Is your library conducive for collaboration?

The collaboration we learned about in library school involves librarian-to-teacher planning.

But as our curriculums change to keep pace, collaboration is a valued skill for students.  In The Global Achievement Gap, Dr. Tony Wagner, co-director of Harvard's Change Leadership Group, identifies collaboration as one of seven survival skills critical to student success.

What can we do so that our libraries encourage student-to-student collaboration?

1.  Arrange furniture so small groups of students can easily work together.
2.  Allow productive noise.
3.  Work with your tech folks to allow students to bring their own devices.
4.  Establish relationships with students so they feel free to come to the library to work on projects as time allows.
5.  Ensure that the library is open before and after school and during lunch.
6.  Provide materials students may need.  This may range from up-to-date online resources to basic supplies.
7.  If space allows, set up a production lab so students may design and edit projects.  This could be a small office or workroom converted for this purpose.
8.  Collaborate with teachers to encourage projects that are process-based, inquiry-driven, and collaborative in nature.

Because students are social, collaboration is natural to them.  As students work together in our libraries, we may be able to observe skills that will help us improve our collaboration with teachers!

What other suggestions do you have to encourage collaboration among students in your library?

Nurture your (summer) reader

An open letter to parents, grandparents, and caregivers:

Summer is here, and with it comes swimming, vacations, lazy days, and hopefully, reading.

A landmark study reported in SLJ concludes that "...children who read at least six books during the summer maintained or improved their reading skills, while kids who didn't read any saw their skills slip by as much as an entire grade level"(See previous post).

The key to reading (summer or otherwise) is to make it enjoyable. If reading becomes a chore, it can be tedious at best and damaging to your child’s chances of becoming a lifelong reader at worst.

With this in mind, below are some tips for nurturing your reader:

1. Reading isn't just for bedtime.
You’re tired. Your kids are tired. Try setting aside another time when everyone is fresher and less cranky.

2. Allow your kids to choose their own books.
The most important thing is that they like the books they choose. If not, keep looking or ask a librarian for suggestions. Don’t force your taste on kids or make them read books that would be “good for them.”

3. Reading is its own reward.
We don’t need incentives to do pleasurable things, so if you hold up a carrot to get your kids to read, they will think of reading as something they have to be bribed to do.

4. Don’t say reading is important. Show it.
If you don’t read for pleasure, it’s going to be tough for your kids to be readers.

5. Reading aloud isn’t just for little kids.
Go ahead. Don’t be afraid to be goofy. Do the voices!

6. Provide the opportunity for reading.
Turn off the TV. Take books everywhere you go. Listen to audiobooks in the car.

7. Allow all types of reading.
Print books, ebooks, and audiobooks all “count” as reading. Ditto for magazines, comics, and graphic novels.

8. Own books.
Checking books out from the library is great, but nothing beats having a personal copy of favorite books. Give a bookstore gift card for special occasions!

9. Allow your kids the right to quit reading a book if they don’t like it and to re-read a book as many times as they want if they love it.

10. Talk about books with your kids.
Strike up a conversation about what they’re reading, not to test their comprehension, but to show genuine interest.

As summer ends and school begins, I hope you can look back at summer with memories of great vacations, lazy days, and favorite books that you and your child have shared.

An end and a beginning...

Today is bittersweet.  It's my last day as Library Coordinator for Frisco ISD, a job I've held for seven years.  I've been in the district for 11 years, which is forever for me and pretty long in such a fast growth district.

When I was hired as librarian at Staley Middle School in 2001, the district had eight campuses.  When I became coordinator in 2004, we had 21 campuses.  Now there are 49.

And I'm not doing a good job of letting go of our wonderful library program, this great position, and our awesome librarians, who are friends as well. 

But I have an exciting challenge ahead of me.  After 31 years in public education, I'm retiring to accept a wonderful new job.  In August I'll begin as Director of Libraries for Parish Episcopal School in Dallas.  I'll still be a library administrator, which I enjoy, and I will again be a librarian, which I love. 

I'll have a library!  And kids!

So change is in the air for me, and change will be on the horizon for Shelf Consumed as well.  This summer I hope to give it a little facelift.  And I'll keep posting, but maybe from a little different perspective since I'll be a librarian again.  YAY!

When I was seven, I joined Brownies because I wanted a uniform (a life-long goal I've yet to really reach).  We ended each meeting with a little song:  "Make new friends, but keep the old.  One is silver and the other gold." 

This change feels much like that.  Silver and gold!