Podcast
I created a podcast to guide our 3rd - 5th grade students through the selections of books that are cataloged using the Dewey Decimal system. The students can listen to the podcast as they walk along the shelves located along the left wall in our media center. The intention of the podcast is for students to become familiar with where certain items located on our shelves.
Click here to listen to the podcast.
Click here to listen to the podcast.
Web 2.0 in Libraries
Web 2.0 invites users to participate, be creative, and interact outside of the walls of a library. It allows libraries to reach out to users and non-users of library services. (Casey, 2006, p. 38). Many libraries offer quality databases, downloadable audio books and music, iPod loan programs, RSS, Blogs and more. Librarians can assist users in using these applications to reach their goals (Abram, 2006).
Libraries have adopted Web 2.0 technologies for four main purposes: communication, content sharing, social networking, and crowdsourcing (Ari-Veikko, 2011, p. 92). Google, MSN, Yahoo, instant messaging, online chat, etc. are tools used for communication. Blogs and wikis are used for content sharing and interaction between librarians and patrons. YouTube is the most popular content sharing site. Facebook is a social network used by many libraries and librarians. Tagging is an example of crowdsourcing. Tagging allows users to change content and content describing content (Ari-Veikko, 2011, p. 94).
Libraries have taken on many of the Web 2.0 technologies to improve their services, create community, and to reach out to patrons. Web 2.0 technologies allow patrons fast and easy access to information. However, further research is necessary to find the preferences of library users relating to Web 2.0 applications and what impacts Web 2.0 has on social life and on the youth. (Ari-Veikko, 2011, p. 97).
Abram, S. (2006). Web 2.0, library 2.0, and librarian 2.0: Preparing for the 2.0 world.
SirsiDynix OneSource, 2 (1).
Abram, S. (2006). Web 2.0, library 2.0, and librarian 2.0: Preparing for the 2.0 world.
SirsiDynix OneSource, 2 (1).
Anttiroiko, A., Savolainen, R. (2011). Towards Library 2.0: The Adoption of Web 2.0
Technologies in Public Libraries. Libri, 61(2), 87-99. doi: 10.1515/libri.2011.008.
Technologies in Public Libraries. Libri, 61(2), 87-99. doi: 10.1515/libri.2011.008.
Casey, M., Savastinuk, L. (2006). Service for the next-generation library. Library
Journal,7(06), 38-40.
Journal,7(06), 38-40.
Web 2.0 Tool used by Miami Dade College Library
Miami Dade Kendall Library News Blog
I find the Miami Dade Kendall Library blog very informative and entertaining. The blog contains useful information such as lists of their new books and dvds, links to their Delicious and LibraryThing sites, podcasts, and information on their music and audiobook iPods. The blog includes information on upcoming events and celebrations. The current post is on Banned Books Week which is celebrated September 24th through October 1st.
Library Analysis - Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
Jenny, from the Miami Dade College Library, has an interest in museum libraries. During my meeting with her, I asked her to recommend a museum library and she recommended the Morikami Museum. My third visit was to The Donald B. Gordon Library inside the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. I chose this library because I thought it would be a different experience and it was. The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is located at 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach, Florida. They are open Tuesday thru Sunday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. George Sukeji Morikami was part of the Yamato farming colony that lived in Boca in 1904. Mr. Morikami donated the land to the city of Palm Beach County in hopes that one day it would become park to preserve the memory of the pioneering Yamato Colony. In 1977, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens became a center for Japanese culture.
I had the pleasure to speak to the volunteer librarian. He was very friendly and willing to sit with me and answer as many questions as he could. He has volunteered at the museum for over 20 years now.Only one volunteer works in the library at a time. There is a curator that manages the collection. The park and library are owned by Palm Beach County. The Donald B. Gordon Library is a reference only library which holds 7,000 volumes on a variety of Japanese and Chinese topics. The books and magazines are owned by The Morikami Inc., a private not-for-profitorganization. But if that company were to go out of business the books automatically belong to Palm Beach County.
