Evolution of the Activity Calendars

I still enjoy creating my monthly calendars, and December is no exception.  This month we have lots of Fri-YAY activities, colors sheets, puzzles and more.  We are writing Christmas cards to the Troops overseas. Our National Day Give Away this month is National "Buddy the Elf" day; we have candy canes and Elf stickers to give out on Dec. 18th.   Definitely some fun stuff!

I have been creating monthly calendars since the Spring of 2018.  Then and now, I usually send out the calendars out on social media, in newsletters, the library website and our Canvas Course.  Over the years, the calendar has definitely changed. 

Here is a bit of a comparison.  

• My first monthly calendar . . . March 2018 
  
  
• My latest monthly calendar . . . December 2023

Some of main differences I see now that I am comparing the two are . . . migrating from Google Docs to Google Slides, the integration of Bitmojis (which happened during Covid), and the interactivity of the more recent calendars.  That March 2018 is pretty stagnant.  I guess the reason why is I modeled the calendar off the old public library calendars which were conducive to making copies or posting to a website; it was information only.  

Once Covid hit and everyone went home, my calendars grew more interactive.  It was more about having an experience, not just giving out information.  When everyone came back to school, my calendars shifted again to a hybrid experience. Some activities the students have to come into the library to do, and some activities are digital.  For instance, if you go to the December 2023 calendar, almost all of the pictures go to an activity or an extension.  That definitely wasn't happening in 2018.

Yes, the calendars do take time.  At the end of the year, I try to make blank ones for the next school year.  That has helped.  I have also found ways to use the calendar as part of my appraisal document.  So it's definitely a win-win.

Prepping for December Fun

 

I am so excited about my activities next month.  I think I am most excited about my faculty and staff "12 Days of Christmas" activity.  I adapted an activity I have seen floating around where the tech department puts together a Christmas Advent Calendar, and each day their faculty opened a new day for a tech tip, tech tool, or other tech related info.  

From that, I decided to do the "12 Days of Christmas - Library Edition."  Instead of all tech tips, I put in fun facts, book recommendations, tech tools, brain breaks, and a few snacks.  Of course they have to come to the library to collect those.  I chose the 12 days of Christmas so I only had to come up with 12 different things, and it works out beautifully with our calendar.

I am launching it at the end of the week, and I know it is Christmas related.  Just like all other activities we do through the library, participation is not mandatory.  Hopefully next year I will find something more inclusive to do.  Maybe December celebrations around the world calendar? I'll have to think about that one.

For now, here is the 12 Days of Christmas - Library Edition.

Working on the Work

 

So I may have overextended myself.  I have 4 presentations this year.  One was on October 28th.  The next one is Nov. 16th.  Then the big conference presentations are in February and April.  I do believe in giving back to my profession, and as I near retirement, I guess I kicked that sentiment into overdrive.

Presentation on Oct. 28th - Canva Librarians Fall Showcase

This was a virtual one day conference from a Facebook group where I contribute.  It was a really informative conference, and there are a lot of talented librarians out there.  My favorite presentation was Deb & Amanda's "Be a Canva Catalyst."  They started right at 8am, and they were fabulous.  My presentation was about Potty PD.  I have done these for a few years now, and I wanted to share my ideas in the hopes that another librarian will have the means to start their own Potty PD easily.  My presentation was about attaching the Potty PDs to the library standards, and making sure you understand your audience.  Here is that presentation, Potty PD: Learn Something New While in the Loo. I think it went well despite my "you're on mute" problems.  

Presentation on Nov. 16th - ESC 11 Librarian Conference

I am re-sharing my presentation from the TCEA virtual conference last summer.  I had to change some of the examples and templates now that I have started a new year, but the concept is the same.  It is a cautionary tale about storing all your documentation for your appraiser in the same place.  The first year I was asked for documentation for all 6 library strands, I did have it.  However, it was scattered across the great wide web.  I had stuff in Canva, Wakelet, Canvas, my Google Drive, Genially, and a few other places.  So threading all that together at the last minute was not fun.  Now I take a proactive approach and set up a document at the beginning of the year.  Then at the end of the month, or 6 weeks, I put notes and links in my document.  This year it is a Google Site.  Here is my work in progress this year:  SHS Library 2023-2024.

