The Reference Desk A podcast by Suzanne Neuman

1. The Reference DeskA podcast by Suzanne Neuman

2. Karen MacKie • Teacher Librarian • Lafayette Elementary School • http://schools.bvsd.org/lafayette/ • Previously: Classroom teacher, literacy specialist, technology background

3. Successful Librarians: • Like variety and change • Like to work with a wide range of teachers and students • Willing to give up control for variety • Enjoy working with a range of grade levels.

4. Challenges • Funding is inadequate • Resources are dated and inadequate • Materials are limited • Keeping up with administrative responsibilities • Need to be efficient, quick and organized

5. Strategies • Be a quick cataloguer • Use good time-management skills • Delegate • Teach teachers to check out books • Utilize volunteers

6. Scheduling • Fixed for first month - every class came once a week to meet all kids and teachers - set the tone. • After first month - K-1 stays fixed with additional research; 2-5 is flex with assigned time for check out; one class at a time.

7. Periodical Research Unit with 5th graders • Learn what periodical means • Investigate several titles • Choose one they liked • Present one in a commercial (persuasive writing) to 2nd - 4th grade classes • Increased periodical circulation

8. Collaborative Planning • Support of principal makes a big difference • Before start of school each grade-level team had to meet with each specialist to layout programming for 1st trimester • Now it’s haphazard meetings except for larger projects. • She does more of the planning so that classroom teachers see her program as supportive, not as “one more thing to do”.

9. Collaborative Planning, cont. • Karen creates the lesson plan • Classroom teachers chime in as appropriate • Team-teaching does occur spontaneously • Classroom teachers give the assignment, gives feedback to Karen, decide on standards, assessment • Karen teaches information literacy skills

10. Assessment • Gives pre-test of information literacy skills at beginning of year • What’s a Caldecott Award? • Which of these 4 call numbers would be an animal book? • These 6 steps are part of a research project, which would you do first? Second? • She uses this info to decide what to teach during the year and then gives another assessment at end of year

11. Assessment, cont. • She creates rubrics with the kids • What’s good for a 4th grader? • What’s REALLY good? • This is for larger projects • Uses teacher’s assessment items to create her lesson • Uses informal assessment and bases lessons on observation

12. Promotion of the Library • Talked to teachers about grants • Trying to get technology for each classroom • Looks globally, like a principal would • Consults about appropriate literature choices for classrooms

13. Relationship with Parents • On PTA • Allows her to remain visible, voice her concerns, hear about broad, school-based goals and concerns • Takes time to get to know parents • Consults on book choices

14. Leadership • On Tech Committee as representative of the specials teachers • On Leadership Team • Allows her to hear school based issues, helps her plan ahead • On District Library Advisory Council • Helps to guide library program for district • Helps with staff development for district librarians

15. Resources for LIS Students • Book Links • Has themes for each issue; e.g., civil war • Guides her collection choices • http://www.ala.org/ala/productsandpublications/periodicals/booklinks/booklinks.htm • Library Sparks • How to integrate topics and skills • http://www.highsmith.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Production/LSP/pages/lsp_home.htm • School Library Journal • Expensive and extensive • Reviews: good and bad • Takes lots of time to go through • http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

16. Online Resources • American Library Association • Uses for Newbury and Caldecott lists • Book of the Year, top nominees • http://ala.org/ • Uses web to find information about series books - what order they’re in • Uses for research with kids • Sets up links for sites that match their research topics, e.g. explorers, Native Americans, etc.

17. Technological Resources • Has look up stations • Can hook up laptop to LCD projector • Doesn’t have adequate technological resources • Advocating for updating • All new desktops, laptops and printers • Needs more projectors • Getting document reader • Has Smart Board in a Lab • Stores files on district server so that it’s easier to find and share files from different computers

18. Book Challenges • Parent upset about a child checking out a book • Has had a book challenged at Book Fair • Encourage kids to discuss with parents what their parents’ guidelines are • Librarian needs to allow children to make their own choices • Support kids • Help kids to view library as a place to get valid information

19. Karen’s personal mission statement • She’s there to help kids find information of any sort: online, locally, printed, and then evaluate material and make appropriate choices • She needs to teach the kids how to find what they want to find so that they can become successful lifelong learners.