Forum Newsletter - Massachusetts School Library Association

President's Message: Silence

5/7/2016

Anita Cellucci is the Teacher Librarian at Westborough High School

Silence is something I seek daily. This topic has been on my mind a lot as my library gets busier and louder. Instead of a full maker space lab, I am researching ways to bring silence to my library and lab space without interfering with the positive impact of a collaborative learning commons. Silent reading and reflection still hold an important role in my teaching philosophy and in my Bibliotherapy work as a librarian.

Advice Column: Ask a Library Legend

5/7/2016

Valerie Diggs is a former President of MSLA
and retired as the Library Director of the Chelmsford Public Schools
Questions may be submitted for this column using the confidential link at the bottom of this post

Question # 1
"Hi Library Legend, I have been at my current high school for nearly ten years. In that time my classes have shifted from introduction lessons on technology and web 2.0 creation sites towards research, advanced search, and citation. My problem is that my faculty has become much more tech savvy, they are very comfortable with NoodleTools, and as a whole they have become far more information savvy as well. Honestly, I feel like I have put myself out of a job! Any suggestions for reinvigorating my curriculum? Many thanks, "

Academic Column: Summer reading: Awful? Necessary? Or awfully necessary?

5/7/2016

Dr. Robin Cicchetti is the librarian at Concord-Carlisle Regional High School
and a winner of a 2016 MSLA Service Award

Schools are all over the place when it comes to summer reading. One thing that seems to be consistent is the moans of students who don’t want to have required reading, and the requests from parents who wonder where the expectation went. The traditional reading list has transformed over time to be less didactic and more about encouraging a love for reading. This shift certainly resonates with school librarians who promote lifelong- reading as part of our core mission. But without the mandatory check-in to ensure accountability for summer reading, how effective are our efforts?

Science and Society - A Blending of Science and Literacy

5/7/2016

Amy Bloom is a Librarian at the Wilson Middle School in Natick, MA
and a winner of a 2016 MSLA Super-Librarian award

The Hypothesis
Last March, an 8th grade science teacher came to me with an article she had read. The article, titled "Popular Science Nonfiction and the Connection Between Literacy and the NGSS" by Elizabeth Lamond Price, presented the idea of exposing students to the writings of authors who bring science to life in a way a novice can appreciate and understand. Could we get students to engage with science topics and the implication for society? What excited us both about this assignment was that we could encourage students to explore an interest in a specific area of science, expose them to influential writers in the science fields, as well as meet the literacy standards in the Next Generation Science Standards and the Common Core.

Making Book Trailers

5/7/2016

Elizabeth Halley is a Library Media Specialist at the Bill Shea Memorial Library at the Thompson Elementary School in Arlington, MA and the winner of the 2016 Audrey Friend Scholarship

For three years, I’ve worked with elementary students making iMovie Book Trailers at the Bill Shea Memorial Library. Many of my colleagues express interest in doing this project with their students but feel it is too big an undertaking. Students come away from the project meeting standards relating but not limited to respecting copyright, inquiry and writing process, sharing knowledge, responding to literature, exchanging ideas, and analyzing visual elements. While the project does involve many steps, the students learn valuable skills and LOVE the process. I highly encourage library teachers to take the plunge.

Cultivating a Culture of Literacy

5/7/2016

Emily Houston & Mairead Kelly are Librarians at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS)
and winners of the MSLA President's Award

We feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work together as full-time librarians at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS), especially after graduating from Simmons school library graduate program a year apart from one another. This unique opportunity allowed us to become a really strong team with a joint vision. We decided a main goal as librarians and new educators would be to help establish a culture of literacy at CRLS and develop strong relationships with students as readers. There is no one prescription to do this, so we decided to just hit the ground running. Here are some of the things that have worked for us, our students and our school community

Raising the Voices of School Librarians in the Digital Equity Conversation

5/7/2016

Dr. Carol A. Gordon is a 2016 winner of the MSLA Service Award

What does equity mean?
Mary Gaver’s early school library impact studies inspired an avalanche of research that established the belief, “Every child needs a school library.” (1958). An awareness of the “equity issue’ has steadily grown as literacy research demonstrates proximity to reading materials results in children reading more, and children who read more, read better (Krashen, 2004; 1995). Information science research shows information is the raw material for knowledge building, and that intervention at the point of need is critical for young information users to become information literate. School librarians have also embraced digital literacy to provide digital access in an environment of instruction, application, practice, help, and revision. While access to digital content depends on bandwidth capacity and speed or the number of devices students can access, acquiring digital technology does not automatically result in digital equity. School librarians know that students do not have full access to digital content without developing multiple literacies. There is no equity without an education that provides access and opportunity.

