Library Valentine's Day Toolkit

I'm gearing up for that time of year when pink and red make their once a year debut and the smell of roses and candy permeate the air.  Yep....it's time to decorate for Valentine's Day!!  

I thought of a few things I could do and started searching for library pick-up lines.  Some were great, some were not so great for public schools.  But I wanted something new, different, updated!  So taking some time to brainstorm, here are the library pick-up lines I came up with (snigger away because they ARE cheesy!) Most of the them are from my addled brain and the last few are commons ones found online.  

Makerspace so I can sit by  this beautiful angel

I can predict future library trends with you and me in it!

Reader’s Advisory Warning: You’re about to meet your soulmate!

I’m looking for true love and covering all my (data)bases to make it happen!

It’s Destiny that I’m going to Discover true love!

You make my heart go into Overdrive!

I’m looking lips(Mackin) good to capture your attention!

I’d like to (C)engage in some conversation with you

But wait!  There's MORE!  You can find even more cheesy goodness in this secondary toolkit I created, complete with two YA books posters, and all the pick up lines ready to print and use.  

I plan on using mine on the bulletin boards, to tape around the library, and even stick on cardstock sized bookmarks to put in the books ♥ ♥ ♥

Here's the link to the folder with everything in it.  And yes, please use this however you'd like ☺

Sketch noting and the library

Technology....it has been mainstreamed into education and can manipulated in ways to accommodate any students needs and the projects they are working on.  It is the apogee of innovation of the 20th and 21st century. 

One very interesting partnership that combines manual creativity with technology is the art of sketchnoting.  What is that, you say?  Sketchnoting if a form of notetaking where students are asked to use sketches and creative elements to "write" information.    When once there was a time where doodling was considered wasteful, now these doodles and sketches, if directed on the correct path, can lead to better retention of information.

sketchnotes from booktalk

Think about it...when students take notes, they're copying the exact words right off the screen onto a sheet of paper or digitally.  It's rote work (remember these iconic words? "Buehler...Buehler...")

But with sketchnoting, a notetaker has to not only listen attentively to what is being said, but also translate that into images and words that reflect the information given.  Students are using multiple brain functions to capture information.  

So why aren't educators doing this more often?  I think there are two simple reasons:

1. No one is teaching them (it's still relatively new)

2. Students WILL push back on the idea (because they don't want to give up Easy Street notetaking)

https://www.slideshare.net/secret/DFr4kVPGi300JR

But with persistence it CAN happen and work well!  This summer, I put my skills to the test and brought a one hour sketchnoting presentation to a conference.  This was attended not only by teachers, but administrators and students too.  It was well-received, and I was equally gratified to know the students sitting in this presentation enjoyed learning the process as well.  

In a time when classes are now custom-designed with a rubric of information being taught at specific intervals and modules, sometimes, it's nice to break out and teach something totally new to students. It may not be in the curriculum, but the value of what sketchnoting can do is innumerable.  

Here is the presentation I created.  It isn't bulky, because it's such a hands-on experience, but look through it and challenge yourself to sketch the examples.  Then take it to the classroom!  

New Year, New Reading Challenge! Are you Up for It?

There are a ton of reading challenges out there, but I decided to create one with tweens and teens in mind, as well as making the library and librarian, library associations, and people in their lives an integral part of it.  Here's the infographic I made (with links) AND as a bonus, a link to a Google Doc, which you can print out and share :)  And if you can't see the infographic on the blog, here's the link online
Happy New Year, Happy New Year's Reading!!!