So I ran across this tweet today, and was first sucked in after clicking the link when I realized Clemson (from right here in SC) is a partner sponsor. I also took a second look when the Anderson University is nodded as a sponsoring partner too, another SC institution, along with Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University.
Because I’m a believer
I went through the survey as I am a believer in the power of networking tools as a way to help educators cultivate a professional learning network and streamline their own professional learning through like-minded educators. Using hashtags, various chats, and search streams available in my preferred Twitter client, Hootsuite, I can’t say enough positive things about the way it has impacted my own practice as a teacher and learner. I do however have to also say that I use Facebook and Google Plus in similar ways. These edu-networking tools are a staple in my own teacher toolbox.
Take the survey
Anyway, if you are a Twitter user, please consider participating in this survey. Word is the results will be shared at the end of summer.
So Saturday morning at 8:00 AM, my AASL committee culminated its year of work with the announcement of the 25 Best Websites for Teaching and Learning. I have friends tell me all the time they are so tired of conference sessions focused on lists of sites or apps, but I hate to admit I genuinely like them! Each time I attend them I always find new sites or apps that will meet my needs better, or have direct application to something I can use with kids. I guess I’m a sucker for the new, innovative, different, or fun, because I am always looking!! So it was a true pleasure to work on this committee, explore different sites, and offer up my opinions.
The “Top 25″ Websites foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration. They are free, Web-based sites that are user friendly and encourage a community of learners to explore and discover.
Here is the “Projeqt” we used to lead the session and introduce the winners, created by Chair Heather Moorefueld-Lang. Projeqt is one of this year’s winners by the way!!
This year’s session was special because it was promoted more, given a larger room, and our committee’s selected sites made AASL reach 100 named sites considered “best.” Our attack was to have a recorded interview with at least one winner from each category to play in the session, interviewed with video (Skype, Jing, other). The committee attending divided up the sites to provide insights in the session. I had four to talk about! To help make it even more special, our committee chair April Moorefield-Lang rounded up party favors, noise makers, confetti, and more so that at the naming of the 100th site, we could really celebrate. I recorded a bit of that here:
Our session was well received, and Twitter was just a flying during the session with the release of each winner. It was definitely fun, and I look forward to participating next year. So, you want to get a jump start and nominate sites for consideration now? Click here.
Today I try to recover from I suppose jet lag, as the 3 hour time difference slapped me in the face Friday around 7PM, sending me to bed by 8Pm (which technically was 11PM for my body) and then again yesterday, when I returned home from Anaheim around 11:30, but was bright eyed until 2am, once again my body’s time clock then on westcoast time. I’m still paying for it a bit today. GLAD it’s summer! ALA 2012 at Anaheim, CA is in the books.
Amost didnt happen…
I really did not think everything would line up as nicely as it did, allowing me the opportunity to attend ALA12 in Anaheim, CA June 22-26, but align it did. I managed to secure a decent flight with only one layover for $370!! With friends there ready to offer a bed with a pillow, I was set to go. One snafu, my flight there had to turn back before take off, causing me to miss my connecting flight, so Charlotte Douglas Airpoirt arranged for a direct flight. SCORE!!
SC Recognition and a book frenzy! Upon arriving, I went to get registered and attend the opening keynote followed by the grand opening of the exhibit hall. South Carolina’s Public Library Association got recognized for their work in getting full funding back when our governor tried to chop their budget, so it was nice to have our great state’s organization recognized. Talk about a FRENZY though when they opened the exhibit hall. There was flowing drinks and free books everywhere. I’d said I would not fill my bags with the freebies, but it was quite infectious, and before I knew it I had two bags filled. I gave them ALL to SCASL’s incoming President-Elect for her to use as door prizes at SCASL’s next conference or any other good use, so she mailed these home among her goodies, and she had PLENTY too. I refrained from getting anymore. I couldn’t afford to mail all that home nor did I have luggage space. I did “carry-on” for pete’s sake.
