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Reflections on RRLC’s “We Need Diverse Libraries”

“Imagine a world where everyone could see themselves in the pages of a book.”

These were the first words of the presentation last Tuesday by We Need Diverse Books. They then asked us to close our eyes for a minute and think about what that would look like. What would you see or hear, and what would that mean for everyone?

The responses from the audience were, “More possibilities would be open to people”; “There would be more avid readers”; “People would know that their narratives are important as well, regardless of their abilities, of what they looked like, or who they were”; “There would be more diversity in careers, in life in general”; “We would see an increase in overall well-being”. It sounds Utopian, doesn’t it? This is within reach.

It can still be difficult to find great books that tell diverse stories, but it is not impossible. The folks at We Need Diverse Books have made it their mission to help us accomplish this goal. If you know where to look it will make your life easier. Some publishers offering diverse reads are:

On their diversebooks.org website is a listing of sites that provide diverse book lists. Under the Resources tab on their site, they also include a book talking kit.

Most helpfully, they have also created an app, currently accessible through your browser, called OurStory, which highlights books with diverse content and by content creators from marginalized communities. It is basically a database designed for you to find books for your libraries.

Look at our Libguide for more resources on diversifying your collection. *The page is currently under construction, so please continue to check back frequently.* Which reminds me: Diversifying your collection is an ongoing process. We live in a constant state of growth and change. Informally audit your collection and add to it frequently.

U.S. Poet Laureate: Joy Harjo

On September 19th, U.S. Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden, named Joy Harjo the Nation’s 23rd Poet Laureate. Harjo is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation and is the first Native American to serve as U.S. Poet Laureate.

The Poet Laureate serves as the official poet of the United States, and is appointed annually by the Librarian of Congress. In this position, the poet is tasked with raising public appreciation for poetry writing and reading.

She succeeds Tracy K. Smith who served for two consecutive years.

 

Monroe One BOCES SLS Need-to-Know News

The SLS MiniGrant deadline is this Friday, October 4th!

Each applicant may request up to $1,200 in grant funds. The awards will be announced on October 15th and must be completed by March 23rd, 2020.

Allowable mini-grant projects include:

  • Collection Development
  • Innovative Projects
  • Professional Development Programs

For more information about the grant application and process, please visit our website: www.monroe.edu/sls

 

The Re-imagined ESIFC

There is still room to register for the Re-Imagining Information Fluency and Standards Alignment for our Students.

As school librarians, we know we must teach our students the skills they need to succeed in the ever-changing and complex information environment. The Empire State Information Fluency Continuum (ESIFC) has been re-imagined to provide a guide for that teaching; it is a comprehensive PD-12 continuum of the skills, responsibilities, and dispositions that will enable our students to flourish, both personally and academically. The skills of the ESIFC will align with the expectations of various national and New York State standards documents, including NextGen science standards, New York’s Social Studies and ELA standards, and AASL and ISTE standards.

In this workshop, we will explore the new ESIFC and translate it into action. You will discover essential skills of inquiry, multiple literacies, design thinking, social responsibility, and even student agency. Most importantly, you will be able to collaborate with colleagues to develop personalized approaches, lessons, formative assessments, and strategies to transform teaching and learning in your school.

The event will be held on October 10th, 2019.

 

***Reminder: Our SLS Council meeting will be held on Thursday, October 3rd from 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm.

 

Apply for these Library Grants Before it’s Too Late!

#1 Harold Hacker Fund – Applications Due Monday, September 30th, 2019

It’s time for the annual grant opportunity created to honor Harold Hacker, founder of NY library systems, of the Pioneer Library System, the Monroe County Library System, and the Rochester Regional Library Council.

Harold believed in collaboration and innovation. The Harold Hacker Fund for the Advancement of Libraries, offered through the Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library (FFRPL) and the Rochester Regional Library Council, is looking for proposals that measure up to those ideals.