Making Waves: Connecting Community, Inquiry, and the School Library

5/7/2016

Samantha Whitney is a librarian at Gloucester High School
and a winner of a 2016 MSLA President's Award

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, and find your eternity in each moment.”
― Henry David Thoreau

While completing course work in my school library teacher program, one of my professors advised us to lay low, observe behaviors in leadership, identify those with influence and to not make waves in the first couple of years on the job. I often reflect on this advice as I pass the ocean every day on my way to school and how happy I am that I did not completely follow that advice. Getting involved in my community and making waves helped to advance my school library program initiatives and position the library as an integral learning resource. Most importantly, the decision to jump in quickly has made me a confident, knowledgeable, and effective teacher.

Three Simple Steps to Free Up Space

5/7/2016

Michael Caligiuri is the Library Teacher at Florence Sawyer School in Bolton

I was chatting with a fellow school librarian who recently got a job in a neighboring school. She had noticed our library featured as the MSLA Spotlight for December and asked if she could visit in hopes of getting some ideas for making some changes of her own. She shared a story about a student teacher who, upon visiting her library, commented about how it hadn’t changed a bit since she was a student there. This caused my friend to consider a redesign, but redesigning a library space can be a daunting and expensive task. Of course all libraries are different, but knowing her library, I offered three simple and relatively inexpensive ways she can make some big changes.

Focus on Science at Boston Latin School, Grades 7-12

5/7/2016

Deeth Ellis is a librarian at the Boston Latin School
and a winner of the 2016 Super Librarian award

Overview of Approach
As the librarian who works with the science department, my work to support and build collaborative projects with the science teachers has been multi-faceted. Some of the work has yielded successful collaborations and integration of essential skills into the student learning. However, a lot of my efforts have not yielded consistent results yet. The challenges are hard and require fundamental changes in collection development practices and information literacy skills to determine how the library can be relevant to students in science. My approach has been to look within Boston Latin to see what is being taught, talk about ideas and to build relationships with teachers as well as looking outside of the Boston Latin for new ideas. Within, I have looked at our print and digital collections, had many conversations with teachers, offered professional development, and pursued collaborations. Outside, I have attended a week-long Teaching with Primary Sources in Science workshop at the Library of Congress, presented at Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers, and reached out to higher education science librarians.

Welcome to the Library

5/7/2016

Pamela Vallee is a Librarian at Lunenburg High School in Lunenburg, MA
and a winner of a 2016 Super-Librarian Award

I realize it is difficult to capture what I do each day. Every morning before I leave my house, I open the library schedule to check which classes are coming and gauge what the day might bring. But as organized as I try to be, I never know who will need me. Some days I am tied to my desktop computer trying to answer research or technology questions or make important updates to the website. Some days I am literally running back and forth across the library trying to help two or more classes at the same time. Some days I feel like a traffic cop directing students to open tables or available computers. Some days I discover that I need to be an emergency substitute and absorb extra classes into the library. Some days I am in other parts of the school assisting teachers and students with technology problems. In addition to the daily demands, I just finished teaching my first online PD course and need to create the next one. And our current high school will be torn down in a couple of months, so I have been weeding, organizing, packing and planning for the move into the new building and need to pack up everything in the library soon.

NPEN First Annual Extravaganza

5/7/2016

Rachel Bouhanda is a Librarian at Billerica Memorial High School in Billerica, MA
and a winner of the 2016 Super-Librarian award

In June of last school year 2014-2015, I was asked to join the planning team for a new endeavor called the Northeast Professional Educators Network (NPEN). NPEN is a multi-district organization that was formed to fill the need for high-quality professional development programs. The program focus is on low-incidence educators - PE/Health, Library, Technology Teachers, and Visual and Performing Arts. I wasn’t sure what to expect but, this sounded like a great opportunity. The first meeting I attended was held at the Merrimack Education Center in Topsfield. The day was spent brainstorming ideas for a professional development day to be given for other educators. In the morning I was the only Librarian and worked on the planning team with Technology teachers.

Librarian as Technology Leader

5/7/2016

Carrie Grimshaw is the Library Media Specialist at Leicester High School
and the recipient of a 2016 President's Award

As a Library Media Specialist for Leicester High School, I make myself invaluable to faculty, staff, and students by constantly striving to improve my school library program by being on the forefront of technology. As a technology leader in my high school, I attend workshops and teach best practices to faculty about Chromebooks and library updates, teach research database lessons to students, and create a fun place with interactive displays and makerspaces where students can hang out. Technology is a huge part of what school libraries are now and technology needs to be embraced in order for your school library to remain hub of your school community.

