All posts by John

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Featured Book: Complete Copyright for K-12 Librarians and Educators

russellc300e

Title: Complete Copyright for K-12 Librarians and Educators by Carrie Russell.

Reviewed by: John Meyerhofer, CMLE Information Specialist

Quick Take: Complete Copyright for K-12 Librarians and Educators by Carrie Russell is a resource that no K-12 Librarian should be without. The book covers the topics of copyright, fair use with practical scenarios and plenty of “what-if” situations.

 

Review: The Complete Copyright for K-12 Librarians and Educators by Carrie Russell book begins with a look at what is copyright. The text is very readable and not overly technical. It certainly doesn’t read like how a lawyer talks. One of the best parts of this section are the “Misconceptions”

ccbook1

These address some of the things you might not know about copyright by dispelling some of copyright myths.

Next Russell moves on to Fair Use. We learn that the four factors of Fair Use are: purpose of the use, nature of the work, amount used, and effect on the market for the work. These are however just guidelines not the law. Frequently, the book will have quick question pull-outs that give practical advice to real questions:

ccbook2

After Fair Use, the next two chapters are spent talking about video use in schools and digitizing textbooks. In both cases we learn more about how much is too much and when it’s appropriate. Again Russell provides real world scenarios to talk about the issues and provide answers to common questions.

For the K-12 Librarian, actually any librarian, the Complete Copyright for K-12 Librarians and Educators by Carrie Russell belongs in your library!

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Updates from State Library Services

state_mnUpdates from State Library Services

Libraries Serving Youth Meetup
Registration begins February 14, 2015 for State Library Services’ first ever Libraries Serving Youth Meetup. It’s a chance for school and public library staff to meet, network and share ideas. Learn about successful public library and school collaborations, get creative ideas and enjoy a free working lunch. Scheduled presenters from across the state include Brianna Belanger, Mike Evavold, Chad Lubbers, Ellen Morehouse, Donna Ohlgren, Nina Shimmin, and Erin Smith.

The Meetup is scheduled for Saturday, April 18, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Minnesota Department of Education in Roseville. Space is limited, so register early. There is no charge for the event. A certificate of attendance for CEUs will be available. For more information, please contact Jennifer Verbrugge at jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us or 651-582-8356.

Summer and At-Risk Food Programs for Kids – Archived Webinar
Learn more about how your public library can help make sure kids have access to nutritious food when school is not in session by participating in summer and/or afterschool food programs. A recorded webinar presented by Jenny Butcher, USDA Summer Food Service Program Coordinator at MDE is available now. Go to the WebEx, then the “Recorded Sessions” link to view “Libraries Can Help Feed Children This Summer.” Please contact Jenny Butcher at jenny.butcher@state.mn.us for more information or to learn about becoming a food site.

90-Second Newbery Film Festival News
We’re excited that Minnesota movie-makers submitted 35 entries to this year’s 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. Festival host James Kennedy is now selecting the Minnesota-made videos to be shown at the first-ever Minnesota screening on February 28, 2015, from 3-4:30 p.m. at Hennepin County – Minneapolis Central. Although pre-registration isn’t required, you can RSVP to attend the event, which will be co-hosted by madcap authors James Kennedy (The Order of Odd-Fish) and Kelly Barnhill (The Witch’s Boy). For more details, please contact Jennifer Verbrugge at jennifer.verbrugge@state.mn.us or 651-582-8356.

MN eLearning Summit
The MN eLearning Summit, coordinated by Minnesota Learning Commons, is a gathering place for educators and innovators in the Midwest who are committed to effective online and blended learning. You are invited to submit a presentation, panel, and/or poster presentation proposal by Friday, March 13, 2015 for the 2015 MN eLearning Summit, July 29-30, 2015 at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. For more information including submission requirements and topics, visit the MN eLearning Summit website or contact Julie Schmitz at 612-624-4754 or cceconf2@umn.edu.

