Association for Library Service to Children
The Association for Library Service to Children is a division of the American Library Association that is dedicated to supporting library systems for children. They have classes, news stories and a blog that has frequent entries. The thing that most appealed to me on the site at this point in time were the book lists. They have summer reading, LGBTQ and difficult topics, graphic novels, books for difficult times and audio book lists to name just a few. I will refer back to these lists in planning lessons and for finding a book as situations arise with my students.
American Association of School Librarians
The American Association of School Librarians is a division of the American Library Association. Their website is a good resource for keeping up with national library events for schools, up to date research, and standards. It provides an opportunity for collaboration with professional librarians across the country and support with library advocacy.
Virginia Library Association
The Virginia Library Association works to support and promote libraries, their staff, and the profession in the state of Virginia. Their website has information on conferences and events as well as articles on current topics of interest to librarians. One of the most useful resources on this site is a list of library job opportunities in the state.
Hack Library School
https://hacklibraryschool.com/
Hack Library School is a collaborative blog made by MLIS students, for MLIS students. It is grounded in the idea that students take their education into their own hands and therefore create the library system of tomorrow. There is a group of “hackers” who write for the blog, and outside authors are welcome to submit articles as well. This is a great place to be part of a larger group of library students, read what is going on in the discipline, and get ideas both for school and for library careers after graduation.
In the Library With The Lead Pipe
https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/
In The Library With The Lead Pipe is a journal of high quality, peer reviewed articles that are free to access for all. It has articles on a variety of topics that are published by their Editorial Board members, but also from authors from diverse backgrounds. Articles may be searched by topic or read from the archives that is organized by the month of publication. This is a great place to go to stay up to date on critical topics and to find supporting documents for library advocacy.
Central Rappahannock Regional Library
Library Point is the website for the Central Rappahannock Regional Library System which serves Stafford County, Spotsylvania County, Fredericksburg, and Westmoreland County in Virginia. The website has access to the catalog, as well as special programs at the branches and out in the community for citizens and teachers. I keep this link handy to keep up with what is happening in my community.
Ditch That Textbook
https://ditchthattextbook.com/
Matt Miller gives speeches and workshops to motivate and encourage teachers to use technology and creativity to reach their students. He has a large section of ready-to-use free resources for teachers to use with their students. This is a great resource to visit when looking for ideas on how to use technology and maintain student engagement.
EdSurge
EdSurge is a website to keep an educator up to date on changes in the education field. They have news stories and newsletters, as well as a weekly podcast and research. The jobs board is helpful to keep an idea of what opportunities exist, and the events calendar helps keep an eye on what is coming up. I enjoyed perusing their list of technology products. I searched for early education and found over 153 products to explore.
Talking Points
Talking Points is a non-profit organization that provides communication services between English and non-English speaking people. It can be used as an app or through a computer and has over 100 languages. It works as a texting service, translating the messages from English to another language and back again. This tool can be used to reach families that otherwise wouldn’t be able to receive communication from the classroom or library.
The Trapped Librarian
Laura Trapp has a website with a blog, Facebook page, Pinterest presence, and Instagram account where she shares tips and materials to make the library the center of the school. She brings 29 years of teaching experience together with information on book collections, professional development, media literacy, lesson plans, special events and more. She offers a section of freebies for activities throughout the year. This is a good site to have bookmarked and check back to see what she has added recently.