Tag: School/Library Collaboration

Blogger Early Childhood Programs and Services committee

“I didn’t know the library did that!” Building Better School Partnerships

| Early Childhood Programs and Services committee|Leave a comment

“I didn’t know the library did that!” How many times have you heard that…this week? Press releases, emails, posters and skywriting do nothing to break through the advertising noise in our communities. Libraries are essential third spaces in our communities so the question is, how can libraries promote our services so people instead say, “Did you know the library did that?” This is especially true when it comes to collaborations with the schools in our service areas. Schools are busy Teachers are busy and they don’t always have time to meet. Administrators wear a lot of different hats and can’t always pass along the emails we send. Add to that a global pandemic, and libraries struggle to show teachers and schools our relevance. What is your goal? Our department’s end goal was to reach more kids through partnerships with teachers. We visit 60 classes a month and reach 1100 students. Most…

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Blogger Children and Technology Committee

Back to school help for Students

| ALSC Children and Technology committee|Leave a comment

To extend our reach and eliminate any barriers to service, we have partnered with our county school system to provide student accounts. Students can use their school account number as a library card, granting them access to print and online library materials.  After a year and a half of virtual school, students are back to in-person learning. Do they have all the materials they need to succeed?  

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Programming Ideas

Virtual “Field Trips” to the Library

| AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School-Public Library Cooperation (SPLC|1 Comment

I like to start a school class visit to the public library where I work by walking up the stairs to the front door and stopping before entering to say, “When you go inside, be sure to look up!” The branch has very high ceilings, and there are two murals painted to mimic a cloudy blue sky, with seagulls flying around the light fixtures. Even the teachers and chaperoning parents get excited when they see the murals! My hope with this is that it sets the stage for the library to become something memorable, and a welcoming place they know they can turn to. With our system being closed to the public for almost a year, we have shifted to virtual class visits to connect with students and teachers. During these visits, I try to impart that same welcoming feeling, but have had to come up with some new pitches. …

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Blogger AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee

The Ups and Downs of Transformation

| AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School-Public Library Cooperation (SPLC|3 Comments

I have always had the tendency to apply idioms and proverbial phrasing to the “bumps in the road” encountered while human-ing (I also make verbs out of lots of things).  It is one of the ways I’m able to persist in difficult times and have had to rely heavily on this during a year where words like “challenging,” “chaotic,” and “concerning” are all surface level descriptors of 2020, a truly transformative year.  Yes, I mean transformative.

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Uncategorized

Trust in the Time of COVID

| AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School-Public Library Cooperation (SPLC|Leave a comment

I’m lucky. In the midst of a pandemic, when almost all of the local schools are remote, and with all of the programs that I run for my urban public library system online, I have developed extra-strong partnerships with classroom teachers and school librarians. Some ask me to recommend resources for students. Some invite me to visit classes over Zoom. All eagerly share information about my numerous Zoom book clubs, maker programs, and author visits. As a children’s librarian in a public library, I have always worked closely with my school-based counterparts. But now that everything has moved online, I find my school-based colleagues’ seal of approval more crucial than ever.  Think about it: in the old days, families would wander into the library off the street. They would meet the librarians, see the environment, judge for themselves that the library was a safe space. They would pop in and…

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Uncategorized

Working Together When Nothing’s Working

| AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School-Public Library Cooperation (SPLC|2 Comments

My elementary school-aged daughters are in the midst of virtual learning, and as the stay-at-home parent, so am I! The other day I was sitting by my 3rd grader during her Library class. I heard the excellent school librarian (shout out to Mrs. Robin!) instructing the 6- to 9-year old students on the use of an e-book database; as she showed them how to navigate the interface, Mrs. Robin asked students if they had ever browsed the public library’s e-book collection. My daughter beamed at me as we recalled the many times we have enjoyed my library’s e-audiobooks on family trips, on our way to the store, or as a pre-bedtime listen. It was a small thing and Mrs. Robin quickly moved on with her lesson, but this in-class mention of the public library was a good example of something we all do in our work with children: make connections…

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Blogger AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee

Gimme a C (for Collaboration!): Making Connections to Award Winners

| AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School-Public Library Cooperation (SPLC|Leave a comment

A close friendship between two librarians, a school librarian and a teen services librarian, led to the creation of the Jane Addams Book Club, a collaborative program between Southold Free Library and the Southold Junior/Senior High School Library, featured in the Public Library and School Library Collaboration Toolkit. Students in grades 5-7 read the winners of the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, which recognizes children’s literature that encourages young people to think critically about “peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.” Through lively discussion, database research, and making connections to their own lives, students learned how social justice and equity can impact their lives and the wider global community. The book club met at the public library and book club members used both the public and school library resources for their research. The subject matter of the books wasn’t the only topic up for discussion. Book club…

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ALSC Online Courses

One More Week to Sign Up for ALSC Online Courses

| Dan Bostrom|Leave a comment

We’re heading into the final days of 2015 and it’s also the the final days before the next semester of ALSC online courses! With topics like school/library collaboration, STEM programming, and the Sibert Medal, you can bring new ideas into your library! Classes begin Monday, January 4, 2016. One of the courses being offered this semester are eligible for continuing education units (CEUs). The American Library Association (ALA) has been certified to provide CEUs by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET). ALSC online courses are designed to fit the needs of working professionals. Courses are taught by experienced librarians and academics. As participants frequently noted in post-course surveys, ALSC stresses quality and caring in its online education options. It’s Mutual: School and Public Library Collaboration 6 weeks, January 4 – February 12, 2016 Instructor: Rachel Reinwald, School Liaison and Youth Services Librarian, Lake Villa District Library Science,…

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