Catalog It!

Kaplan, Allison G. Catalog It!: A Guide to Cataloging School Library Materials. 3rd ed. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2015. ISBN: 978-1-4408-3580-3

Publisher's Description
Whether you're a practicing cataloger looking for a short text to update you on the application of RDA to cataloging records or a school librarian who needs a quick resource to answer cataloging questions, this guide is for you.

Since the last edition of this invaluable text was published, the library world has experienced a revolution in descriptive cataloging the likes of which has not been seen since the early 1980s. This updated, third edition of an established and well-respected guide makes it easy for you to stay in step with those monumental changes. The book will help you understand the latest fundamentals of cataloging so you can get items on the library shelves quickly and efficiently.

Every chapter has been revised. Changes in standards, including RDA and BISAC, that were alluded to in the second edition are discussed in depth and illustrated with explanations, and sample problem sets are included so you can put theory into practice. In addition, the book provides you with clear headings for easy scanning as well as cheat sheets and templates for creating records for book and non-book items. Previous editions of this text have been used by library practitioners and library and information science professors across the country because of its spot-on, easy-to-follow guidance on cataloging for school libraries. This new edition builds upon those strengths, adding everything you need to know about current, groundbreaking changes.

Features

• Thoroughly updates a best-selling, essential guide to cataloging
• Addresses the new standards specifically as they apply to school libraries
• Helps school librarians understand and implement the new cataloging standards in their collections
• Distills the latest information and presents it in a format that is clear and accessible
• Fills the need for up-to-the-minute cataloging guidance for the busy librarian who wants information in a hurry

Guided Inquiry Design in Action: Middle School

Maniotes, Leslie K., LaDawna Harrington, and Patrice Lambusta. Guided Inquiry Design in Action: Middle School. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2015. ISBN: 978-1-4408-3764-7

Note: The State Library has the related guided inquiry books, too.


Publisher's Description

Supplying classroom-tested lessons and unit plans that can serve as templates, this book demonstrates exactly how to integrate and implement Guided Inquiry Design (GID) theory into practice.

Guided Inquiry is an approach that many educators—thought leaders and practitioners alike—are finding to be well-suited to information-age learning and a way to meet Common Core Standards. For many teachers, librarians, middle school leaders, and curriculum specialists, the biggest challenge is finding examples of guided inquiry in practice applicable to their own context. This guide offers an easy solution, offering ready-to-use templates and models for implementing Guided Inquiry Design (GID) in the middle school learning environment. With each supplied lesson laid out according to the session plan templates from GID and a thorough description of the ideal inquiry process from beginning to end, integration and implementation of GID is attainable.

Besides showing how to put GID to best use to achieve five kinds of learning through inquiry, the book provides an explicit structure for developing instructional partnerships and collaborative teams within the school and with the larger community. It enables teachers, school librarians, and other educational partners to consider and plan for achieving outcomes that bring about deep understanding while also addressing curricular goals. Readers will be better equipped to provide an authentic learning environment using collaboration, discussion, and reflection embedded in the sessions, thereby helping their students to be able to think creatively to solve problems.

Features

• Answers the needs of teachers and librarians who are seeking actual lesson plans using the GID concepts specifically at the 6th–8th grade levels
• Supplies lesson plans and complete units of Guided Inquiry Design along with materials for implementation
• Includes techniques for assessment of learning strategies aligned to the Common Core State Standards
• Serves to heighten student engagement by going beyond fact-finding to achieve deeper understanding and knowledge creation
• Encourages embedded information literacy and creates student choice

Five Steps of Outcome-Based Planning and Evaluation for Public Libraries

Five Steps of Outcome-Based Planning and Evaluation for Public Libraries by Melissa Gross, Cindy Mediavilla, and Virginia A. Walter. 2016. Chicago, IL: ALA Editions. 978-0-8389-1404-5.

Planning and assessment are both crucial elements of a public library that functions efficiently and flexibly. So why are they often treated as separate processes? This concise book combines planning and evaluation in a holistic approach, helping public library managers and staff put library resources to work for the community. Based on a series of successful workshops, the workflow presented by the authors is made up of manageable steps for integrating outcome-based planning and evaluation (OBPE) into the routine functions of the public library. Offering step by step guidance that’s transparent and easy to follow, this book

• introduces the concept of OBPE and explains how it can be a streamlined, effective method of getting library users’ feedback;
• defines “outcomes” and shows why public libraries should use them to plan and evaluate services;
• shares methodologies for assessing community needs and interests, including key informant interviews, surveys, focus groups, and environmental scans;
• demonstrates how to use community assessment data to create outcome statements that not only guide the creation of new library services, but also provide targets for measuring the effectiveness of those services;
• offers techniques for designing services that directly serve the community while also achieving the outcomes the library has targeted; and
• provides tips for sharing the results with stakeholders and maximizing successful outcome-based programs to leverage the library’s role in the community.

Featuring plentiful examples of how to proceed through each phase of the OBPE model, this book boils down planning and evaluation into an approachable, easy to understand process for public librarians, library managers, and grant writers.

(book description)

Excellent Books for Early and Eager Readers

Excellent Books for Early and Eager Readers by Kathleen T. Isaacs. 2016. Chicago, IL: ALA Editions. 978-0-8389-1344-4.

For children, reading level and experience level are not always the same. Eager readers are often interested in ideas and topics that seem advanced, but situations and subjects that sixth graders can handle with aplomb may be emotionally confusing for a younger child. Early and eager readers deserve stories they can get into, information that’s challenging and up-to-date, and ideas that are new and stimulating, all while remaining age appropriate. Here, children’s lit expert Isaacs offers 300 book recommendations for early able readers ages 4–10, honing in on writing that will challenge but not frustrate young readers. Assisting librarians, teachers, and caregivers, this resource

• provides recommended titles both old and new in a multitude of genres, including short stories, mystery, fantasy, adventure, picture books, poetry, historical fiction, classics, biography, folklore, mythology, fairy tales, animal fantasy, and nonfiction;
• offers guidance on steering kids towards the best books for their age;
• points to resources for finding quality books; and
• includes an extensive index for locating titles, authors, and themes quickly.

(book description)

More Storytime Magic

More Storytime Magic by Kathy MacMillian and Christine Kirker. 2016. Chicago, IL: ALA Editions. 978-0-8389-1368-0

MacMillian and Kirker’s knack for creating storytimes that engage and delight young ones have made their previous books bestsellers. Now they’re back with an all new assortment of original fingerplays, transitional rhymes, movement songs, flannelboards, sign language rhymes and other activities to spice up storytimes for ages two and up. This ready-to-go sourcebook for children’s librarians, early literacy specialists, and other adults who work with young children offers everything needed to plan and host quality storytimes, including

• more than a dozen thematic groupings of activities, featuring such fun topics such as “All About Me,” “Bugs and Insects,” “Fairy Tales and Castles,” and “People in my Neighborhood”; 
• recommended storytime books for each theme, along with material lists, patterns for flannelboards and stick puppets, and illustrations of American Sign Language signs; and
• coding for each entry indicating which Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten skills it supports.

(book description)