All posts by Theresa

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Librarians Show off Their Skills on Pinterest

Libraries of all types are utilizing Pinterest to connect with their users! Pinterest is great for this, because people can choose to follow just one of the library’s boards, all of them, or some number in between. Kiersten Bryant of INALJ (I Need A Library Job) browsed Pinterest and has put together a Top 10 list of libraries to follow. She finds these boards to be the most “inspiring and noteworthy.”  Here are 3 to get you started:

Bowling Green State University Music Library – Includes funny but informative videos about using the library.

 

Flannel Friday – Great for children’s libraries and librarians.

 

The New York Public Library Mid-Manhattan Art and Picture Collections – NYPL is a great example of a library using Pinterest.

Academic, General, School Media Specialist

Invent your own badges – and do more – with Passport!

PassportMany schools and other educators are using badges as a way to recognize students’ accomplishments.  We’ve previously written about badges and how they can be used in an educational setting.  Badges are a great way to acknowledge students’ success, and now you can make your own custom badges, for any achievement you’d like to acknowledge!

Passport, by Purdue University, allows users to do just this – you can create your own badges (from a variety of colors, texts, shapes, and designs)!  With Passport, you can distribute the badges; and students can review material, submit their own work, and complete quizzes!  Check out Passport to see how it can help you and your students.  It’s available for iOS, Android, and as a web app – trial access is also available!

General, School Media Specialist

Student-Created STEM Apps

Michael Sharnoff of eSchool News wants you to know just how creative and capable young students can be!  In October, he “had the privilege to meet with 20 student fellows, ages 15-25, selected for their video game and app prototypes that address social issues in their community.”  The students, who received a grant to continue to develop their apps, presented their projects to congressional leaders and the Obama administration in Washington, D.C.  Sharnoff put together a post seven of the apps that stood out to him – read it here!  And here’s a demo of one of the apps, Our World, an app designed to teach us about how humans effect the environment:

Check this out:, Public, School Media Specialist

Hats Off to School Libraries!

SLM Banner

2015 is  the 30th Anniversary of School Library Month (SLM)

The theme?  “Where Learning Never Ends.”  SLM is sponsored by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL).  AASL says that the annual celebration is an initiative where “school librarians are encouraged to create activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school library programs play in transforming learning.”

 Julianne Moore: 2015 National Spokesperson

Julianne Moore Besides being known for her role in the final two ‘Hunger Games’ films, Moore is also a bestselling author.  She wrote “My Mom is a Foreigner, But Not to Me,” which was inspired by her mother, a Scottish emigrant to the United States.  Moore’s children’s books, the Freckleface Strawberry series, “share the message that ‘the things that make you different also make you, YOU’.”  She has also created two apps based on the series.  Terri Grief, president of AASL, is excited that “everyone who sees these will recognize this fabulous celebrity and her wonderful commitment to literacy.”  In regards to why Moore is happy to be this year’s spokesperson, she said:

“School libraries make a difference.  I moved around a lot as a young child, and the first place I would visit in a new place was the school library.  The librarians guided me, encouraged me, and set the stage for my lifelong love of reading.  As educators, school librarians have a tremendous impact on our students’ personal and intellectual growth.  School libraries foster creativity, innovation, play, and experimentation and offer a nurturing, and safe place for children to learn.  I have a lot of love for librarians.”

  AASL will Present Free Weekly Webinars

Attendance at the live webinars below  is open to all. Only AASL members and AASL eCOLLAB subscribers will have access to the webinar archive. A seat in the live webinar is guaranteed to the first 100 attendees. As a webinar registrant, you will receive follow up correspondence from AASL.

CMLE would like to thank all school library personnel for the important support  they provide to administrators, teachers and students. The work is hard, and your efforts matter, so keep up the good work!

Happy School Library Month!