The library has between 50 and 75 visitors a day. Very few local residents visit the library. Most patrons are college students or tourist. Some patrons visit for months at a time to study learn about Japan before traveling there. Patrons visit to learn about Japanese culture, pottery, gardening, art, architecture, industry, drama, travel, history, and religion. There is a small section with a rare collection of books which is kept behind a glass. This collection included books about Japan’s history, myths and legends, and art. The books were very old and falling apart. There is a small children’s section as well. I took a few minutes to read a Japanese fairy tale and a folk tale. Both books were written in English and one had the Japanese translation of the story along the bottom. Both stories were very entertaining.
Information on The Morikami Museum can be found on their website, Facebook page, Twitter,YouTube, and Flicker.
The Morikami Museum website: http://www.morikami.org
I had a great experience visiting the library,museum and gardens. Jenny also recommended the Ringling Brother’s Museum Library. That library is also a reference only library. I look forward to visiting more museum libraries in the future. I would definitely consider working in a this type of library or maybe volunteering after I retire.
Library Analysis - Miami Dade College Library Kendall Campus
The second library I chose to visit was the Miami Dade College Kendall Campus Library located at 11011 SW 104 Street in Miami, Florida. The library hours are Monday thru Thursday 7:30 AM to 10:00 PM, Friday 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, and Saturday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The last time I walked through the doors of this library was in 1995. I will be honest to say that, as a Miami Dade College student, I might have visited the library 6 times in the years I attended classes there. I used the library as a place to study. I did not use any of their resources nor was I aware of their services.
Prior to my visit, I searched their website and found their list of librarians. Three of the librarians have sites with information about themselves. I chose Jenny because she seems to be up to date with the latest trends. From her page you can access her twitter account, a Second Life blog, link to different websites, library podcasts, workshops, library blog, information for faculty members, and a link to their iPod project. As I looked through her credentials I decided she was the librarian I wanted to meet. I sent Jenny an email to introduce myself and ask her if she would be willing to sit with me for a few minutes. She replied right away and said she would love to meet with me and help me with my project.
When I asked Jenny why she chose to be a librarian, she really couldn’t remember. She graduated from Quinnipac College with a B.A. in Mathematics. Once she graduated she realized she did not want to work in the business world. Jenny decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps and enter the field of education. She knew she did not want to become a teacher and so decided to pursue her degree in Library Science. She attended Florida State University and graduated in 1989 with a M.S. in Library Science. Jenny has worked as a cataloger, reference librarian, and a resource development librarian. She was a cataloger for the Museum of Contemporary Art and is now pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies. Most of her experience is in colleges and university. She worked in the Palm Beach County Library for a year and did not enjoy her time there. She’s never considered working as a media specialist or in any other library because she loves working with college students.
Jenny is part of the Dade County Library Association and served as president for 2 years. Jenny is an active member of the college community. She is involved in several of the college’s committees such as Library Discipline Committee, Libraries Web Development Subcommittee, Technology in the Classroom, Academic and Student Support Council, College Center for Library Automation Access Standing Committee and was on the editorial board for Journal of Access Services.
There are currently five librarians at the Kendall campus along with eight library technicians, two adjunct librarians, two associate instructors, and a secretary. All librarians are required to enroll in one graduate course every four years in order to maintain their rank. They must have a certain amount of graduate credits in order to be considered for a promotion. Jenny attends workshops and presents at many workshops as well.
The Kendall Campus library serves over 20,000 patrons. The library is open to the public but borrowing privileges are limited to Miami Dade College students, employees, members of the MDC Alumni Association, and to students registered in institutions recognized by the Florida State University System and the Florida College System.
