Week 5

This week I had the opportunity to do another presentation for students. These were 4th and 5th graders who are about to begin working on a research project on some aspect of either Kentucky or United States history. Not only did I get to talk to them about appropriate websites and how to access KYVL through the Warren County Public Library website, but I also got to talk to them about citing sources. I introduced them to their new 'writing best friend', The Purdue OWL.

 

This week I was also able to spend about 30 minutes listening to a webinar from Simply K12 about using Google apps to differentiate in the classroom. They presented really useful information and gave several websites for additional research.

 

This was a good week, but slow on hours. Here's to catching up a bit this coming week!

Week 4

 This week I have spent more time on cataloging books. It may seem like I spend an inordinate amount of time doing this, but there has been A LOT to do. Here is what my living room looked like this week:

Boxes and boxes of books! The first thing I do when we get books is double check to see if we have the book in our collection already. Next, I look the books up on the Library of Congress site to see if there is a MARC record I can copy. Third, I add the necessary stickers and barcodes to the new books. Finally, I add either the MARC record or the book information to a new book record in our database. Interestingly, I timed it and it took right at an hour to just put the stickers in these particular books.

Friday I was able to spend some time with the third grade class. I presented to them a couple of weeks ago on how to do research, and this time I was able to be in the class and help them find the things they needed. They were also invited to come see me after school any day for additional assistance. They were doing really well on their research. One interesting thing I observed was that they did not realize they could type in other search topics besides just the name of their character. One student needed to know the dates of the past two Summer Olympics, so I showed him how to find that type of information. Here is a picture of work in progress:

Working with the students was the best! We were only given 30 minutes to work, but we could have gone on for at least an hour.

Week 3

This has been another busy week!

In looking through the CEBS Dispositions, I began to think about just how important this one is:
"Values professionalism: Professional development and involvement. References and makes use of professional organizations or publications. Willingly participates in professional activities or events that promote professional development." I contemplated how important it is to have the knowledge and expertise of more experienced as a resource. One way I was able to connect this week was by signing up for the KYLMS Listserv. As I go through the posts, I am amazed at the resources that are available to an LMS. I am very appreciative of my site supervisor for recommending the list!

This week I was able to give presentations to two classes about how to do research. The third grade class was beginning a project called Wax Museum where they study a popular figure, prepare a report, and then do a speech while dressed like the person. I was able to help them prepare by showing them kid safe web search engines. I did a similar presentation for the sixth grade class, however their class is beginning to be more precise in citing sources. I introduced them to the Purdue OWL site. Their teacher was so excited to have that resource as well. The presentation using PowerPoint was a success in both classes and the students asked lots of thoughtful questions.

I worked again on cataloging more books for the BGCA library. It is so helpful to have the Library of Congress MARC records to download and import to the system that they use. I can't imagine how long it would take if that was not available!

Week 2

I was so excited to spend some time inside the library this week! Friday was the first day I have been able to spend at Bowling Green High School shadowing (and helping) the librarian for the day. We completed a variety of tasks, and she said she was so glad to have someone with her because she does not have an aide, even though the school has 1200 students!

The library at BGHS is a very busy place!! Mrs. Butler has flexible scheduling, so most of the time there is at least one class present. The library is also used for the Driver's Ed class. The students who are not driving stay in the library where she keeps an eye on them. During the day there were visits from several other classes, including three sections of English. Many teachers also came through the library to check out new fiction titles. Over all the students were very well behaved and did not require much direct supervision.

Each Friday Mrs. Butler begins the day at 7:15 with a coffee bar open to students inside the library. Students are invited to come in, have a $1 cup of coffee, and spend time with friends. Some students checked out books during this time while some played games at one of the tables.

In the morning we did a neat book promotion project called "Blind Date with a Book". We selected several fiction titles, wrapped them in red paper, and wrote a few clue words or sentences on the front. Students have a chance to choose a book, read it, fill out a heart shaped mini book review, and then enter for a prize drawing. We set it up on a bookshelf between the copy machine used by students and the front door so it would be in a good place for them to see it.

During the Blind Date with a Book project Mrs. Butler and I spent some time talking about and choosing the books based on gender and racial diversity. When choosing fiction books, it was more difficult to find books that male students might find more interesting. We finally ended up with books on topics such as outlaws, basketball, and mysteries.

In the afternoon, the magazines needed attention. Many new issues arrived so they were recorded and stamped. When I went to add them to the magazine racks, there were a lot of past issues that needed to be weeded. Some magazines were weekly and had a LOT of issues that needed to be pulled. Approximately three to five issues of each title were left in the rack for student use.

The rest of the day was spent at the circulation desk being available to answer student questions and check books in and out.

It was a great day!