Practical Evaluation Techniques (book)

Applegate, R. (2013). Practical Evaluation Techniques for Librarians. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Library professionals—regardless of whether they operate in a school, public, or academic library setting—need to have effective evaluation skills in order to be accountable to stakeholders and to effect informed improvement. Practical Evaluation Techniques for Librarians provides information and guidance that is highly useful and accessible for all librarians looking to intelligently manage the strengths and weaknesses of their library as well as communicate its value to its stakeholders.

Rather than focusing on data-gathering methods appropriate for researchers, the book concentrates on data collection at the local level that enables informed managerial decision-making. It describes and compares techniques that can be used with any level or type of resource—staffing, software, and expertise, for example—in any size library. Author Rachel Applegate makes it clear that accountability is everywhere and imperative, and any librarian can learn the simple techniques to benefit from evaluation.

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Community Library Programs That Work (book)

Maddigan, B. & Bloos, S. (2014). Community Library Programs That Work: Building Youth and Family Literacy. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

In a world where the Internet offers educational opportunities 24 hours a day … where digital aids enrich and supplement printed materials … and where online instruction is a viable option to classroom teaching, a fresh approach to learning can help libraries stay relevant and interesting to their technologically-savvy patrons. This book provides guidelines for creating dynamic and engaging library programs for children, teens, and families. Organized in thematic chapters, each chapter includes relevant topical research and three to eight community-focused approaches. Programs range from small, single-library initiatives in rural communities to multi-site, cross-border initiatives. This essential reference includes collaborative and locally-inspired programs, many of which can be scaled to the budget of any library, school, or community organization.

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Programming for Youth with Autism (book)

Klipper, B. (2014). Programming for Children and Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Chicago, IL: ALA Editions.

Those who understand the unique sensitivities of young people with autism spectrum disorder, now the second most commonly diagnosed serious developmental disability, know that ordinary library programming guides are not up to the task of effectively serving these library users. Klipper has presented at conferences and trained librarians from around the country in autism awareness, and the grant-funded Sensory Storytime programming she developed at The Ferguson Library in Stamford, Connecticut is a model for reaching children with autism spectrum disorder. Her complete programming guide, ideal for audiences ranging from preschool through school-age children, teens, and families,

• Provides background information on the disorder to help librarians understand how to program for this special audience
• Features step-by-step programs from librarians across the country, adaptable for both public and school library settings
• Suggests methods for securing funding and establishing partnerships with community organizations
• Includes a list of additional resources that will prove valuable to librarians and parents/caregivers alike

Klipper’s deep knowledge and experience on the subject makes her guidance on serving these library users and their families invaluable.

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Informed Transitions (book)

Burhanna, K.J. (2013). Informed Transitions: Libraries Supporting the High School to College Transition. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Informed Transitions: Libraries Supporting the High School to College Transition identifies the ways in which libraries and librarians can work together and create valuable resources that help students transition successfully to college—despite the challenges of increasing demand and diminishing resources.

The book is organized into three sections: background, expectations, and skills; conversations and collaborations; and programs and resources. Section 1 establishes a foundational understanding of the libraries' role in supporting college transitions. Section 2 shares model conversations that move this work forward, stressing its collaborative nature. The third section highlights some well-established programs and resources that effectively support high school to college transitions. Practical information is provided throughout, pinpointing what high school students need to know to smoothly transition to college, spotlighting the expectations of college professors, and discussing audience-specific methods of working with students at the high school and college levels.

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Better Serving Teens Through Collaboration (book)

Pandora, C.S. & Hayman, S. (2013). Better Serving Teens Through School Library-Public Library Collaborations. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

The current economic crisis has had a drastic impact on both public and school libraries. As budgets shrink, resources become scarcer, and the job of the librarian becomes harder. The conundrum of doing more with less challenges even the most seasoned professionals whose institutions face service cutbacks, disappointed patrons, and possible job eliminations or closures. This book asserts that a collaboration between school and public libraries can effectively serve the needs of two populations—teens and the community at large—while minimizing the cost to do so.

