Okay, school librarian friends. These past few weeks have been tough, am I right? We’re used to being on our feet, engaging with staff and students, and acting as school leaders. And now we’re home, at our desk (or, if… Read More ›
Collection Development
Avoiding Information Overload During COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place Orders
Overcoming the abundance of beautiful and free information offers Every time I get an offer from an author or vendor about a complimentary service or item, it makes me feel so good. I noticed the very first offer during the… Read More ›
Picture Books and Primary Sources: Manhattan: Mapping the Story of an Island by Jennifer Thermes
Occasionally there is a picture book that I know will work well with a certain format of primary sources before I even open it. That was the case with Jennifer Thermes book Manhattan: Mapping the Story of an Island. There… Read More ›
Explore the World with Books
The coronavirus is impacting travel plans as I write this post. Some families are canceling spring vacation plans. Now might be a good time to remind the learning community that you can take a trip around the world without having… Read More ›
When ‘Open’ Isn’t Open: Understanding Copyright and Permissions for OER
The Internet has millions of learning resources online, many of them free. But not all of these freely accessible materials are open for the kinds of uses that best serve today’s students—adapting and remixing materials to meet their specific needs…. Read More ›
Picture Books and Primary Sources: Interview with Chris Barton, Author of All of a Sudden and Forever
Authors of historically based picture books typically focus on one set of primary sources to tell their story, a set of materials connected with one moment in time. In his new book, All of a Sudden and Forever, author Chris… Read More ›
Ten Lessons for School Librarians Leading District OER Initiatives and Curation Efforts
When district leaders in Spokane Valley, Washington, sought to improve the social studies curriculum and support inquiry-based learning, they focused on making primary sources more readily available to teachers. That was the indirect route that led my district to embrace… Read More ›
5 Picture Books That Support the Inquire Shared Foundation
Are you looking for picture books that compel learners to inquire about the world? I have five wonderful titles for you. Each of the books listed below inspire work with the Inquire Shared Foundation. You won’t just casually read these… Read More ›
How School Librarians Can Lead OER Initiatives and Put Their Libraries Back Where They Belong—At the Center of Learning.
After many years of discussion, the use of open educational resources (OER) is beginning to take root in schools and districts. The expanded use of OER content—which includes openly licensed textbooks and courses, as well as additional learning resources such… Read More ›
“Survey Says…”
Four years ago, I gave my first user survey to students. Still new to my position as librarian/technology integrator, I inherited a traditional library that had fallen out of use, and was desperate to understand what students wanted from their… Read More ›