COLLECT + CONNECT

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL)  released a new position statement titled “The Critical Need for and Responsibilities of District-Level School Library Supervisors."  This statement replaces the previous “Role of the School Library Supervisor.” Essentially, this new position statement defines the supervisor as a member of the district-level administrative team. This individual is the visionary, the supervisor, and the coordinator of district- and building-level school libraries. All position statements from AASL  can be used as guidance for creating and sustaining exemplary school libraries. Visit School Library Services  > Advocacy on the SD State Library website for more resources and tools.

Looking to work in some more digital literacy and informational literacy into your library curriculum? We took a look at a few of the resources on AASL's  Best Digital Tools for Teaching & Learning  list and paired them with some of the South Dakota State Library databases , SDSL databases and digital resources are offered free to all South Dakotans with instant access (no login required!) to almost all of the databases if within the geographical boundaries of South Dakota. Access the complete list sorted by alphabetical order or access our student research lists for  elementary , middle , and high school . Let's get started! KidLit TV  is a PreK-3 library resource offering in-depth interviews with authors and illustrators, book trailers, how to draw videos, and other literacy-related activities. Get a backstage pass to all kinds of literacy goodies. KidLit pairs nicely with a variety of  SD State Library databases  including but not limited to  B...

In November I had the opportunity to attend the AASL (American Association of School Librarians) conference in Louisville, KY. This conference happens every two years and this was my second time attending. Whenever I go to a conference, I like to share one or two nuggets of genius. One session was particularly useful and adaptable so I knew I wanted to share it with you all. Carolyn Allen and Julie Jamieson, both elementary teacher-librarians from the St. Louis area, presented a session titled “Show Me” Readers, Makers, Explorers, & Innovators." This session was all about creating blended library lessons using hyperdocs. Hyperdocs is the way to go when you’re looking to flip a classroom or build in multiple literacies or get more of the standards covered. And, chances are, some of you have already built a Hyperdoc in a Google Doc or a Google Slideshow and didn't even realize there was a word for it. Read more about hyperdocs . hyperdocs.co Using the Hyperdocs model, A...

Each summer the American Association of School Librarians puts out its annual list of Best Apps for Teaching & Learning and its Best Websites for Teaching & Learning . This is a good opportunity to share with your staff via a quick email series or via a PD session or staff meeting. By sharing, you're not only promoting technology as a teaching resource and learning tool, but you're also promoting the library and the work you do. These opportunities to share resources absolutely count as collaboration! All apps and websites on the lists are 'crosswalked' with the AASL Shared Foundations - helpful to librarians and classroom teachers alike when selecting the digital tool/resource but also when lesson planning. I've already shared in a past post  my five picks from the Best Websites list , so now I'll share my five picks from the Best Apps list. Be sure, though, to check out the entire list; you're sure to find your own favorites too! doi...

Each year at the ALA Annual Conference, the American Association of School Librarians puts out its annual lists of Best Apps for Teaching & Learning and Best Websites for Teaching & Learning... and the lists are out! Apps and websites on the lists are 'crosswalked' with the AASL Shared Foundations - helpful when selecting the digital tool/resource but also when lesson planning. I'll use this post to share my five favorites from the  Best Websites for Teaching & Learning  list but be sure to check out the entire list of quality educational websites for use in the library - spaces where teaching and learning happen just as they do in the classroom. Of the five I've listed below, three are ones that I've used extensively; in fact, they were already on my curated resource lists here  and  here . These five resources are spot-on when it comes to beefing up library services in terms of inclusive and global curriculum as well as curation ...