The name of the presentation I am doing on Nov. 16th is "Prepping your Library One Year at a Time."  Again, it is similar to the presentation last summer, but I think it is worth the repeat.

Presentation for TCEA (state tech conference) & TLA (state library conference) - Feb. 2nd & Apr ?

The presentation Pam and I are currently working on for the state conferences is "Creative PD to Ace your Library Evaluation."  Sorry, no link to share just yet, but I think it is going to be a solid resource for librarians who need help boosting their end of year evaluations.  We are taking the librarian from the beginning of the year where he/she/they are going to evaluate their own program to the end where all programs, activities, and professional development have been done and documented.  I am double dipping a bit because I am showing my yearly Google Site where I am documenting everything (from the presentation on Nov. 16th).  

Having everything in one place simplifies the appraisal documentation.  All I need to do is give my appraiser a link.  She will be able to see everything I did this year with a click of that link.  

I think Pam and I are going to present this information in front of our librarians at the next district library meeting.  It's a dry run for the state conferences, and it gives out our information to those who can't go to the conferences this year.  

I hope everyone is as excited as I am to talk about appraisals and documentation!  LOL!

First Six Weeks Check In

 

Here are the library usage statistics for the first 6 weeks of school.  

Some of the highlights included 

creating the ID schedule for the Social Studies classes, 

visits from the English III classes where we did some Book Speed Dating, 

and the 40 Book Pledge met twice.  

We also hosted 2 national day giveaways.  August 31st was National Trail Mix day, and September 8th was World Literacy day.  

I started the Mystery Box with a Genre Scavenger Hunt, 

and we checked out A LOT of books.  

It's so good to see our students reading!

SHS Library Stats - Sept 2023 by Jeneene Tahaney

Proposal Accepted!

 

Our proposal for both TCEA 2024 & TxLA 2024 was accepted.  Pam & I found out about TCEA late last month, and TxLA just sent us the acceptance last week.  Here is our proposal summary:

Creative PD to ACE your Library Evaluation

Providing professional development to our campus community is part of our library standards. What happens if you are denied the "face-to-face time" by your administrator? When traditional avenues to reach your audience do not work, it’s time to let those creative juices flow. Learn some innovative ways to reach your audiences, document your endeavors, and strengthen your end-of-year evaluation. Example ideas and templates are included!

This presentation will be similar to the one I organized for the Virtual TCEA Library Conference back at the end of June.  As I sent in the June proposal, I anticipated that questions might be about the activities as much as the organization.  That was definitely correct. When I presented in June, a lot of the follow up questions were more about the actual activities and PD I did, and not just about the organization.  I then felt validated in creating the proposal for this year -  a presentation that not only walks the audience through the organization process, but also highlights the actual activities we do.  We use both active and passive programs to make sure we are covering all the library standards to document for our evaluations.

Now that Pam is our library coordinator (Yay! Congratulations!), she no longer has her own library.  So we are planning to adjust the presentation to show her end of the job, supporting us, and my end of the job, being a high school librarian.  It's a different dynamic for us when presenting this year, but I don't anticipate that it will be a problem.  We have similar presenting styles, and we do well together.

Come see us in February 2024 for TCEA, and/or April 2024 for TxLA!

Encore Presentation of Top Ten Tools

Yesterday Pam and I went to Region 11 for an encore presentation of "Top Ten Tools to Make Your Library Pop!"  Our audience was not as big as our other presentations, but we were happy to talk about our libraries to any audience. big or small. I really liked the fact that the Region 11 librarians organized this one day conference for those who were unable to attend either TCEA or TxLA.  In addition to hearing some great presentations, everyone who attended was given PD hours too.