MDH Video Challenge
The Minnesota Department of Health is holding a web-based video competition for middle and high school students to create a 30-second video on the dangers of tanning and the new Minnesota law prohibiting minors from indoor tanning. The UVideo Challenge awards cash prizes, split between the student filmmaker and his/her school. The deadline to submit entries is April 1, 2015. Find more information on the UVideo Challenge website.

Powering Learning. Expanding Possibilities.
Registration is open for “Powering Learning. Expanding Possibilities,” a statewide out-of-school time learning and STEM conference co-organized by Ignite and the Minnesota STEM Network that will be held at the University of Minnesota Continuing Education and Conference Center on April 14-15, 2015. This two-day conference aims to ensure every Minnesota young person has opportunities to build 21st century skills and access to STEM education. Attendees will learn about high quality practices, building partnerships, and advancing policy to increase student engagement. For more information, please contact Matthew Ramirez, Conference Coordinator, at Matt@igniteafterschool.org.

Public Library Annual Reports
The 2014 Public Library Annual Report process is now open. We were alerted to a technical issue with the vendor’s email service, which may have prevented you from receiving information about the process. If you have not received information about this year’s report, please contact Emily Kissane at emily.kissane@state.mn.us or Jennifer Nelson at jennifer.r.nelson@state.mn.us.

Historic Minneapolis Tribune Update
Last year, State Library Services transferred ownership of the digitized Minneapolis Tribune (1867-1922) to the Minnesota Historical Society for integration into the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub. The Minnesota Historical Society created a new technical standard to guide the conversion of almost 300,000 historic Minneapolis Tribune digital newspaper pages. This is a long, complex project, but we anticipate access to be restored in 2015. For more information, contact Jane Wong at jane.wong@mnhs.org.
General

Saying goodbye to Jon Stewart

Last week, Jon Stewart announced that this would be his last year on The Daily Show.

During the announcement, Stewart reminisced about the past experiences on the show (which he came to in 1999) and stated that it has been the longest job he’s ever held.  For your viewing pleasure, here is The Guardian’s 10 best Jon Stewart moments. If you need a quick laugh, check out his appearance on Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee:

Academic, General

ACRL’s new Information Literacy framework

Raining

2/18/2015 Update: the framework has been approved! View it here.

Recently it was announced that the final draft of the new Information Literacy framework was submitted to the ACRL Board. This framework will be updating the existing Information Literacy standards which were approved in January of 2000. Following the 10 year review cycle, ACRL took up the task and determined that they should be significantly revised.

Starting on page 7, the final draft framework can be found here.

The updated Information Literacy framework is a radical shift from the existing IL standards. In it, ACRL has abandoned learning outcomes instead choosing threshold concepts as their main focus. “Threshold concepts are core tenets in a particular discipline that are transformative, irreversible, integrative, bounded, and potentially troublesome” (Meyer and Land, 2006, 7-8).

A lot has been written about threshold concepts but an excellent primer is the Threshold Concepts and Information Literacy article by Townsend et al. Also, for those that have the means, check out the Information Literacy Summit at Moraine Valley Community College in Illinois on April 10th.

These changes are applicable to academic librarians, but school librarians and media specialists should be aware of these changes too. As always, high school seniors who are going off to college will need to be familiar with Information Literacy!

General, School Media Specialist

Wi-Fi Wired School Buses: The Next Big Thing for Internet Access

640px-First_Student_IC_school_bus_202076With more and more schools going to a 1:1 or BYOD model, internet access is crucial to students working on and completing their school work. Melissa Nott of Edudemic recently wrote about a school in California that has found a creative way of providing access beyond its school walls: installing routers in their buses! Now students can use this down time on school work. Nott also states that the increased access improves on the digital divide that might exist for some students who don’t have internet access at home.

Read the whole article here.

Locally, Becker has done this but has your school done it too? Tell us about it!

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/qgkov6r, licensed under CC-BY-SA-3.0