AASLBW12 – our session hashtag Saturday I spent the morning in my own panel session on AASL’s Best Website’s for Teaching and Learning. We had a full house no lie! We gave out party favors & noise makers to help us celebrate AASL’s naming of 100 sites with this fourth year’s set of top twenty-five. Our session ended with quite a bang, cheering, confetti, and streamers galore. Very festive, and I knew it would be difficult to top it. I captured a bit on my phone’s camera. Afterwards I got wrapped up networking with so many friends that before I knew it lunchtime came.
SLJ Sponsored Informal Discussion – Digital Literacy at ALA
from SLJ Flickr Stream ALA12
I had been asked and promised to participate in an informal discussion facilitatd by School Library Journal in SLJ’s Technology editor Kathy Ishizuka’s room at 2PM Saturday. In attendance were Kathy Ishizuka, serving as hostess and facilitator, along with SLJ Editor-in-chief, Rebecca T. Miller. The discussion was recorded with permission, and was quite frank at times. We tiptoed around the topic of there being a disconnect between school librarian members of ALA and ALA as a whole, but hammered out that some of the problems stem from a lack of understanding of media literacy and whose job it is to teach it. We agreed many entities act as if literacy is “their” issue, and even agreed as society becomes more connected, literacies of all kinds are contributing more and more to not only the achievement gap, but also the digital gap in today’s world. It was pointed out that now organizations like Best Buy and Home Depot have stepped into the ring, organizations that are for profit. IMHO it’s like the tail is wagging the dog, and school librarians are having a difficult time staking out their piece of the pie. Factor in the segment of librarians who are not up to speed, the segment of administrators who still don’t know what they should be seeing in today’s libraries, and site based management, and you get a formula for disaster that begins impacting not just outdated librarians, but those of us who consider ourselves up to speed and on board with 21st century learning. I’ve said before my greatest fear in today’s school is that despite my very best efforts to be on top of new literacies and 21st century learning, those librarians who are satisfied to be stagnant may one day very soon cost me my job. The real question that needs to be addressed is how to educate our government and public as to what the school librarian brings (or should bring) to the table. But those of us on the front lines have our radars up on any group or organization, inside and outside of school (aka Digital Literacy Corp, which by the way is a concept and not a reality at this point) that seems to be pushing to exclude us from our goals and missions as school librarians. The recent “snafu” over the FCC and Digital Literacy Corp is a direct result of this elevated awareness of our jobs in schools being chipped at from a multitude of directions. I won’t give anymore away, as I’m pretty sure our School Library Journal is doing a story based on our conversations in this exclusive group, but I will share who was present. I’m looking forward to reading SLJ’s spin on this discussion. Present were:
Wendy Stephenson, School Librarian, Buckman High School, New Market, AL
myself, School Librarian, Dorman High School, Roebuck, SC
Francey Harris, School Librarian, University Laboratory High School, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL
Sara Kelly Johns, Library Media Specialist at Lake Placid CSD, AASL Division Councilor, ALA Council at ALA, AASL Executive Board at ALA
Renee Hobbs, Media Literacy expert, Founder of Temple University’s Media Education Lab and professor at Temple University
Lynne E. Bradley, Director of the Office of Government Relations of the ALA
Capstone is a tough act to follow!
A custom combo dish from Mr Stox at our Capstone dinner!
Saturday evening my friend and reason I ultimately decided to attend ALA, Diane (formerly Chen) Kellyscored us dinner with our Capstone reps, Eric Fitzgerald and David Burrows. Just a few weeks before, I didn’t think I could come because getting a room at that late date was going to be a challenge, but she saved me! Diane worked out a “business dinner date” with Eric and Dave, and we ultimately landed at Mr. Stox in Anaheim. Oh my I cannot even adequately describe how wonderful the fod was, so I’ll just let my visitors use the link to process how wonderful this restaurant was. We all had a combo we asked them to custom create of Lobster Rosetti and Steak, and it was divine!! I loved the company, the discussion, and getting to know our exhibitors outside the Capstone booth! Guys, YOU ROCK!! I hope to attend the SLJ Summit in Philly this fall and hang out with y’all again.
