Smart Librarians

Thursday, August 18, 2016

August 18, 2016

Every Thursday, you’ll get this short, fun, relevant newsletter. It will contain a quote or smile about the library and those who love it, an idea you can use to promote your library or reading in general, and an occasional shameless plug for the programs I offer. Enjoy!

If you are new to us or have missed any previous issues, you can read them all at www.smartlibrarians.com. And please tell your friends about it!

In this issue:

More than books!

Quotable

Experiences are better than stuff!

I gave myself a raise!

More than books!

When most people think of the library, they think of books, and rightly so. With a very few exceptions, your media center has more books than any other resource, even if you don’t count e-books.

But we both know that the library media center contains so much more! When a student or teacher goes to the library, they may well leave with a book. Or a DVD. Or a piece of equipment.

But often they leave with an answer to a big question. A student struggling with family problems may leave with an assurance that she can overcome her situation. A teacher may walk out of the media center with a new idea for teaching a tough concept. Students learn empathy when they read about the challenges of a character in a compelling story. A minority student may be inspired by reading about someone just like her who changed the world.

Imaginations are awakened. Ideas come to life. Lives are changed.

Your library looks like a room full of books to some folks. But we know that they are filled with SO much more!

Quotable!

“Each time you open a book and read it, a tree smiles, knowing there’s life after death.”

Author Unknown (quote borrowed from Laurie Bryant’s e-mail signature)

Encouraging reading – from 45 Ideas in 45 Minutes – Promote Reading

#10. Reward readers with EXPERIENCES, not just stuff. EX. Lunch in the Library, first checkout of new books, allow a hold on a favorite series. People remember the things they DO and EXPERIENCE longer than they remember the STUFF that they get. So why not give your kids experiences! Going to a show, going first in line, being the first one to checkout a new book, having lunch with YOU – all these things man a lot more than a fake plastic rainbow Slinky shaped like a book from Oriental Trading! And experiences are usually cheaper!

I gave myself a raise!

Earlier this year, I worked with a REAL web designer and upgraded my website, www.TommyJohnsPresents.com. And when I did that, I raised my prices for the first time since 2005! But here’s a deal for folks who read the WHOLE newsletter. If you book any programs for any time in the 2016-17 school year, you get the old pricing! All you have to do is send me an email and say “I want the old price!” The only catch is that you must contact me to book the program before my birthday on September 12, 2016. That’s when this offer expires. The program can be scheduled for any day this year, but you must book it in the next 25 days.

Let me know how I can help! See you next week!

“Everyone loved Go Wild! (the science and reading program)and want you to come back! I have let other schools know about the AWESOME show my students saw. I tell them how well you manage and control student behavior, and how much the kids l earned. Students are still showing parents your posters and saying, ‘I saw him. It was so much fun!’ They were sorry when the show ended!”

Patty Krezinski, Media Specialist

Diamond Lakes ES, Hephzibah, GA

Encouraging kids to read, I am
Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!

www.TommyJohnsPresents.com
tommy@tommyjohnspresents.com
Call 770-315-3339 or Toll Free at (866) 490-READ
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Your peers appreciate your advice about quality programs. Please tell them about your experience working with us. Our best sales people are our many loyal clients.

You are receiving this newsletter because you have attended one of my workshops, invited me to your school, or registered for a free half day of assemblies at a conference. If you’d like to unsubscribe, simply click reply and let me know. Have a WONDER-Filled Day!

August 11, 2016

If you are new to EOT or have missed any previous issues, you can read them all at www.smartlibrarians.com. And please tell your friends about it!

In this issue:

Why do you do it?

Quotes

Singing about READING!

Why do you do it?

Many of you are among the first in the building every day. You are available to and have the responsibility to serve every student and teacher in the building. The variety of questions you get each day are amazing in their subject matter and how MUCH they matter. You have to be an enthusiastic advocate for reading and technology, even when those two things seem to be contradictory. And all of this while having to explain to family and friends that your job is SO much more than checking out books and returning them to the shelves! Why in the world would you willingly accept such a challenging and underappreciated job and why would you EVER return to it year after year?

Because today you may connect a kid to a text that moves him closer to gaining a REAL love for reading. Because tomorrow, you will tell a teacher about a resource that helps her be more effective in the classroom. Because next week and the week after that, you will change someone’s course in a small or large way. You could give me dozens of specific instances that answer the question why, but it boils down to this one simple fact:

Because what you do MATTERS. What you do MAKES A DIFFERENCE. What you do CHANGES LIVES. And that’s enough reason to do what you do. Keep up the good work. And know that no matter what happens next, you are following a high calling. Thank you for what you do!

Quotable!

“Libraries allow children to ask questions about the world and find the answers. And the wonderful thing is that once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open.”

