Follow us:
DR. BICKMORE'S YA WEDNESDAY
  • Weekly Posts
  • WEEKEND PICKS 2023
  • Monday Motivators 2023
  • Weekend Picks 2021
  • Contributors
  • Bickmore's Posts
  • Lesley Roessing's Posts
  • Weekend Picks 2020
  • Weekend Picks 2019
  • Weekend Picks old
  • 2021 UNLV online Summit
  • UNLV online Summit 2020
  • 2019 Summit on Teaching YA
  • 2018 Summit
  • Contact
  • About
  • WEEKEND PICKS 2023

Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday has a new Feature-- A YouTube Channel

Don't worry, it is easy to find.  Just go to YouTube and search for Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday.

Check Out the YouTube Channel

Let's Celebrate National School Library Month

4/6/2017

2 Comments

 
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” ~ Charles Darwin
One of the great people I have meet since moving to Las Vegas is Susan Slykerman. Susan is a teacher librarian at Liberty High School in Henderson, NV. I had the pleasure of meeting her when I was escorting Chris Crutcher to her school for a visit. She is also the ​President of the Clark County School Librarians Association, and Instructor for the Library Endorsement Program. She previously taught elementary students, opened a new middle school (and stayed for 13 years) as their teacher librarian. She says: "I am experiencing high school students! I am blessed to have been in my education career for 26 years."
Thanks Susan. Take it away.
In light of Nevada Senate Bill 143 requiring every public school in NV to have a library and certified librarian, submitted by Senator Becky Harris, and the decline of libraries and certified teacher librarians nationally, it is more important than ever that you celebrate National School Library Month!
 
Recently, at a Legislative Town Hall meeting promoted by the Clark County Education Association in Las Vegas, I had the opportunity, along with other teacher librarians, to promote information about what teacher librarians do,  how we aide student achievement, and the 49 schools in the Clark County School District which do not have either a library or certified teacher librarian and what individuals can do about it. People, the public have no idea what’s happening! They were surprised and discombobulated. It is evident that we need to get word to the public that teacher librarians DO MORE than check out books, read a story, have a book fair, and supply computers for research.  So, what do we, as educators, do to promote ourselves and the purpose of school libraries? Here’s a start:
Picture
Marketing & Public Relations
When you walk into a space, there is an energy you feel; make the energy in your library welcoming and helpful.
You know McDonald’s slogan, “I’m Lovin’ It”; create a branding slogan for your library.
Who doesn’t love a great commercial?  Create a commercial or segment on your school’s weekly tv broadcast.
Have humdrum announcements? Spice it up! Create an announcement for the library and add expression and music!
Reach your audience; create an: Instagram, Snapchat, FaceBook, Youtube account, website, or blog (get students to write for your blog)
Attend School Organizational Team meetings (school meetings in CCSD), PTO/PTA meetings, School Board meetings and promote the importance of school libraries and certified teacher librarians to promote student achievement.
 
Clubs
It’s not just book clubs anymore! Consider a STEAM Club, Makerspace Club, Digital Club, Fanfiction Club, or create more than one book club that appeals to: assigned reading for AP/Honors classes, genre clubs, subjects like art, music, sports, math/science and books,...
Picture
Displays
Need I say more than Pinterest or Google to find AMAZING displays to get books noticed? The more books displayed with the cover showing, the more apt they are to be checked out.
 
Infographics
Fun, colorful, announcements, on the web or printed, about what you and your school library offers. Consider using: piktochart, s’more, canva,...(?)
 
Get out of the library
Give inservices to grade levels, departments, student clubs (other than those advised by you), and parent organizations, other teacher librarian colleagues, on: the databases, literature, student achievement, learning strategies, lessons you coteach, lessons you teach, collaboration, clubs, ebooks, how you can help,...
Collaborate/Co teach
Have lesson ideas for teachers which includes co teaching! You, work with all teachers; be their learning strategist. Connect technology tools to the lessons that will help students navigate the real world. Incorporate your state standard objectives and common core. Teachers are not the only educators with objectives.
 
