Talking to your principal--Advocacy 101

I definitely appreciate your suggestions for blog topics!  Christine asked for ideas of what a librarian could share with her principal, either during the year or at the end. 

The principal can be your best advocate, and I would encourage you to regularly schedule time to sit down with your administrator to talk about the library.  Once a month or six weeks is about right.  Be sure to respect your principal's time by limiting this visit to 10-15 minutes, tops.  While newsletters and emails are fine, don't underestimate the power of regular, brief, face-to-face chats.

If you're new, definitely meet with your principal before the year starts.  Ask your principal what his/her vision of the library is.  What is important? 

Ask plenty of questions.  Articulate your vision and goals.  Don't assume that your principal knows what a good library program looks like. 

Several years ago, I very nearly turned down a job because the principal told me in the interview that she wanted me to do "library lessons using the almanac, for example."  YIKES.  Library lessons?  In middle school, no less?

I really wanted the job, so when she called to offer it to me, I worked up my nerve.  I told her that I thought we shared the same goal of a vibrant library program centered around students, but I thought we might have different views of how to reach the goal.

She asked me to explain, and I mentioned the library lessons. The principal laughed, and said, "Oh, I have no idea what librarians DO.  I'll leave that to you.  I just remembered my librarian doing almanac lessons."

Thank heavens I asked.  Otherwise, I might have turned down the job, or worse, I might have done the dreaded "library lessons" thinking that's what she expected.

The following is a short (random) list of topics you may wish to discuss.  Does your principal:

• Share your philosophy and vision of the library?
• Know your goals and how he/she can help you reach them?
• Understand the importance of flexible scheduling?
• Support the selection process and student access to materials? 
• Pave the way for you to collaborate with teachers?
• Provide adequate budget support?
• Know what a good library program should look like?

A few pieces of advice:

• Principals have crazy busy schedules.  Email the principal's secretary and make an 15-minute appointment for a convenient time.  Let them know the purpose of the visit.
• Principals don't have time to wade through tons of stuff.  Limit written information you give them to one page.
• Principals think in terms of student achievement.  School Libraries Work (Scholastic 2008) can provide good support, but remember the one page rule. 
• Principals are data driven. Stats are nice. 
• Principals hear it all.  As a result, they appreciate positive staff members who are team players.  Don't always ask for things!
• Principals are people too.  Take time to develop a professional relationship.  Say thank you.  Tell him/her how much you appreciate their support. 

A brief end-of-the year report is nice but not required.  It may include stats for the year, summarization of major programs and accomplishments, and progress toward goals.

Your principal = your best advocate!

Twitter me this

It seems there are three camps of people in regard to Twitter.

1.  Huh?
2.  Why would I want to know what Ashton Kutcher ate for breakfast?
3.  Twitter is awesome.

While I don't particularly care about the breakfasts of the stars, I do love Twitter.  Why?

1.  It's fun.
     Where else can you have tweeps?
2.  It's fast. 
     Doesn't take long to read or post 140 characters or less.
3.  It's social.
     Open 24/7.  Responses are quick.
4.  It's a great educational networking tool.
     I follow other persons in our district and other librarians around the state.
5.  It's up-to-the minute.
     I knew the brand new Newbery and Caldecott winners before they were posted on the ALA site.
6.  It's informative.
     I follow TLA, ALA, publishers, authors, and various libraries.

Have an iPhone?  You can read or post from your phone.  The app I like the best is a free one called TwitBird, but that's personal preference.

When I first signed up for Twitter, I tweeted (silly word, I know) about vacation plans and our grandkids.  Later I decided to keep my Twitter posts more library and work-related.  I am especially happy with this decision in light of the Library of Congress announcement that they plan to digitally archive every tweet.  Wow.  Boggles the mind, huh?

There are also practical applications for Twitter in the library.  Add a Twitter feed to your blog and you can tweet to your blog right from your phone.  Book Club is cancelled this week.  Remember to buy your book for the upcoming author visit.  Have you read the latest book in this series?

Concerned about students following you?  You may also be interested in the story from this week's AL Direct, "If You Tweet It, They Will Come."

Not sure yet? I'd encourage you to set up an account and lurk a while. Follow a couple of professional organizations, bloggers you read, librarians you know, and authors you enjoy.

Hope to tweet you soon!

Mail and other things I didn't know about

Today's post is for brand new librarians and admittedly not a life-changing topic, but one I would have appreciated knowing about as a newbie.

