Library Media Tech Talk

📌 Updated July 2026: This post has been refreshed to reflect current tools, platforms, and resources. I remember taking my first school library job in the summer of 2008. When I arrived at the school in July to begin working, I quickly realized I had no idea where to start! Even after doing this job for many years, I still have to remind myself what needs to be accomplished in the summer before everyone gets back on campus. I hope this will help you see some of the steps you need to think about as you prepare for a successful school year from the library media center. Most of the July "to-do" list is really all the items that I renew or order during the summer months. The first things I always think of are the periodicals, journals, and newspaper subscriptions we take. I make a list of those, and I usually call or email the local and state newspapers to check pricing (if I haven't received a renewal notice in the mail). At my current school I do not subscribe to an...

Still puzzled by Twitter? I know I'm still learning about this great social media tool too! If you didn't catch the first part of this post, go here . I'll cover what I've learned about Hashtags and Twitter chats in this post. What is a Hashtag anyway ? When I first started using Twitter, I couldn't figure out how to find people to follow. I didn't know how to find Tweets about the topics that interested me. Hashtags helped me find these items! A Hashtag  is a keyword or phrase (no spaces) with a "#" at the beginning. The keyword or phrase helps categorize the Tweet. These words can be anything from #edchat (a popular education hashtag) to #bestmemoriesof2014 (a popular hashtag at the end of 2014).  You can search a specific hashtag by going to the "search Twitter" tool and typing it in. Twitter will then show you the current Tweets and photos posted to that hashtag. You can get a list of Educational Hashtags here  (thanks ...

If you are interested in collaborating with colleagues across the country (and world), consider using Twitter more in 2015! I created a Twitter account in July 2011. I didn't really start using Twitter as an effective networking tool until the summer of 2014. I'm not an expert, but I do know more now than when I started.  What are the benefits? Skeptical about how you can use Twitter? In the short months that I have used Twitter as a Personal Learning Network (PLN) tool, I have connected with hundreds of teacher librarians, teachers, and administrators across the country. My Twitter followers have increased from around 140 back in the summer of 2014 to 841 as of December 2014. I have learned a lot about emerging technology (such as 3D Printing and how school libraries are starting to use it). Because I have an ever growing PLN on Twitter, more people are reading this blog since I use Twitter to tweet out my links to new blog posts. I see numerous excellent dai...