Flocabulary's "Ode to Librarians"

I need this as a ringtone.

STAT.

Directly Integrated Research With Google Docs

So I'm sitting here working on a few of my final Summer Reading Program plans.  I rely extremely heavily on Google and Pinterest these days, so those are my everyday go-to sites.  I use Google Docs, Blogger (obviously), Google Calendar, etc.  I open up Google Docs today and there, in the corner is a shiny new bauble!

Meet the Google Docs Research Tool!

I have to admit that it sidetracked me long enough to lose focus on my actual document.  What a clever little minx Google continues to be!

2012 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Named!

Thanks to K.C. Boyd over at MissDomino, I've just learned something amazing!
Walter Dean Myers has been named the 2012 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature!
The quote found on Read.gov is just ONE of the many things I love about Mr. Myers and is his platform policy.

For more information on the office of the NAYPL, click the above screenshot.
For a truly inspiring post that says what I was thinking far better than I ever could, check out K.C.'s blog.

Hootie on Location Part II: ILA Conf 2011

The Illinois Library Association Conference took place in Rosemont this past week.  This was my first major library conference.  Back at work, it was also what I felt to be my best week of programming this year, but more on that later. First,

The 2011 ILA Conference:

Movies that Make Librarianship Haute.

Desk Set - Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.

When you hear these dolls rattle off information like it ain't a thang, it is a priceless glance at what reference librarianship is like. There is also a sadly realistic view at how regardless of the skill we possess, computers and technology threaten to ruin it. Machines make things fast and easy, but there is NOTHING like the brainpower and service you can gain from a talented librarian. Google can get you the answer to your question but a good librarian can show you what your real question is and THEN answer it.

Weeding: A Spooky Trip Through our YA Fiction

I often visit AwfulLibraryBooks.net to laugh at the ridiculous things some librarians find on their shelves during weeding.  This week, however, I didn't even have to leave my own library to get a good chuckle.  With the summer being so busy, there isn't time for things like weeding and reorganizing so it is one of the first things we're getting started on now that the kids are back in school.

Each member of my department has an assigned section to weed, and I am the proud gardener of our Young Adult books, movies, and series.  When I tell you I have literally guffawed this week at some of the things I've come across, I am not exaggerating.  While some of these were taken off primarily because of age, and the fact that I doubt any of our current teens would touch them, there were also a few that contained just enough bad or misleading information to make me cringe, but just enough ironic cover-choices or contents to make me laugh out loud.

I use the MUSTY system when weeding:
Misleading (factually inaccurate),
Ugly (covers or damages that make you cringe),
Superseded (a better edition has come about),
Trivial (of no merit),
Your collection (The book is not of interest to the members of your library community or out of place in your collection)

Some of the books I found were in fact still relevant, but the covers were so bad that I had to pull them anyway and put in an order for updated copies. Others were ancient, the oldest I found had been purchased in 1987, but hadn't been checked out in years, or not at all.  I've decided to showcase a few of my favorite weeds of the week.
Enjoy, LOL.

Technology Treat: Pixton Comic Maker

As an outreach librarian, part of my job is finding ways to simplify and stimulate the work of area teachers and parents.  In that vein, next month I will be visiting an Open House at one of the local high schools.  While my first instinct was to bring a ton of programming flyers and bookmarks for the students, I began to realize that it is just as important for me to nurture the relationships between myself and the teachers.


So today, I tried out Pixton.  Pixton is a web-based comic-strip maker.   You decide how many panels you want in your strip, drag the characters into the poses you want, change the expressions, and add dialogue. It was VERY easy and free to use, though there is a paid professional version and an educator version as well.

 I highly recommend it for ages 9 and up.

I've taught before, so I understand completely how difficult it is to keep learning exciting, while also hitting benchmarks and professional goals.  There are times when book reports and even power point presentations just don't get it.  As we head farther into this techno-heavy era, it would just be ridiculous not to explore the many resources found all over.  BUT, it is also hard finding the time to sift through it all, though I've decided to try.  I'll be sharing my finds here, and with the teachers at the Open House.

Random Librarian Thoughts: Farewell SRP

I am ecstatic that our Summer Reading Program is over.

Shhh, don't tell anyone.

Old Spice Approved

The Old Spice Guy agrees….libraries rock.