Better Serving Teens through School Library–Public Library Collaborations offers thought-provoking advice and ideas for practical use in real-world libraries. The authors provide step-by-step guidance for those who wish to start, strengthen, or extend a partnership with colleagues at a sister library, covering topics ranging from teen advisory boards and collaborative programs to homework help and professional development. Veterans in the field, as well as beginners, can utilize the wealth of tools within—including worksheets, timelines, and checklists—to leverage the capabilities of other agencies tp fortify both their own and their institutions' value.

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Folktales Aloud

Del Negro, J.M. (2014). Folktales Aloud: Practical Advice for Playful Storytelling. Chicago, IL: ALA Editions.

A good folktale triggers the imagination, connecting children to a wider world as well as increasing their vocabulary and comprehension skills. In this delightful and easy-to-use book, teacher and storyteller Del Negro gives librarians, teachers, and parents the keys to storytelling success. Including more than a dozen original adaptations of folktales from around the world, tailored specifically for library and classroom use, she

• Reviews storytelling basics such as selecting a tale and learning the story
• Offers tips for dealing with stage fright and reluctant listeners
• Presents a bibliography of recommended online and print resources, steering readers to more wonderful tales to tell

For young listeners the folktale is a perfect gateway to the exciting worlds of culture and literature, and Del Negro’s book invites their engagement with proven techniques and original story scripts that can be used by experienced as well as beginning tellers.

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Gateway to Reading (books)

Polette, N.J. (2013).Gateway to Reading: 250+ Author Games and Booktalks to Motivate Middle Readers. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Getting students to want to read is one of the greatest challenges facing middle school teachers and librarians. Determining which are the "right books" that can spark a child's mental awakening is also difficult. This book from prolific author Nancy Polette furnishes interesting and fun games to pique students' interest in junior novels that are worth reading—carefully selected titles that will contribute to their educational and emotional growth.

Gateway to Reading: 250+ Author Games and Booktalks to Motivate Middle Readers is a powerful tool for luring middle-school students away from the distractions of 21st-century media and introducing them to junior or 'tween novels that they won't be able to put down. By presenting children with a challenge to engage their minds—racing to decode book titles, or using their creativity to come up with titles of their own, for example—students are naturally drawn towards reading these books from well-known children's authors.

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Free Voluntary Reading (book)

Krashen, S. (2011). Free Voluntary Reading. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Free voluntary reading looks better and more powerful than ever. Stephen D. Krashen, PhD, is an advocate for free voluntary reading in schools and has published many journal articles on the subject. Free Voluntary Reading: Power 2010 collects the last ten years of his extensive work and reconsiders all aspects of this important debate in light of the latest findings.

The book provides an accessible examination of topics, such as free voluntary reading's value in language and literary acquisition domestically and worldwide, recent developments in support of free voluntary reading, whether rewards-based programs benefit the development of lifelong reading, the value of phonics in reading instruction, and trends in literacy in the United States.

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The Read-Aloud Handbook, 7th Ed. (book)

Trelease, J. (2013). The Read-Aloud Handbook: Includes a Giant Treasury of Great Read-Aloud Books, 7th Ed. New York: Penguin Books.

Millions of parents and educators have turned to Jim Trelease’s beloved classic for more than three decades to help countless children become avid readers through awakening their imaginations and improving their language skills. It has also been a staple in schools of education for new teachers. This updated edition of The Read-Aloud Handbook discusses the benefits, the rewards, and the importance of reading aloud to children of a new generation. Supported by delightful anecdotes as well as the latest research (including the good and bad news on digital learning), The Read-Aloud Handbook offers proven techniques and strategies for helping children discover the pleasures of reading and setting them on the road to becoming lifelong readers.