Students may schedule hands-on library instruction sessions or enroll in a Library instruction course. Faculty members may schedule library instruction sessions for their classes. Jenny mentioned they teach more classes during the Fall than the Summer term. Their collection consists of over 120,000 volumes on a variety of topics. The library provides computer workstations which are available on a first come first serve basis. Patrons may bring their own laptops and use the library’s wireless networkVideos, DVDs, and audiobooks on CDs are available for check-out. Jenny mentioned their new iPod Project in which patrons may borrow iPods with music, audiobooks, and podcasts. They offer the BachPods which contain music, music videos, podcasts, and audiobooks on, of course, an iPod. The EZ-Pod contains the audiobook version of a young adult novel accompanied by a paperback copy of the same novel. The EZ-Pod was developed for students registered in ESL courses. The JazzPod contains jazz music. The LitPod contains the audiobook version of a classic literary work and a copy of the print version. And the PinkPod which is dedicated to the struggles and accomplishments of women throughout history. There are many audiobooks on iPod Shuffles and Nanos that are available for check-out as well.
The Kendall Library has a website, a Facebook page, and a Library blog. Jenny maintains her twitter account, a Second Life blog, the Socrates Library Cat blog and the Socrates Library Cat twitter account.
Miami Dade College Library website: http://www.mdc.edu/kendall/library/about.asp
Miami Dade College Library Blog: http://kendallcampuslibrarynews.blogspot.com/
I really enjoyed my visit at the MDC Library. The staff is friendly, helpful, and professional. The patrons were working on computers, reading, studying, and believe it or not, some were sleeping! I would definitely consider working in an academic library in several years. The media center is still my number one choice.
Library Analysis - Miami Dade County Public Library
The first library I chose to visit was the West Kendall Regional Library located at 10201 Hammocks Blvd. Miami, Florida. The library is open Monday thru Thursday from 9:30am to 9:00 pm, Friday and Saturday from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm. I chose this library because it is a library I visit frequently as a patron. I was curious to go behind the scenes and see how it is managed and organized. I have always had pleasant experiences when visiting this library as a teenage student, college student, mother, and now as a graduate student. This is why I was surprised to find two librarians that were not willing to help me with this project. One said she was too busy and the other said she graduated a very long time ago and did not want to be interviewed. The head librarian at the time (or librarian 4) then called a younger, newer librarian that was more than happy to sit with me.
I had the pleasure of meeting with Alisha who is a young adult librarian. Alisha has a BA in Chemistry and a MLIS from the University of South Florida. As she was finishing her BA, she realized she did not like chemistry. Before entering into the workforce, she decided to continue her education and was undecided between becoming a teacher or a librarian. She worked as a page in a public library and really enjoyed her work. This helped her make the decision of becoming a librarian. She has never thought about working in any other library because her experience has always been in public libraries. Alisha is passionate about her work and she loves working in a public library.
The West Kendall Regional Library serves a middle class community made up of many Hispanics. They currently circulate over 60,000 items a month. All residents in the Dade County Library System’s taxing district are eligible for service at the West Kendall Library with the exception of residents in Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Hialeah, Miami Shores, North Miami, North Miami Beach and the Town of Surfside. Residents from Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Miami Shores or the Town of Surfside and Non-Miami Dade County residents may purchase a library card for $100 per year .
The Public Library System provides many services to residents of all ages and abilities. There is an Adult Literacy program which provides free tutoring to adults to help with reading and writing skills. Talking Books Library loans Braile and audio books and magazines by mail. This service is for those who have difficulty reading printed materials because of blindness, visual impairment, physical impairment, or reading disability. Their Connections program provides books by mail for those who are homebound. Jump Start is a story time kit that may be checked out by licensed preschool and kindergarten programs. The S.M.A.R.T. program provides students in grades K-12 free tutoring in Science, Math, and Reading. They also offer story time for children, book clubs for teens and adults, special guests will read, perform magic tricks, or tell stories, and computer instruction classes. They even have Bookmobiles that stop in different locations throughout the community for those who can not make it to a local library. These are just a few of the many programs offered by the Public Library System.
