Off to a great start!

School began Monday of this week. I must be selling the library right as I have had some students coming in daily already! This morning before school I had one doing research on his Science Fair project for February. The greatest joy though is the young fellow who finally paid for a book he lost last February. He came to the library to exchange books three times that first day and at least once everyday since then. Makes a librarian smile...

A new library card!

What fun! I have a new library card! I am now a three library card librarian! Life is good! Due to a recent move I added to my collection and now am getting acquainted with another library system. I am allowed to continue using the library in my former community, I asked since we go there a lot for social purposes. I also have a card for the community in which my husband works. Once in a blue moon, I'm running errands with him in that direction and have had need to a quick Internet connection so I obtained that card. I carry that one on my key chain as a badge of honor because I can! I figure a person can never have too many library cards! To paraphrase my daughter....library cards are like credit cards, only their free!

And the year winds down...

This is the last week of school! Yeah! Yes the teachers do get just as excited as the kids. Unfortunately though with the end comes end-of-year this and end-of-year that. I think I work harder this week than any other during the year. To make matters worse, the number of overdue/not turned in/not paid for books in quadruple the normal. At times I feel like pulling my hair out....but that would hurt and I don't like pain.

Coming attractions:
Books! Books! Books!

While I will be doing some library work this summer for school district, I hope to have time to read and write about books. Can't wait!!!

Scan one, scan two, scan twelve thousand and three

Last week was inventory week. Such excitement! Okay, so that is a bit overboard but for some reason despite the backache of it, I do enjoy doing an inventory of the library. When all is said and done, it feels like getting off to a fresh start. We know what is here and what is not. If a book was missed at check in and/or accidentally misshelved we find it. If a Dr. Seuss book winds up with the books on rocks we find it. Something satisfying about this. When I think about the number of books that I touched personally, most twice, I am utterly overwhelmed. How often can a person say that they literally touched a few thousand books in the course of week and not be exaggerating. With inventory done now I can begin to tackle other seemingly impossible chores such as cleaning my office . . .

Information Literacy vs. Information Communication Literacy

As a school librarian it is my task not only to disseminate library materials but to also teach information literacy skills. I'm not going to go into detail as to what all that entails. Briefly though, information literacy skills include the abilities necessary to locate, access, and use information. There are various formal research methods that are taught such as the Big 6, I-search, and Flip-it. I teach the "Big 6 Information Problem Solving Method" as this is the model adopted by my district. The Big 6 has six clearly defined steps. Recently I came across the phrase Information Communication Technology Literacy. Hhhmmm I thought. So I went exploring. I found a couple of websites: Information and Communication Technologies ICT Literacy; ..your portal to Digital Literacy and iSkills (click on research link). I learned that tests are now available for ICT Literacy through ETS (Educational Testing Service) for use by universities. I also learned that the skills being tested are the very skills that I teach via the Big 6.
******Big 6 steps...............................ICT Literacy skill sets******

• Task definition.......................................Define
• Information seeking strategies................Access
• Location and access
• Use of information..................................Manage, Evaluate
• Synthesis................................................Integrate, Evaluate, Create,
• ..............................................................Communicate
• Evaluate.................................................Evaluate

Of course the ICT skills are higher technology focused skills and the Big 6 is used with or with out technology, but still I was amazed at the similarities. Reconfirms the importance of what I teach!