This was the third go around for Pam & I on this particular topic, 4th really if you count a district library meeting.  Pam and I really present well together.  We can bounce off one another.  That's not as common as you would think when 2 or more people present.  It's nice when you find that person, or those people, when presenting.  In fact, we have put in another proposal for next year's TCEA and TxLA conferences.  We should hear next month if we have been accepted or not. Wish us luck!

But back to the topic at hand, here is our current presentation in case you did not catch my previous blog posts: 

Top 10 Tools - TLA 2023 by Jeneene Tahaney

Book Review: The Jump by Brittney Morris

 Book Review: The Jump by Brittney Morris

In "The Jump" by Brittney Morris, the readers meet the Jericho squad, also known as the scavenger hunting dream team of Seattle. With Jax as the cryptologist, Yaz as the parkour expert, Spider as the technology wiz, and Han as the resident history and map expert, team Jericho has earned a reputation as the team to beat. But, when a new oil refinery threatens their community, the team must win the next scavenger hunt sponsored by “The Order.”  This anti-establishment group promises influence and power to the group who can solve its scavenger hunt, and Jericho sees this as the answer to their problem.  Solve the puzzles, and take down the refinery.  However, “The Order'' is not what it seems, and the team is on the brink of losing what made them so exceptional.  Do they walk away and risk the existence of the community they love, or do they continue the game and watch their team fall apart in an effort to gain power and influence?

 Brittney Morris’s work of fiction is set in modern day Seattle. Told from the perspective of the four main characters, the story explores themes of community and change. The readers experience the struggle between the main characters who desperately want to be the agents of change, and their families who want to keep them safe. The chapters are short and fast-paced which is a perfect combination for even the most reluctant of readers.

 Overall, "The Jump'' is an entertaining read for high school students,particularly for readers who love adventure.  There is some language and mature themes.  Therefore, the book is recommended for ages 14+.

Last Day before Summer Break - What to do?

What does a librarian do when everyone has gone home for the summer, and she has extra days on her contract?  Plan for next year.  Actually this is a double duty day.  I am working on my presentation for the summer TCEA Library Con, and planning for next year.  Fortunately, that is what my presentation is all about.  Hence, the double duty day.

Here is the blurb for my presentation which is at the end of June.  I believe there are still seats available if you are interested.  It is virtual.  What's not to love about PD in your PJs?

Prepping your Library - One Year at a Time

This is the perfect time to start planning next year’s library agenda.  In this session, you will see how one high school librarian organizes her whole year by aligning her monthly activities and classes with the 6 library strands: Information Literacy, Inquiry, Reading, Digital Learning, Safe & Nurturing Environment, and Leadership.  Creating a digital storage space for all of your information will help you stay organized as well as make your appraisal easier when you have to provide documentation.  Tech tools used in this session include Canva, Wakelet, Google Sites and more. You will leave this session with concrete examples and all of the templates you need to start planning your year.

I am excited about this one because it has helped me stay organized, focused, and at the end of the year, I can turn this in for my library evaluation. I first started this documentation 2 years ago. The first year, it was a reactive process. My appraiser wanted documentation for any standard I wanted to be rated above "proficient." To be honest, I am finishing up my 20th year as a librarian, and I'll take proficient at this point. However, the perfectionist in me decided to turn in a bunch of stuff anyway. LOL!

This is how my documentation looked year one: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nlhW9Fu4eS_PV8QvyJ03Wa1O3f5LSHyfbNqaHiywb7g/present?slide=id.p

Last year, after going to an amazing presentation at TxLA where Katy ISD organized their year, I decided to migrate from Google Slides to a Google Site.  This is what that looked like:

 https://sites.google.com/misdmail.net/shs-library-2022-23/home

Another difference between year 1 and year 2 was the planning piece.  The second year was a proactive process instead of a reactive.  So I planned and documented at the same time throughout the year.  That helped me be more organized and focused.  Now I am going to share that with others this June during the virtual Library Conference.  Come and see me!