I was hired as a librarian very early in my MLS coursework, and I knew nothing.  Seriously nothing. 

I thought that several years' teaching experience and being a reader were probably all the preparation I needed.  But when the bell rang on the first day of school and I went into the library, I realized that enthusiasm didn't equal knowledge or experience. 

Hopefully you're not in that boat, but if so, please ask questions!  Get a mentor. Observe good librarians.  Read. Go to conferences and professional development sessions.  Ask more questions.  Read more good stuff.

But I digress, as usual. 

That first day I was greeted to a giant stack of mail.  Catalogs, magazines, and a myriad of envelopes and packages.  And I was so green that I had no clue as to what was important and what wasn't.

These tips may help.

1.  Go through the mail one time only.
2.  Separate it into stacks:  catalogs, journals, periodicals, packages, interoffice mailers, and the rest.
3.  Go through one stack at a time, beginning with what looks like junk first. 
4.  Keep one copy of major library supply catalogs such as Highsmith and Demco. 
     Place these in a labeled magazine file.  When you get the newer catalog, recycle the previous one.
5.  Personally, I recycle all catalogs for books and AV materials.  I'm going to order from reviews and using
     an online ordering tool, so I rarely need the other catalogs for anything.  And if you discover you do,
     trust me, the next one will come SOON.
6.  Recycle mail that looks like junk.  If it doesn't look like a bill or isn't personally addressed, you probably
     don't need it.
7.  Now you're down to packages, interoffice mail, and journals.  These will need your personal attention,
     but the stack should be more manageable now!

Above all, remember that everybody was new once.  Don't be embarrassed to ask (LOTS) of questions, even ones that feel dumb.  You probably knew how to deal with the mail before this blog entry.  See how much ahead of the game you already are?!

Suggestions, please?

Time for your suggestions, please! What topics would you like to see on Shelf Consumed?

Selection basics, part 4 OR graphic novels

Graphic novels are hugely popular, especially with two disparate groups of readers, very able readers or struggling readers.  Consider the following rationale for graphic novels:

• Graphic novels may enable readers to process & comprehend material from a nontraditional format of text
• Graphic novels may promote visual literacy
• Graphic novels may be a bridge to literacy and reading development
• Graphic novels may give confidence and a positive reading experience to struggling and reluctant readers
• Graphic novels may be enjoyable and lead to independent reading

Our selection guidelines ask that librarians seek published, professional reviews if possible. Because of the proliferation of the genre, traditional reviews are not always available.

Publishers of manga often use a rating system.  While these do not take the place of reviews, we have opted to include these ratings in our guidelines as an attempt to establish some consistency in selection. 

If a favorable review isn't available, librarians may consider graphic novels with the following publisher ratings:

*E (everyone) or A (all ages) for elementary, middle school, and/or high school libraries
*Y (youth, ages 10+) and T (teens, ages 13+) for middle school and/or high school libraries
*T+ or OT (teens, ages 16+) for high school libraries
*M (mature, 18+) and AD (adult) do not follow selection guidelines and may not be purchased

For further reading, check out Jason Thompson's The Complete Guide to Manga.

Selection basics, part 3 OR what if I can't find reviews?

This food metaphor I have going for selection is torturing me today, so I'm switching to a picture of shoes.  Much better.

Yesterday we talked the tiniest bit about using reviews to select books.  Published, professional reviews are usually available for the majority of books published traditionally except nonfiction series and graphic novels.

Our selection guidelines specify that librarians should first search for reviews in Booklist, BCCB, Horn Book, LMC, SLJ, or VOYA, as applicable. An absence of reviews (with a few exceptions as listed previously) likely speaks volumes.

But what happens if you need to purchase some new books about weather or arctic animals or countries of the world?

If a favorable review does not exist in one of the journals previously listed, our librarians may purchase materials at their professional discretion after thoughtfully weighing the factors listed below.  In all cases, librarians should err on the side of caution when considering any material for which no reviews exist in these six journals.

Criteria for consideration includes the following:

• Publisher's reputation
• Needs of the curriculum
• Author's reputation
• Endorsement by a professional association
• The need for a balanced and diverse collection
• Inclusion in a retrospective collection tool (such as Wilson's Children's, Jr. High, or Sr. High Catalog, as applicable

More to come on graphic novels...

Selection basics, part 2

Selecting books can be overwhelming at times, especially for new librarians.  So many books!  So little money!  Which ones to choose?