--Laura Bush

Encouraging reading – from 45 Ideas in 45 Minutes – Promote Reading

For the past two summers, I have played songs before my library shows that SOUND like songs from the radio that everybody knows, but they really promote reading! Kids LOVE these song parodies and you can use them to promote reading.

There are dozens of these types of songs on YouTube. Librarians are a VERY creative bunch! Do a search for Reading Song Parodies and you'll have lots to choose from.

The ones I used this summer are:

Unread Books (parody of Uptown Funk) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6zcIFUvdJ0

All About Them Books (parody of All About That Bass) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVUwXtewEYU

Gotta Keep Reading (parody of I Gotta Feeling) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY9goJVX32I

And a new one I found this week is Check it Out (parody of Shake it Off) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjf7H8K9r4U

Enjoy these and play them during checkout, prior to the start of the day or even during a Maker Space visit!

Let me know how I can help! See you next week!

“Just want to say thanks again for an awesome presentation. I am officially the coolest media specialist in the world now!!!”

Pat Bell, Ed. S, Library Media Specialist

Blakeney Elementary School, Waynesboro, GA

Encouraging kids to read, I am
Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!

Thursday, April 16, 2015

April 16, 2015

Every Other Thursday, you’ll get this short, fun, relevant newsletter. It will contain a quote or smile about the library and those who love it, an idea you can use to promote your library or reading in general, a Common Core implementation idea and a shameless plug for the programs I offer. Enjoy!

If you are new to EOT or have missed any previous issues, you can read them all at www.smartlibrarians.com. And please tell your friends about it!

In this issue:

You Can Quote Me on That!

Here’s an idea!

Common Core Infographic

Shameless Plug – End of the Year and Post Planning Training Opportunities!

“You Can Quote Me On That!”

“We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don’ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever.”

Philip Pullman

“Knowing you have something good to read before bed is among the most pleasurable of sensations.”

Vladimir Nabokov

Encouraging reading – from 45 Ideas in 45 Minutes

From the General Good Ideas section

31. Let the kids check in their books and place them on the appropriate shelving cart, in order. Doing so promotes/ties in with technology standards, teaches responsibility, and reinforces ABC order. I understand the hesitation many have about letting elementary age kids check OUT their books, but there are very few things that can go wrong with them checking them IN. After they check the books in, have them sort the books by type onto the shelving cart. This saves you time and teaches them library terms and skills. If you want, you can even insist that they shelve books on the cart in order to further teach library organization.

Common Core Infographic

I found this to be a really good infographic from www.AwesomeStories.com. Print it out and display it!
https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Give-Your-Students-A-Cure-for-the-Common-Core-infographic-//1?vsmaid=1581&vcid=55053

Shameless Plug

Now is a great time to schedule your big reader reward celebration for the end of the year! Go to www.tommyjohnspresents.com to look at pricing, shows offered and an up-to-date schedule!

Here’s what one of your colleagues has to say about the programs I offer:

“Your show (I Love to Read!) is AMAZING. The teachers are already asking when we can have you back. You were so easy to work with. And the silent dismissal was the best trick in the whole show”

Sharon Britt, Media Specialist, Hopkins Elementary, Lilburn, GA

Big News! I have already been booked to conduct Media Specialist training sessions for a couple of school systems for post planning. Want to have a great, relevant and FUN workshop? Check out http://tommyjohnspresents.com/teachers.htm for topics and give me a call today!

Let me know how I can help! See you in two weeks!

Encouraging kids to read, I am
Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!

www.TommyJohnsPresents.com
tommy@tommyjohnspresents.com
Call (770) 640-6509 or Toll Free at (866) 490-READ
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Your peers appreciate your advice about quality programs. Please tell them about your experience working with us. Our best sales people are our many loyal clients.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

March 26, 2015

If you are new to EOT or have missed any previous issues, you can read them all at www.smartlibrarians.com. And please tell your friends about it!

In this issue:

You Can Quote Me on That!

Here’s an idea! Schedule Admin Time!

Shameless Plug – End of the Year and Post Planning Training Opportunities!

“You Can Quote Me On That!”

“I owe everything I am and everything I will ever be to books.”

Gary Paulsen

“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.”

Confucius

Encouraging reading – from 45 Ideas in 45 Minutes

From the Getting the Work Done section

30. With your principal’s permission/support, set aside a block of time for admin and PROTECT it. One reason you end up doing so much at home and on the weekends is that you don’t have time during the day to do office and administrative stuff. The reason you don’t have time during the day is that there is no time blocked out on the calendar for that important stuff. It’s part of your job. It’s what allows you to do the rest of your job well. You should be able to do some of it at work. Scheduling Admin Time also validates the time you spend doing admin work, because you prioritize it. And if you have it written on your schedule, when a teacher says “Can you come by my classroom and fix the internet?” you can say, I don’t have an open slot on my calendar this morning. I’ll come by at 1:00.”