DESE Approved Evaluation Rubrics for School Librarians

5/7/2016

Ellen Brandt is a Librarian at the Blanchard Middle School in Westford, MA
and a 2016 Web Seal of Excellence winner

Did you (and your evaluator!) know that MSLA has a rubric for evaluating school librarians under the state’s Educator Evaluation system? For everyone’s convenience there is a link to the rubric on the DESE Educator Evaluation Web page, and it is also available on the MSLA Website, under “Professional Resources."

I’m Just Not That Into You, or I Don’t Like to Read: Students and Independent Reading

5/7/2016

Kate Powers is the Library Media Specialist at the James M. Quinn Elementary School in Dartmouth, MA
and a winner of a 2016 MSLA President's Award

I am going to say something crazy.

I do not think it is absolutely necessary for every child to love to read.
While it is an absolutely incomparable feeling when you see a student connect with a book, or blow through an entire series, or finally find that one book that they cannot put down, I understand that those ephemeral experiences are not always going to happen. Your mileage may vary.

Confessions of a School Librarian

5/7/2016

Liz Phipps-Soeiro is the Library Media Specialist at Cambridgeport School in Cambridge MA
and a 2016 winner of the Ellen Berne Pathfinder Award

Over the last few weeks, librarians I admire greatly have posted their “confessions” that they are not giving every aspect of their jobs 100%. I welcome these admissions, especially as a working mother of two children and as a librarian with carts and carts of books to shelve and one thousand ideas for projects that will never come to fruition. We just can’t do it all, and that is okay!

The School Library Mission Statement

5/7/2016

Sandra Roby is the Facilitator of EDCO Library Committee

School librarians are school leaders and, many times, are also district leaders supporting the goals and objectives of their schools and district. Many school librarians do this without district library leadership to oversee and support their school libraries. Many school librarians, on their own, advocate for the library program to ensure that resources are allocated to support the mission and goals of their school library program. A well written mission statement can be a planning tool that guides planning. A clearly stated mission statement can be a good communication tool and can drive marketing a school library program

Licensure is Confusing - Let MSLA Help

5/7/2016

Jennifer Varney is the Librarian at the Hurley K-8 School in Boston

Becoming a licensed Library Teacher in Massachusetts can be a confusing, daunting process. As a result of receiving many queries and cries for help, MSLA and representatives from school library programs around the state have developed a document that provides an overview of the options and paths to licensure.

The document, “Library Teacher Licensure in Massachusetts,” can be found on MSLA’s website at http://www.maschoolibraries.org/uploads/5/7/2/2/57223027/librarylicensurema.pdf. The information was compiled by Carol Kelly, Lisa Estabrook, Donna Guerin, and Elaine Mokrzycki. MSLA Board members Carrie Tucker, Chani Craig, Jennifer Reed, and Jennifer Varney edited and formatted the information.

The document provides information on the following:

paths to licensure
graduate programs
links to DESE information
the nine “areas of coverage” that DESE requires for certification and how to meet them
notes about upcoming changes to the certification process

It is MSLA’s hope that having this information in one place will help clarify a confusing process. We hope you find it useful!

Picture Book Column: Spring Has Sprung

5/7/2016

Char Sidell is a retired elementary school librarian from Needham

It’s hard to believe that it’s actually Spring as I write this! It’s been a cold, snowy and rainy April’s showers week. Hopefully, when you receive this, it will feel more like the SPRING we have been waiting for! I love this season when the world is just waking up after a long winter’s nap and everything is seemingly coming “alive” again! I love the sound of the birds returning and seeing them busy in preparation for their new families. Here, then, are some of my favorite old–and new-books on the topic. I hope you’ll find something new to use with your students and teachers!

Plymouth Schools Animal Shelter Project

5/7/2016

Linda Shannon is a Library Media Specialist at the West Elementary School in Plymouth, MA
and her PTA was a recipient of a 2016 MSLA PALS award

During the month of May through June 12, 2016, all members of the Plymouth School Community are invited to take part in a voluntary, collaborative project to make a difference in the Plymouth Community by assisting the selfless people who give their time to manage the three animal shelters in town. Black Feather Horse Rescue, the Friends of the Plymouth Pound, and Helping Hands for the Plymouth Animal Shelter need our help in so many different ways. From volunteering, to donating, to fundraising, to raising awareness, and more, each of us can do something to help. Many of us have rescued animals through adoption or a simple phone call and have stories to share. Some of us volunteer already and have stories to share. Hopefully, many more of us will have amazing stories to share during and after this experience. The possibilities are endless and exciting, small and large, and lifesaving and life-affirming. The voluntary Project participants seek to bring school and community together in partnership to share resources, meet real community needs, and help to educate students to become the change agents of tomorrow. The Project participants do not seek to show animals in distress or champion a particular political viewpoint.

