MASL Moments

So every year, I get the awesome opportunity to go to the Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) Spring Conference.  My husband likes to give me a hard time about how "crazy" 700+ school librarians must get!  :)  It's such a great experience.  I come back with a ton of ideas that I usually have to sadly file away in my "August" folder because we're just a short month away from summer vacation (Just to clarify, NOT sad about that break coming up! ha!)

Some ideas are easy to implement.  In fact, I'm embarrassed that it took me so long to figure this one out.  For years now, we've put barcodes on the back of each book--at the top right.  Mainly for inventory purposes.  And for years, I've heard complaints from kids who can't read the synopsis on the back.  So I'm sitting in a session this past weekend and the presenter passed out some books for us to see.  Not only did I end up ordering the book that was handed to me, but I just happened to flip it over and see the school's barcode at the BOTTOM.  Hello! 

That said, I don't think I will be re-positioning the 11,000+ barcodes in the media center. . .  but rest assured new books will be more "user-friendly!" 

I also got some great tips on Edmodo, literacy lessons using Common Core, and research skills across the curriculum.


(Photo from MASL Spring Conference blog)

That's me sitting in the middle with the brown jacket!

Now, if you're a student, you probably aren't too excited about any of that, but check this out: 

(Photo from MASL Spring Conference blog)

Yes, that's James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner, last year's Truman winner!  He was SUCH a fun, entertaining speaker.  He talked about his family, how he got started, and how he very ceremoniously ripped up his CPA license renewal form (Yes, he was an accountant) when he made it big.  The Maze Runner is being made into a movie so watch for it to hit the big screen!  Mr. Dashner has a cameo.  SO jealous!  Gotta write my book!!!  How awesome if I had a cameo in MY book-to-movie someday!  A girl can dream. . . .

For now, though, I LOVE what I do and I'm so glad I get the chance to go to such a great conference every year!
  

iLove the Trumans!

Last Monday, I had the Truman Voting Party.  Well, actually part-IES!   My first year here I had 41 kids qualify, last year I had 53, and this year, I had to split the party into two different hours because there were 67 kids who read at least four nominees!  WOW!  It's exciting to see so many kids reading at a time in their lives when friends, activities, sports, etc. can supersede books.  Makes this librarian's heart HAPPY!

Our bulletin board--Students added an "app" each time they read a Truman!
 

We enjoyed ice cream sundaes, pop and prizes, and of course, voted!  At our middle school, Virals won with a total of 15 votes, The Lost Hero had 11, and Paranormalcy had 8.  The final winners will be announced at the MASL Spring Conference in April so stay tuned to see if the rest of MO agreed with us!  Thanks to all who participated in the Truman Challenge and keep up the GREAT reading!!!

The Name of the Star

Well the 2013-14 Trumans have been announced. . . I always like to see award lists during the spring and compare my collection.  I only had eight of the twelve nominees so I had some ordering to do.  On the flip side, I had the Newbery (The One and Only Ivan), the Coretta Scott King Award (Hand In Hand), and the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal (Bomb: The Race to Build – and Steal – the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon) which also won the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction.  It's a good feeling to know that books of this status have already been checked out by kids in my school!

I'm embarrassed, however, that until today, I'd only read one of the Truman nominees: Cloaked.  So I have some catching up to do.  Today I finished The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, the first in a new series.  Louisiana-born Aurora, better known as Rory, is attending a boarding school in London while her parents are working in Bristol.  It's not easy being the American trying to fit in. There are definite rules and expectations and if that's not enough to worry about, a Jack the Ripper copycat is suddenly recreating the horrific crimes of the late 1800s.  For some reason, Rory is the only one who can see him.  And she's next on his list.

In Tune

I have a confession.  I'm a secondary education major, I taught English for nine years, and I LOVE bulletin boards.  The cute-si-er, the cheesier, the better.  Unfortunately, my poor students were often stuck with general FYI boards or generic "bulletin board in a bag" sets.  However, as a media specialist, bulletin boards are a must.  Gotta promote the books, gotta get kids' attention, gotta intice them to come in!  A while ago my sister sent me a bulletin board off of Pinterest and I adjusted it a bit:  "Hey, I just met you and this is crazy, but here's my cover so read me maybe."  It was a huge hit.  Kids stopped in the hallway and actually READ my bulletin board.  I could hear them laughing, pointing it out to their friends, and even better:  singing. 

So began my themed bulletin boards.  We did a little Taylor Swift:  "We will never, ever, ever, stop reading together" with pics of students reading.  Then came the holiday season:  "Through the halls we go reading all the way."  This month came from Florida Georgia Line and I was really excited when I asked some kids for a song suggestion.  One of my faves too!  It's obviously not the best grammar so I'm hoping that when teachers and parents see it they don't think the media specialist doesn't know how to speak correctly. . . .  

It's been really fun.  And today a student told me she thought of me when "Cruise" came on the radio.  Mission accomplished.        

Books 32-52. . . . Oops. . .

Hello 2013!  You came a little sooner than I wanted. . . .   Shouldn't there be about twenty more weeks in a year?!  Well, it's obvious that I didn't make my goal.  I'm disappointed, but I've also realized that a) a book a week is a LOT (even though I'm sure there are many super librarians out there who can do it), b) I still read and wrote booktalks for 31 books (YAY!), c) I'll never regret the fun summer we had (even if I hardly opened a book!) and d) resolutions are tough to keep.  See Exhibit A--my waistline--and Exhibit B--my children's scrapbooks that are still more than two years behind.  Sigh. 

BUT on the bright side. . . . now I can use this blog to showcase a little bit of everything.  What's going on in the library, what I'm reading, what students are working on, what latest Pinterest projects have inspired me. . .  Like my tree of discarded books!  :) 

So here's to everything that 2013 will bring--even if it's a few less than 52 books. 

Book 31: The Lions of Little Rock

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristen Levine

It's August 1958 and the high schools in Little Rock aren't opening due to the recent battles regarding integration.  Marlee Nisbett has her own battles to fight in middle school.  She's so painfully quiet that everyone either thinks she's mute or tries to control her every move, like bossy Sally and cute JT who uses her for math homework.  Then she meets the new girl, Liz, who not only helps Marlee find her voice, but also herself.  Unfortunately, Liz is battling her own problems and one day, suddenly stops coming to school.  When Marlee discovers the truth behind Liz's identity, she must decide what she truly stands for and how far she'll go to make her voice finally heard.  

Book 30: On Etruscan Time

On Etruscan Time by Tracy Barrett

When Hector's mom's is recruited to help on an archaelogical dig in Italy, he has no choice but to tag along.  His summer is officially ruined.  Even worse is that the adults seem busy with their own conversations and no one seems to notice or listen to him.  To help him pass the long, hot days, Hector starts helping on the dig--where he uncovers an old stone that looks like an eye.  He realizes the eye has special powers, and Hector finds himself on a quest between two different worlds.  It's up to him to save an Etruscan boy named Arath from a horrible fate.  Can he find what he needs in the past before it's too late?