Shameless Plug

Now is a great time to schedule your big reader reward celebration for the end of the year! Go to www.tommyjohnspresents.com to look at pricing, shows offered and an up-to-date schedule!

Here’s what one of your colleagues has to say about the programs I offer:

“WOW! Tommy Johns is fantastic! Through magic, puppets, games, music and lots of volunteers from the audience, his enthusiastic personality encourages students to be READERS.”

Janie B. Vaden, Media Specialist, Varnell ES, Dalton, GA

Let me know how I can help! See you in two weeks!

Encouraging kids to read, I am
Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!

Thursday, March 12, 2015

March 12, 2015

If you are new to EOT or have missed any previous issues, you can read them all at www.smartlibrarians.com. And please tell your friends about it!

In this issue:

You Can Quote Me on That!

Here’s an idea! - Volunteers

Common Core Article

Shameless Plug - Post-Planning Training Idea!

“You Can Quote Me On That!”

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”

Jorge Luis Borges, writer

"What the world of tomorrow will be like is greatly dependent on the power of imagination in those who are learning to read today."

Astrid Lindgren, author

Encouraging reading – from 45 Ideas in 45 Minutes

From the Getting the Work Done section

Getting the Work Done

I saw a bumper sticker last year on vacation that said “What I need is more time, more money, and less $%#@&* from you people!” There never seems to be enough time or money to get the work done and many media specialists have lost hours and personnel, and some have even been moved to the classroom for art of the day. Here’s one way to make the best of the situation.

29. Recruit and TRAIN volunteers to help with checkout, shelving, website, checking in orders. Whether you call them Media Moms or just helpers, they need to feel confident that they know what they are doing and that it is important work. You MUST train regular volunteers, if you hope to retain them. You also must appreciate them and let them know that you do. A well trained, appreciated volunteer who feels that she is making a difference is an UNBELIEVEABLE asset and can be an amazing advocate for you. Principals listen to parents, and media moms can be passionate friends of your library.

You also need to have high expectations for your volunteers. Don’t be overbearing, but make volunteering a privilege that has to be earned. I know this is counterintuitive, but it is important to retaining quality volunteers.

An excellent book to help you understand volunteers (and to teach you how to get the most from them) is The Care and Feeding of Volunteers: Recruiting, Retaining and Rewarding Volunteers, by Bill Wittich.

Look outside the school for volunteers. Carefully screened community volunteers, Partners in Education, and church groups are often willing to help. And don’t forget the grandparents of students!

Common Core Tip

This is not so much a tip as it is a relevant article that sums up the frustrations many of you and your co-workers are experiencing this time of year. It’s “hot off the presses” from New Yorker Magazine. Read it, share it, and comment on it.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/when-a-teachers-job-depends-on-a-childs-test

Shameless Plug

Here’s what your colleagues have to say about the programs I offer:

The kids, teachers, and assistant principal have been told me how great you were and how much they enjoyed the show. I couldn't agree more! Some are already asking if you can visit again next year!! :) Hope you have a safe journey home!

Thanks again,

Erin Elkins

Library Media Specialist

Owen Elementary School

Let me know how I can help! See you in two weeks!

Encouraging kids to read, I am

Tommy Johns Educational Entertainment Specialist
tommy@tommyjohnspresents.com
Call (770) 640-6509 or Toll Free at (866) 490-READ
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Your peers appreciate your advice about quality programs. Please tell them about your experience working with us. Our best sales people are our many loyal clients.

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

February 12, 2015

If you are new to EOT or have missed any previous issues, you can read them all at www.smartlibrarians.com. And please tell your friends about it!

In this issue:

“You can quote me on that!”

Here’s an idea!

Common Core Tip

Shameless Plug

“You Can Quote Me On That!”

“My alma mater was books, a good library…. I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.”

Malcolm X

“Access to knowledge is the superb, the supreme act of truly great civilizations. Of all the institutions that purport to do this, free libraries stand virtually alone in accomplishing this mission.”

Toni Morrison

Encouraging reading – from 45 Ideas in 45 Minutes

From the Getting the Work Done section

28. Get approval from your principal to require substitute teachers to come and help in the Media Center during planning period. If you have two subs per day who will help for 30 minutes per day, you will get 5 hours of help each week. If you have set tasks for them to do so that you don’t have to stop and tell them/show them what you want, it becomes a time saver, not a burden.

Once subs get the hang of it, you have help every day! Since some of your subs are also parents at your school, you can begin training media center volunteers!

Common Core Tip

The Caldecott and Newberry Award winners were recently announced. Like many of you, I was excited to see which books were selected (and some years puzzled by the same!) for these awards.

