Smart Librarians

November 1

Every Other Thursday, you’ll get this short, fun, relevant newsletter.  It will contain a quote 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 occasionally a shameless plug for the programs I offer.  Enjoy!

Quote

“Knowledge is free at the library.  Just bring your own container.” Seen on a T-shirt at COMO, the Georgia Library Conference, 2012.

Promote

This idea came from a Gwinnett County school I visited.

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!

Common Core Connection

Much of the Common Core focuses on the work of the classroom teacher.  This paragraph from Appendix A reinforces the positive, powerful role the library and library media specialists also have.

“Being able to read complex text independently and proficiently is essential for high achievement in college and the workplace and important in numerous life tasks. Moreover, current trends suggest that if students cannot read challenging texts with understanding—if they have not developed the skill, concentration, and stamina to read such texts—they will read less in general. In particular, if students cannot read complex expository text to gain information, they will likely turn to text-free or text-light sources, such as video, podcasts, and tweets. These sources, while not without value, cannot capture the nuance, subtlety, depth, or breadth of ideas developed through complex text.  As Adams (2009) puts it, “There may one day be modes and methods of information delivery that are as efficient and powerful as text, but for now there is no contest. To grow, our students must read lots, and more specifically they must read lots of ‘complex’ texts—texts that offer them new language, new knowledge, and new modes of thought” (p. 182, emphasis mine). A turning away from complex texts is likely to lead to a general impoverishment of knowledge, which, because knowledge is intimately linked with reading comprehension ability, will accelerate the decline in the ability to comprehend complex texts and the decline in the richness of text itself. This bodes ill for the ability of Americans to meet the demands placed upon them by citizenship in a democratic republic and the challenges of a highly competitive global marketplace of goods, services, and ideas.”

-from Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, Appendix A, page 4. (http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf)

Shameless Plug

It’s time to start booking Arctic Express, the reading assembly program that celebrates fall and winter festivals from around the world!

This holiday season treat the kids to a program that’s trainloads of fun, filled with puppets, magic, storytelling, music, and audience participation. This imaginary train ride magically takes kids around the world to learn about winter holidays like: Diwali, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Chinese New Year, Hanukkah and of course, Christmas.  Find out more at www.tommyjohnspresents.com!

Thanks for reading this far!  See you Every Other Thursday!

Encouraging kids to read, I am
Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist
www.TommyJohnsPresents.com
tommy@tommyjohnspresents.com
Call (770) 640-6509 or Toll Free at (866) 490-READ
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