COLLECT + CONNECT

As you prepare for this new school year, have you... Become acquainted with the  Starting Well 2020 page  from the South Dakota Department of Education? This is loaded with information for South Dakota schools as they return to school during pandemic circumstances. Reviewed the resources, updates, and reopening guidance specific to SD school libraries at  Starting Well 2020: A Guide for School Libraries  &  Newest Updates on School Libraries & COVID-19 Resource Guide . Introduced yourself to new staff in person and by email? Don't forget to share critical services and resources while keeping it short and simple. New staff are already overwhelmed, right? Reached out to staff in a staff meeting to communicate the library's plan to address COVID-19. Share critical resources, changes in programming, Makerspaces, schedule changes, updates, etc. Touched base with your administrator IN PERSON? Created your back-to-school newsletter with vital resources for stud...

Congratulations to all of the recipients of the Library Technology grants funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the federal CARES Act.  This grant funding is intended to update, expand, or improve technology in the public and school libraries.  pixabay.com/images/id-820272/ And... a special shout-out to school library recipients! Huron School District Kimball School District Watertown School District See news release for all 16 second-round recipients. See  news release  for all 19 first-round recipients.

Do you need to jazz up your book talks? Want your students to create their own talks - maybe using FlipGrid  or Loom or a classroom YouTube Channel ? Allow me to share just two resources about book talking: Bring the HEAT to Your Book Talks This excellent blog post from  The Reading Roundup  leans more toward student book talks and provides free templates to help students create better book talks. Rebellious Reading - Book Talks This curated Wakelet list triples as an instruction manual and an assignment. It's concise (we love that!) and also thorough. It outlines best practices and provides examples of both hot 👍 and not-so-hot 👎 book talks.   Disclaimer: The South Dakota State Library does not endorse any service, product, or recommendation listed in this blog.

Copyright and Creativity for Ethical Digital Citizens  provides a variety of practical resources designed to help teach digital citizenship concepts. It's our job as educators to teach and then reinforce to students the protections and limitations of fair use and copyright as they learn online, create online, and share online. Check out free, easy-to-understand lessons and videos for  Elementary , Middle School , and High School pages under the Resources tab.  For your own learning, there's a  Professional Development page. 💪 copyrightandcreativity.org/why-teach-copyright-2/ Lastly, check out the  Copyright and Distance Learning  page with a handy printable for teachers and administrators. Maybe you'll display the printable in your library?  Maybe you'll add it to your curated list of teacher/professional resources?  Perhaps you'll share it with staff in a weekly update email or a quick staff meeting? Make it more digestible by also providing q...