For the 2019-20 grant cycle, funding is available for projects that meet the stated funding areas:

  1. To further education and professional development for librarians and library staff throughout the five-county region served by Rochester Regional Library Council.
  2. To further innovative library projects and programs at RRLC member libraries and the Monroe County Library and Pioneer Library Systems and their member libraries.

All RRLC member libraries and library systems, all PLS libraries and all MCLS libraries are eligible. Click the link above to open the application page.

 

#2 Monroe One BOCES SLS MiniGrants – Applications Due Friday, October 4th, 2019

The Monroe One BOCES School Library System Council has approved funding to provide mini-grants to member school librarians*. Available funding for 2019-20 mini-grants is $20,000.  Each applicant may request up to $1,200 in grant funds for use in a collection development initiative, an innovative instructional or extracurricular project, or professional development.

Allowable mini-grant projects include:

·       Collection Development

·       Innovative Projects

·       Professional Development Programs

*All grant applicants must be certified NYS School Library Media Specialists

Click the link above to open the application page.

National Book Award LongList for Young People’s Literature Announced

The National Book Award LongList for Young People’s Literature has been announced. The list includes the following 10 books. Finalists will be announced October 8th, and the winner will be announced November 20th.

 

Click the links for each book to see more about each one.

Creative Commons Search Engine

Did you know? This past spring, Creative Commons launched a search engine that indexes over 300 million public domain images. These are images from 19 image collections and they include works from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, Flickr, and even some CC0 3D designs from Thingiverse.

All of these images are in the public domain or released under Creative Commons licenses, which means they are free to use in a non-commercial setting. It also means they have the licensing information readily available to quick copy and paste.

Click here to start searching.

“UnknownFlower”by ksoon71 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

3 Apple Book Awards

The New York Library Association (NYLA) has announced the 2019 kids choice 3 Apples Book Award winners. This year, over 66 school and public libraries participated in the voting, with over 1,000 votes cast during the month of April by New York State youth.

The 2019 winners are:

Young Reader’s Category:
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors

Children’s Category:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Teen Category:
It

The 3 Apples Book Award Joint Committee is comprised of members from NYLA’s two youth divisions: the Section of School Librarians (SSL) and the Youth Services Section (YSS). For more information visit nyla.org/3apples

Tech Camp 2019 – Call for Proposals

The Call for Proposals is open for 2019 Tech Camp. If you have a great idea, please put in a proposal to present by clicking: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXal1j8KQTBHUKH3tFfJooUzxtJiOovswfaawDVjf0uw22DQ/viewform 

Tech Camp will be held at Monroe 2 BOCES ESC Building on August 21st. We are looking for sessions on various topics. All sessions will be 45 minutes long.

Example presentation topics:
· Creating Websites from Scratch (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
· Digital Citizenship
· Escape Rooms / Mystery Boxes
· Student Data Privacy
· Genrefication
· Moving from a Fixed Schedule to a Flexible Schedule
· Schools and Public Libraries Working Together
· Mindfulness in the Library
· Diversity Audits / Creating Diverse Collections
· Library Redesign
· Creating Inclusive Libraries (LGBTQ, ELL, Students with Disabilities, etc.)
· Emotional Social Learning
· Coding for Girls
· Sustainable Libraries
· ISTE Standards in Libraries

Review of proposals will begin immediately, and the deadline to submit is FRIDAY JUNE 28TH.

Connections: Historical Fiction

If you missed out on Thursday’s Connections with Evan Dawson, he spent the hour discussing Hamilton and the value and drawbacks of historical fiction as a genre. His guests included:

  • Michael Oberg, distinguished professor of history at SUNY Geneseo
  • LindaSue Park, award-winning author
  • Miriam Burstein, professor and associate chair of the Department of English at the College at Brockport

Listen here!

 

Census Action

A good Census is the first step to making sure we have good roads, good schools and good representation.

Laura Bierman, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of New York State

During our last Council meeting, Katie discussed the importance of an accurate census. This article explains why and how it impacts funding and representation.

Public libraries are taking the lead in next year’s census count. This summer, reach out to your public libraries and see how you and your school communities might be able to help.