Friends reunited and Free books…again
Sunday brought on more time in the exhibit hall. We had a schedule of authors and where they were signing, and so made it a mission to find them at booths, the pop-top stage, or the Authors Live Stage. We caught Neal Shusterman and got an autographed book. It was funny to meet up with friends–April Dawkins showed me her calendar for the day, and like us, she was seeking out authors. I also saw Michael Giller (from the Governor’s School of Arts/Greenville), newly hired Meredith Keeter (from North Myrtle Beach High School/Horry County), and Ida Thompson, media director for Richland County School District. I hung out mostly with Heather Loy, SCASL president-elect, Kathy Sutusky, SCASL President, and Anne Lemieux, SCASL’s incoming president-elect. Heather and I kept our third media muskateer, Fran Bullington, who wasn’t there involved in all things ALA from her home via phone texts and pictures.
Dinner at Bubba Gump’s with Sally Mays, AASL award winner and friend!
Sunday evening we decided to eat dinner at the Bubba Gump restaurant, and invited MEMO president (and my former 2010 ALA roommate) Sally Mays and her husband to join us. We had a delightful evening comparing SCASL to MEMO. It’s always interesting to see how organizations that are similar compare. We enjoyed her quick wit and allowed her to practice her AASL award acceptance speech, even getting our waiter at the hotel to assess it since she was determined to accept in “Espanol” since she teaches at a Spanish immersion school.
“Aaaaaaayyyyyye — it’s the Fonz”
Monday, I attended sessions, including one on teens and online privacy, and then book talking for teens. It was in the booktalking session that I met face to face a member of my PLN, Nancy Keane of Booktalks Quick and Simple. How ironic I run into her at a “booktalking” session, as she was just an attendee! Our group went to the Author Speaker series session featuring Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, coauthors of the Hank Zipzer books. Heather wanted an autographed book but had a conflict in here schedule, so Anne and I went down to get a book signed. It was the second book in the new Ghost Buddy series, so I forked out the “deal” $3.00 to get her the first book as well, since all we heard from Heather was she did not want any of the free books if they were sequels. She was pleased as punch at our surprise offering of both a freebie and a purchased autographed book by “the Fonz.” We finished by attending ALA’s Battledecks–truly no words can describe this fun event! Let’s just say ten slides, four minutes, and volunteers trying to drive for cohesion. For dinner that evening we went down the street to Buca Di Peppo’s and actually timed it so that we were invited to sit in the kitchen, supposedly the best seat in the house! I have been to this restaurant before in Pineville, NC and Philly, but my dinner mates had their first experience at a Buca’s. It was divine.
Memories in pictures
Of course there is much more to process from ALA. I’m including all my photos, as well as the ones I came across from School Library Journal. They are below, so if you do not see them from a reader, be sure to pop out and cruise through the pictures. I love seeing conferences through the shots of other photographers. And finally, Heather Loy sent our SCASL members daily updates of what was happening in ALA. These will also be posted over at SCASL.net soon, so be sure, especially if you are an SC librarian, to visit and read through how your SCASL leadership spent their time at ALA12 in Anaheim.
June is here and so is ALA’s Annual Conference. This year, my first serving on AASL’s Best Websites for Teaching and Learning Committee, is wrapping up the year’s work. June 23, 2012, 8:00-10:00AM, our committee has a featured session to announce the 2012 Best Websites for Teaching and Learning. I attended this session in 2010 at ALA, and I kid you not when I say standing room only. Same was true for a session featuring the BWTL at AASL2011 back in the fall. Apparently ALA has taken notice, giving the session a bigger room and higher rank for the 2012 Annual Conference, as it is a recommended/featured session that many school folks clamor to!!
My Willow was a frequent intruder at online meetings.
