Tag Archives: Literacy

Free Audiobooks for Young Readers!

Some rights reserved by Bigbadvoo
Some rights reserved by Bigbadvoo

Has your library participated in Sync?

Between May 30th  – August 21st  Sync will be giving away two free audiobook downloads, each week, for listeners 13 years of age or older.  This service began in 2010 to promote literacy among young adults.   As an alternative to listening to music, these downloads are MP3 formats that operate through Over Drive’s Media Console and are compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems.  Once the title is downloaded, it can be listened to at any time. However, they will only be made available, for download, for only 7 days.

How Do I Sign-up? Go to the right column and sign-up to get notifications of when the audiobook downloads are available by text message, email newsletter, or by simply following the SYNC blog.  Please note that signing up for these alerts will not send you the titles.  The alerts will only tell you when and where the title is available to download. Click here for a schedule.

Tip:  If you would like to promote this free service in your library, the Sync site offers a toolkit for Librarians & Educators with a host of resources. 

Are High School Seniors Ready for College?

Some rights reserved by Univers Beldbank
Some rights reserved by       Univers Beldbank

The ACT National Curriculum Survey is a nationwide survey of educational practices and expectations. Conducted every three to five years by ACT, the survey collects data about what entering college students should know and be able to do to be ready for college-level coursework in English, math, reading, and science. The 2012 ACT National Curriculum Policy report found that high school teachers think their students are ready for college, but college professors beg to differ. In fact, data showed that 89 percent of high school teachers report their students are “well” or “very well” prepared for college-level work in the subject they teach, while just 26 percent of college instructors say incoming students are “well” or “very well” prepared for entry-level courses. This discrepancy in perception has remained consistent to the 2009 survey results. An interesting dilemma for educators in both high schools and colleges! CMLE staff have noticed  a similar experience through our Bridging Information Literacy Across Libraries initiative work. We know that many high school media specialists teach information literacy skills, but somehow, some of the teachings don’t “stick” and students experience difficulty doing research, writing, and citing sources in college. Talking across library types can be a powerful beginning  to better understand this issue. CMLE will continue to act as a bridge for this conversation to happen between high school media specialists and college librarians. We also hope to include public librarians in future “Bridging” work too. We welcome your ideas for future programming in this area.

Feature Libraries: Children’s and Book Day!

Some rights reserved by Pat Mora
Some rights reserved by Pat Mora

April 30th is a celebration of children, families and reading!

The creative world of fantasy, colorful graphic books, sumptuous story lines and classic tales epitomize the ideals of a child’s world where anything is possible.
The first celebration of Children’s Day occurred in 1925 to bring to the forefront the importance of children and their well-being. Then in 1996, author Pat Mora proposed linking Children’s Day and Book Day; marrying the two concepts into what we know it as today.

Consider how your library can encourage reading and imagination on Children’s and Book Day Tuesday, April 30th?

  • Ideas and additional information can be found at the American Libraries Association website.
  • Resources for children’s books appeared in a previous CMLE post for D.E.A.R. Day which includes the 2013 List of Notable Children’s Books.

Teaching Children About $

Some rights reserved by Kenteegardin
Some rights reserved by Kenteegardin

During National Financial Literacy Month this April, it is the perfect time for parents to begin talking to their children about finances and the value of making good choices.  One excellent way to teach children about money is by reading books that instill these messages through storytelling.

As a resource for your library, click here for a list of books by MoneyAndStuff.info you can recommend to patrons of all ages. Also, to encourage libraries to promote financial literacy, the University of Minnesota Extension offers a free webinar (available anytime), titled, “Promote Financial Literacy Month @ Your Library.”

According to Kristen Mastel,  Outreach & Instruction Librarian and Minnesota Library Association President 2013, “Reading young children stories with financial concepts and discussing money matters can help children learn about money and become responsible money managers.  Reading books and talking with children about resource management topics during the early, formative years is ideal because this is when life habits and skills are developed.  In addition, when parents are involved with helping their children learn wise use of financial resources, the parents typically increase their ability to manage their own financial resources.” For more information you can view Kristen Mastel’s blog the KLMLibrarian.

A Snapshot of Illiteracy Rates in the U.S.

Blog post suggestion submitted by CMLE Member Representative                                                                        –  Wanda Erickson, Media Specialist, Upsala Area Schools

In February, Online Courses posted a blog regarding literacy rates (rather illiteracy rates) in the United States. You may be surprised to see which city has the lowest and/or highest literacy? Click here for a snapshot of these findings.

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