Category Archives: Programs

Programs

Spotlight Program: Lights, Camera, and an Idea Worth Spreading

TED wordmark

At CMLE, we so enjoy all our different types of libraries, archives, and other members! Seeing all the work you are doing is so inspiring; and we want to return the favor by helping you to find some of the great programming going on around the profession.

Each week we will share an interesting program we find. It may inspire you to do exactly the same thing; or to try something related; or just to try out some different programming ideas.

We are big fans of TED talks – there are ideas for everyone, with all kinds of topics covered! If you need inspiration, or suggestions, or just entertainment, TED talks have you covered. So it was very cool to read this article from the Programming Librarian about bringing TED talks into your library! This is by Donna Mignardi  & Jennifer Sturge, Calvert County Public Schools, Prince Frederick, Md.

“Most of us are familiar with TED Talks, a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas through short, often powerful, talks. As librarians, we can use the format of a TED Talk to engage students and teachers with research and encourage them to spread their ideas.

We chose to incorporate TED-ED into our ninth-grade programming — with excellent results. In fact, we are now hoping to spread it to eighth and fifth grades as culminating projects during those capstone years in our district.

TED-ED Clubs in the library

Imagine this:

Students are giving their final presentations.

They are enthusiastic about their topic.  You can hear it in their voices.

Students start their presentation with a great hook, drawing in the audience.

They engage the audience with impactful visuals.

The conclusion is strong.

That vision of research perfection was our experience with TED-ED Clubs. The club curriculum consists of 13 lessons that will help you and the classroom teacher to develop an idea/topic and coach students on how to present a topic.

Identifying interests 

As students work through the process of developing a research question, TED-ED helps them formulate the research question as “an idea worth spreading.” Students have to spend time really defining their topic, the importance of their topic, and dig into their reasons for choosing a topic. For example, one of our students was very passionate about horses. Through the lens of the TED-ED curriculum, she had to think about about horses and narrow her topic into an idea worth spreading. She ended up giving a very compelling TED talk on the therapeutic benefits of horses and horseback riding.

Once students have an understanding of what makes an idea worth sharing and have chosen a topic, we work with the students to identify the most compelling arguments for their idea/topic. What do they want their audience to know?  This exercise helps students direct their research and is a perfect time to have a research conference with each student.

Student in front of his Ted-Ed presentationTED-ED Club curriculum takes students through 13 steps to select and refine a research topic to present.

The TED-ED research project is authentic learning, helping students identify their interests/passions and turning those interests into an idea they WANT to research and share. Being part of the TED-ED Club also provides the opportunity to upload finished TED talks to the TED-ED Clubs YouTube channel. For the students, the possibility of sharing their idea on a global platform is enticing.

Getting started

Here are a few things we learned that may be useful as you get started.

  • Anyone (students included) may apply to be a TED-ED club facilitator.
  • The end of the school year is a great time for this project. Some of the topics students share are very personal. Students need to have trust in their classroom teacher and classmates.
  • In addition to a camcorder, we used a SWIVL to record the students. Using the SWIVL meant that we knew that we would have clear audio. Also, the videos are uploaded to the SWIVL cloud, which provides an easy link for sharing. Students were sent a link that day and were able to reflect on their presentation. The link was also shared with appreciative parents. The community and parent involvement with this project was strong.

Information literacy, media literacy, presentation literacy. Student generated TED talks can be a research project that covers it all.

Watch a sample student project!”

Advocacy, Programs

Our Latest Postcard Party! The Local Blend on May 31st

We are excited to host another Library Advocacy Postcard Party on Thursday, May 31st! We will be at the Local Blend in St. Joseph from 3-5pm with postcards, library facts, addresses for state and federal legislators (if you have information for principals or school board members, bring those along too), and sample text of what to write on your postcard. Plus, we’ll mail all the postcards at the end!

The goal behind our Postcard Parties is to share the value of libraries with legislators and other library stakeholders who may not hear enough about the incredible work that takes place in libraries. It’s up to us to let them know how important libraries are!

We really had fun at our last Postcard Party in December. As you can see, there was lots of advocacy, networking, and conversation. So don’t miss out, join us May 31st!

Programs

Spotlight Program: Warm and Fuzzy: Hot Chocolate and Alpacas

Hot chocolate at Costa Coffee

At CMLE, we so enjoy all our different types of libraries, archives, and other members! Seeing all the work you are doing is so inspiring; and we want to return the favor by helping you to find some of the great programming going on around the profession.

Each week we will share an interesting program we find. It may inspire you to do exactly the same thing; or to try something related; or just to try out some different programming ideas.

We are big fans of the idea of Hygge! (Check out our book suggestion on The Little Book of Hygge here.) This is a very neat program by Lauren Sanchez, Adult Programs Coordinator, Groton Public Library. (You can find her entire article from the Programming Librarian here.)