Committee members and friends
It has been such a joy to work on this committee. I can’t tell you how many skype calls, doodle polls, emails, and AASLBestList digital discussions we have engaged in to formulate, review, and finally select the winning sites. It has been a tremendous amount of work that has been exciting and rewarding. Getting to know my committee members (by children and pets LOL) has been memorable and fun. So it is with great anticipation that I look forward to the big reveal that morning in Anaheim, CA!!
Before ALA, there’s UTC
Next week, June 12, I am conducting a session at the Upstate Technology Conference in Greenville, SC on, if you havent already guessed, the Best Websites for Teaching and Learning. When I submitted my proposal, I really did not think about the fact that the big reveal for 2012 wouldn’t have taken place yet. So, alas, I must feature the 2011 winners, and make a big push for the pending announcement of the 2012 winners. No worries, though, as I’ve prepared with awesome material. I could have used last year’s SpiceyNodes preso, but I decided to do my own featured in this post. So my vehicles for “re-presenting” the 2011 winners are two presentation programs, one to start on and midway through leave it for an alternate program, then come back to the first. I know–how confusing! I’ll just call it mulitmedia mashup.
To start off
The first one featured here in slide share will be the one I use to begin with. We will start with a history of sorts and how the program has grown and evolved over the years since the first one in 2009. We will then have a memory slide from both 2009 and 2010, reminiscing on the tools featured that we loved. I want to see how many in the room are still unfamiliar with these, but also reassure them that not every tool will appeal to every person, and how it’s okay to give the sites a look or try and then pass. But I do want to encourage my friends in my session to share broadly with their friends about the various tools discussed and showcased.
Time to get actively engaged Once we are finished with our walk down memory lane, I will invite my session attendees to visit the 6 posters (representing the BWTL categories) with Sharpie and Post-it in hand, and add tools to the different categories AASL recognizes in this program. The goal here is to get the group talking about their favorite sites and see if they can introduce unknown sites that are wonderful for students to each other! (Secretly I HOPE to see some of THIS YEAR’s winners prominently featured on these charts. Never the less it will be a fun activity.)
Sharing the winners…of 2011, sigh
Once we have everyone back together, I will then move on to another slide program to showcase the 2011 winners. Upon completion, I will remind them that they can nominate a site ANYTIME (and highlight the AASL BWTL nomination site as the “go to place for nominating their favorites) and encourage all to check back with me here, or Twitter (hashtag AASLBW12), or the AASL site the morning of June 23. Well, that’s the plan, anyway. Wish me luck. I’ll report back here if it goes extremely well…or really badly.
I just spent the day at our district’s summer staff development technology event. It was called “Tech Infusion” and I must say it felt like just what the name says. I was infused throughout the day with great ideas for integrating technology in a learner context–not just for students but for myself as well. I myself shared three sessions, and though I enjoyed giving all three workshops, the excitement generated by my attendees for the third one was infectious!! It was a session titled Words 2.0h!, and it’s a recycled presentation from last year. I updated some of the content and it generated quite a stir with my group. Here are the links and/or embeds and more to my content…
Next week I will be presenting two different sessions at the Upstate Technology Conference in Greenville, SC, one titled “AASL’ s Top 25 Websites for Teaching & Learning,” and then another called “Digital Book Reports.” I havent really even begun to physically pull those together, so I guess we all know what I’ll be doing over the next few days. :)
On the school front, we’re pushing the public library’s summer reading program for teens. It sounds so cool and I love their logo so much — i soooo want a tshirt. Too bad I don’t qualify. I think I’ll crash their kickoff party anyway to see if I can score a shirt. After all I am evangalizing it for the kids!! Check out the logo. Can’t you just see me sporting this on a tshirt? I am afterall, a tshirt kinda girl.
