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Libraries

Reimagine Your Library Space

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

When working on ways to reimagine your library space, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. It’s hard to know where to start, or if change is even possible — especially if you have little to no budget. Here are some tips that can help you take on your space, one step at a time.

Tip #1: Identify the Problems in Your Space

We all know that our libraries have problem areas. Maybe the printer is located on the opposite side of the library from the computers and students have to dash across to get their printouts. Or there’s a furniture layout issue that’s always causing traffic jams. Take some time to jot down these areas. Survey your students and teachers (I’m partial to digital surveys). Find out what they love about the library and what they would change. Learn what their ideal study/work environment is. Their answers might surprise you — and they can guide you as you formulate your plans.

Once you’ve figured out what some of your problem areas are, start taking photos and gathering data on their impact. This will help you when it comes time to write a grant or ask your administration for funding; having visuals of what the problems are can be very effective. For more on problem spaces in your library, check out my AASL post: How to Identify and Reframe Design Problems in Your Space.

Tip #2: Make Plans

As you start to work through your survey data and document your problem areas, it’s a good time to start making plans and brainstorming ideas about what you’d like to do in your space. Look for various places to find inspiration for your facility (here are some good places to visit). Find digital inspiration on Pinterest; it can be an excellent way to discover beautifully-designed schools and libraries. Check out my Library and Learning Space Design board to get started.

If you feel like taking your plans to the next level, create a layout diagram or floor plan of your space (tutorial here). Even if you just throw some shapes into Google Slides or sketch out your space on paper, take the time to get a bird’s eye view of the layout and how everything fits together. It may help you see possibilities you hadn’t noticed before.

Tip #3: Work with What You’ve Got

Many people assume that you can’t change up your library space until you get funding. But you don’t need a grant for thousands of dollars to change up your space. There’s plenty of changes you can make that cost little to nothing. Even if you know that funding is coming down the line, start prototyping ideas with free or low-budget solutions. This will help you to know if more costly options are worth it (for more on this idea, check out the book Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration).

Remove furniture and shelving that you don’t need and see what it does to open up the space. Get some friends to help you rearrange your tables, floor shelves, and other items that aren’t bolted to the floor. Sometimes a new furniture layout can work wonders.

Tip #4: The Collection Is Part of the Space

Usually when we think about the library space, we tend to focus on things like furniture, paint colors, rugs, etc. But the physical books in our library are a part of the space as well. Make sure your collection is well-weeded and that you’re adding books that students are excited to read. If possible, consider genre-fying your collection, or at least using labels or stickers to help students find the genres they love.

Tip #5: Spruce Things Up

Sometimes the little things can make a big difference like painting a wall or a pole a bright color, adding an interactive element like a whiteboard or chalkboard wall or, building a LEGO wall. Design new signage to help your students find things. Yes, some of these cost money, but the investments are relatively small, and the payoff can be huge.

Additional Resources

  • Reimagining Library Spaces: Transform Your Space on Any Budget: In my book, Reimagining Library Spaces, I breakdown a practical process for rethinking and redesigning a library space, no matter where your budget. Each chapter includes action steps and connections to the ISTE standards. The book also includes examples of four different reimagined library spaces.
  • Learning Space Design Resources page: On this page, I’ve curated various resources that I’ve found useful for thinking about library and learning space design.
  • The Space: A Guide for Educators: Robert Dillon and Rebecca Hare’s book offers up a ton of fantastic ideas for prototyping change in your space and getting your students involved in the process.
  • Library Spaces for 21st Century Learners – This book from AASL is a fantastic resource for planning changes to your space. I especially love the advice on surveys and focus groups and how to transform that data into actionable steps.

Diana Rendina is the media specialist at Tampa Preparatory School, an independent 6-12 school. Previously, she was the media specialist at Stewart Middle Magnet School where she transformed their library and piloted their makerspace program. Diana has received several awards including the 2016 International Society for Technology in Education Outstanding Young Educator Award and the 2015 American Association of School Librarians Frances Henne award. She co-authored Challenge-Based Learning in the School Library Makerspace and is the author of Reimagining Library Spaces: Transform Your Space on Any Budget. You can find her blog, Renovated Learning, here.

Photo: Eliabe Costa

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School Library Month
Libraries

Why Do We Celebrate School Library Month?