As for Alisha, she is in charge of the teen knitting club. Her club meets weekly. There are about seven girls that attend every week and three or so that come every now and then. She is also working on a scavenger hunt with a librarian who is traveling for the summer. They chose different young adult books that take place in the cities she would be visiting. They assign a book each week. A weekly clue is posted on Facebook and the teens use the clue along with what they read to guess where she is that week. So far they have less participants than they hoped to have. But she thinks it may be because Facebook recently changed their format and they had to create a new page. She also mentioned that most of the teens that participate in the book club have very protective parents. Chances are, those teens do not have access to Facebook. You can visit their Facebook page and follow the scavenger hunt.
This library has 54 computers to access the database and internet as well as laptops available for patrons to use in the library. They have televisions and projectors available in their auditorium. This branch may request Nintendo PlayStations and Wii’s to use during special events. Ebooks and trial EReaders are also available to patrons. The library provides free WiFi to all who visit. More information is available on the Miami Dade County Public Library website and on Facebook.
Miami Dade County Public Library website:
Facebook:
When I first walked in there was someone at the door greeting and ready to answer any questions one might have. The circulation desk and the automatic check out computers are found in the lobby. The children’s section, movies, and adult fiction titles are found on the first floor. Upstairs are the computers, young adult section, magazines and newspapers, and the reference desk. There are couches for those who are reading for pleasure as well as tables with chairs for those who are studying or working with laptops. The atmosphere is very quiet and friendly. I asked Alisha if the teens ever got rowdy and she said luckily all she has ever had to do is ask them to quiet down. Considering it was 2:00pm on a weekday, the library was very busy. It is nice to see so many people of different ages taking advantage of what our community has to offer.
Over all it was a very pleasant environment. I love the fact that Alisha has her very own office. I think it is wonderful that they rotate their duties throughout the day so you can work with different patrons. I was very surprised that two librarians were not willing to help me. They both seemed a little bitter. I wonder why? One of them mentioned the budget cuts and how busy she was because they were short staffed. I don’t think this is information I need to know. As a Dade County School employee I too am affected by the budget cuts but I would not refuse to help a student or tell them I was too busy. I would not want to work in a public library because I am a teacher at heart. I really enjoy teaching and a media center is the place for me.
ALSC Blog - A blog about a blog
ALSC Blog
Many Children, Many Cultures, Many Books: Fifteen Years of Dia
by Jeanette Larson
El dia de los niños/El dia de los libros is a celebration of bilingual literacy which started in 1996 and takes place yearly on April 30th. The mission of this celebration is to spread “bookjoy” by connecting children of all cultures with books. In the future, Jeanette mentions the need to incorporate more languages to Dia in order to support all cultures.
Professional Reading: The Art of Storytelling: Telling Truths through Telling Stories by Teresa Walls
Last Day for Summer Online Courses!
Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high!
The Image of Intellectual Freedom
Take a Trip Through Books by abbylibrarian
This children’s librarian shares how she took her book club on a trip to Bangladesh through books. They cooked, found Bangladesh on the map, discussed the book, and made a craft. She pulled copies of the book and books about India and Bangladesh so the kids could read through them and learn more about the culture. The kids enjoyed themselves and I enjoyed this post. I am now following Abby’s blog.
I’ve really enjoyed reading the posts on the ALSC Blog. I will continue to follow this blog. They have fun posts as well as educational ones.
Library Grits - A blog about a blog
Library Grits
Dianne McKenzie, Hong Kong
Textbook Limits
Diane feels textbooks have “outlived their usefulness.” Textbooks were created before the internet when there was a lack of information. She points out that important information has been omitted from textbooks in certain countries. Are the textbooks bias? If schools continue to only use textbooks as a the main source of information students are not given all the sides to a story. Textbooks are created to prepare student for standardized tests. Textbooks provide students with all the information they need taking away from the fun of research. I agree with her in that textbooks are out of date as soon as they are published since events are constantly happening. Dianne makes an important point, “textbooks limit learning.”
Quotes into Graphics
Diane posts pictures she created based on quotes about librarians.