Decisions, decisions

Decision making is a major part of my job. I should say is THE major part of my job. I make decisions regarding books to read, lessons to teach, books to order, books to withdraw, etc. The first three are primarily positive tasks. Whereas, book withdrawal is basically a negative task that seems on the surface contradictory to librarianship, but in a well tended library it is a necessary act. Without it the shelves would be full of old books with archaic information, books that no one check out. Not all sad old books can be resurrected and brought to new life with a lively booktalk. Many must find their way to book afterlife. In this school district that would be to the warehouse and eventual auction. After I have gone through the process of physically withdrawing the older and/or unused books from our system, I then offer most of them to the teachers for their classroom libraries. I don't offer the ones that are hopelessly dated, no temporary stopover before afterlife for them. Once in a while I will come across a book that may have been used little or none as a library book but I know will have great use in a classroom setting. One such book is Puniddles by Bruce and Brett McMillan, copyright 1982. The McMillans challenged "readers" to discover compound words based on pairs of black and white photographs. This book could easily be reissued with new color photography which would probably make it a hit. As is, I placed the book in a new home in an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classroom. I dropped in on the class recently and the teacher was happy to share that the book was at that moment being used for a lesson! Book resurrection can happen under the right circumstances! It is nice to see decision successful!

The Bluebonnets are here!

The Bluebonnets are here, both the wild flowers painting the landscape across Texas and the new 2007 - 2008 Bluebonnet books for my library!

Each spring in Texas the fields and byways blossom with various wildflowers. The Bluebonnets stand out proudly among them as they literally become a carpet of blue for a few short weeks. I am always reminded upon seeing them of two things. One, I call to mind Tomie dePaola's The legend of the bluebonnet which is a retelling of the Camanche legend regarding the bluebonnet's origin. And two, I am reminded of Lady Bird Johnson's efforts to beautify the nation's highway by limiting billboards and encouraging wildflowers.

The Texas Bluebonnet Award is named after the state flower, the bluebonnet. Each spring, about the time the wildflowers are blooming, a new set of Bluebonnet books arrive in my library. This is the group of 20 books recommended by a committee of librarians that I've mentioned in an earlier posting. Last week I booktalked these titles to my 2nd and 3rd grade classes. I put the books out for checkout this morning. I had multiple copies of two titles. As of now only 6 of the 21 books are left on the shelf. They flew fast and furious this morning. Fortunately I will have additional copies later this week! It is fun to see the kids excited about reading. Can't blame them...I am too!

Libraries are free!

Recently my daughter Betsy phoned me. She had an epiphany and realized that "Libraries are like shopping, only they're free!" While that is true with the modern public library, that has not always been the case. How did public libraries get started? Click on these links to find out:

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpublibrary.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libraries

Happy shopping at the library!

Read Across America

March 2nd is Dr. Seuss's birthday. Using this date as a catalyst the National Education Association encourages schools to celebrate reading on that day through a program called Read Across America. This year our school participated in a district-wide event. One class from four schools were each broadcast live sequentially for about five minutes apiece doing a presentation based on a Dr. Seuss book of choice. I selected Mr. Ford's first grade class for our presenters. As the decision to do this program was made only one week prior to March 2nd, we had little time to pull together a show. My hat goes off though to those wonderful first grade students, who knew the importance of following directions and when to be quiet. We had a few fourth grade helpers also, past students of Mr. Ford. Everyone did a fantastic job! One fish, two fish, read fish, blue fish . . . I have visions now of construction paper fish being raised by little hands in sync to the story and of Mr. Ford lying on a red, yellow and blue sofa wearing a red and white stripped hat being covered by stuffed animals who came to call on Ned. . .

The Great Turkey Round-Up

Once upon a time my family use to joke about things such as Great Turkey Round-Ups while passing time on long trips. Turns out several organizations really have turkey round-ups in November to encourage donations to food pantries. Not exactly the type of round-up we had in mind though. We imagined wild turkeys being corralled and driven by cowboys to the turkey processing plants. Or should I say turkeyboys? We also joked about the beaver hotels on dry ground we would come across next to train tracks. In reality these were actually piles of railroad ties. Why do I write about these in this particular blog? I just happened upon a book in my library titled The great turtle drive. This is a delightful tale by Steve Sanfield who is a poet and storyteller. Told as a first person narrative, a gentleman explains how he earned and lost a million dollars by the time he was twenty-one. He did this by driving turtles from Texas to Kansas City cattle drive style. I'm thinking of adding this one to my very small storytelling collection. It hits home somehow. It will also get me thinking and smiling the next time I see turtle soup on a menu...

