A blog about library advocacy, collaborations, new technology, and patron experiences.
Keeping Things In Focus
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
It is always exciting to return from a break and begin a new semester. One of the things I always try to do when I return is to create a list of goals for myself and the library program. To illustrate this, I want to share my current goals. Making such goals helps me keep myself in focus for those I serve.
Goals for this Semester
Read and preview more books:
I struggle to keep up with new YA fiction titles. One of the things that Kaitlyn Price (the co-librarian I work with here at Lakeside) and I have done each month is making a priority to handle each new book that comes in the library. We started a Google Doc to record the title and brief information about each title. This gives us a resource we can share with students and teachers. It also makes us review each title as they come into our collection. With all the activities going on in the library, it is so easy to get behind on this task. By doing this since fall, we have been able to book talk to students much more effectively. I don't want this practice to stop!
New collaborations
Our many immersive collaboration programs have grown over the years. This year we have let some of the old ones go and are planning new ones to replace them. It is good to change up the norm to get out of our comfort zones. I always worry about getting too comfortable and complacent. In order to grow, we have to keep pushing forward. In addition, I want to connect with teachers that haven't collaborated with us before. Science, mathematics, and business classes are all on our radar. Anything is possible as we move into a new semester and realizing this is exciting!
Visit administrators
I know there are missed opportunities to reach teachers by not talking with administrators often. This semester I want to reach out to administrators more. They are in high gear with their classroom evaluations and they know which teachers could benefit from library resources and/ or educational technology. While those teachers may not always accept such an offer, the opportunity is there to reach out to visit and inquire about their classroom needs. Any chance to visit with educators in the building and build relationships is good for all involved.
Visit teachers
Making the effort to visit teachers during their preparation periods has been a great new practice this school year. It has already made it possible for us to collaborate with teachers we have not worked with in the past. The practice has been transformative! I can't wait to continue this practice. We love going to visit and listen to teachers share their concerns and goals. There are always opportunities to offer library space, resources, and technology during such visits. Because of our schedules, we will never be able to get to everyone more than a few times this year, but it will continue to be our goal to reach as many as possible.
Vlog and/ or podcast
I started a YouTube channel several years ago called the Library Guyz. On the channel, we used to periodically make informative videos and promotional ads. Kaitlyn and I have been thinking of trying a video blog / vlog to informally share our weekly happenings, celebrations, and challenges. This is finally happening during the new semester. Take a look at our first vlog and see what you think? In addition, I may lift the audio and create a podcast after we try this for a few weeks. This will serve as another way for us to share and build community! We want to improve professionally and share what is happening in the library. We will keep you posted on our progress. Below is a link to our first vlog!
I have a monthly email newsletter for the subscribers of the Library Media Tech Talk blog. If you are interested in exclusive content not appearing on the blog, be sure to subscribe by submitting your email address! Subscribe here!
Love the vlog Stony and Katelyn. I am going to steal your idea about book recommendations. It’s a great idea and is a perfect way to show your students you care. Will be listening with interest to further posts!
Complete transparency: my first year back in a school library was a challenge. After five years balancing roles as an Army National Guard Company Commander and a public library administrator, I had forgotten the sheer pace of the K-12 world. I traded administrative meetings for constant foot traffic and a 30-minute lunch crammed somewhere between checkout lines. But as the final weeks of the year arrived and the shelves began to fill back up for summer, I decided to try something new. I wanted to see the year through the lens of a student. How did the library impact them? What would they remember? The best way to find out is to ask! Field Day provided all-day traffic to the school library The Simple Prompt During Field Day, I rolled out a long sheet of bulletin board paper and wrote one simple question: "What will you remember most about the library from this school year?" I left out markers and let the students respond—some signed their names, others stayed anonymous. The f...
📌 Updated May 2026: This session was originally designed in 2016. Breakout EDU has expanded considerably — see the bottom of this post for current platform notes and tool updates. I was first introduced to Breakout EDU while attending the Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert Forum in Denver, Colorado this summer. After experiencing a session at the conference, I knew it had lots of potential for library programming. I shared it with Kaitlyn Price, my new partner teacher librarian at Lakeside High School. We couldn’t wait to try it out for 8th grade library orientation! I am grateful she is joining me for this blog post. P lanning (Kaitlyn & Stony) We actually started talking about this potential early in August. Tiffany Whitehead even brainstormed with us in a webcam session prior to school starting. She gave us many good pointers (she had done several last year with her students). Then school started, and things got very busy. Brainstorming session with Tiffany...
📌 Updated May 2026: Skype was discontinued in May 2025. The activity described below works equally well with Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or Zoom. See the note at the bottom for current platform recommendations. I have heard of Mystery Skype sessions and Mystery Hangouts for many months while trolling social media. A few weeks ago, Heidi Harris (@heidibobeidi), a teacher in Lincoln, Maine contacted me on Twitter to see if we were available for a Mystery Skype session. I checked with our 8th grade social studies teacher, Mr. Brooks Lee, to see if he would be interested in allowing one of his classes to participate in the event. He was very intrigued by the idea, so I set out to investigate exactly how one of these sessions needed to work. Mrs. Harris was very helpful and shared with me a typical way to setup the library (or classroom) for the activity. We decided to set up these station areas in the library: Inquirers/ Responders (all at the webcam), Atlas Checkers, Google Map C...
Love the vlog Stony and Katelyn. I am going to steal your idea about book recommendations. It’s a great idea and is a perfect way to show your students you care. Will be listening with interest to further posts!
ReplyDelete