COLLECT + CONNECT

Teacher-librarian Stefanie Hage at John Harris Elementary in Sioux Falls, SD injects digital literacy and student agency into her library curriculum. Hage shared with me two new projects she developed since taking last summer's Passionate Reader Book Study through the SD State Library.  In that course, we read Pernille Ripp's book titled Passionate Readers: The Art of Reaching and Engaging Every Child. The book hit home on the power of reading for the sake of reading - no strings attached. It emphasized the importance of student choice and voice. With this in mind, Hage created two digital choice boards for her students providing them student agency - the type of learning through activities that are meaningful and relevant to learners, driven by their interests and self-initiation. With these boards, students get to choose how they will learn through a digital activity like watching a video, listening to a book, or reading a passage.  The first board is for grades Kindergarte...

Article A professional article loaded with resources and book recommendations.  A News– and Media Literacy–Themed Mixtape for Tough Times  from School Library Journal.  SOURCE: slj.com WEBSITE An easy-to-use glossary of terms and a handy infographic describing types of misleading news . Both of these and more from  EAVI: Media Literacy for Citizenship . SOURCE: eavi.eu Disclaimer: The South Dakota State Library does not endorse any service, product, or recommendation listed in this post.

During the month of July 2020, fifteen school librarians from around the state participated in a book study facilitated by the SD State Library. The book?  Passionate Readers: The Art of Reaching Engaging Every Child by Pernille Ripp. Laura Kelly, the Children & Youth Services Coordinator at the SD State Library, enrolled in the course and she kindly wrote about her experience. ...from Laura Kelly I have worked at the South Dakota State Library (SDSL) for the past two years. I serve 110 public libraries in South Dakota which include combination school/public libraries.  I help librarians provide literacy programs for children, teens, and adults. One way I am able to serve others is by actively participating in continuing education as a learner. I started my career in education teaching reading as a Title I teacher in North Dakota and then I transferred into an elementary school librarian teaching position. I taught for a total of ten years and then transitioned into the p...

This article got me thinking. When I started off in the school library profession back in the early 2000's, I referred to myself as a Media Specialist. That was what my degree listed and so that was what I went. I spent a decent amount of time explaining exactly what I did. I mean, nowhere in the title was librarian or library, so I usually just ended up saying "I'm a School Library Media Specialist." A mouthful. For sure. Then I started seeing the word librarian re-enter the school library world. I liked this because people instantly understood this term. Short, sweet, and relatable. But then, on occasion, people would then confuse me with a public librarian. Truth is, I've never worked a day in a public library other than volunteering and serving on boards. So... school librarian. Yes, that succinctly summed it up. Then teacher-librarian came into the game. And, that felt right too. It explained the teacher in me and the librarian in me. After all, I ...

Spring will soon be here (thank goodness, right?!) and that means employment opportunities in schools are humming as people resign, retire, and scuttle around within districts. The SD State Library supports all types of libraries in South Dakota including its 400 or so school libraries! We do that through services, outreach, and resources. Two resources are particularly useful in this season of job opportunities, they are: The School Librarian Interview Guide   This tool contains information, resources, and a series of questions and scenarios that can help prepare both hiring committees and potential employees for the interview. and The South Dakota School Library Guidelines This self-assessment outlined the best practices of a 21st-century school library. Hiring committees can use this tool as a way to be-in-the-know about expectations of today's school library and librarian. Potential employees can use these guidelines to refresh and prepare for interviews. These, a...

Photo by  Raka Rachgo  on  Unsplash - a smattering of two random reads about libraries, education & growth -