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

April brings School Library Month, National School Librarian Day, Library Workers Day, and National Library Week. What is the point? What have libraries and librarians ever done for us?

Consider the legacy of libraries. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was the Great Library at Alexandria. Libraries all over the world have preserved works of other cultures when those cultures would have seen those works destroyed. Libraries are national treasures, or at least treasure troves; think of the Library of Congress or the Bodleian (Oxford). Many books have included library settings, and librarians are something akin to rock stars for many authors.

Why? What’s so great about libraries and librarians?  

Librarians are teachers.  

If your campus has a certified librarian, he or she has also been a classroom teacher. They know a thing or two about curriculum and instruction. In fact, they still love teaching! Their library classroom looks a little different and has more students, but librarians are still teachers. And it doesn’t stop with the students. Many librarians lead professional development on their campuses and in their districts while others offer educational opportunities for parents.

Librarians love books.

Of course librarians love books. Everyone knows that. But it’s more than a love of books. Librarians want others to be readers and will go out of their way to turn a reluctant reader into a voracious one. Librarians spend hours outside of school reading and listening to a wide variety of books that they can then recommend to their teachers and students. They create displays to highlight books and promote them over social media. They find and purchase books and resources that support curriculum. They know that books are “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” as stated by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop in 1990, underscoring the need for diversity in library collections. Books, like libraries, are for everyone.

Librarians are Future Ready.

Librarians who are Future Ready go beyond literacy. They collaborate with teachers, building instructional partnerships. They help students become creators and problem solvers, and they protect their students by protecting privacy and teaching students digital skills. Future Ready Librarians select, organize, and share digital resources, looking for ways to provide access to all students, and they invest strategically in digital resources. But Future Ready Librarians aren’t concerned only with the digital landscape; these librarians build community support and offer spaces for their school communities to learn, create, and grow.

Librarians embrace change.

Gone, we hope, are the stereotypical shushing librarians. School librarians now are working in a changing landscape. Books will continue to exist in print, but ebook and audio book collections are expanding. Graphic novels are increasing in popularity and acceptance. Technology is becoming the standard, not the exception. Makerspaces and coding can be found in more and more libraries. And whether it’s a place to read, relax, charge a device, study, or visit, the library is a place for anyone and everyone.

Most importantly, librarians love students.

Whether teaching a class, helping a student select a book, or taking time to learn about the newest resources and tools, librarians are committed to the success of every student every day.

If it’s been a while since you visited your school library, drop by to find out what you’ve been missing. Whether you’re a librarian, a teacher, an administrator, or anything in between, happy School Library Month! Libraries are for EVERYONE.

This is a guest blog post by Kristi Starr. Kristi is the library media specialist and co-campus technology leader at Coronado High School in Lubbock ISD and the Past President of LIB-SIG. This blog is part of a monthly series from LIB-SIG. 

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better together libraries
Libraries

Better Together: Why Sharing Is Integral to Future Ready Librarianship

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

These days, we’re more connected than ever. We can connect to PLNs through various hashtags on Twitter. And as librarians, we can share photos and videos of our library spaces and programs on Instagram. And yet, there are still many librarians who feel disconnected. Today, we’re sharing a discussion between TCEA LIB-SIG President Kristi Starr and Vice President Nancy Jo Lambert on the theme better together and why sharing is integral to Future Ready Libraries.

On Sharing Over Social Media

Nancy Jo: One of the things I have observed of late is that things like the Future Ready Facebook group are quite popular. The range of questions and sharing that go on there can vary wildly. It’s obvious there are a lot of librarians across the country who don’t have other librarians in their districts, counties, or systems that they can connect with to share ideas and resources. I have been actively using Twitter for years and cultivated a vast network of librarians nationwide that I rely on to inspire me, answer questions, and look to for resources. But it seems like there are more school librarians who don’t have this than ones who do. What are your thoughts on sharing through social media, Kristi?

Kristi:  I think social media sharing is imperative. We become accustomed to working in silos. And let’s face it; librarians have a lot on their plates! The phrase “other duties as assigned” was made for librarians. We probably should have copyrighted it. But back to the question, sometimes social media is viewed as one more thing. Then there is the learning curve and time to build a network. While there are notable exceptions – like you! – many librarians tend toward introversion, and that can make it challenging to reach out and engage. But like anything, it takes a little time, patience, and persistence. Take #txlchat for example. When I started participating in chats, I didn’t know anyone, and they didn’t know me. But through social media, I’ve become acquainted with phenomenal librarians both in-state and out-of-state. When you’re from West Texas, you value those broader connections. Once you feel comfortable consuming, you start adding your own voice. Then things really take off!