For our own students, we are sponsoring a “Rock the Drop” free book give away activity. We are promoting it as a kick off to teen summer reading too, and we had planned to launch it tomorrow (Monday, May 21!) Some of our eager readers though actually “listen” to the announcements. You see I had the promo announced Friday, and went out to hide my books around 2:00PM. I had 5 kids come in right after school showing me their book, posing for a pic, and getting their name IN the drawing for the Barnes & Noble gift card. I am thinking we may have to go back out and add some more hidden books. See the hiding places. Maybe next week I can share shots fo the winners.
We have been closed more lately than open, MUCH to the chagrin of our students. You see, “End-of-Course” testing is an online adventure for several Science, Social Studies, and Math classes, and so because the library has enough access for up to two classes at times, we have been transformed into the “testing zone” with strict instructions to preserve a testing environment. We are not alone. Every lab in the building is scheduled for EOC. This all began Wednesday of last week, and it lasts through Tuesday. The EOC is essentially these classes’ exams. I hate that we are used in this way, but I can’t argue supporting the school program, and doggone it, EOC’s are a less than pleasant part of it. Other than helping a class start, and staying with the ones mazimizing their EOC time (students get to take as long as they need for the most part) I’ve not had a lot to do. So we have worked on inventory, end of the year reports, making orders ready for July 1, and more. Here is one of those reports. I’m not sure I’m done tweaking it, but I’m thinking it is ready. One goof already noted. See if you can find it.
There is much more to do, as I’ve got a full June to look forward to as well!! My own district is sponsoring a summer PD opportunity for teachers on June 5th called Tech Infusion, and I’m slated to do three one-hour workshops:
Oh Please, Not Another PowerPoint Get some tips and tricks for teaching students skills to improve their design ability in programs from PowerPoint to Prezi. Your students will be creating interesting, engaging, and effective presentations in no time.
Web Evaluation: Where’s the App for That? Learn some tricks to “filter” out the misinformation and how their own skills at detecting misinformation.
Words 2.0h! Learn of tools that make working with words, vocabulary, writing, networking or presenting interactive and fun. Engage learners through play using worlds in a more 2.0 way
I submitted these titles and descriptions some time ago in April, and when the sheet came out for teachers to choose, somehow my titles were slightly different and the descriptions were modified some too. Oh well, I will go in with the same plan as before.
For the Win: AASL’s Best Websites for Teaching and Learning
Come learn about the AASL’s Best Websites for Teaching and Learning. See the winning sites, how they might be used, and get great ideas for implementing these free online tools, some 2.0, to make your class engaging and relevant for today’s students. (Too bad I have to use LAST year’s list since this year’s list hasn’t been revealed yet. That happens at ALA this summer!)
Frame It for Learning
Learn some tricks and tips for making images that do the work for you! Teach students to create visual booktalks, announcements, and signage, just to name a few–use websites and school provided sotfware to showcase student work and more.
Last, I’m heading out to Anaheim, CA to attend the American Library Association’s annual conference. As an AASL Best Websites for Teaching and Learning Committee member, our big reveal of the 2012 Best Websites for Teaching and Learning is going to be a bigger deal this year, so I’m excited to be a three year serving committee member in my first year. WHAT an adventure!! I’m also trying to see if I can swing on down to San Diego to attend some of ISTE, which overlaps a bit, especially since it IS within driving distance.
As you can see, even though school is almost done (our kids have four more days!) my year and work is far from over. I hope to get some much needed rest in July.
In mid April one of my English teachers had her AP Lit students create propaganda pieces as a component of the novel study of George Orwell’s 1984. I blogged about it here. First impressions can be so deceiving, as though I came to the class to see them and even agreed to display them in the library, I was impressed, but not super impressed.
Confession: I was initially not impressed…
After taking the hodgepodge of posters and assorted other relia back to the library, I had the realization that ooooh yeah these kids were really thinking outside the box! I had misjudged much of what I’d seen. My worry then became what if students and teachers who saw them displayed in the library only gave them a cursory glance and then had the same initial response. I really felt that many who had not read the book would totally miss the point of the content displayed. I went back to my collaborating teacher to offer some ideas or insights to prevent that from happening.