The first one is:
“In the nonstop tsunami of global information, librarians provide us with floaties and teach us how to swim." Linton Weeks (Washington Post article, 13 January 2001, p. C01)
The second one:
I guard your right to privacy
I protect your freedom to read
I support intellectual freedom
I am a librarian
I protect your freedom to read
I support intellectual freedom
I am a librarian
- Cafe Press 2011
Her pictures are very creative. My favorite is the poster she created for the first quote.
End of Year Fun
Diane shares ideas on what to do with books that are falling apart. She created book marks from pages of Where’s Wally and Look Alikes books. She pulled the best pages and laminated those creating a table activity. I wish I would have come across this idea sooner. I have thrown away so many books this past year.
The results are in...Summary
Diane shares her results of a survey she conducted with their secondary students. The purpose of the survey was to find out what services the students were using, what they liked about the library, and improvements they would like to see.
Asking Our Customers
Diane created a survey using Zoomerang, like Survey Monkey, it is a free. She created different surveys for each grade levels and for staff. They purpose of the survey is to find out if they are providing the services they think they are providing and to find out the needs of the students and staff.
Notes from a Conference
I agree 100% with Diane in the following statement:
“I had confirmed that no matter what you are doing in a school, it is something different to what others are doing, and you need to share it at conferences or through blogs or on twitter - it does not matter what it is - someone will learn something from you.”
Although I found a few new ideas, I will not continue to follow this blog. I like the idea of following a blog. I agree that there is a lot to learn and would love to find a blog of an elementary media specialist to follow.
I visited Librarygrits’ wiki and found an interesting article Promoting Reading Using This 2.0 Stuff
By Stephen Abram
Although the article was written in 2008 and many of the ideas mentioned I have done already, I found a few I may try this coming school year.
http://librarygrits.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/16962052/Reading-programs.pdf
Wikis
A wiki is a way of gathering information from a large number of people. Its advantages are also its disadvantages. Wikis update quickly giving readers the latest information. But, anyone can write or change a wiki entry. There are wikis about many different topics. Because anyone can write a wiki, it can be subjective or based on the author’s opinion. Because of this, many teachers and librarians do not recommend Wikipedia to their students.
Wikis: A Beginners Look :http://meredith.wolfwater.com/cil06/ offers information on how wikis are used and how to start your own wiki. From these slides I learned about wiki farms. A wiki farm is a wiki hosting service that offers tools that make it easy to start a wiki. There are different wiki farms to choose from.
After reading through a list of wiki farms, I chose PBworks to create a wiki. They offer a free basic plan. It was fairly simple to start the wiki page. I like that the account can be set as private. In this case only people that are invited or approved can view your wiki. Or, the account can be set to be viewed by all. If I were using this for an activity with the children at school I would probably choose the private setting, depending on the activity. The difficult part will be figuring out what to use it for and filling up the page with information!
Here is an example of how a librarian might use a wiki:
Here is an example of how a librarian might use a wiki:
http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki/index.php/Main_Page
I attended a workshop where the instructor assigned a research project to his students. He worked with the media specialist as they guided the students in researching and then creating wikis. The students worked collaboratively through the research process and posted their results on a wiki. I think this is a wonderful project. The students learned the steps in creating a wiki and they also learned that anyone can edit the information found on a wiki. This helps them understand why wikis may not be reliable resources.
YouTube
YouTube is a great site to share videos. Below is a video made by our teachers to motivate our students before the FCAT.
Before this project, the only thing I knew about YouTube was that it is a site with different types of videos. You can find movie trailers, music videos, commercials, and many other videos made by just about anyone. When I visited the site I decided to visit sections I had never seen before. I clicked on browse and found different categories to choose from. I clicked on education and was given the option to visit YouTube EDU. This is a section of YouTube I did not know existed. On YouTube EDU you can find just about any university with its own channel. USF has a channel that anyone can subscribe to.