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Marketing with Social Media: a LITA Guide

Thomsett-Scott, Beth C. Marketing with Social Media: a LITA Guide. Chicago: ALA TechSource, 2014.  302.30285 Marke.  ISBN 978-1-55571-972-3

Eschewing mere theory in favor of real-world examples, editor Thomsett-Scott and her contributors offer to-the-point advice for getting up to speed with the world of social media. Ideal for newbies ready to get serious about marketing with social media, as well as practitioners on the lookout for ways to improve existing efforts, this LITA guide will save readers time and effort by providing basic information on the most popular and cutting-edge marketing technologies. With best practices for engaging library users across multiple platforms, this book:

• Draws from a range of experiences, with examples from different library types and sizes
• Includes case studies of successful social media efforts using Facebook, wikis, video-sharing sites, Pinterest, Google+, Foursquare, blogs, Twitter, and QR codes
• Offers tips for maintaining a steady flow of content, coordinating with colleagues, planning for sustainability, and using built-in analytics for evaluation
• Features numerous screen shots and illustrations
• Provides a resource list at the end of every chapter, allowing readers to dig deeper
• With the valuable information contained in this guide, libraries can reach their users and create connections that resonate with them.

Going Beyond Google Again

Devine, Jane and Francine Egger-Sider.  Going Beyond Google Again: Strategies for Using and Teaching the Invisible Web. Chicago: Neal-Schuman, 2014. 025.0425 Devin.  ISBN 978-1-55570-898-6

The Invisible Web, also known as the Deep Web, is a huge repository of underutilized resources that can be richly rewarding to searchers who make the effort to find them. Since Jane Devine and Francine Egger-Sider explored the educational potentials of this realm in Going Beyond Google: The Invisible Web in Learning and Teaching, the information world has grown even more complex, with more participants, more content, more formats, and more means of access. Demonstrating why teaching the Invisible Web should be a requirement for information literacy education in the 21st century, here the authors expand on the teaching foundation provided in the first book and persuasively argue that the Invisible Web is still relevant not only to student research but also to everyday life. Intended for anyone who conducts research on the web, including students, teachers, information professionals, and general users, their book:
•    Defines the characteristics of the Invisible Web, both technologically and cognitively
•    Provides a literature review of students information-seeking habits, concentrating on recent research
•    Surveys the theory and practice of teaching the Invisible Web
•    Shows ways to transform students into  better researchers
•    Highlights teaching resources such as graphics, videos, and tutorials
•    Offers an assortment of tools, both public and proprietary, for trawling the Invisible Web
•    Looks at the future of the Invisible Web, with thoughts on how changes in search technology will affect users, particularly students learning to conduct research

Reinventing the Library for Online Education

Stielow, Frederick J.  Reinventing the Library for Online Education.  Chicago: ALA, 2014. 020.2854678  ISBN978-0-8389-1208-9

Have changes such as cloud computing, search engines, the Semantic Web, and mobile applications rendered such long-standing academic library services and functions as special collections, interlibrary loans, physical processing, and even library buildings unnecessary? Can the academic library effectively reconceive itself as a virtual institution? Stielow, who led the library program of the online university American Public University System, argues most emphatically that it can. His comprehensive look at web-based academic libraries synthesizes the changes wrought by the Web revolution into a visionary new model, grounded in history as well as personal experience. He demonstrates how existing functions like cataloging, circulation, collection development, reference, and serials management can be transformed by entrepreneurship, human face/electronic communicator relations, web apps, and other innovations. Online education can ensure that libraries remain strong information and knowledge hubs, and his timely book:
•    Shows how the origins and history of the academic library have laid the foundation for our current period of flux
•    Identifies practices rooted in print-based storage to consider for elimination, and legacy services ready to be adapted to virtual operations
•    Discusses tools and concepts libraries will embrace in a networked world, including new opportunities for library relevance in bookstore/textbook operations, compliance, library/archival/museum functions, e-publishing, and tutorial services
•    Offers a thorough examination of the virtual library infrastructure crucial for an online learning program, with a special look at the particular needs and responsibilities of online librarians
•    Looks at the evolving relationship between higher education and copyright, and posits how educational technology will bring further changes
Bursting with stimulating ideas and wisdom gleaned from first-hand experience, Stielow's book presents a model for offering outstanding higher education library services in an increasingly online environment.