One common misconception about these award winners (and new books in general) are their relevance to the Common Core Curriculum. Many see “the book list” used in CCC and assume that new books are not welcome. Here is an excellent article from 2013 that addresses this question/concern. Not surprisingly, it comes down on the side of “YES! Great new books have a place in the current classroom!” Enjoy and share it with your colleagues!

Read the article here - http://utahreading.org/index.php?page=childrens-literature-awards-why-they-matter-in-an-era-of-common-core-state-standards
Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist
tommy@tommyjohnspresents.com
Call (770) 640-6509 or Toll Free at (866) 490-READ
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Your peers appreciate your advice about quality programs. Please tell them about your experience working with us. Our best sales people are our many loyal clients.
Call (770) 640-6509 or Toll Free at (866) 490-READ
------------------------------------
Your peers appreciate your advice about quality programs. Please tell them about your experience working with us. Our best sales people are our many loyal clients.

Shameless Plug

LAST CALL! If you are in the Atlanta or northeast GA area, I still have Tuesday, March 3 (Read Across America Week!) available during the day. I will be in Royston that evening. Don’t forget that EOT readers get a 10% discount.

Here’s what your colleagues have to say about the programs I offer:

“Mr. Johns came to Lane Elementary and did his evening presentation for students and parents for Literacy Night. It was awesome. He was so entertaining and the message was great.”

Jane Hardy, Lane ES, Macon, GA

You might not know that also do presentations for evening events that speak to and inspire the whole family! My programs are not just for kids!

Let me know how I can help! See you in two weeks!

Encouraging kids to read, I am

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!

Friday, January 30, 2015

January 29, 2015

If you are new to EOT or have missed any previous issues, you can read them all at www.smartlibrarians.com. And please tell your friends about it!

In this issue:

“You can quote me on that!”

Here’s an idea!

Common Core Tip

Shameless Plug

Words of Wisdom

“When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.”

Maya Angelou

“I cannot live without books.”

Thomas Jefferson

Encouraging reading – from 45 Ideas in 45 Minutes

From the Promote Your Media Center section

1. Post your Media Center stats and update them every week or so. From an office supply store, get a sign board with changeable letters and share at least the following information:

SO FAR THIS YEAR, WE HAVE CHECKED OUT

765 items to staff and faculty

2,376 items to students

For a total of 3,141 items!

This is a 17% increase over last year!

Way to go, Bobcats!

If you can’t spend the money on a permanent sign, print it out on a brightly colored piece of paper and post it near the door! People need to see what the media center is doing and how valuable it is!

Last week I discussed getting grants and have heard from a few of you that you have applied. Way to go! Here is a BONUS MONEY IDEA – If your Partners in Education are under-utilized, get permission to ask them for a contribution for books or equipment. Businesses become business partners so they can help. Not using them is a wasted opportunity. Think what you could do with four $250 donations!

Common Core Tip

The Developmental Studies Center (www.devstu.org) has a wealth of Common Core resources, including a Tip Of The Week (TOTW) section. Explore the site and find resources, ideas and answers for your teachers (and your media center program!).

Here a quick tip from a previous TOTW:

Getting Started with Opinion Writing

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.1 - This standard reads: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is…).

The following activity is based on one of the new supplemental activities available to our program users on our website. While the activity was written for Kindergarten, I think it could easily be adapted across the grades, using the continuum of learning outlined in the standards for each grade level. It’s also one that can be repeated several times throughout the year.

Draw and Write About Books

Show the covers of a few books you’ve been reading and read each title aloud. Briefly discuss what the students liked about each book, and then display it where everyone can see. Tell the students that one way they can let others know about a book they especially like is to write about the book. (For the rest of the article, click here.)

Shameless Plug

If you are in the Atlanta or northeast GA area, I still have Tuesday, March 3 (Read Across America Week!) available during the day. I will be in Royston that evening. Don’t forget that EOT readers get a 10% discount

Here’s what your colleagues have to say about the programs I offer:

“You have found your calling! In eight years as a media specialist I have seen a lot of good assembly programs. Yours was the best!”

Sarah Chancellor, Heritage Elementary School, Macon, GA

“I have already heard from several teachers that we have GOT to get you back for another assembly visit!”

Charlene McAleer, Burdell-Hunt Magnet School, Macon, GA

Let me know how I can help! See you in two weeks!

Encouraging kids to read, I am

Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist
tommy@tommyjohnspresents.com
Call (770) 640-6509 or Toll Free at (866) 490-READ
------------------------------------
Your peers appreciate your advice about quality programs. Please tell them about your experience working with us. Our best sales people are our many loyal clients.
Call (770) 640-6509 or Toll Free at (866) 490-READ