{"id":20049,"date":"2019-01-09T00:13:40","date_gmt":"2019-01-09T05:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/?p=20049"},"modified":"2025-05-09T14:30:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T18:30:03","slug":"alsc-blog-last-six-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2019\/01\/alsc-blog-last-six-months\/","title":{"rendered":"ALSC Blog &#8211; An Overview of the Last Six Months"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Twice a year, in January and again in mid-summer, we offer an ALSC Blog overview, and take a look at what has happened with the blog in the past six months. It&#8217;s fun to look at how information was presented, which posts were most popular, and to see the blog&#8217;s continued growth. Read on to learn some of the highlights since July.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">At ALSC Board meetings at ALA&#8217;s Annual Conference in June 2018, there were two opportunities presented to enhance the work of the ALSC Blog and to support Advocacy Goal # 3 of the division&#8217;s Strategic Plan:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The first opportunity served to amplify children&#8217;s librarians role as &#8220;experts.&#8221; Using the general topic of\u00a0 <em><strong>Children&#8217;s Librarians are Experts at <u>(Fill in the blank)<\/u><\/strong><\/em>, ALSC committees focused on the topic in October, our regular team of ALSC bloggers focused on the topic in November, and in December we called on guest bloggers to write a post with this theme. It was a very successful endeavor and I invite you to take a look at some of the many <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/category\/childrens-librarians-are-experts\/\">great posts on the topic<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The second Board request was that the Blog begin to align blog posts with core competencies. This simply involved adding a tag line to the bottom of as many of our posts as possible which states &#8220;This post addresses core competency ________________ .&#8221;\u00a0 (The complete list of core competencies can be found at <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ala.org\/alsc\/edcareeers\/alsccorecomps\">http:\/\/www.ala.org\/alsc\/edcareeers\/alsccorecomps<\/a>.)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In conjunction with this effort, ALSC intern Rebecca Redinger began a retrospective tagging process with the goal of including core competencies on posts back to June 30, 2015 the date at which the competencies were approved by the ALSC Board. Rebecca&#8217;s help was MUCH appreciated.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Several other items of note also happened in the last six months:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Live bloggers shared what they were learning and experiencing at the 2018 ALSC Institute with a particular emphasis on &#8220;speaking&#8221; to those #left behind.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In September, a much-needed <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/contact-page\/\">contact page<\/a> was created for the ALSC Blog.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For the 4th year in a row, the ALSC Blog is offering a collected list of <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2019-mock-election-results\/\">Mock YMA Election results<\/a>. This year, <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.yalsa.ala.org\/thehub\/2018\/11\/19\/share-mock-printz-mock-yma-results-us\/#comments\">the page was also promoted on YALSA&#8217;s Teen Hub<\/a>. \u00a0(To add <strong>your<\/strong> mock election results to this page, <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.emailmeform.com\/builder\/form\/MJ1K7u3xqPj4I0NY20\">please use this form<\/a>.)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Many <\/strong>posts were picked up by other blogs and by online magazines, or were shared via Facebook or Twitter.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Now for the geekier side of this post&#8230; It&#8217;s time for statistics!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It&#8217;s fascinating to look at how many people visit the ALSC Blog each month:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">July 2018 &#8211;> 16.6 K users visited the Blog<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">August 2018 &#8211;> 18.9 K users visited the Blog<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">September 2018 &#8211;> 18.5 K users visited the Blog<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">October 2018 &#8211;> 20.3 K users visited the Blog<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">November 2018 &#8211;> 17.2 K users visited the Blog<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">December 2018 &#8211;> 16.1 K users visited the Blog<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Doing a comparison between the last six months of 2018 and the last six months of 2017 shows how much our readership is continuing to grow:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pageviews were up 25.27% (203,104 vs 162,135)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Unique Pageviews were up 24.80% (170,546 vs 136,658)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">I always enjoy looking at which posts, written in the last six months, have gotten the most &#8220;hits&#8221; by our readers. Here&#8217;s a countdown to our most popular post in the last 6 months of 2018:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">9.&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2018\/10\/steam-and-storytime-tips\/\">STEAM and Storytime Tips<\/a> by Guest Contributors Saroj Ghoting and Pamela Martin-Diaz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">8.&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2018\/10\/words-matter_mistakes\/\">Words Matter: Owning and Learning from Our Mistakes<\/a> by Jamie Naidoo<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">7.&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2018\/07\/a-hogwarts-reading-list-gryffindor\/\">A Hogwarts Reading List : Gryffindor<\/a> by Pamela Groseclose<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">6.&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2018\/12\/assistive-technologies-equity-and-inclusion-for-all\/\">Assistive Technologies: Equity And Inclusion For All<\/a> by the Public Awareness Committee<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">5.&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2018\/12\/talking-about-self-care-in-lis\/\">Talking About Self-Care in LIS<\/a> by the Early Childhood Programs and Services committee<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">4.&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2018\/08\/metoo-and-childrens-publishing-what-can-i-do\/\">#MeToo and Children\u2019s Publishing \u2013 What Can I Do?<\/a> by the Public Awareness committee<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">3.&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2018\/07\/incarcerated-parent\/\">Top Ten Things You Should Know: Kids with an Incarcerated Parent<\/a> by the Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers committee<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2018\/07\/early-lit-kids-who-cant-see\/\">What&#8217;s Early Lit for Kids Who Can&#8217;t See?<\/a> by Guest Contributor, Jill Rothstein<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">and &lt;<em><strong>drum roll, please!<\/strong><\/em>&gt; the most popular post written in the last six months of 2018:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2018\/08\/a-thoughtful-approach-to-banned-books-week\/\">A Thoughtful Approach to Banned Books Week<\/a> by the ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tremendous thanks go to the team of <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/alsc-bloggers\/\">ALSC Bloggers<\/a> who contribute regularly to the ALSC Blog as well as to the children&#8217;s librarians who offer to share their expertise through guest contributions. Last, but most assuredly not least, thanks to the ALSC Board, the ALSC Staff, and most especially the ALSC Staff Liaison to the Blog, Elizabeth Serrano. It is a privilege to work with all of you.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">I can\u2019t wait to see what 2019 brings!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Mary R. Voors<\/span><br><span style=\"color: #000000;\">ALSC Blog manager<\/span><br><a href=\"mailto:alscblog@gmail.com\">alscblog@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This post addresses the following ALSC Core Competency:&nbsp;<strong>Professionalism and Professional Development<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Twice a year, in January and again in mid-summer, we offer an ALSC Blog overview, and take a look at what has happened with the blog in the past six months. It&#8217;s fun to look at how information was presented, which posts were most popular, and to see the blog&#8217;s continued growth. Read on to learn some of the highlights since July.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[144,1604,1613],"tags":[657],"class_list":["post-20049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogger-mary-r-voors","category-competencies-for-librarians-serving-children-in-public-libraries","category-professionalism-and-professional-development","tag-annual-report"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20049"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20049\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}