On Learning to Curate

Kristi: I think one barrier to effectively utilizing social media as a professional resource is learning how to curate.  Nancy Jo, what would you recommend to gather and save the great ideas you encounter?

Nancy Jo: You make some valid points about the barriers that keep school librarians from connecting and building their PLNs. Curation is one of our strengths as librarians! I used to use Pinterest more than I do now. I know a lot of librarians who curate ideas and resources into Pinterest boards. I love making Google Keep notes for everything! Obviously, when I am curating resources that I am going to share with students I add them to my MackinVia. Wakelet is a great tool to curate online, but I haven’t used it very much. I also find that Scrible is a wonderful tool to curate online resources that I am going to use in my professional writing. By using Scrible myself, it makes it easier to teach my students how to use it too. The most important thing about curating ideas and resources is that you share those resources with others. I know that many people find me through my library website, http://www.reedylibrary.com/,  because they email me wanting to know if they can use something of mine they found there. I put everything I do on my website, and I offer all of it to other educators for free. I curate all of my own content on my edublogs site, and as of today, I have 892 posts. I love that I can search the content and use the categories and tags to find things. What tools do you use for curation, Kristi? You are so tech savvy and I feel like you are always sharing new things!

Kristi: Honestly, when it comes to curation, I don’t have anything new.  Google Keep is great as a personal curation tool. I use Pinterest, but because content can often be dated if you don’t pay attention, I search it most for display ideas. With the professional groups on Facebook, I save posts that I want to revisit. Those three horizontal dots at the top right of a Facebook post will reveal a menu, and the first option is to save the post. In my dream world, Twitter would allow users to do more than ♡ a tweet; it would allow for a variety of responses (and sort by them) or allow users to save tweets.  (Are you listening, @Twitter?)

On Using Social Media Professionally

Nancy Jo: Speaking of sharing, I try to post regularly to my school social media and to my professional accounts, and I’m curious about your thoughts on posting to social media professionally and for your library?

Kristi:  I always have the best intentions for my library’s social media account when the year starts. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook make it really easy to switch between accounts and an app like ITTT (If This Then That) will allow you to cross-post between platforms with posts that look native to each. But I also post about school goings-on on my personal Twitter and tag my campus and district. I find that students aren’t shy about following teachers, so often my personal posts get as much or more attention than my library posts. So I put more emphasis on my personal and @TCEALIBSIG accounts than my campus account.

On Suggestions to Improve the Social Media Experience

Kristi: Since this is a gift-giving season, do you have any wishes or suggestions for how to improve the social media experience and make better together an easier endeavor?  Smore has announced that it will be adding collaborative features, but I’m still waiting.  (Pick me for the beta version, @Smore!)

Nancy Jo: I think when it comes to social media, my biggest suggestion is that it’s all about who you are FOLLOWING! You want to fill your newsfeed with the people, organizations, and groups that add to and inspire your professional life! We are better together because of the value we add to our community. My other big suggestion is SHARE! Share with wild abandon everything you do. Every great idea or resource is someone else’s saving grace in a moment of frustration or burn out. It is only through sharing on social media that we can create the wealth of resources to propel us forward!

Kristi: And while you’re all busy adding people and organizations to follow, make sure you include @TCEA @TCEALIBSIG and your LIB-SIG officers @NancyJoLambert, @librarian140 (Brandi Rosales-Dawson), and @StarrReadnRun (Kristi Starr).

This is a guest blog discussion by Kristi Starr and Nancy Jo Lambert. Kristi is the library media specialist and co-campus technology leader at Coronado High School in Lubbock ISD and the President of LIB-SIG. Nancy Jo is a high school teacher librarian at Reedy High School in Frisco ISD and Vice President of LIB-SIG. This blog is part of a monthly series of blogs from LIB-SIG. 

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Libraries

Thanking and Giving from the Library

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

Let’s face it. The days are getting shorter but feeling longer. Everyone is in need of a break. The excitement of the new year is a distant memory. And sometimes it just seems like we’re going through the motions. But this time of year is also the perfect time to focus on thanking and giving. What can you do to give yourself and others a lift?  Here are a few suggestions.

