Gene Smith - hero librarian

Here are a couple of obituaries - from The Economist and The Daily Telegraph, for Gene Smith, a librarian whose passion, intellect, tenacity and enterprise "almost single-handedly ensured the survival of Tibetan literature..." He died in December 2010.

From The Economist obituary :
"Over five decades, Mr Smith made it his business to put Tibetan literature back together. He did it more or less single-handedly, fired by his love of the language and the culture and aided by a brain that rapidly became an encyclopedia of lineages, sutras, lives of lamas, and the history and ownership of every book he came across. Expatiating in serene but fearsome detail to friends in his rooms in Delhi, or Boston, or New York, all of them piled floor-to-ceiling with cloth-wrapped pecha, he could instantly find a page anywhere to illustrate a point.
Though people considered him a teacher, he was always a librarian, with a librarian’s love of catalogues and connections; but his Buddhism added to that a reverence for the transmission of texts, on which all spiritual progress rested."

Marian the Cybrarian

Another post about the power and potential of libraries and librarians
http://chronicle.com/article/Marian-the-Cybrarian/65570/

Things that keep us up at night

Joyce Valenza and Doug Johnson have written an inspiring and challenging article : Things that keep us up at night , originally published in School Library Journal, and reprinted in the latest SCIS Connections newsletter

http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/scis/connections/things_that_keep_us_up_at_night.html

It opens "The library, as we once knew it, may no longer be relevant. School librarians, as we once knew them, may no longer be relevant. And, yet, this is undoubtedly the most exciting time in history to be a librarian..."

Here are a couple of extracts :

Economic shifts

We face a major change in the economic rationale for libraries. Libraries were created under an economic model where it was more cost-effective to buy something (a book, a video, a magazine) and share it than to buy a copy for everyone. And for centuries this model has given libraries their value. But for the first time in history, we are moving from a time of information scarcity to one of information abundance. Can we define why libraries are necessary when information is ubiquitous, more scalable, far more convenient, and often 'free' online?

Libraries need to change from places where we just get stuff to places where we make stuff, do stuff and share stuff. Our libraries should not be grocery stores. We need to use the groceries, to open the boxes, pour the milk, mix the batter, make a mess (see Joyce Kasman Valenza's 'Library as Domestic Metaphor', NeverEndingSearch blog www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334/post/90032209.html). We need production space. We need to serve up our creations in presentation or story space. We need to inspire masterpieces of all sorts, and we need to guide members of our communities through new library metaphors.

Missing the potential of reading 2.0

Are we moving fast enough to embrace shifts in how and what people read? In what reading is? Are we promoting traditional books in ways that reach young readers where they live and play? What do literature circles look like when we add powerful new tools for discussion? Can we promote new titles and award winners and involve students and teachers in sharing and celebrating favourite reads in new, media-rich ways? How can we successfully integrate new book formats - Playaways, e-books, audiobooks, interactive web books - into our programs? Are we making the connection between increased voluntary free reading and increased performance on reading test scores emphatically enough?

Are we preparing our libraries to serve a post-literate society (See Doug Johnson's 'Libraries for a Post-Literate Society' in Multimedia & Internet@Schools, July/August 2009, reprinted in Connections Issue 72), one in which people can read but prefer to meet their information, communication and recreational needs in formats other than print? How do we begin to understand that literacy is no longer restricted to print? Learners must be able to construct and deconstruct messages in a multitude of media. They need to read, interpret and create all types of writing and scripting: YouTube video, Tweets, blog posts, digital stories.

School library websites - effective practice

A great collaborative resource for inspiration...

School Library Websites: Examples of Effective Practice
http://schoollibrarywebsites.wikispaces.com/

With
Elementary Examples
Middle School Examples
High School Examples

on aspects of practice :
Reports
Book and Reading Promotion
Digital Storytelling
Inquiry/Information Fluency Instruction
Pathfinders
Digital Citizenship
Presentations
Building Tools
SchoolLibraryBloggers
SchoolLibraryTweeters
Knowledge Building Centers

Book reviews and Unshelved...