A good starting point is to consider some guidelines for selection.  Our district has written selection guidelines, a few of which I'll include below...

1.  Individual materials should be purchased with the entire collection in mind.
2.  It is recognized that every book in the library will not be relevant for every student.
3.  Material selection should be guided by published, professional reviews (More on this later...).
4.  Minimum best practice dicates that books considered be favorably reviewed in at least one journal.
5.  The review must include at least one grade level served by the purchasing campus.

We want our librarians to consider reviews from traditional, professional sources. As such, we have narrowed the sources that may be considered to Booklist, Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books, Horn Book, Library Media Connection, School Library Journal, and Voice of Youth Advocates.  These journals have much more credibility than Joe Reader who posts reviews online!

I'll feature these in a separate post.  In the meantime, have a cupcake! 

Walk on, baby...

Horn Book is a respected review source, but I love it for its features.  Dr. Betty Carter, an HB reviewer, tipped me off to "What Makes a Good Graduation Gift" in the May/June 2010 issue (shown below). 

As a result, I am in love with Marla Frazee's wonderful book, Walk On! : A Guide for Babies of All Ages.

While certainly good for a graduation gift, Frazee's adorable baby would also provide a bright note for a friend who is going through a rough patch, as one of our librarians noted.

Walk On! is perfect for the baby in us all, "Remember to breathe" ; "Go and and cry if it helps" ; and "Don't look down at your feet. Look toward where you want to go." Delightful advice on any day.

Keeping a reader's list

As you're reading, I hope that you'll consider keeping a Reader's List.  A reader's list is just that--a list of the titles and authors of every book you read. 

I wish I would have started my Reader's List as a child, or even the first year I became a librarian.  I didn't think to start it until my first year on the Lone Star committee, but even so, I love my list.  It would rank up there with the Top Five Things I'd Save in a Fire.  I tell my boys it's my legacy and have asked them not give it to Goodwill when I'm dead.  They, of course, roll their eyes.

When I started my Reader's List, I didn't think about my legacy, so for years I simply used little red notebooks that I'd get at the dollar store.  I fell in love with a leather journal and recopied ten years of titles into the new book.  After I'd finished, I found the beautiful brown journal with the alphabet on the front and recopied the titles yet again.  Now I don't look at new journals.

Here are a few tips to get you started...

1.  List only the title and author of each book read.
2.  Ditch the temptation to give a rating, write a summary, or keep track of the genre.
3.  At the top of each page, list the month and year.
4.  Number the books you read chronologically from 1 to infinity. 
     Don't start over each month or year.  This way you'll always know your running total.
5.  Personally, I use the exact same type of pen every time.  Black roller ball, medium ink.
      (But you're probably more well adjusted than I am).
6.  Feel free to mix adult titles in with the zillions of children's or YA books you read.
7.  Remember to include audiobooks on your list.  Audiobooks are books too!

Ask Me What to Read...

I'm going to go out on a limb and assert that there has never been a more important time for librarians to be reader's advisors.  And yes, that's another post for another day.

For today, I'll just say that the first step in being a good reader's advisor is to read.  Yes, READ.  Did you just slap yourself on the side of the head and mutter, "Duh?"  Good for you.  Because sadly, many librarians and teachers attempt reader's advisory every day without having actually read very many books.  And kids can spot these imposters a mile away.

Kid:  Do you know a really scary book I can read?
Imposter: Well, I've heard that new vampire book is scary.
Kid: Have you read it?
Imposter: No, but it's been checked out a bunch of times, so it must be good.

Since you're not one of THOSE librarians, you will undoubtedly be reading a lot of children's or YA books.  You'll be keeping a list of what you read.  You'll know authors.  You'll read many different genres. 

But since there are so, so many books and so, so little time, how do you choose WHICH books to read?

A few ideas may help you narrow your selections.

1.  Using an online ordering tool, do a collection development search.  Narrow search results to books published in the current year only with 2 or 3 starred reviews.  Print the list and read what sounds good or what you think your kids might like.
2.  Use the summer to read the books on the next year's Texas 2 x 2, Bluebonnet, Lone Star, or Tayshas list, for example.
3.  In January most review journals will highlight the best books of the year or editors' choices.  Copy these pages and read what sounds best.
4.  Read the first book of that hot new series, but don't feel like you have to read every book in the series unless you absolutely love them. 
5.  Ask kids to help keep you in the know when they spot new books online or in the bookstore.