Offer encouragement

 Librarians see students of all ages and for multiple topics on a daily basis. And librarians know all faculty and staff members on their campuses. Libraries are a hub. Frequently, they’re the heart of a school. What better place to make someone’s day? Share a smile or a kind word. Or make a kind word to go and spread kindness all day long with sticky notes.  Check out this encouragement board in the Lubbock High School library. Don’t want to write all those notes by hand?  Tony Vincent shares how to create your own custom sticky notes in his April 2017 post.

Give one, get one with your PLCs

 Unlike many of our peers’ PLCs (professional learning communities), librarians often rely on digital forums for idea swaps.  Just because you found a great tool or idea, don’t assume that everyone is in the know or saw the same message. Tweet, retweet, blog about, or include great new (or new-to-you) finds.

Share your favorites

 Is it a book you’re super excited about? An amazing app? A cool website? A can’t-live-without-it extension? A brilliant tech tip? Someone out there is going to be just as thrilled as you. Be the one to share via tweet, email, or newsletter. Regardless of your sharing method of choice, just do it.

Be efficient

Everyone is busy this time of year, so now isn’t the time for “one more thing.” Rather, it’s a good time to share hacks and tips to save time or simplify everyday tasks. Offer suggestions that can be quickly and easily implemented and that can make a big difference. For example, instead of a wordy email or a screencast, try the iorad Chrome extension.  It’s an easy-to-use tool that creates tutorials. Sharing it is likely to earn you some friends.

Give your time

One of the best opportunities at the TCEA Convention is the chance to serve as a super volunteer.  Volunteer for two 4.5-hour shifts, and you earn free registration! It takes a lot of help to make things run smoothly, and we can’t do it without volunteers. Even better, you get to choose which presentations or workshops you facilitate! Learn, earn CPE credit, and enjoy the convention at no charge!  

Watch your language

Pay attention to those conjunctions and, but, or. What can you add to conversations? When someone comes to you with a question or need, don’t shut them down with a one-word response.Go the extra mile with a “Yes, and…” or a “No, but…”  Librarians are magnets when it comes to “other duties as assigned.”  Take charge by redirecting or expanding conversations. You’ll find new allies.

Don’t be stingy  

A heartfelt “thank you” can go a long way.  When that student comes back to tell you all about the book they just read, thank him for sharing that with you. When your principal invites you to a meeting, thank her for including you. When a colleague shows you the lesson he just created, asks you to proofread the yearbook page, or comes to you for help with Google Classroom or an iPad, let him know you appreciate being considered the expert. Demonstrating gratitude reminds us that we really do have the best job in the building.

Take care of yourself

There will always be more supplies to order, lessons to plan, meetings to attend, classes to teach, and blogs/feeds/sites to update. Give yourself downtime. Read, rest, exercise, create, or do whatever you need to recharge. Slow down, grab a warm drink, and refresh.  When you take care of yourself, you can take better care of others. And face it – that’s why we do what we do.

This is a guest blog by Kristi Starr. Kristi is the library media specialist and co-campus technology leader at Coronado High School in Lubbock ISD and the President of LIB-SIG. This blog is part of a monthly series of blogs from LIB-SIG. 

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digital citizenship
Digital LiteracyLibraries

Student Online Life: Targeted Digital Citizenship Education

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

It’s almost Digital Citizenship Week. While it’s great to bring awareness to the importance of digital citizenship this week, five days is not enough. That’s why I’m outlining the areas of digital citizenship that need dedicated attention and purposeful planning by librarians, teachers, and administrators.

Librarians Lead the Way in Information Literacy

Current librarian digital citizenship practice is about helping our students use online content in responsible ways. We should be teaching our students that you cannot just use anything you want from the internet in any way that you want. We should be communicating to our teachers that we can help them when their assignments involve students using information or images from the web. For every assignment, librarians should be demonstrating how to find, evaluate, and use information from credible sources. We should be talking about copyright and how to use citations to give attribution. This important digital citizenship skill set is often overlooked by administrators and teachers because it is easy to put on the back burner and also because librarians are not making these lessons and resources readily available in the curriculum. The bottom line is we should be inserting ourselves into every lesson, every project, every essay, and every assignment where students are asked to do anything with the information.