Anticipating TXLA 2023

 I am so excited about attending and presenting at TXLA (library conference) this year.  I can always find ideas from the various sessions to bring back to my library and try.  I do love the author panels, and all of the free books!  This year we travel to Austin.  It's been a minute since I have been in that convention center, but TCEA (the tech conference) used to be there every year.  So I am sure I will remember how to navigate the building.

Pam and I are presenting "Top Ten Tools to Make Your Library POP."  We did this presentation back in February for TCEA.  We did change it up a bit.  I created more content and added Canva live to our presentation.  I saw someone use it at TCEA, and it didn't look too difficult.  Basically Canva Live is a back channel to keep track of questions and comments so the flow of the presentation is not interrupted.  I think "Today's Meet" was a predecessor of the back channel, but now Canva has a version for their platform.  I am continually amazed at the amount of content Canva has, and the Pro version is free for educators!  So cool.

I downloaded the app yesterday and started going through the sessions starting that Wednesday afternoon.  I am travelling to Austin Wednesday morning.  If I make it in time, I would love to go to "A Data-Driven Library" session at 12:15.  I take usage statistics every 6 weeks and have for a number of years - in fact Pam and I did our presentation last year was on this subject, "What's Your Story: using data to promote your library."  However, it is always good to have a fresh perspective from a different source.  Maybe I am missing something?  If I can't make that session, I hope there is another session about data and the library.

Of course I want to see the session from Duncanville HS. Love those ladies!  I'd love to sit in on some Lightning Talks too.  I'd also like to discover some programs or digital tools I am not using yet.  Definitely going to the author sessions and then going down to the vendor floor for free books.  The possibilities are endless!  Can't wait to explore the app more and get my agendas set.  Austin - here I come!

Quiz Fun with Book Riot

 

This year I have started many a book club meeting with a Book Riot quiz.  Most of the quizzes are answer-these-questions-and-get-book-recommendation quiz.  The book club students were having so much fun with the quizzes that I brought them out into the general population. Now I make signs in Canva, and I post them around the library - in the shelves, at the book check out, etc.  And, of course, I take them into my book club meetings.

If you have not done a Book Riot quiz before, here is a direct link to their quiz website: https://bookriot.com/category/quizzes/  You will need to scroll down a bit to find the quiz link, but it's worth it.

A word of caution . . . please go through the quiz yourself before promoting it.  I saw a really good one about Netflix movies.  The quiz was going to make a book recommendation based on the type of Netflix movies and shows you choose.  There was one question that asked how you like to "chill" when watching Netflix.  One of the choices showed alcohol.  Great for an adult, but not for a high school student. So be careful and make sure you preview everything.  Plus the students always ask me about my answers.  It only makes sense that I would take the quiz.  Differing answers make for a great discussion.

Here are some of the quizzes I chose this year . . . all "high school friendly."  I have added the link to the quiz and a template to my Canva poster in case you want to use what I have already created.

October Book Quiz

October Canva Template

November Book Quiz

November Canva Template

December Book Quiz

December Canva Template

January Book Quiz

January Canva Template

February Book Quiz

February Canva Template

March Book Quiz

March Canva Template

I'm still trying to decide which quiz to pick for April and May, but I am sure the Book Riot website will have plenty of options.  They have not disappointed me yet.  (and No, I do not get paid for my endorsement of this website.  I doubt the people at Book Riot even know I exist.  I just really love their quizzes)

Have a great day!

Fun Bulletin Board Idea

It's the little things that sometimes keeps you going. Today's post is about a fun display I recently created.