YouTube is an option for schools and libraries to share videos. The company that hosts our website charges about $3,000 a year to add video to our site. Instead, we can create a channel for our school where we can upload our videos, for free!
YouTube is an option for schools and libraries to share videos. The company that hosts our website charges about $3,000 a year to add video to our site. Instead, we can create a channel for our school where we can upload our videos, for free!
Play Around with Image Generators
This site has image generators. It has different images that can be customized. You can customize an image of a cup of coffee with your name on top or a bottle of Absolute Vodka with your name on it. This site has many images but I only found a few I can actually use in a school setting. For example, this black board that I customized with the words "Back to School" on it. Once the image is customized you can save it to your desktop and use it as you'd like. This image is one that I can add to our school website.
http://www.letterjames.com/
This site also allows you to personalize images. They offer a variety of images to choose from. You can send your creation as an ecard or download the image to your computer, for free. It is easier to use and to find images than The Generator Blog site. It works the same way in that you can save the images to your desktop and use them as you'd like. I chose to advertise different school events on the images below. This is something that can be added to a school or library website.
When you visit their site for the first time there is a welcome message that encourages you to play and have fun. They weren’t kidding. I can play on this site for hours!
The first “toy” I played with was with their motivational poster maker.
Then I made a magazine cover.
Last but not least, a movie poster.
This is definitely my favorite of the three sites. Unlike the The Generator Blog and Letter James, this site allows you to upload and customize your own images. You can order prints through them, email your final product, or save it to your PC! There are so many activities students can do using this site. For example, above are a few creative ways for students to recommend books to each other. They can create any of these and then share their product via email, blog, or website. There are many more options on the Big Huge Labs site. I still haven’t explored them all.
RSS Feeds and Newsreaders
With RSS “Really Simple Syndication” and a newsreader you can get all the news you need in one place. Instead of visiting different web pages or blogs the information is sent to one place. This definitely saves time. I found this video very helpful in understanding what RSS is and how to get started:
I chose Google reader for my RSS feeds just because I feel comfortable using Google. Activating an account is simple. I thought I had to set up a new email address in order to have access to Google reader but I didn’t. I used my AT&T email address. Once my account was ready, I clicked on add a subscription, entered the URL address of the blogs I wanted to follow and that’s it! Google reader has an app for Androids. I can access Google reader from my phone which makes it easy to follow the two library blogs from anywhere, anytime.
I recommend the Google reader to anyone that has blogs or web pages they like to visit daily.
Creating a Blog
Although, I am a person of few words and share only minimum information with others, the idea of having my own blog is quite exciting.
I decided to use Blogger because it is user friendly. It took me a few minutes to set up my page. I went ahead and added my own clipart to personalize my page. I read through Bloggers Quick Tutorial and it was very helpful. In this tutorial I found that you can control who reads and writes on your blog. Blogs can have single authors or multiple authors. Blogs with multiple authors are used as a communication tool for families, friends, or teams. I also learned that you can read and post to your blog from your mobile device. You can upload pictures to your blog from your mobile device as well.
As I am reading through the tutorial I can’t help but think of ways in which I can use blogs in an elementary school. I actually thought of a few. I can create a blog where the students are the authors. Using Access Controls, I can control who views and comments on the blog. This blog can be used for book reviews and recommendations. Students can also use blogs as journals. Instead of responding to writing prompts in a notebook, students can blog their response and comment on each other’s work. Many teachers assign reading logs. How about allowing the students to blog about what they’ve read? They can share their thoughts on a book with their entire class or school instead of writing it on a sheet of paper only the teacher will see. I think students will be more likely to keep a reading log if they know that other students are going to read their work. Who knows, their log may even motivate someone to read!
Creating this blog was interesting and fairly easy to do. I am actually considering maintaining it after the semester is over so that I may use it with my students. I chose "Treasure Tales" as the title because the PAC Pirates believe the Treasure is in the Books. I figure my students and I can post reviews about the books we read throughout the year. I can think of a few teachers who will be up and ready for the challenge!
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