Modeling Good Behavior

We all know that the online world is changing and shifting at a rapid pace. Often, as educators, we aren’t fully aware of what our students are really doing online. I know I am not a gamer, so the world of online gaming is something I am aware of, but don’t participate in. I am also not an avid YouTuber. I don’t watch a lot of YouTube for pleasure, nor do I subscribe to popular YouTuber channels. I give these two examples to explain that even though we have to teach digital citizenship, we may not completely understand the online communities and environments our students are spending a significant amount of time in.

The responsibility of helping kids be good digital citizens often falls to parents. Parents, after all, are the ones who are supposed to control what devices, games, and social media accounts their children have access to. Kids now know they can create multiple accounts for almost any online service, and some go as far as acquiring a trap phone (usually a second phone kids use without their parents’ knowledge that has WiFi capability only). Parents are often not in the know about the extent of what their kids are doing online.

Modeling appropriate online behaviors and educating students about what it means to be a good digital citizen is becoming increasingly important. I talk to students all the time about their online reputation. A quick and easy Google search can reveal a great deal about a person. I try to help my students understand that something their 15-year-old self finds funny or appropriate to post or share online might not be something their 30-year-old self appreciates. This is especially true if it costs them a job or opportunity. I ask my students to think about showing their online life to a respected family member or someone they might want to marry. Would they be proud of everything that shows up?

Resources for Teaching Digital Citizenship

At the start of the school year, I always do a digital citizenship lesson with my Career and Technology classes. This year, I revamped some outdated content my school had been using. With the help of my Digital Learning Coach, we created a Google Site to house the content and paired the eight “stations” of content with GooseChase missions. After the students successfully completed the missions, they were given an access code for a Google Quiz that I made to accompany the stations which I dropped into each teacher’s Google Classroom. Here is a Google Folder I made with copies of content and other resources for this activity. I want to encourage other librarians to create and share the content we use to teach and model digital citizenship!

Our students are growing up in a completely digital world. Their entire lives, often from birth, are documented online through social media, images, videos, and online profiles. We have to help them understand this fact and recognize that what goes online, stays online – forever! We should be talking about digital citizenship issues in every school, every day, and with students of all ages. 

This is a guest blog by Nancy Jo Lambert as part of a monthly series of blogs from LIB-SIG. Nancy Jo is a high school teacher librarian at Reedy High School in Frisco ISD. She is a presenter and speaker who advocates for libraries by telling the story of the learning happening in her library. She holds positions in the Texas Library Association and in TCEA. She also has committee appointments in the American Library Association, American Association of School Librarians, and the Texas Association of School Librarians. She has been published in professional journals and has won numerous awards and grants. Nancy Jo is also a Google Level 1 and Level 2 certified Educator. She is known for her sharing her professional work on her library website: http://www.reedylibrary.com.

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Google Tips and TricksLibraries

Four Ways Google Calendars Can Help Teacher-Librarians Plan

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

There are no two days alike when you are a teacher-librarian. You don’t have the same kids every day. You don’t have the same teachers every day. And you don’t have the same schedule every day. To maximize your impact on student achievement, it is crucial to have a plan to manage programs, lessons, and promotion. Whether you are a veteran educator or just starting out, consider how you can utilize calendars to maximize efficiency and communication in your library or classroom.

Calendars Organize

Being organized makes sure things don’t fall through the cracks and keeps everyone on the same page. Using Google Calendar ensures that critical information is easily shareable across your campus. Here are four different calendars I use.

  •            Calendar 1: Programming. This calendar includes reading promotions, book fairs, monthly themes,  and displays. These items don’t have to take up time on your schedule, but they need to be visible to show balance in what you are offering your campus or grade levels.
  •            Calendar 2:  Instruction/Lessons. This calendar includes the topics you want to make sure to cover like internet safety, research, and information literacy. These lessons can take place in the library or in classrooms.
  •            Calendar 3:  Collection Development. This calendar includes the things that keep your library functioning. This entails the analyzing, weeding, reading reviews, ordering, and processing.
  •            Calendar 4:  Classes. This calendar includes regularly-scheduled visits and one-time events. This will help you keep track, in part, of the number of visitors each day.  If you aren’t on a fixed schedule, you and your teachers might need a little help getting into a groove, especially if they visit only every two or three weeks. Schedule repeating events, make any adjustments to accommodate changes (testing dates, holidays, personal schedules), and then add guests and share. This way, everyone ends up on the same page with no surprises!