Reading incentive programs

There are a variety of reading incentive programs. There are those devised by librarians that are unique to one library, programs developed by one or more librarians to use throughout a district, good ideas from one librarian that are shared with others for adaptation to their libraries, programs developed by nonprofit educational organizations,and commercial programs developed and sponsored by various companies for various purposes.

The incentive programs I use vary among those. Three times a year students get to check-out an extra book. That is a huge success. I also allow students to come to the library everyday to exchange books. Several children take advantage of that literally on a daily basis. With the Bluebonnet program sponsored by our state library association, students vote on a favorite book among a list of twenty. Some choose to read all of the books and others choose to read the minimum of five to qualify to vote. Others will read only a few that interest them. We also participate in two commercially sponsored programs. Six Flags has a program in which students read a minimum of six hours to earn a ticket good at their theme parks between certain dates. We just finished that one. It is moderately successful. Not all parents encourage their kids to participate. After all, those who earn tickets can't redeem them without someone else having to buy a ticket. I like Pizza Hut's Book It program better. Students who meet reading goals receive a coupon for a personal pan pizza. No purchase necessary. A personal pan pizza can be ordered for take out without buying anything else. Then it becomes a special treat just for that child.

In my opinion though, the best reading incentive is a passive one. When students are given basically free reign to checkout whichever books they choose, they get excited about reading. Prior to becoming a librarian I would have never guessed that nonfiction books would be so very popular, especially with young students. Therefore, a collection that is strong in up-to-date nonfiction is important. Not though to the detriment of the fiction materials of course. It's a joy to watch students eyes light up when they find the perfect book. This type of reading incentive has a snowball effect as students read more they want more. Students also share their new found treasures with their classmates who then they want more also. Sounds greedy, but I can't find fault in wanting to read more and more! I may be just a bit biased though...

Valentine books . . .

I was invited to read to a first grade class this afternoon. Rather than books about the holiday itself, I chose one book on friendship and another on motherly love. A story for bear by Dennis Haseley is a gentle tale of a bear and a woman who are drawn together by words in books. For some reason this story reminds me of small babies and books. They have no idea what is being said yet they still love to hear the story. The second book I read is fairly popular, I love you forever by Robert Munsch. I've read this one many times. It never fails to make me want to reach out to my own children, all grown and scattered, and gather them in my arms.

One of the perks of my job . . . I get to stop working and read! Oh, that is part of my job, so I am still working . . . woohoo!

A revisiting of goals

'Tis time to revisit my professional goals for the year. I began the year with a goal of creating a school readiness pamphlet for parents. This idea/goal was born during a discussion following lessons on how to properly turn pages in a book. Yes, this is actually a skill/habit I try to teach/instill. It is amazing how many students think that pushing a page is the best way to turn it. It is also amazing how many torn pages are found in library books due to students/others turning the page by lifting it near the spine. For all those who don't know......please turn the page gently from the corner!!!!!! Sigh. I theorized that if parents where provided with information about teaching this skill/habit at home then perhaps there would be less of a problem. I'm am absolutely positive that I go around saying "turn the page at the corner please" a lot more than I say "sshhhh". (I will confess though that my very first day with students as a librarian I did say "ssshhhh". I was so embarrassed!) Anyhow, while talking to a teacher about the page turning problem, we came up with the idea to make something for parents with this and other tips for school readiness. We even went to the effort to seek grant moneys but alas we failed at that effort, not surprisingly. Unfortunately, all the momentum for the project left when I found myself off work for several weeks due to a broken arm. Therefore I changed my goal to something more attainable - this blog. I still have my goal of preparing 5th grade students for middle school library research. I made quite a bit of progress on that in the fall before my accident. I am currently waiting until after THE BIG TEST to continue on that goal. I'm well aware of time constraints the teachers have in preparation for THE BIG TEST. In place of the readiness information for parents (which I hope to do in the future) I have chosen to use this blog as an extension of the professional journal writing that I did last year. This seems a logical extension. Now I am writing for an audience and that makes a difference. Yes, my audience consists of only a few lurkers who never comment and a few family members who I thank very much for their opinions. Despite this small audience, it is the fact that you exist that makes writing this easier. Thank you audience! Feel free to give yourself a pat on the back... (To my lurker audience: Feel free to comment!)