I subscribe to Unshelved - a daily librarian comic strip which is sent to me electronically as a weekly digest - good for a smile and for the books they promote as part of their advertising...
http://www.unshelved.com/2010-3-29?utm_source=Overdue+Media&utm_campaign=b08363b827-UA-127250-5&utm_medium=email

Subscribe here :
http://notinventedhe.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ca45a0eb0fec571caf7a1cd7a&id=f17681c1b8

Their format for book reviews is :

• the book's details and a very short plot summary
• why I picked it up
• why I finished it
• I'd give it to...

which I think is quite a good structure - maybe students could do reviews along these lines ?
Here is an example :

If I Stay by Gayle Forman. Dutton Juvenile, 2009. 9780525421030. Reviewed by Flemtastic

Mia has a great family, a burgeoning music career and a sensitive boyfriend. Then her family dies in a car accident that leaves her severely injured. In the ICU, she has an extended out-of-body experience. Mia must decide whether to stay on earth, in pain and uncertainty, or to follow her family into the unknown of death.

Why I picked it up: It was nominated for the 2010 Best Books for Young Adults and I serve on the committee.

Why I finished it: This is a memoir told through flashbacks. It is told so gracefully that its genuine sweetness really stands out. It is not a morbid, torture-porn book. Mia's ability to observe her community's response to her accident is never explained, but it doesn't matter, because we are so involved with the characters. The reader is left to wonder right up until the end what decision Mia will make. Tissue Alert - this one is a tearjerker!

I'd give it to: Girls who are in band/orchestra will love the musical angle--Mia is a cellist and her boyfriend, Adam, is in a punk band. Kim, who is rebounding from a bad relationship and needs to know that good guys exist.

AASL - Reading Role

There is a FANTASTIC new toolkit available on the AASL website (American Association of School Librarians - a division of the American Library Association) on the School Library Media Specialist's role in reading...

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslissues/toolkits/slmsroleinreading.cfm

Reading is a foundational skill for 21st-century learners. Guiding learners to become engaged and effective users of ideas and information and to appreciate literature requires that they develop as strategic readers who can comprehend, analyze, and evaluate text in both print and digital formats. Learners must also have opportunities to read for enjoyment as well as for information. School library media specialists are in a critical and unique position to partner with other educators to elevate the reading development of our nation’s youth.

Wayne Mills on libraries

Wayne Mills wrote a great article at http://www.odt.co.nz/the-regions/north-otago/96084/libraries-key-learning for the Otago Daily Times last week on libraries and librarians - well worth a read and displaying.

Rotorua Children's and Young Adult Librarian's Conference

The North Island Children's and Young Adult Librarian's Conference will be held in Rotorua on 22nd and 23rd July 2010. Further details such as registration, web site and programme information will be available as they are confirmed.

Library 101

Bridget Schaumann from Kings College Dunedin shared this link on the list serv :
"You might like to go and have a look at this cool project. http://www.libraryman.com/library101/
A wee groovy thing for the (nearly) end of your week. Play till the end when they crack up with laughter. "
The video is fun and lively, but check out the essays as well - about what is changing in "libraryland" and what skills and aptitudes are needed for libraries to stay relevant as technology and society evolve... http://www.libraryman.com/blog/essays-on-101/

Why libraries matter

Here is a link to an article "Why Academic Libraries Matter" by Barbara Fister, Librarian at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN from the Library Journal, 8/13/2009
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6675616.html

She ends the article with "...in a world where information is abundant, the library—your library—also has symbolic meaning that transcends its day-to-day uses. That symbolic meaning matters because in world of abundant information, the library's role in our culture goes far beyond mere information. For those drowning in information, the library is land, a place where you can clamber up, catch your breath, gather your wits—and drink deeply."

Within the body of the article are various interesting links eg :
Steven Bell's blog posting about the three values libraries provide - totality, meaning and relationships... http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2009/05/08/three-ways-libraries-can-be-different/
the Darien Statements outlining the purpose of the library, the role of the library and librarians... http://www.blyberg.net/2009/04/03/the-darien-statements-on-the-library-and-librarians/
Wayne Wiegand's recommendation that we focus not on how users can be made to fit into our library but on how the library fits into the life of the user http://tiny.cc/wiegand - he goes beyond information role of libraries and looks at reading and place...