Maxwell’s Handbook for RDA: Explaining and Illustrating RDA, Resource Description and Access Using MARC21

Maxwell, Robert L.  Maxwell’s Handbook for RDA: Explaining and Illustrating RDA, Resource Description and Access Using MARC21. Chicago: ALA, 2013 025.32 MaxweM2

ISBN 978-0-8389-1172-3


In this clear and comprehensive resource, cataloging expert Robert Maxwell brings his trademark practical commentary to bear on the new, unified cataloging standard. Designed to interpret and explain RDA: Resource Description and Access, this handbook illustrates and applies the new cataloging rules in the MARC21 environment for every type of information format.  From books to electronic materials to music and beyond, Maxwell

•     Explains the conceptual grounding of RDA, including FRBR and FRAD
•     Addresses the nuances of how cataloging will, and won't, change in the MARC21  environment
•     Shows catalogers how to create and work with authority records of persons, families, corporate bodies, geographic entities, works, and expressions
•     Explores recording relationships, working with records of manifestations and items, and more Provides numerous sample records to illustrate RDA principles

A guided tour of the new standard from a respected authority, this essential handbook will help catalogers, LIS students, and cataloging instructors navigate RDA smoothly and find the information they need efficiently.

Poetry Aloud Here 2: Sharing Poetry With Children

Vardell, Sylvia M.  Poetry Aloud Here 2: Sharing Poetry With Children. Chicago: ALA, 2014. 372.64 VardeP ISBN9780838911778.

Since Poetry Aloud Here! was published, poetry written for young people has gained interest as an educational tool. This revamped and expanded followup guides educators toward innovative ways to use poetry and establish an atmosphere that encourages individual participation and creativity. Blending information and inspiration, Vardell :

• Offers practical strategies for reading aloud and teaching poetry in both formal and informal situations
• Details best practices gleaned from years in the field, with numerous suggestions that cross the curriculum from literature to science and math
• Includes expanded lists of poems, poet profiles, book-poetry pairings, and other tools useful for programming and collection development

Updated with a new bibliography, this book is the perfect resource that helps librarians and educators use poetry to fire children s imaginations.

Planning Our Future Libraries: Blueprints for 2025

Leeder, Kim and Eric Frierson, eds. Planning Our Future Libraries: Blueprints for 2025. Chicago: ALA, 2014. 022.3 Plann  ISBN978-0-8389-12072

In an information environment where the only constant is change, many wonder where libraries are headed. This edited collection brings together library leaders with some of the brightest new minds in the profession to envision the future of libraries. Drawing from their personal experiences, they bring their barrier-breaking perspectives to the task of reinventing the library in all its forms. From redesigning library services for the evolving needs of users, to functioning as a meaningful space in a digital age, implementing new infrastructure, and imagining the international future of school libraries, the contributors ask and answer questions such as:

•    How do lessons from the past point the way forward?
•   What should libraries look like in the future?
•   Which safeguards will protect intellectual freedom, such as equitable access to information and anti-censorship policies, now and in years to come?
• How can we overcome obstacles such as feasibility, costs, and competing interests to realize the library of the future?

This thought-provoking collection will challenge librarians at every kind of institution to start planning today for the library of tomorrow.

Bringing the Arts into the Library

Smallwood, Carol, ed. Bringing the Arts into the Library. Chicago: ALA, 2014. 021.26 Bring 

ISBN 978-0-8389-1175-4

Using a library's facilities to bring arts to the community is not only a valuable service, but also a wonderful marketing and outreach opportunity, a tangible way to show the public that libraries offer value, thus shoring up grassroots support. Smallwood has combed the country finding examples of programs implemented by a variety of different types of libraries to enrich, educate, and entertain patrons through the arts. Her book shares such successful efforts as:

• Poetry programs in the public library
•  Gatherings for local authors at the community college
• Creative writing in middle schools
•  Multicultural arts presentations at the university library
•  Initiatives to fight illiteracy through the arts

The amazing creativity and resourcefulness found in each example provide practical models which can be adapted to any library environment, inspiring librarians looking for unique programming ideas.