The gallery walk idea is born
After our discussion, we agreed on a gallery walk. We would have our students use Audacity to record a description of their piece, giving insights into why they chose the medium used as well as significances. We would upload the audiofiles, provide the students a link, and get them to create QR codes to go with the display. Signs would be made to encourage students and teachers to use smartphones or our library’s iPads to scan the codes and listen to the explanation that went with the visual.
Still working-still creating
We are in the midst of making our recordings now, and the students seem to be super excited about creating a recording that explains their choices for their propaganda. I’ve had several teachers either in the library or just passing through to admire the posters or ask questions about what the kids are doing. They see the microphones, the qr codes, and the FUN the kids are having, and want the same for their classes.
DABA (deserves a bigger audience!)
As I reflected today, I realized these are two classes’ worth of propaganda, and they should get to “hear” each other’s explanations. Initially I thought they might return to the library to walk around and scan the codes around the display. This is a viable option, but I really think many students and teachers will be too busy to take the time. Solution? Make a VoiceThread of the projects as the qr codes are completed. I have snapped and imported the photos of the projects, and I connected the audio files made these last two days with their corresponding propaganda. Not all are finished, as we are working with small groups during their AP Lit blocks. But as the others finish in the next day or so, I will get them to add their audio recording to the picture of their work in VoiceThread too. My collaborating teacher will be able to show via VoiceThread the combined efforts of both classes to both her classes. We will post on our library blog and share with our district as well. So while the “gallery walk” idea has held, we are also using VoiceThread to make it a “virtual gallery walk” too, one that can have a wider audience.
You should teach some of the summer tech courses
I had another teacher stop and ask me today if I were teaching any of the summer district technology classes. He’s been in the library these last two days with his classes, but from the other side observing our project as it progresses. He said he wanted to sign up for all the ones I’m leading, as he really liked the activities he’s seen coming form collaborating with the library. I told him I had offered but hadn’t been asked to do any at this time. I told him that since he is one of my colleagues, I’d be happy to sit down with him ANYTIME to give him a rundown on project ideas. As he left today (after using our iPads in the library) he took away a viable idea for two science classes to create qr code based scavenger hunts that the other classes could do in the next weeks.
End of school – a tough time of the year for all
This is the time of the year when it is so challenging to keep our students engaged–14 more days of school. SCORE (on several fronts!) One for the library gaining another collaborating teacher, one for project based learning, and one for engaged students seeking a wider audience.
Today our library participated in a South Carolina Association of School Librarians’ Snapshot Day. This is an effort to capture the essence of what happens in a library on a single day. Here are the numbers we crunched, but this does not show everything. I spent time visiting two classes today to introduce and go over some alternatives to using PowerPoint for upcoming presentations. That is not reflected in this list. Nor is it reflected how many phone calls from teachers that we dealt with–which are frequent. It was an interesting day, none the less. We had a our Poetry month drop-in breakfast this morning to reward those students who actively engaged in our poetry themed activities throughout the month before school ever began. The classes that DID visit the library today had research needs on decades, Gatsby, and controversial topics for argumentative papers. We sought to pull as many print resources as we could to supplement their online research, and spent time pointing to databases for finding current articles to match their often funny topics. It was a good day!!
There is a steady stream a photos being shared from various SC Schools’ Snapshot activities. This year the stream is slower than last year, as we are requiring a written (yes, written) form explicitly giving SCASL permission to use the photos for any media generated. BUt all the photos will be put to good use, like showcased here.
Love this!! My friend Samantha asks our thoughts on reviews in our library reviewing tools, and their never really giving us the “real” story on content that might be questionable. Thanks, Samantha, for allowing me to use this in my blog!
Middle School: Drawing the line on PG-13 + content?
Okay, we’ve had this discussion before on the listserv about YA lit and cursing, etc. but where do we draw the line and how do we know the content of every book without reading every page when selecting those titles that tread the line between YA and middle school (i.e. “recommended for grades 6 and up”)? Do we just assume that anything rated for grades above 6 are book challenge fodder?
