Image by Photologue_NP. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.
A variety of reports, studies, and survey results are now in, and open for your review. The good news or bad news depends on where your heart lies in the library field. Our biggest challenge is finding data that works equally well for academic, public, school, and special libraries. A number of links are provided here to help you hone in on what matters most to you. If you want to review the entire landscape of library types, consider reviewing all of the following links.
Most notable in placement rate was in school libraries. National school library placements dropped from 13.5 percent of the reported jobs in 2011 to 8.9 percent in 2012. And, in the Midwest, the placement rate dropped from 40 percent of the reported school library positions in 2011 to 21.7 percent in 2012! However, on a positive note, school media salaries improved by nearly two percent, rising from $44,515 in 2011 to $45,376 in 2012. Also of interest is that about 21 percent of job placements are in organizations other than library or information agencies. This encompasses state and federal governmental agencies, nonprofits, and corporate environments.
So, whether you are ready to celebrate good news or wallow in defeat, there is one last link to consider if you want to hear how others in the library field respond to their investment in their Masters in Library science and/or this data and/or the outlook and advice for the future. Go to the Beer Brarian blog to read and comment on the library landscape. Tip: Working on your degree right now? Read sage advice from those who hire!
Image Retrieved online from Minnesota Book Awards site 10/28/13.
MEMO and The Friends of The Saint Paul Public Library are providing free Minnesota Book Award materials for all MEMO members. Posters and bookmarks can be ordered online. Click here to request your materials.
Tip: Pass these on to your teachers and students; especially if they have incorporated a MN Book Award winner in their curriculum. For an additional cost, Honored Book Seals are also available.
Image by PEW Research. Retrieved online October 8, 2013.
In 2012, PEW Research surveyed more than 2,400 teachers involved in Advanced Placement (AP) and/or National Writing Project (NWP) in the United States. The study asked teachers about their middle and high school student’s writing in relation to, and perception of, the influence of digital tools/technologies.
The study findings indicated that digital tools created a wider, more diverse audience; and encouraged collaboration and personal expression across multiple platforms. Also, undesirable effects of these digital tools were noted which included the use of a more informal writing style and language. The research goes into further detail about copyrighting, plagiarism, comprehension, etc. Click here for the summary of findings, full report and additional information about survey methodology for the PEW Research study, The Impact of Digital Tools on Student Writing and How Writing is Taught in School by PEW Research’s (July 2013).
Welcome to Your Voice, a column that shares Quick Question Poll (QQP) results from libraries/school media centers in the twelve-county, CMLE region. Whether a statistical response or textual response to open ended questions, your voice matters. Invitations to engage in the polls arrive in your email; please participate! Most poll results will be shared in aggregate form unless stated otherwise in the poll or through additional approval arrangements.
Image by pictureorpictures. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Common’s licensing.
Last year, we did a number of very short online Quick Question Polls, to gather input from the region. The last one we did was titled Year in Review. In that QQP we asked you to reflect on the academic year, and share the high points and/or struggles too. We were delighted that a dedicated group of people still possessed enough energy to engage in the poll! Eighty-two percent of respondents were from K-12 school media centers in Central Minnesota, which isn’t a huge surprise; it is the largest member group that CMLE serves. So, drum roll please……on to the positivity!
In answer to one of the questions: Which two or three things are going especially well for you in your library, school district or media center?Given the gift of time, I would categorize all responses. Lacking that at the moment, I thought it might be refreshing to hear a smattering of positivity from peers in the region. A few colleague responses were…
I have two good media assistants that help me run two libraries. We are getting some Chromebooks for our students to use because our labs are tied up so often with testing.
Adult book discussions are popular and going well as is story time for preschoolers.
Rearranged collection to a more “store” model rather than using the traditional library arrangement. Also redecorated the media center to remove the 90’s look and to create a more inviting teen reading environment. Also worked with grade level teams in our Phase 1 of the DC Digital Learning Initiative.
Connecting with students and helping them connect with books.
Supportive Administration—A very busy Media Center!
Every building has a full time media specialist in the district and our process for making tech decisions is fluid which means we’ve made a lot of progress regarding technology this year (keep in mind we don’t have a technology administrator OR a district tech integrationists). I’m pretty proud of my fiction collection in my library as well!
The way we have classes scheduled to come into the library. We use shelf markers with their names on them and that helps when they are looking for a book because they put the shelf marker in the bookshelf where they take the book out. Then, if they look at it and decide it isn’t the book for them, they know where it should go back. It also helps for checking out materials as the barcode is on the shelf markers. All barcode numbers are the same as their lunch numbers.
Technology is moving forward at a good pace. I’ve been able to reach most of my students with research skills, and am part of the Digital Citizenship class (grade 9).
I like to think of the contents of this post as a spoonful of positivity in Central Minnesota! At a time of the year when energy could have been low, I found creativity, value, and optimism in all responses. Everyone felt positive about some aspect of their work! Taking the time to review and reflect on accomplishments and lessons learned, can enrich our practice and improve satisfaction levels in our jobs too. Stay tuned for more results soon.
If you have suggestions for new polls, or have questions about existing polls, please feel free to contact me at papost@stcloudstate.edu or 320-308-4779.
Last year respondents to the QQP’s were entered into a drawing for a $50 Amazon gift ! Who won? It was Kyle Breitkreutz, media specialist at Sartell Middle School. According to Kyle, he never wins anything, so we are glad we could break that trend for him! Watch your email for Quick Question Polls again this year! And remember, your voice matters!
Image by Charles Jeffrey Danoff. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Common’s licensing.
All librarians/media specialists teach! Some are assigned specific courses, others work with classes throughout the year and many collaborate with other teachers to identify resources and develop appropriate curriculum.
Dawn Casey-Rowe wrote an article for new teachers sharing her experiences, and offering sound advice that is applicable for first year newbies to seasoned veterans. This post includes lists of resources and adoption tips; stressing the importance of mentoring, developing checklists, managing behaviors, etc. Even more valuable may be the links to additional resources. Click here to read the full article, 10 Digital Resources for New Teachers (August 2013.)
Tip: A learnist board is a visual repository of articles and resources. While reading the 50 Different Bulletin Boards for Your Classroom, I navigated my way to a “how to” learnist board about writing. Click here to view the board.
Partnering with libraries for visioning, advocating, and educating
