Integrating Storytime and the Digital World

Paganelli, A. (2016). Storytimes IN A DIGITAL WORLD. Knowledge Quest, 44(3), 8-17.

This teacher librarian finds over time finds that her students are less and less engaged in her read-aloud storybook time.  She investigates different digital options to strengthen her storybook time.

Several charts present side-by-side comparison guides for read-aloud and digital story time.  Suggestions of options to provide digital versions are given, alongside paid and free websites/apps.  Clearly, this librarian is well-versed with various digital options.  I find myself a little overwhelmed with the options she offers.  But by providing various options, I can find the ones that would work with my population.

G Thormann

Spring 2016

Collaborative Connection and Collection Development

Loertscher, D. & Koechlin, C. (2016). Collection Development and Collaborative Connection Development: Or, Curation. Teacher Librarian, 43(4), 52-53.

This article by our professor and his colleague resembles our course goals at this time in Spring of 2016.  Collaborative connection development using Open Educational Resources (OER) is presented as the next best practice for collection development. 

The premise of “It’s my job as a teacher librarian to develop the collection” is changed to “It’s OUR job as teacher librarians, classroom teachers, and students to curate the best education resources for the topic at hand.”  Using free resources such as Google Apps, teacher librarians, classroom teachers and students can use and add resources, and completed projects to a topic being studied.  Thus, a Virtual Learning Commons (VLC) is created with collaborative connection input from everyone.

Different levels of participation are presented for implementation:  Within a school, district, region or state, national, and on every level.  This level of participation can compete directly with Google and Wikipedia.  And, regardless of funding restrictions, as all resources are free, everyone can participate to build and use these resources.

G Thormann
Spring 2016

Internet of Things (IoT) and Security

Massis, B. (2016).  The internet of things and its impact on the library. New Library World, 117(3/4), 289-292.

As more and more devices are interconnected into the IoT – Internet of Things – the more at risk we are, as to our privacy and security rights.  However, the library that collects data quickly from interconnected devices can benefit to improve its environment. 

IoT is defined to be comprised of an interconnected system of ‘things’ that also includes people.  These relationships are people-people, people-things and things-things.  As the number of devices and connections increase, so do the vulnerabilities and the possibility that personal data may be taken without consent.  The stunning number presented in 2013 that by 2020 more than 26 billion connected devices will be in use, is supplemented by the forecast that 25 billion devices may be connected to the internet by now – early 2016. 

The article asks what can libraries do in this environment?  Librarians can answer with clear, calm, transparent answers about the networks patrons use in the library.  And, libraries should be posting and updating notices in real-world and digital forms so all are aware of the changes.  Librarians are encouraged to be active participants in this eventual reality, and to search for ‘security,’ as patrons ask questions.

G Thormann
Spring 2016

Do School Libraries Need to Have Books?

TVOParents Your Voice (May 23, 2010). Do school libraries need to have books?. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/ULqg9qsbg7o?t=8m41s

A panel interview with Toronto librarians discusses whether books are still necessary in the age of digitization.  Are school libraries full of books an old fashioned notion?  These librarians say definitely no!  Variety of materials and library spaces that encourage imagination, ideas, creativity and most of all a love of reading is purported as the foundation of a strong school library.  Start watching at 8:39 to see the interviewees delve deeper into this topic.  While this video was hosted in 2010, nearly six years later I see the same pressures affecting school librarians and school library programs.  It is important to weigh the pros and cons of each type of format, whether print or digital, ideally having both to build an information/idea rich environment.  The other important aspect is taking stock in what patrons need and want when considering digital vs. print materials.

J. Hasselberger
Spring 2016

Dewey Lite: Flippant or Forward Thinking?

Gattullo Marracolla, E. & Parrot, K. Dewey-lite: a solution to the nonfiction problem (PDF document). Retrieved from Institution Handouts: http://www.ala.org/alsc/sites/ala.org.alsc/files/content/NI14Handouts/Dewey-Lite_Handout1.pdf

From a collection development standpoint, is reorganizing the school library using a system other than Dewey Decimal a good plan?  The 2014 ASLA Institute presentation, Dewey-lite: A Solution to the Nonfiction Problem, explains some of the potential benefits of this method, such as a significant rise in nonfiction circulation, better visibility of a wider variety of titles, and ultimately a patron-focused collection.  This presentation may be an oversimplification of these benefits, although this has become a trend across US children's libraries, as well as in Canada and others.  So what would one of these library collections look like?

First, nonfiction sections are broken up into, what is considered more intuitive categories such as these mentioned in the presentation from Darien Library,

• Create: which includes music, arts, gardening, dance, and cooking
• Then & Now: which includes geography, history, and current events
• Animals: which includes all living things prehistoric and currently living

Or these from the Metis system as mentioned in a School Library Journal 2012 article,

• Languages
• Humor
• Community
• Countries
• Machines
• Ourselves

When the reorganizing first takes place, sorting, organizing and weeding will likely take place too.  These new categories may bring unidentified collection needs to light and/or may help to address some needs that had been previously identified.  

Here is a look at this process in action, and the reaction afterward of two elementary school librarians in Ontario, Canada.  

J. Hasselberger

Spring 2016

Feel the Need to Weed!

  

Reaching Across Illinois Library System. (July 24, 2015). Feel the need to weed! Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoyVSmb2aZo

In this RAILS(Reaching Across Illinois Library System) video, Rebecca Vnuk, librarian and author of The Weeding Handbook(2015) and Head of Youth Services, Veronica De Fazio, offer some great basics on how to weed a collection whether in a public library setting or academic setting.  While this video is designed for someone who has never embarked on this endeavor before, it is thorough and the Question & Answer portion starting at 51:21 offers useful specifics for a variety of situations.  Get your basics covered with this hour long watch.


A little bit of food for thought:

J. Hasselberger
Spring 2016

Crowd-Sourcing Weeding: Making it fun, makes it effective

Empire State Library Network. (April 4, 2016). Patron-driven weeding as engagement and collection management. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbUVT0igDl0

After a comprehensive analysis of the library collection and circulation habits, university librarians, Kristin Hart and Rebecca Hyams, realized their collection was in dire need of an overhaul.  With their work cut out for them, they attempt some unorthodox methods for a major (80% of collection) weeding involving students and faculty.

Reasons to weed:

• Not serving needs of students or faculty
• Students/Patrons inclined to pick the shortest book, were not necessarily picking the best for scholarship/relevance
• Students/Patrons when desperate were using the "take anything" method, rather than the most suitable and reliable resource

Ways to Make a Fun Weed with Patrons:

• Design a Scavenger hunt for the funniest/strangest/oldest/weirdest book, divide students into groups and offer prizes (most of what was collected was on the "No Circ" report and ultimately weeded out
• Incorporate Weeding activities in regularly scheduled Library Workshops - Students didn't need much guidance and managed to pick things within the standard weeding criteria

Ways to Involve Faculty

• Share collection metrics, even if it's negative data
• Pitch participation as relying on their expertise to pick the right items to keep/get rid of
• Send out survey- open up lines of communication
• Plan weeding days 

Results

• About 5,000 books evaluated, about 41% discarded
• 10 faculty very involved in process
• Involved students spend more time in library, make face-to-face suggestions for purchases
• Will hopefully lead to a more thoughtful library policy 

J. Hasselberger

Spring 2016