Today I had one of my custodians pick up a brand new book I just ordered because it had rave reviews in SLJ and was starred in Booklist, both with specific ratings for grades 6-8. She was attracted to it because of the cover and just skimmed the first few pages. Within seconds, she was passing it to the other two custodians, showing them a passage. I asked to see it. The passage referred to masturbation. A boy asked to be excused from the table and his grandfather chimed in that the boy probably wanted to go masturbate. Now, no explanation was given so it wasn’t rated R or anything, but really?! A recommended best book for middle school? Am I just too protective of my kids? Am I the censor in the closet? And, no, I’m not dumb enough to believe that many middle schoolers aren’t familiar with this term, but can I defend the presence of this book? Now I have it in my bag so I can take it home and read it to see if the overall novel is really suited for my patrons. Why, oh why, wasn’t this mentioned in the reviews?! (The book is The Downside of Being Up by Alan Lawrence Sitomer.)
I had the same thing occur with another highly recommended book for middle schools a few months ago. In David Klass’ Stuck on Earth, the first 20 pages are filled with pretty much every curse word most of us know, minus the big stinky “F” elephant. Why? Because of a bully featured on those pages and the main character’s own frustration at his low-man-on-the-totem-pole status. Of course, after reading the whole book, I did keep it on the shelves rather than passing it to the high school. I also placed a “YA” sticker on the spine and a note in the book’s records reminding me about the issue. Now, I talk to the kids who check out that book, warn them of the language, and ask if they can “handle it” as mature readers.
I still question content, however. No, I don’t think kids are dumb and yes, I know they are more jaded than when we were growing up because we didn’t have cable TV or all the garbage that passes for “suitable” for children these days. Help me! Do I need to re-adjust my thinking and just move on, quoting the recommendations in reviews when questioned about my choices? I can’t possibly read every book I order and I count on my colleagues who review these books to clue me in when there is questionable content. I can’t even read every review written or check all the Goodreads comments for every book, not when I order a couple thousand dollars worth of books a year! Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a “questionable content list” anywhere! Ideas? Suggestions? Name of a good psychologist?
Thanks!
My response:
It’s always best to be aware–no one wants to have questionable content pointed out to them regardless of who (and shocking worst case IMHO would be an irate parent.)
Use the social networking sites to your advantage
I have a tendency to look up books in GoodReads that have raised interest after purchase. I wish I could say I look before buying, though that just isn’t always the case. But the social networking sites are really plentiful now, so Good Reads and Shelfari may be just the place to scope out titillating info about books we are unfamiliar with or are unsure of. Just my thoughts.
Did you read this review?
This review from GoodReads would have made me take a longer look at the title before buying for sure. That small review made me go on to the others, where CLEARLY erection and masturbation are topics covered in the book. Classic case of where social networking sites really do help us be better at our jobs!
Isn’t labeling a form of censorship?
Your method of tagging a book with a catalog alert and placing a sticker is a great way to deal with it, though I’m not a fan of any additional stickers or labels on books. I see no need to censor yourself any further than what you say you are doing. But do research your YA books beyond just the reviewing tools that fail IMHO almost every time to tell us the amount of promiscuity, profanity, and violence included in a book.
What do you suggest?
I agree it is difficult to know every title in your library. I know very few librarians who say the read cover to cover every book that goes on the shelf. We rely on reviews and word of mouth quite a bit. How do you ensure an awareness of every book in your library? Inquiring minds want to know!
We are excited to share our weeded books that have been transformed into works of book art, or more aptly book sculptures. We hope to showcase them throughout the rest of the school year and hopefully even into the fall. As soon as they were set out we had a steady stream of curious students checking them out. Art is like that, always drawing the curious over. I am so satisfied with this project! My collaborative friend and art teacher is already cooking up a new idea for more library and art collaboration.