Calendars Document

We work in a data-driven profession. How are you documenting your activities? Calendars provide a great point of reference. At the end of six weeks, a semester, or even a full year, you can easily print your calendar and talk with your evaluating administrator about your impact on the campus. This also helps you see how you are spending your time and address any modifications that need to be made to support campus goals.

Calendars Don’t Just Record Dates and Times

Of course, you can extend invitations, but Google Calendar also allows you to set up conferencing via Hangouts. Add a guest to your calendar, select Conferencing, and you can add a Hangout with that individual or group. Once you’ve set it, don’t forget to add a reminder. Reminders can be set minutes, hours, or days in advance, and they can be sent through pop-up notifications, email, or SMS. And if you’re a regular webinar attendee (think TCEA Lunch and Learn, including the exclusive LIB-SIG webinars), you can paste and link the URL in the description box.  When you get the webinar reminder, head to your calendar, click on the link, and you’re there!

Calendars Save Time

Create tasks and set reminders that you can check off or mark as done when complete.  In Google Calendar, when you invite a guest, you can opt to FIND A TIME and your guest’s or guests’ calendars will display.  Select a time that is open for each party and send the invitation. Do you need to set appointments with teachers or parents and want to allow them to sign up?  Let them select their time by creating appointment slots. Share the link and allow others to do the work.

There are all kinds of calendar options. If Google Calendar isn’t a great fit, choose the one that works best for you.  That might mean a paper calendar, Outlook, or Google. To recap the latest changes to Google Calendar, check out this video tutorial.

This is a guest blog by Brandi Rosales and Kristi Starr. Brandi is a library systems administrator in Richardson ISD and the Secretary/Treasurer of LIB-SIG. Kristi is the library media specialist and co-campus technology leader at Coronado High School in Lubbock ISD and the President of LIB-SIG. This blog is part of a monthly series of blogs from LIB-SIG. 

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librarians
Libraries

Six Tips for Librarians to Prepare for a New School Year

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

Librarians wear many hats and serve many roles. As we all prepare to start a new year, some of us may find ourselves in new positions or on new campuses, maybe even both.  And librarians are among the few on their campuses who have the opportunity, the privilege, and the challenge of greeting and teaching every student in the building. That can be overwhelming at times. So as you start preparing for another year of serving as a mentor, resource manager, makerspace master, media specialist, and more…what can you do to get the year started off just right?

1. Spread the Joy of Reading

Don’t keep your summer reading list to yourself! You know there are students who will be coming back to school, eyes lit up with excitement as they tell you what they read. Maybe it’s not an avid reader, but someone a little quieter or someone new. What can you suggest? Hopefully, you had the opportunity to read something that you can’t help but talk … and talk … and talk about. Your love of literacy and willingness to share what you’ve been reading and what you’re excited about goes a long way in your students’ eyes.

2. Share Your Learning

Educators aren’t just always teaching, they’re also always learning. It might have been a conference, an edcamp, a day at your ESC, a webinar, or a cool new tool your PLN tweeted, but it’s imperative that educators are always keeping up to date with new ideas, resources, and strategies for engaging students and improving student outcomes. And when you’ve found that great new idea or tool, don’t hesitate to share it. Use it with your own students and also spread it through your network, so all librarians and educators can benefit.

3. Embrace the New Standards

You know there are new standards, right?  Whether we look at national standards, the Future Ready Librarians framework, or right here in Texas, we have new standards. Look them over and then identify two takeaways. One should be one that you already implement well, but want to take to the exceptional level. The other should be one that is definitely a work in progress (or lack thereof). So in other words, set one new goal and one goal to knock out of the proverbial ballpark.

4. Build That Network

Now is the perfect time to strengthen your PLN. And there’s no better way to do that than to join #txlchat on Tuesdays starting in September. This chat provides “a forum to create, collaborate, and share educational resources, and foster continuous professional growth.” Whether you spend time just lurking, check out the archive, or dive right in, you will build a PLN that includes not just Texas librarians, but folks from all around the country!