​School Wide Events
Promote reading through school-wide events where everyone gets to participate!
Teen Read Week, Nevada Reading Week, National School Library Month, Poetry Month, Teen Tech Week, to name a few. Bring authors to your school to speak. Have a donuts and dad or mom and muffins morning. Yes, book fairs are wonderful! Have activities that bring the community in to your library. Work with your public library to promote their summertime reading programs and other programs they offer. Work towards a goal of fundraising and include teachers and administrators to “kiss a pig”, “pie in the face”, “silly string wars”,...
 
Think Globally
With GSuite our resources continue to soar! Conduct a Google Hangout with schools throughout the world! Find out what other students are reading...GLOBALLY!  Start a novel on Google Docs and allow for sharing with editing and comments and then send it on a trip around the state, your country, your world!
Picture
Environment
Granted, budgets are often reduced if not eliminated at many schools. So, what can you do? You could write a grant, speak with local businesses, use gofundme.org, find out what talents or connections teachers, students or parents have to help you. However you get funding, bring your library up to the 21st century. Find new furniture, start ebooks, purchase databases and useful apps to service your students and teachers, decorations, signage, chromebook carts, and more. Make your library a place where students WANT to be. Remember, your personality plays a big part in your environment, too! Libraries today are not what they were 15 or more years ago. They are active learning spaces where student collaboration happens, discourse and debate, inquiry learning, media centers and reading centers emerge, makerspaces, and more. There definitely are times when quiet is appropriate, but don’t let it rule your library.
​
Professional Organization
CCSLA is our local Clark County School Librarians Association and AASL is the American Association of School Libraries. Be a part of your professional organization. Read professional journals and magazines to spark innovation. AASL has the best conferences for school libraries! Check out the AASL Conference: November 9-11, 2017 in Phoenix, AZ. Not only do they have excellent conferences, but you can also access their website for a plethora of school library information. Your local association is your opportunity to network with other teacher librarians in your area to bounce ideas off one another and advocate for your profession.
 
National School Library month is a perfect time to celebrate your library and what you do, but remember; National School Library is one month and what you do for your school community is lifelong...adapt!
Picture
​Resources
Steven Bickmore <http://www.yawednesday.com/>
"Jennifer Gonzalez" <gonzjenn@cultofpedagogy.com>
AASL <http://www.ala.org/aasl/>
Mighty Little Librarian <http://www.mightylittlelibrarian.com/>
The True Adventures of a High School Librarian <http://www.nikkidrobertson.com/>
The Daring Librarian <http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/>
The Unquiet Librarian <https://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com/>
Annoyed Librarian <http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/>
2 Comments
N10-007 dumps link
4/20/2018 12:16:31 am

It’s very excellent information and more real facts to provided that post.Thank you for sharing this information.

Reply
best ebook reading apps link
12/10/2021 11:32:57 am

You know I can relate to all of this! And even though I’ve seen you a few times in person, it is still nice to see you back in the internet too! And your outfit is adorable as always!!! That skirt is so good!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Dr. Gretchen Rumohr
    Chief Curator
    Gretchen Rumohr is a professor of English and department chair at Aquinas College, where she teaches writing and language arts methods.   She is also a Co-Director of the UNLV Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature. She lives with her four girls and a five-pound Yorkshire Terrier in west Michigan.

    Dr. Steve Bickmore
    ​Creator and Curator

    Dr. Bickmore is a Professor of English Education at UNLV. He is a scholar of Young Adult Literature and past editor of The ALAN Review and a past president of ALAN. He is a available for speaking engagements at schools, conferences, book festivals, and parent organizations. More information can be found on the Contact page and the About page.

    Co-Edited Books

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    Categories

    All
    Chris-lynch

    Blogs to Follow

    Ethical ELA
    nerdybookclub
    NCTE Blog
    yalsa.ala.org/blog/

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly