Teacher Librarians Help and Support Teachers

In October 2018, I sent out a Library Packet for our teachers in the Academy. It has information on library subscriptions, points of access and a profile of the library staff. Below is my one-page profile which I revised at the start of the year. It is my way of communicating to teachers the role and the tasks I do to help them and support them in learning and instruction.

It is necessary to continuously remind the community of the school librarian's role. For me, I go back to this list of tasks as an exercise of on-going professional growth and development.

The Beacon Academy Library Personnel from Zarah Gagatiga

Library Reading Promotion: Bookflix The Princess Bride

Library Packet for Teachers

On National Teacher’s Day, my staff and I prepared a packet for teachers. The packet contains a thank you card which I personally wrote notes for all forty teachers of the Academy, a poem about the many reasons why we teach, promotional collateral of all out online subscriptions and a profile of my staff and myself. Yup. Shameless plug. 

Needless to say, the packet was put together to thank teachers of their continued patronage, encourage teachers to ask us for questions, inform them of the rich resources we have in the library and remind them that their library staff are human resources that can help them teach better. In this age where virtually anything can be taken and sourced from Google, communicating the library’s role and our added value is very important. I have received good feedback thus far and I do welcome suggestions. And this is what I am more keen on getting. The activities, projects and programs that we run are informed by library users’ needs, feedback and responses. 

This is not the first time we distributed library packets. Nor will this be the last. In the changing landscape of education, librarians are challenged to be more creative and resourceful every day!

Library Promotions: Book List and Recommended Reads

One promotional strategy, and the easiest to do (at least to me), for new books to get noticed is to send a list with short reviews of selected titles through the school's mailing list. Sharing with you this email I sent to teachers and staff.

Good day everyone!

Attached is the list of new acquisitions. Choice picks from this harvest:

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan - satire meets chic lit; something for the coming term break if you want a light and fun read.

Silence by Shusaka Endo - if you feel like reading something moving and thought provoking; for those familiar with the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius; for those who are fascinated with Japan's culture, history and geography; for those who are baffled by silence.

This Explains Everything, edited by John Brockman - a compilation of essays on varied subjects and disciplines, from Evolutionary Genetics, Language and Natural Selection, The Universe Growing Like A Baby, Commitment, Simplicity, Fitness Landscapes, Feynman's Lifeguard, Equations and Their Continuity, Sex at Your Fingertips -- almost everything, really! The writing is TOKish, and (kinda) metacognitive.

Strategies for Application by David Wilson - tips and techniques for applying one's self in the classroom and in life, in general. 

How To Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms by Carol Ann Tomlinson - Differentiated Instruction 101; it has the basic principles of differentiating instruction; makes for a good companion to R. Jackson's Never Work Harder Than Your Students.

That's it, pansit. Hope to see you at the library! For queries, shoot us an email: 

library@beaconacademy.ph (Flynn - who will provide you with basic sourcing and reference services) 

librarian@beaconacademy.ph (Zarah - who can be your sounding board for instructional or pedagogical matters and teaching partner in research skills instruction)

Check our OPAC for queries on specific titles of books - tbalibrary.org 

I apply a different strategy when promoting books to students. Watch out for the next post on library promotions!

Support Systems for School Libraries: Technology Department and Communications Team

Study Skills and Recommended Reads

Where I work, I am a one-man/woman librarian. I have a staff, though, who assists and helps me in all administrative, clerical and technical matters of library work. Early on in our journey of setting up the library, it had been our agreement to start right. This meant, setting up systems and structures that are efficient and productive so that, we can concentrate on readers' services and user education.

My staff and I have been together for the past five years and so far, we have been doing pretty well. The work doesn't end there since we are to evaluate the systems and structures we set up. While we get feedback from the community, a formal evaluation is necessary. Annual reports are there to qualify the numbers, but I am looking for a more client centered method. More on that in a future post as this would involve Design Thinking for school libraries.

This academic year is also our International Baccalaureate (IB) authorization process. In some ways, it is a way of analyzing and evaluating our library services and programs through the lens of outsiders, otherwise known as IB evaluators. For the past few weeks, I have been deep into writing reports, reviewing statistics and attending meetings. Did I say that there's been requests for Information Literacy sessions, acquisition and cataloging work, management of technology and teacher - librarian collaborations?

More Recommended Reading

Yep. I am a busy bee!

What helps see us through, is the supportive people in our learning ecosystem. Ah, the advantage of working in a small school. One of these people happens to be the Communication Associate who is always on the ear for good news to share with our community. Since school started in August, the library is getting space in the weekly school newsletter. Students, teachers and leadership are regularly informed of our new titles, events and activities and updates in art and culture through the school's mailing list. There, another system that supports the library - the Tech department!

The inclusion of library updates in the weekly school newsletter is one way of putting a face of the library to the bigger members of our community: the parents, the alumni, possible donors and organizations to partner with. In a bigger sense, the library is seen as a part of a bigger whole that belongs to a school community and its ecosystem for learning.

Spooky Books and Spooky Sweets

One of the more interesting questions asked of me in the 6th Rizal International Conference after presenting my paper concerned reading promotion to young adults. I answered by starting off with the three kinds of readers: avid readers; reluctant readers; non-readers. Different strategies can be employed to make them visit the library and borrow books. The easiest to entice are the acid readers. 

Here is the proof.

This week, I introduced the library's Spooky Sweets Spooky Books borrowing promo. Students who will borrow three "spooky books" will get a spooky sweet. It's a one day book-reading promo that will start in Oct. 30.

On Monday, I first displayed books that fall under the horror, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy genre. Any title that would qualify as a scary or spooky read, I set it up on display. Stephen King was a default choice. Along side his book, I put up Jonathan Stroud's The Amulet of Samarkand and Rick Yancey's The Monstrumologist. The library has two PC desk I use as display area for books. I set the books there for everyone to see.

On the other PC desk, I set up Joe Hill's Locke and Key, Erin Hick's Brain Camp and G.Willow Wilson's Alif the Unseen.

After recess, four books were borrowed by two students who are avid readers and frequent borrowers of the library. I then, replenished the vacant display racks with new books. I pulled out classics like Dracula and Frankenstein; contemporary Pinoy graphic novels like the Trese series by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo; and the parody on the three wise men, Unholy Night by Seth Graham Greene. By lunch time, Dracula and Frankenstein were gone.

On October 30, reluctant and avid readers flocked the library for the books, and yes, the goodies. We had a good number. We had 25 spooky sweets this morning. At the end of the day, we only had 10 spooky sweets left. So this book promo spiked our circulation statistics today.

Locke and Key and Alif the Unseen were borrowed at recess.

The spooky sweets were made by Ms. Joan Everly Macalalad. She is the baker behind Cup N Cakes Wonderland.

The Best of Philippine Ghost Stories was borrowed too!

What I'll be doing next is to get feedback from the borrowers by having them fill out a bookmark for a quick review of the books. I will then post these bookmarks on the library bulletin board for everyone to read. It will be up there for one term. What happens to the bookmarks at end of term?

That is another story. Keep visiting the blog and you will find out what we did with the bookmarks! 

Book Love: An Interactive Book Talk on Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I made an interactive book talk feature on a recently read novel, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I used the app ThingLink. View my page here.



Thank you, 23 Mobile Things PH SG! You make me look so good.

I think I'll be doing lots of interactive book talks like this. I've called it BOOK LOVE.

Book Talk Video Using Vine

Learning loads from 23 Mobile Things PH and SG!

23 Mobile Things PH & SG: Thing # 6: Videos

I'm still learning from Thing #s 4 and 5 and here comes Thing # 6 -- videos!

I have accounts in YouTube and Instagram and have used its video apps both on laptop and mobile devices a few times. However, I think I should explore using videos to promote and market special events and collections in the library. Now that's a long term plan to put in a year's strategic plan for the library. The technology is just there but the content will take a while to build it.

For this week's Thing, my attention was directed towards Videonot.es.

Tried annotating my video of a read aloud session. 

My work in the library entails guidance in using technology in instruction too. I'll recommend Videonot.es to my co-teachers and at the same time, I'll use it too to better understand the technology. The freeware/app can also be used by students who view and watch educational videos from YouTube. It's the annotation feature that I'm drawn to. 

As for updates on my use of Historypin, I have uploaded some photos of my travels. I've pinned some too. Then, I can create a Channel or a Tour. So far so good, I think.

The 2014 Reading Challenge

Because I want to debunk the myth that librarians have read everything there is in the library. Besides, reading becomes more meaningful if the individual experience of it moves to the collective.

Some faculty members joined in the reading fun too!

The procedures are easy to follow:

a. Write your book recommendation on a piece of paper with your name and grade level. 

b. Drop this in the bowl assigned to the teacher.

c. If your book recommendation gets picked, you get a token from the library.

d. Your book recommendation will be read by the teacher over a period of time.

e. She will write a review of the book which will be posted in the library bulletin board or published in the newsletter.

f. Once she’s done reading the book, teacher will pick another book from the bowl.

* Recommend books you’ve borrowed and read from the library.

Christmas Library Promo: Candy Canes for Free!

For three books, a borrower would get a free candy cane! Happy reading this yuletide season!

Summer Reading Promo: POP into READING!

I'm preparing for a summer reading promo since we only have a month left of school. Food is really a big hit among teens and I'm riding on its wake.

Have you started counting off the days to summer vacation? Are you thinking of summer activities that are worth your while? Before you set off for that well deserved break, consider borrowing books from the library between May 23 - 28, 2013.

For one book borrowed, I will sign your clearance. This is for students who have not borrowed any book for the academic year 2012-2013. Yes, we know who you are!

For three books borrowed, we will give you a popcorn pack for free!

For five books borrowed, we will give you two popcorn packs for free!

For ten books borrowed and/or a Kindle, we will give you two popcorn packs plus, bottled H2O.

POP into reading this summer! Who knows what AHA moments you'll discover in your reading time?

Thanks and see you @ the library!

Easter Egg Hunt at the Library: The Conclusion

 It was fun!

Teenagers and food make a good mix. At some point reading must be required and rewarded. Looking for the eggs in the books was not easy. There were those who looked randomly and got frustrated. The more strategic thinkers consulted the OPAC. The theme, renewal and redemption, got some kids working and ended up finding a coupon or two.

The ones who got more than one egg coupon shared the rest with a friend. Those who participated realized that the library has interesting and good titles of books to read. Many wondered what the free "kwek-kwek" was all about.

I suppose, next time, they'll learn to read emails from the school's teacher librarian.

Library Giveaways: Easter Baskets

Before: box, Easter Egg biscuits, chocolate eggs and pipe cleaners

After: Easter Basket! TA-DAH!

The Easter Baskets are ready to be given away! Who is the lucky library borrower who will get this Easter Basket?

Easter Egg Hunt Promo at the Library

Sharing the library promo we're having this Easter:

April 3-8, 2013 is EASTER EGG HUNT @ the library!

There are eggs hidden in selected books in the FICTION, GENERAL COLLECTION, FILIPINIANA and TEACHERS RESOURCE. If you happen to borrow that selected book with an egg, then you get a coupon for a cup of quail eggs (aka kwek-kwek!). This can be redeemed from our cafeteria during PM snacks (2:45 - 3:30) on April 10, 2013. Just present your coupon with Mr. Flynn's signature to our cafeteria personnel :-)

Here's a clue: The eggs are hidden in books about RENEWAL and REDEMPTION.

For those who will borrow a KINDLE and DVD over the long Holy Week break, (begins on March 27 - April 2, 2013) the library will give away a special "Spring Basket" upon return of the resources on April 3, 2013.

Lastly, we will prepare simple handouts (EGG-CITING DISCOVERIES)  for when you find out a helpful info on the library's online subscriptions: EBSCO, The Day, World Book Online and Scientific American. For this, we have a spring token in exchange of your online review or feedback.

We hope that you participate for the fun of it, and for the joy of reading, of course!

Library Giveaways for Easter

I made these, for Easter, as giveaways when library patrons come back and join our Easter Egg Hunt after the long Holy Week/Mid-term break.

Star Box (I did not make the name. No pun intended) for keeping chocolate eggs.

A tulip to fill in a spring basket.

Reading Table: Books to Read & Love

Books pulled out from Teacher's Resource Collection

Books from the Fiction Collection

Sweets for Our Sweet Borrowers @ the Librray

Library Bulletin Board: Tips & Updates

Felt Bookmarks

I am proud to tell the world that I made these felt bookmarks over the holiday break!

The materials I used are scraps of felt cloth, left overs from a doll making project of the grade 11s last year. I got the idea of making felt bookmarks from Pinterest. There are plenty of felt projects there and saw one on bookmarks. As for the patterns, I made them myself!

Basic stitches are all you need: back stitch, running stitch. Materials: thread of choice, scissors, pencil and ruler.

It took me two days to finish each. I did other stuff in between but I think I can finish one in a day if I focus on just doing the bookmarks.

These bookmarks shall be the library's giveaways for February.