5. Join LIB-SIG

Are you a TCEA member? If so, then you’ve already gotten access to great resources for technology integration in schools. But if you’re a librarian who sees the value of increasing your knowledge and resources and building a community, then it’s time to take your membership a step farther. For only $10 on top of your TCEA membership, you’ll be part of a special interest group dedicated to providing resources to support your teaching and learning. LIB-SIG offers monthly members-only webinars. A members-only newsletter will be shared in the LIB-SIG Community each month as well. We’ll also offer tips and suggestions for Twitter, Google, ed tech sites and apps, and programming ideas.

6. Follow Us

And for our final tip for getting back to school with the right attitude and resources to have your best year ever is…Don’t forget to follow @TCEA and @TCEALIBSIG. We’ll keep you current all year long with great ideas to implement in your library.

But most importantly, enjoy the year.  Be intentional, be present, and be amazing!

This is a guest blog by Kristi Starr, the President of LIB-SIG. She’s also the library media specialist and co-campus technology leader at Coronado High School in Lubbock ISD. To our librarian followers, stay tuned. This is the first in a monthly series of blogs from LIB-SIG.

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Mandy Taylor
Libraries

Member Spotlight on Becky Calzada

by Susan Meyer
written by Susan Meyer

Becky CalzadaIf you’re a regular reader, you know that each month we like to feature the story of one of our fantastic members on this blog. We feel it’s important to recognize all the amazing things educators are doing in the field, and our members are doing some pretty unbelievable things. This month, we’re fixing the spotlight on Becky Calzada, a Library Services Coordinator in Leander ISD. Read on to learn how Becky supports librarians on a daily basis, what she thinks about the evolution of the school library, and her best tech tips.

Loving the Libraries of Leander

Becky has spent more than 30 years in education. Of those years, 20 were spent in Leander ISD, and 17 were spent working in libraries. She has served in her current position as Library Services Coordinator for seven years. So what does she actually do each day in her role? Quite a lot! As Becky explains: “An average day for me includes supporting librarians via email, phone, or in person. There are also district level meetings I attend where I work with Teaching and Learning, Technology Services, or Facilities Departments on things like curriculum, literacy, technology integration, hardware purchase input, library design, and library furnishings. I also work with librarians on district-level purchases of digital resources, our library system, and book purchases. I’m a district representative on the LEEF Board, our district education foundation, where I coordinate literacy projects and volunteer with fundraising events that provide funding for our district; so I’m also coordinating book donation pick-ups or book requests for campuses. Every day is different and very busy!”

The Evolution of What a Library Can Be

Becky really enjoys working in libraries partly because she gets to be on the forefront of innovation. In her nearly two decades of working in libraries, she’s seen them transform from having two desktop computers to teeming with technology. What a library can do for students goes far beyond books. Today’s school library can be an active learning environment full of opportunities for sparking young creators and problem solvers. Becky shares what the Leander library is like these days: “Now our elementary libraries have a mix of 25 laptops with students in ALL grade levels creating, writing code, Skyping with authors, taking advantage of makerspace opportunities, and more. Our secondary campuses have gone 1:1, and librarians support with deployment, tech support, and many also have student-led tech support help desks in the library. Librarians do all this along with direct instruction on information literacy, research instruction, and digital resources. Working with librarians to stay future ready and impact student achievement by connecting what we do to our Leander ISD vision and goals is truly an amazing privilege.”

Becky is proud of what her district has accomplished so far, and they have no plans to rest on their laurels. She is always excited to support new initiatives. Leander ISD is currently taking stock of technology hardware in their elementary schools. They want to survey all teachers and librarians to see what people are actually using and what needs they still have. This will better inform future buying choices. They are also using two-years of BrightBytes data to help inform a new digital citizenship component. “We want our students and teachers to be empowered to navigate responsibly, ethically, and safely online, and this data tool will allow us to see if our work is having an impact.”

Finding Your Flock

When asked her best advice for someone starting out in her role, Becky encouraged developing a strong PLN. There is nothing as empowering as educators working together and sharing ideas and solutions to shared problems. Becky also has a favorite resource for online network building. “My go-to is Twitter; it has been a game-changer in my practice because it’s allowed me to learn and connect with other librarians, tech leaders, administrators, and authors. I follow conference hashtags to glean learning from afar too because I can’t attend every conference.”