I inherited a bulletin board in the English hallway at my school. I change it out about every other month. This time I made those tear away flyers in Canva; you know the flyers with information at the bottom that a person can rip off and save. Each flyer is a different genre, and the info at the bottom are books from that genre. Then I cut the bottom of the flyers apart for easy tearing. Here are a few pictures of what that looks like in the hallway.

I'm not sure what I am going to do if students actually rip them all off. I guess I need to be prepared with alternative flyers. Someone in an FB group said the tear away can then be their bookmark as they read the book. I hadn't thought of that, but she is right. I love it when logistics work out like that.

If you want to do something similar, I am giving you the Canva templates. One template for the main title, and one of the flyers for you to use/edit to reflect your collection.

• What Should I Read Next?
• Romance Flyer

TCEA 2023

 This was the first TCEA where I travelled away since COVID.  I participated in the virtual conferences, and last year it was in Dallas.  That was so close to my home that I was able to ride the DART rail to get there and back.  That just doesn't feel the same as going to a different city.

I look forward to participating in this conference every year.  I also love TLA, but there is something about technology that I just love.  Of course, I will be looking forward to this year's TLA conference in Austin.  I love the books and hearing authors speak.  If we could somehow combine the best of both conferences, I would be in heaven.

Let's talk sessions.  I enjoyed all of the sessions I attended, but many of them were geared towards librarians.  So of course I did!  My favorite session was about the AI Bot, Chat GPT.  I enjoyed it because the presenters were more about how to use it positively in the classroom instead of banning it.  Granted it is for users 18 year of age and up.  So blocking it from the student's accounts at school is the right choice.  However, I believe teachers should have access in order to model some positive ways to use Chat GPT.  Isn't that what Digital Citizenship is all about? Using technology appropriately?  

I loved Matt Miller's infographic highlighting 20 ways to use it in the classroom.  Here is the explanation that goes with that infographic: https://ditchthattextbook.com/ai#t-1671292150924

I also found it helpful when Mr. Miller listed all the ways classroom teachers were actually using the AI Bot.  He curated his list from Twitter.  It's worth a look.  https://ditchthattextbook.com/ai#tve-jump-185fce7110d

The conference wasn't all about AI; there were many fun sessions I attended.  In addition, Pam Pinkerton and I presented our session "Top 10 Tools to Make Your Library Pop."  It was well attended which always humbles and excites me when people show up to hear me talk about my fabulous library.  I love what I do, and I hope that shows when I talk one-on-one or present in a room full of people.

I curated a Wakelet of all best sessions I attended.  Here is that link if you are interested. 

https://wakelet.com/wake/f0z84XNhv7o6iPgzWQimt

Thanks for tuning in, and Happy Valentine's Day!

A First Semester Review

 

I realize this is only telling part of our story, but I am pretty proud of those numbers.  We have been working hard to bring all of our students into the library.  I think these numbers show we are doing just that.  In addition, students are using our databases and checking out books.  Our class visits have gone down, but that is to be expected.  The first 6 weeks usually includes me seeing all of our ELAR classes for either a library introduction or a library review.  So I am okay with that number trending down . . . for the moment.

Now here is what the numbers don't say.  In looking back at what we did last semester, our most successful programs include . . .

• National Day Giveaways
  
  
• Drones
  
  
• Fri-YAY!
  
  

I talked about all of these in the November 2022 post.  At the time, I was speculating these programs were the reason our numbers were increasing.  After analyzing the whole semester, now I am sure these programs helped increase our foot traffic.  When students come in to participate in programs, they also end up checking out books . . . eventually.  I try to create fun activities in the library to build those relationships.  When those relationships pay off and students come to me to talk about books, I know I've got them hook-line-and-sinker.  I just love that!

If you need more details about our 1st semester, here is a recap of our Six Weeks Usage Reports.

• 1st Six Weeks, August 17-September 23
  
  
• 2nd Six Weeks, September 26-October 28
  
  
• 3rd Six Weeks, October 31-December 20