“The point of the program was to warm up with hot chocolate and meet the Luina Greine Farm alpacas of Groton. The program held on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 1 to 3 p.m. This was the kick-off event for our community read of “The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living” by Meik Wiking.

Luina Greine Farm came and set up a pen and brought two of their friendliest alpacas for free. We allowed them to set up a table with some of their products to sell. Just inside the entryway of the library we set up three slow cookers full of hot chocolate with marshmallows, peppermint and whipped cream. We had a line out the door for the hot chocolate.

If weather permitted, there was going to be sledding, but that didn’t happen because it was warm that day. The sledding would’ve topped it off, but regardless, it was such a fun day.

Extra staff had to come in with their slow cookers, and a few of my family members came to volunteer, giving out hot chocolate when it got busy.

We didn’t have the sledding activity, so we set up a craft in the children’s room because we felt like there should be a third element to the program.

This was seriously one of the easiest programs to put together, logistically speaking. Making the hot chocolate was one of the more challenging aspects.

We had 150 participants in the end. We had a lot of positive feedback; it was much loved. It made the front of the local newspaper, and people really enjoyed seeing the alpacas. Lots of people sent us photos of kids petting the alpacas.

Programs

Spotlight Program: Creating Engagement Through Questions

Quizz transparent
At CMLE, we so enjoy all our different types of libraries, archives, and other members! Seeing all the work you are doing is so inspiring; and we want to return the favor by helping you to find some of the great programming going on around the profession.

Each week we will share an interesting program we find. It may inspire you to do exactly the same thing; or to try something related; or just to try out some different programming ideas.

This week we have a “program” that I have seen in some of our member libraries, and it is something that any library could try! Check out the excerpt of the article below, and you can get all the details at the Programming Librarian website.

“Everyone loves to share their opinions — you just have to ask them. And what better way to get to know your student community than to ask them about their thoughts, feelings and lives?

Your method of polling doesn’t have to be high-tech. A simple question or prompt on a well-placed whiteboard is enough to engage students.

From high-tech polling through websites and social media, to simple solutions that need only a whiteboard, a weekly question can provide insight into the thoughts and feelings of your students. With questions ranging from serious to silly, it also helps students to engage with the library in a new way.

How to poll

Whiteboard questions: While I send a formal survey to students at the end of each year, a whiteboard is how I most often poll my students. Each week, I jot a question on the top of a small whiteboard that sits between our circulation desk and front door. I leave out a few markers, and students add their answers throughout the week. At the end of the week, I snap a picture of the entire board and then erase for the next week’s question.

Social media polls: Facebook and Twitter have polling functions built into their posting options, and Instagram allows you to post polls in your Instagram Stories, though these will disappear after 24 hours.

Google forms: Google Forms are free and can be embedded just about anywhere. They also give you tons of options, such as adding images, allowing respondents to select multiple options, and showing results once people have voted.

What to ask

Poll the audience: Trying to decide which movie to show for a movie night? Looking at a few options for new furniture? Ask your students! Not only will you get help with decision making but creating opportunities for students to voice their preferences on library issues helps students feel empowered and engaged in your library.

Prepare for guest speakers: Have students submit questions for guest speakers and authors ahead of time. Students who might not feel comfortable asking a question in front of a large group can still have their questions answered at the event, and it helps you know that students are thinking ahead.

Book talk: Have students talk about the books they love or the books they’re reading. What would they recommend to a classmate? Who is their favorite author? What are they reading right now? What Hogwarts house or Divergent faction or Middle Earth species do they belong to?

Just for fun: Get silly and ask some questions that have nothing to do with the library. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Who inspires you? What teacher do you want to say thanks to, and why? Ask students to leave their favorite quote. Ask them to draw something. Ask them about their plans for school breaks. You could even have students suggest future questions — the possibilities are endless.

If you need inspiration, DePauw University Library has a LibGuide where they show tons of questions and responses from their whiteboard Question of the Week.

Other considerations

I teach high schoolers; sometimes they get inappropriate, especially since my library also serves middle schoolers. I always keep this in mind when I choose what questions to ask. I also know that if I get something inappropriate, I’ll erase the entire board rather than just the offensive comment. Make sure you know your audience and have a plan in place if you think this might happen to you.

If you’re using a whiteboard, provide plenty of dry erase markers to minimize the chance of students writing with permanent marker.”

You can find the rest of this article, and the nice photos, here!

Communication, Programs

Notable Dates for Your Noggin: May 2018

Each month we’ll bring you a compiled list of fun national holidays, birthdays of authors, and publication dates of favorite books. You can use these for your own personal use or for some library inspiration! Share what inspired you in the comments.

May is Gifts from the Garden Month! Other fun things to celebrate in May: