Leading In and Beyond the Library

Wolf, Mary Ann, Rachel Jones, and Gilbert Daniel. Leading In and Beyond the Library [report]. Alliance for Excellent Education, 2014. 

 

Online Description

This paper explains the key role that school librarians and libraries should play in state - and districtwide - efforts to transition to digital learning, or the effective use of technology to improve teaching and learning. The report calls for district and school leaders, policymakers, and boards of education to support, encourage, and fund the evolving role of librarians and libraries as facilitators of content creation, personalized learning, and professional development.

This report is also available online.

How to Teach

Crane, Beverley. How to Teach: A Practical Guide for Librarians. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2014. ISBN: 978-0-8108-9105-0

Publisher's Description

Designed for any librarian who needs to teach either one person at a time or an entire class, How to Teach is a stand-alone guide to becoming proficient in teaching users how to access, evaluate, and use information. Covering both face-to-face and online teaching and learning, the book:

• gives you just enough background on learning theory, how to plan good instruction, and how to deliver it.
• helps you assess the advantages and disadvantages of face-to-face and online instruction and selecting the best mode for your content.
• Illustrates instructional strategies to employ and provides model lesson plans for creating online and face-to-face instruction.
• highlights ways of using individualized instruction either by itself or as a complement to other teaching. Examples include how to create LibGuides and videos.
• features lesson plans with step-by-step instructions and hands on ways to create objectives, present activities, and evaluate instruction.

This book is designed for all librarians and library staff who teach as part of their role and library school students new to teaching.

Table of contents

Teaching Information Fluency

Heine, Carl, and Dennis O'Connor. Teaching Information Fluency: How to Teach Students to Be Efficient, Ethical, and Critical Information Consumers. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2014.
  ISBN: 978-0-8108-9062-6

Publisher's Description

[This book] describes the skills and dispositions of information fluency adept searchers. Readers will receive in-depth information on what it takes to locate, evaluate, and ethically use digital information.

The book realistically examines the abilities of Internet searchers today in terms of their efficiency and effectiveness in finding online information, evaluating it and using it ethically. Since the majority of people develop these skills on their own, rather than being taught, the strategies they invent may suffice for simple searches, but for more complex tasks, such as those required by academic and professional work, the average person’s performance is adequate only about 50% of the time.

The book is laid out in five parts: an introduction to the problem and how search engine improvements are not sufficient to be of real help, speculative searching, investigative searching, ethical use and applications of information fluency. The intent of the book is to provide readers ways to improve their performance as consumers of digital information and to help teachers devise useful ways to integrate information fluency instruction into their teaching, since deliberate instruction is needed to develop fluency. Since it is unlikely that dedicated class time will be available for such instruction, the approach taken embeds information fluency activities into classroom instruction in language arts, history and science.

Numerous model lessons and resources are woven into the fabric of the text, including think-alouds, individual and group search challenges, discussions, assessments and curation, all targeted to Common Core State Standards as well as information fluency competencies.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
List of Tables
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Part 1: Digital Information Fluency
Chapter 1: Digital Information Fluency in an Age of Information Consumption
Chapter 2: Information Fluency, Achievement and the Common Core
Part 2: Speculative Searching
Chapter 3: Self-taught Search Box Strategies
Chapter 4: Internet Search Challenges
Part 3: Investigative Searching
Chapter 5: Investigative Searching
Chapter 6: Investigative Case Study
Part 4: Ethical and Fair Use
Chapter 7: Ethical Consumption
Part 5: Instructional Applications
Chapter 8: Embedding Information Fluency
Chapter 9: Curation: Applied Information Fluency
Epilogue
Appendix: Model Lessons
Bibliography
Index

Floating Collections

Bartlett, Wendy K. Floating Collections: A Collection Development Model for Long-Term Success. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-59884-743-7

Publisher's Description

Librarians seeking to stretch their budgets during economically challenged times are turning to "floating collections" as a solution—where movement of material is generated by hold requests and items remain where they are checked in. It's likely that in a very short time, floating collections will move from best practice to standard practice.

This easy-to-use, comprehensive guide shows how to establish a floating collection in any library—regardless of type or size.

Despite its increasing popularity, there are few published works about floating and floating collections. Virtually no one has addressed critical long-term issues like core collections, material selection, and weeding after floating has taken place. Floating Collections: A Collection Development Model for Long-Term Success makes all of this urgently needed information available in one place.

This unique guidebook defines "floating," explains the pros and cons, explores the impact of floating collections on collection work, and enables readers to establish a floating collection in any library. Not only does this book help librarians to decide rationally if, how, and when to float, it also outlines a how-to process for maximum success based on the real-world experience of many systems and identifies ways to maximize the advantages of a floating collection. In addition, the author addresses common collection concerns and outlines workable solutions for problematic issues that can arise.

Features
• Checklists for various stages of the floating process
• Frequently asked questions for staff members
• A bibliography of publications on floating collections, covering websites of floating libraries, PLA presentations, articles, and listserv archives
• An index covers major topics, libraries described within the text, as well as interviewed individuals

Highlights
• Presents best practices from libraries in the United States and Canada
• Synthesizes all relevant background material, history, and reasons other systems have decided to float, enabling the prospective floater to make the best decision for his or her library
• Contains chapters on conquering major stumbling blocks, predicting success with concrete numbers and other simple-to-use methods
• Provides insight into correcting common problems or issues related to collection work

Sample Topics
Advantages and Disadvantages to a Floating Collection
Best Practices from Other Systems
Beta Testing Your Float
Buying for a Floating Collection
Creating a Management Dream Team
Customer Impact
Customers as Part of the Collection Development Team
Floating a Collection
History of Floating
Overcoming Staff Resistance to Your Float
Predicting What Floating Will do to Your Collection
Reader's Advisory and the Floating Collection
Rebalancing the Floating Collection
Saving Money with a Floating Collection
Social Capital Argument for Floating Collections
Technical Aspects with ILS
Weeding the Floating Collection
What Other Systems are Floating
What to do with the Main Branch(es) When the Books Float Away

Let's Start the Music

Brown, Amy. Let's Start the Music: Programming for Primary Grades. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2014. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1166-2

Publisher's Description

Music programs have been scaled back or eliminated altogether from the curricula of many schools. Luckily, storytimes offer ideal opportunities for music and songs. In this collection of easy-to-use, easy-to-adapt library programs for children in grades K-3, Brown connects songs and musical activities directly to books kids love to read. Offering several thematic programs, complete with stories, songs, and flannelboard and other activities, her book includes

• Music activities, lists of music-related books, mix-and-match activities, and additional web resources
• Terrific tips on how to teach songs to young children
• Ways to develop original songs and rhythms to enliven children’s books

Even if you can’t carry a tune in a bushel basket, this handy resource has everything you need to start the music in your storytimes.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1

The Importance of Music

Chapter 2

Incorporating Songs and Instruments into Library Programming

Chapter 3

Instrument Jam Band

Chapter 4

Feel the Rhythm

Chapter 5

Sing-Along Stories and Songs

Chapter 6

Moving and Grooving

Chapter 7

A Sound Hullabaloo

Chapter 8

Musical Potpourri

Chapter 9

Animal Antics

Chapter 10

Camp Do Re Mi

Chapter 11

Dragons, Monsters, and Ghosts, Oh My!

Chapter 12

Once upon a Time

Chapter 13

Earth Celebration

Chapter 14

Game Time

Chapter 15

Tasty Tunes and Tales

Appendix 1

Appendix 2