Tag Archives: Librarian

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Featured Book: The Falcon in the Glass

This post is a part of an original series created by librarians/media specialists across Central Minnesota featuring books. If you have a book you would like to showcase, send your review to our offices.

Review by Maria Burnham, SRRHS Library Media Specialist

Book: The Falcon in the Glass by Susan Fletcher

Maria Burnham, SRRH Library Media Specialist
Maria Burnham, SRRH Library Media Specialist

The novel The Falcon in the Glass by Susan Fletcher is technically classified as a middle school-level fantasy novel, although the book reads more like historical fiction than fantasy.  I was hesitant to read the book at first because fantasy is usually one of the last genres I reach for off the shelf.  However, I enjoyed this book immensely and find it appropriate for both high school and middle school students.

The novel follows the life of Renzo, a teenage boy who is working toward becoming a glassblower (his father’s dying wish for his son) in Venice, Italy as a means of supporting his mother and sister. With no one to teach him the trade, Renzo works tirelessly day and night to perfect his skills.  One night, however, he notices a small falcon in the shop; the bird belongs to a girl who has been hiding in the glassworks for warmth and protection.  And it turns out she’s not alone.  She’s one of ten orphaned children with bright green eyes who are condemned as witches thanks to their ability to communicate with birds.  Renzo struggles between helping these needy children and fulfilling the obligations of his future career to support his own family.

This novel contains both strong male and female characters alike. It explores the theme of moral obligations in the human race and would be a book that many students would enjoy, appreciate, and could easily discuss.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist

Game-Based Makerspaces

Image by Sergey Galyonkin. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by Sergey Galyonkin. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Gaming programs are growing in some libraries across the United States.  In ALA’s blog The Scoop, Brian Mayer wrote an article detailing how he facilitated game creation, with students, using classroom curriculum.  Mayer is a gaming and library technology specialist at the Genesee Valley (N.Y.) Educational Partnership. When creating this game-based type of makerspace, he focuses on “…demonstrating concept understanding and mastery throughout the design process and in the finished product.” This work is accomplished in collaboration with classroom teachers and the school librarians.  Find out more about how Mayer engages and empowers youth in Creating Game-Based Makerspaces, (July 2013.)

Note:  Interested in incorporating games in your learning process?  Read the related article, How to Gamify Your Classroom (October 2013), in which the author decodes how you can win students over in five simple levels.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Libraries and Reading Love: Neil Gaiman Lecture

Image by moriza. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by moriza. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

If you love libraries, books and reading, you are in for a real treat! As I read the text of a  recent lecture by British author Neil Gaiman, I fell in love all over again with these worlds. The funding, politics, and expectations  in library land can feel brutal at times, and far from the love relationship many of us feel with books and the world of books and reading.  Lectures like this are a treat, a reminder, a breath of fresh air.  Gaiman’s talk reminded me of what initially caused me to want to be a librarian. He  talks about fiction as having two uses. First, he describes fiction as  being the “gateway drug to reading”, which is endearing. He goes on to describe how reading fiction also builds empathy, which helps us function as more than self-obsessed individuals. The first time I experienced total escapism, I was hooked for life! Throughout this piece, Gaiman brings home the important  role of libraries and librarians too. Not a short read, definitely not a sound bite, but an absolute must read!

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist

Assisting Researchers

Image by Tulane Public Relations. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by Tulane Public Relations. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Many librarians assist patrons, often students, with research. As you know, it is important to take into consideration the varied skill-set for each patron and the types of resources available.  In the article, Tacit Knowledge and the Student Researcher, author Barbara Fister identifies practical approaches to library instruction from the perspective of today’s researchers. Some ideas discussed in this Insider Higher Ed article (June 2013) includes:

  • News verses opinions
  • The value of a table of contents and indexes
  • The relationship between articles and journals
  • Finding facts

Tip:  For those librarians that have been in the field for many years, Fister reminds us that accessing some materials has changed over time, which may not be common knowledge for all researchers.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

What Students Need From Reference Librarians

Image by Pascal Maramis. Retrieved from FlickR. Used under Creative Common's licensing.
Image by Pascal Maramis. Retrieved from FlickR. Used under Creative Common’s licensing.

Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) released a post online pertaining to a recent study exploring the various interactions librarians have with students.  The article discusses what specific skills, knowledge and experience the librarian used to assist each individual student. This study evaluated the effectiveness of working with a librarian from the student’s perspective. General areas discussed included;

  • Understanding resources and procedures
  • Knowledge about subjects and terminology
  • Ability to development topics
  • Personal experience with research
  • Subject expert referrals
  • Synthesis of questions
  • Interview and active listening skills

A summary of the findings can be found online: http://tinyurl.com/okxowtn

“What students need from reference librarians: Exploring the complexity of the individual consultation,” College & Research Libraries, 74, no 6 (June 2013): 288-29;  full text article.