Remote Learning Resources and Ideas for Librarians

April 4 marks National School Librarian Day, an occasion to celebrate the contributions of librarians and media specialists in schools and districts across the country. Of course, librarians today face the challenge of a truncated, flipped, and thoroughly unpredictable school year. To help, we’ve gathered resources for librarians to help carry out their vital roles while facilitating the new reality of remote teaching and learning. 

Curated Tools for Remote Learning

A number of library-oriented and educational organizations are bringing together troves of links to free or temporarily-free remote learning resources useful to schools libraries. 

THE Journal

The staff at THE has put together a list of resources, archives, tools, and more from Adobe to Zoom. Be sure to spend some time looking through the list, not only to spot tools or techniques you may have missed, but to explore repositories of information and ideas to implement effective pedagogy, even (and especially) at a distance. 

In response to the number of states, districts and schools that are shuttering schools to students over the next several weeks in response to fears about the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), education technology companies have stepped forward to help educators reach students in virtual ways. In many cases, the companies are making their paid services free through the rest of the school year; in other cases, they’re lifting limits to services and/or adding premium features to what’s free. The following list will be updated regularly as announcements are made.

THE Journal

Texas Association of School Librarians

TASL has put together a handy Wakelet that collates many remote teaching and learning tools. Notably, they include an “Ideas and Best Practices” section to help you juggle all the options you’re faced with. 

My hope is that we can use this time to get kids excited about learning things they aren’t able to do while they’re at school, rather than having them fill out worksheet after worksheet.

Denise Pope, “Stanford scholar offers ideas to upgrade lessons for kids at home during coronavirus school closures,” Stanford

Collecting Best Practices

In the vein of bringing together and sharing best practices, here are a few sites that collect good ideas for librarians faced with our current challenges.

American Library Association

The ALA has gathered a number of resources and recommendations. Their Pandemic Preparedness page include topics to consider in crafting library policy, remote professional development/training resources, and links to state and local information. 

Through ALA, the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) has even shared best practices for disinfecting circulated books.

Lone Star College-Kingwood

The folks at the Kingwood campus of Lone Star College have shared their Learning Commons Contingency Plan, a solid resource to help organize and structure your plans and practices as you deliver learning remotely.

TCEA Remote Learning

And don’t forget to check out the many resources and videos that TCEA has put together to help with remote teaching, learning, and leading. More are added daily. And this blog is constantly being updated to help librarians, teachers, and administrators.

Have your own ideas, tools, or good practices to share? Let us know in the comments!