Happy Groundhog Day!!

Groundhog Day is my favorite holiday! I love saying "Happy Groundhog Day" to teachers and students in the hall and getting a smile in return. Okay, so sometimes that smile is accompanied by a strange look, but just the same it is fun. It's those smiles and the fact that no one is obliged to do anything special for the day that makes it my favorite. I have exactly four books about Groundhog Day in my library and you can bet that I read those every year at this time. It is the first grade students that are subjected to my luniness in this regard. I also impart a brief history of the holiday and suggest the students make their own predictions by looking for their shadows during recess. Fits nicely into their curriculum theme for this six week period of cause and effect. Fun with learning...you can't beat it!

Spicy foods...

Usually when I think about food and the library it is either in the context of NO food while reading library books or I think about the cookbooks we have on the shelves. This time it is neither of that. Once a year my library gets taken over by the Science Fair. This year more than 200 students participated with close to 100 on display in the library. Some of these projects were over my head! And not just because they were placed up high... I must admit though, my favorite project was one in which the student tried to determine if there are differences in taste qualities as we get older. The student mentioned as one conclusion that "Spicy foods are just a pain in the tongue." This still has me laughing!

I am so cool!

I am so cool! That's the feeling of elation that I had this afternoon after I finished producing a picture video presentation using Photo Story 3. The school district recently made this Microsoft software available to all students and teachers. I had a brief training in how to use it in the fall and had expected to be the full trainer for the district librarians, but instead the district made it available for everyone and is offering training for those who wish it. It is very easy to learn the basics and a beginner can make an impressive presentation in a matter of minutes. My presentation included pictures from our recent "Book Week". And...I made a really cool presentation therefore I am so cool! Too bad I don't know how to link it to my blog! I'm already scheduled to begin teaching this to second grade students next week. From what I understand this is free software available to those with geniune copies of Windows XP operating systems. I'll be downloading it soon at home. Yes, I realize this sounds like a commercial and I would guess there is other software out there of this nature, but this is the first one I have run across so I am hyped about it. Once upon a time there was the phto album, then the slide show, then the home videos, then the PowerPoint presentations, then Photo Story.....yeah!

Science Fiction and Fantasy Genres

I was having a discussion recently with my husband about a Stephen King novel that he's been reading. I've read some Stephen King but have chosen not to read most of his works. I tried but had some difficulty defining what kind of science fiction I like. Finally I came up with realistic science fiction. I'm not sure if that is the correct label for the sub-genre I lean towards or not. King's The stand, as well as Brave new world by Aldous Huxley, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and The Giver by Lois Lowry all fit this category in my opinion. These stories are all written in a realistic manner that seems believable, at least to me. I do not enjoy other types of science fiction, such as the sorts that are set in outer space or have aliens from outer space visiting and/or destroying Earth. I do like time travel, especially when the travel is to some time in history. Fiction works that dwell heavily on the paranormal generally are not to my liking though. I don't usually enjoy animal fantasies with the exception of Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. I do take delight in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl with its glass elevator, even though the little men doing all the work is a stretch. Face it....chocolate, all the chocolate one can imagine....yum!

Tuesday by David Wiesner

I have many, many favorite picture books. This tends to be a natural thing I would suspect as an elementary school librarian. It has taken me awhile to narrow the list down to my favorite picture book. Today I remembered, my favorite picture book is Caldecott Medal winner Tuesday by David Wiesner. I love this book for many reasons: 1) I like frogs, I have a rather large collection of frogs; 2) It is a very humorous book. 3) It only has about 9 words making it truly a picture book. 4) The illustrations are fantastic. I had the opportunity, quite by accident as I didn't realize it was there, to see a showing of Wiesner's illustrations for this book at the Dallas Museum of Art. Can't decide which picture I like the best, but I'm leaning towards the last two. They just tickle me....oh....you'll have to read the book yourself, I'm not going to describe it!

(The posting above can also be found at We blog books! with one exception. I chose not to link the Dallas Museum of Art. Recently an elementary art teacher lost her job/was forced to resign due to a trip to the museum. Students inadvertently saw nude art. Therefore, I'm playing it safe and not linking the museum on that page. I dislike being a conformist at times, but realize the necessity of it also...)

Book Week

This past week has been Book Week at my school. We usually do this in November in conjunction with National Children's Book Week. I was out on medical leave at the time and no one thought in time to celebrate. Having Book Week now was a great way to jump right back in following the winter break. This year I stepped things up a bit. We had our usual check out an extra book and bookmark contest. In addition my third grade reader's theater group presented with a short play titled "Do it with Dewey" which was a big hit. The other new addition though has not thus far panned out. I'm hoping it will yet. I started a blog called We blog books! for my students to share and discuss their favorite books. So far my entry is the only one. Sadness. Even so, I declare that the week was a success. It is always exciting to see kids get excited about checking out an extra book!

A summer to die by Lois Lowry

Lois Lowry is one of my favorite authors. With that in mind I chose a title by her that I hadn't read yet for part of my winter break reading. A summer to die, published in 1977, is a poignant story of thirteen year old Meg as she grows in many ways. Lowry sets this story in a remote rural area bringing little of life outside of a few homes into the tale. Meg befriends her few neighbors, an elderly widower and a young couple, learning life lessons from them as well as teaching some lessons of her own. The story moves along easily. Lowry deftly builds Megs' character as she grows from child to young women in the space of a few months. As the title implies, death takes place. I ached for young Meg as she came to realize the lose she was about to experience. Lowry is truly a master at eliciting emotional response from her reader. I couldn't help thinking of the differences this story would have if it were written today. Megs' father would use a computer to write his book and illness might be addressed differently due to medical advances. Yet, Lowry wrote a timeless story. One that stretches emotions and causes one to think.

Lowry's latest book Gossamer also causes the reader to think as she spins a tale that delightfully answers many questions about dreams, such as how and why we dream...

Chief Information Officer

One day recently I was reading something about a CEO (chief executive officer) and a CFO (chief financial officer) when the thought occurred to me that as a school librarian I could be considered the CIO (chief information officer) of the school. Sounds like a nice title and probably is used somewhere out there in the corporate world. There are actually many titles by which my position can be referred. My state certification authorizes me to practice as a "Learning Resources Specialist". Some would call me a media specialist, a teacher librarian, library media specialist, etc. Some would say (and I tend to agree which puts me in a difficult spot but oh well....) that since I have not a masters degree in Library Science or Library and Information Science that I should not rightly call myself a librarian. But alas, it is the title that my position is given and so therefore I tell people that I am a librarian. Much easier to do so and easier to say than "Hi, I'm a learning resources specialist but you can call me a librarian..."

Then there's the sweet kindergarten student who regularly greets me with "Hi library teacher!" That always gets me smiling!

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Like many others, I first read this book in 8th grade as a school assignment. I have reread it many times as well as watched the movie many times. I love the irony that this book is often listed on the lists for banned or challenged books. The story revolves around a man who is secretly hiding and reading books during a futuristic time in which books are considered evil and are therefore are illegal. Firemen do not put out fires but rather set them to burn books. A secret underground society of hobos memorize various classics to keep literature alive. I shiver to think that such cowardly ideas in regards to our freedoms are very much bantered about in our times. Why are so many afraid of words?


I also found intriguing the "modern" conveniences so like those in my favorite cartoon - The Jetsons. I think it is time to reread this one and compare these conveniences to those we have today...