LibGuides: A Compelling Tool for Learning

5/7/2016

Karen Davidson-Heller is the Library Director at Malden Catholic High School
and a winner of a 2016 Web Seal of Excellence

When I began at Malden Catholic ten years ago as Library Director, it was a career change for me after numerous years working as a technical writer and graphic designer. With a nervous mix of excitement and terror, I embraced the challenges of working in a high school library. I immediately jumped into a number of projects, which included creating a new library website. The school’s proprietary software at the time was not very user friendly and internet-based tools were still in their infancy. However, the resulting website provided an updated look as well as easier access to the catalog and library databases for students and teachers. I knew an improved library website was essential to enhancing the library’s online presence, so I continued looking for tools that would help the school community in learning about and using the library’s resources.

Tech Column: Poetry Resources

5/7/2016

Margaret Schoen is a Librarian at Newton South High School

Happy Poetry Month! We were about halfway through the month as I wrote this. If you still have the poetry bug, feel free to explore these new activities and projects in your library or bookmark this for future use. Here are some websites, apps, and other projects to help you use your tech tools to explore poetry with students.

Service Award

5/7/2016

Judi Paradis is a Librarian at the Plympton Elementary School in Waltham, MA
and a 2016 winner of the MSLA Service Award

I didn’t intend to spend 10 years giving most of my spare time to MSLA, but things lead to things, especially when they begin with an outrage. It was 2003 and I had just switched careers to become a school librarian in my home town. I loved my job to the point of obsession. The principal praised the program I was building; parent volunteers were showing up in droves; and kids were coming before and after school to get books and do odd bits of independent research. And then…..the budget crashed. Suddenly the library program disappeared and I was not only unemployed but outraged. While I quickly found another post, my outrage did not subside. MY VERY OWN CHILDREN were still in a town without a library program. As I drove 7 miles to work each day, all I could think about was that they didn’t have what the kids two towns over had—and all because we didn’t have an office park or a strip mall.

Library!, “It’s a Grand Old Name!”

5/7/2016

Tricia London is the Library Director at the Avon Middle High School and a 2016 Super Librarian

We don’t have a Learning Commons in our school and that is by choice. We have a Library! The old vaudevillian, George M. Cohen once penned a song about his mother, Mary. But alas, that plain name “Mary” wasn’t good enough for “propriety and society” so it was changed to Marie. Back in the sixties, when I was in fourth grade, my school library was changed into to a Media Center. At the time I wasn’t quite sure what “media” was and I was concerned that the new Media Center mightn’t have the All of a Kind Family or the Little House Books I craved. Rest assured, all was well! Mr. Fisher, the Media Specialist, (not the Librarian to clarify,) just added a shelf of filmstrips and put a new sign over the door. In essence nothing had changed. Don’t get me wrong, change can be great, but change just for the sake of change isn’t always necessary

Celebrate Reading

5/7/2016

Ethel Downey is a Library Teacher at Newton South High School in Newton, MA
and a winner of the MSLA Web Seal of Excellence

2004 was the 100th anniversary of Dr Seuss and his amazing children’s stories.

Hamill and Stonehill and McQuillan conspire
Get them to write
To think and inspire

Not so easy to do
This thing called a book
Success they all knew
With gobbledygook!?

Treat them to pizza
Maybe some grapes
Little Johnny and Liza
Will listen and wait

The teens wrote their stories
An assignment they took
Imagine the glories
Imagine the look
A teen telling tales
Right out of a book!
--apologies to Dr. Seuss

Picture a high school class using creative writing skills, visual literacy skills, art, and imagination to create a decidedly low-tech resource, a book. This is what three 12th grade English classes have done this year for an assignment tied to celebrating reading. And, this is not something new - it has been an annual book writing event at Newton South High School since 2004.

The Massachusetts School Library Association works to ensure every school has a school library program that is fully integrated at all grade levels across the curriculum and has a significant and measurable impact on student achievement….Read more…..and Learn more about MSLA

Contact MSLA:
Emily Kristofek, Office Manager/Event Planner
P.O. Box 336. Wayland, MA 01778
ekristofek@maschoolibraries.org
508-276-1697

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