Becky also serves as a a co-moderator for #TXLChat, a weekly Tuesday chat to connect librarians across the state. She uses the LIB-SIG part of the TCEA Community to post chat questions and further connect with a PLN of dedicated librarians. Although all educators can benefit from uniting with peers, Becky stressed the particular importance for librarians. “Librarians are typically singletons on a campus and it is easy to fall into the trap of being siloed. Virtual collaboration is possible via a PLN and has allowed me to learn about new innovations, leadership tips, tech tools, library furniture, book titles, and even library hacks. What a powerful opportunity!”

Becky’s Go-To Tech Tool

We asked Becky for her favorite tech tool right now. “I would have to say that FlipGrid is the newest tool I’ve tried and used. I’ve been invited by others to share innovations as a librarian, define what a future ready librarian is, and use it as a way to introduce myself to others. It’s a tool that be used in so many creative ways and I’m excited to use it, as well as see how others leverage its use.” If you’d like to join Becky in flipping over Flipgrid, you’ll be happy to hear it’s now free for educators to use!

Thanks for joining us in another monthly member spotlight! We hope you got some valuable tips and ideas from Becky’s journey and from the exciting steps she’s taking to keep the libraries of Leander ISD on the cutting edge. To learn about other innovative educators transforming teaching and learning, you can read some of our previous member spotlight posts here,  here, and here. Do you know a TCEA member who needs to be in the spotlight? You can always email me your suggestions at smeyer@tcea.org.

 

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Educational TrendsLibraries

TCEA Responds: Future Ready Library Redesign

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Welcome to TCEA Responds #11.  Submit your own question(s) online. Today’s topic is redesigning your library.

Dear TCEA Responds:

Help. What does a 21st century library computer lab look like? I may have an opportunity to have input for my space and I want to know what is out there that works.

Thanks, Jane

Dear Jane:

After receiving your question earlier today, I took a moment to consult with a group of librarians who are part of a Facebook group, Future Ready Librarians. If you’re not familiar with the Future Ready Librarians’ approach:

Future Ready Librarians will provide resources, strategies, connections for district leaders and librarians. This makes it easier for them to work together to promote and implement innovative learning opportunities for students. Learn more. School librarians are indeed, as the Future Ready Librarians website states, “well-positioned to be at the leading edge of the digital transformation of learning.”

future ready

Redesigning Your Library Spaces

Here are a few of the responses I received:

I’m hearing of many labs that are going away entirely. Your students may need a couple of desktops for video editing or other processor-intensive work. The vast majority of needs can be met with Chromebooks in the classroom.

No lab. You can use the space for video production or other things. I turned my lab into a makerspace since we’re 1:1. We call it the Fab Lab.

I have a cart of 30 chrome books. I like that they are portable and we can use them in the library classroom and in the library. The main area I use has a whiteboard wall with whiteboard tables.

We have one school where the lab went away because they are 1:1. In others, we have Chromebook carts and are moving to flexible furniture. Most libraries do have makerspaces.

The message from these future ready librarians? Computer labs are gone or soon will be. Instead, the space they occupied is now more flexible, ready for making.

Ready for Making

future ready

Creating a makerspace in your library reflects a growing trend. Listen to this podcast as two librarians share their insights about creating these innovative learning spaces. They have turned their libraries into a base of operations for mobile makerspaces that teachers can check out.

Here are some tips on setting up a makerspace:

Ample access to Chromebooks and iPad kiosks for ebooks describe technology in libraries. Some libraries are also doing away with uncomfortable wooden chairs, opting for more comfortable learning spaces and reading nooks.

Re-envisioning Future Ready Libraries

Are you going to be re-envisioning your library this summer? Get connected with other librarians by attending a TCEA Makers event.

More to See

Here are some other resources you may want to investigate:

Image Sources

 

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LibrariesProfessional Learning

Conference on the Future of the Library

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

On Thursday, October 6 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central time, there will be an amazing, free opportunity for librarians from around the world to gather virtually and discuss the future of libraries. Attendees will engage in conversations with civic, social, and education innovators who have made the library the hub of learning. The conference schedule will include both keynote presentations and crowd-sourced sessions and will be held entirely online via Blackboard Collaborate web conferencing.

School libraries have seen tremendous change over the past few years with the coming of age of makerspaces and the librarian as technology expert. This free conference sponsored by the American Library Association Center for the Future of Libraries provides a powerful way to ensure that your library continues to serve the changing needs of your students and staff. Advanced registration is required, and registrants will receive the live session links, as well as links to the recordings. Make sure you register today!

 

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