Digital Tools for the School Library

By Karin Greenberg on 06/21/2022 • ( 0 )

It’s that time of the school year when I look forward to long, lazy days reading outside. I’m a planner, though, and I can’t stop myself from thinking of new ideas for the fall. In a digital storytelling course I took recently I learned to use a few new tools. I’m hoping that adding them to my school library will make communication and activities more fun for students and staff.

Sample Library Videos

At a time when teenagers’ attention spans are shorter than ever, it’s important to engage learners in visual and interactive ways. Below are samples of brief videos I made while trying out some of the new applications.

Adobe Express

What Being a Librarian Means to Me–Adobe Express

Of all the new tools I became familiar with, this one was the easiest to navigate. It was so simple, in fact, that I created short, personalized videos for my children’s birthdays.

WeVideo

What Being a Librarian Means to Me–We Video

In this platform, I was able to choose a few photos and make a montage adding audio of me speaking.

Powtoon

Watch my Powtoon: What Being a Librarian Means to Me

Powtoon offers animation in their videos, which creates a playful experience. I had a harder time figuring this one out but I imagine with a bit more practice I’ll become comfortable with the software.

Brainstorming

Creating these videos motivated me to think about using more engaging content, both in person and on my Canvas page.

Here are some of my ideas for next year:

Weekly Digital Book Talks–Create 30-second book talks and post one every Monday to start the week.
Library Events Promotions–Post themed video announcements of school library events.
Student Videos–Have students make short videos talking about books or school happenings.
Video Viewing in the Library–Show videos to students during gathering times in the school library.
Video Contests–Integrate videos into library contests like March Book Madness and Poetry competitions.

The possibilities are endless. I’m already working on a video outlining library resources that I plan to share with students and staff in September.

Now, back to dreaming about my stacks of books and a lounge chair!

the WeVideo workspace

Author: Karin Greenberg

Karin Greenberg is the school librarian at Manhasset High School in Manhasset, New York. She is a former English teacher and writes book reviews for School Library Journal. In addition to reading, she enjoys animals, walking, hiking, and spending time with her family. Follow her book account on Instagram @bookswithkg.