Resources

American Library Association

https://www.ala.org/

The ALA is the “go to” association for all things library. It is the premiere organization for resources, professional development, and accreditation of library programs. The best Christmas gift I ever received was an ALA membership. ALA offers annual conferences, grants, scholarships and advocacy updates.

Young Adult Library Services Association

https://www.ala.org/yalsa/

YALSA is a division of ALA specific for librarians supporting teens, especially teens in need. I will use YALSA to keep up to date on best practices for young adult services. YALSA hosts its own conference and offers a digital journal with professional content.

Virginia Association of School Librarians

https://www.vaasl.org/

I look forward to attending a VAASL conference in person someday. I imagine that VASL is where I will connect with a strong network of Virginia school librarians. VASL provides a community of knowledgeable professionals who are willing to share their expertise and support each other.

International Society for Technology in Education

https://www.iste.org/

ISTE provides educators and librarians with a set of standards for instruction and the effective use of technology in schools. ISTE offers librarians specific resources, some are free and some are accessed with a paid membership. Their material on digital citizenship is worth reviewing when I build lessons for the library.

Cult of Pedagogy

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/blog/

I was introduced to this blog in LIBS 602 with a posting on Hyperdocs. I went back to this blog to find resources on teaching, library/media skills and more. The site has a diverse staff of knowledgeable educators and the website is very easy to navigate and find exactly what I am looking for when I need it. I subscribe to this blog to keep up to date as I see myself as an educator and librarian.

The Daring Librarian

https://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/

The Daring Librarian has got the credentials with a shelf full of awards. Her social media presence is one to watch. She’s part cheerleader, part coach and offers empathy and also guidance in her blog and twitter posts. She also is a good person to follow for her retweets that highlight other educators and librarians with ideas and thoughts worth hearing. I am building my social media presence to follow more librarian influencers.

The Learning Librarian

https://ljune.edublogs.org/

This blog hasn’t been updated since 2020, but I felt it worthwhile to add to the list of resources due to the excellent instructional technology tips and library tools that are still worth a review. I appreciate the step by step directions and the hyperlinks to other websites that are an added value. The blog is one to return to when looking for specific “how to” questions that  has me stumped. Technology is ever changing and while learning new tools, it is nice to have a solid repertoire of skills you can easily apply to any lesson.

American Libraries

https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org

American Libraries is the digital and print journal published by the ALA. As a member of ALA,  I get the print magazine at my home. The publication offers articles on architecture, programming, history of libraries and library resource tools.  My favorite section is “People: On the Move, Promotions and Retirements.” I love reading about all of the opportunities in librarianship and the career trajectory of those in the industry.

The Horn Book

https://www.hbook.com/page/about-the-horn-book

For nearly 100 years, The Horn Book has been offering literary reviews and insightful editorials for children and young adult literature. The Horn Book is one of my go-to select aids as I start the ordering process. I love to curl up with a stack of sticky notes and page through the pages, reading reviews, looking at the cover art work, to find the best materials for our collection. I can trust The Horn Book’s ratings and weigh the strengths and weaknesses of each resource. The Horn Book is one of multiple resources I use to curate our collection and it allows me to be sure in my selections for our students.

Rocky Run Middle School Library

https://twitter.com/rrmslibrary

Rocky Run is a Fairfax County Public Middle School. Their twitter presence reflects the programming and resources available to their students. It is a great place to curate ideas for our own middle school. Rachel Grover, Head Librarian, keeps the twitter feed up to date with new posts on a frequent basis and includes content from her library but also shares relevant library information from other sources. As an FCPS school, there are similarities with our communities and it is nice to see what could be happening in our own school.

Ditch That Textbook

https://ditchthattextbook.com/

As we move from print resources to online engagement, Ditch that Textbook provided classroom ready instructional materials to adept and inspire. I could spend hours curating the valuable lessons provided. As a novice to digital escape rooms, I found the tutorial and templates to be extremely helpful and user friendly. Finding a go-to resource for gaming, brainstorming, padlet, jamboard and more templates.

CUNY Assessment Tools and Resources: Library Assessment

https://guides.cuny.edu/library_assessment/assessment_tools_and_resources

Assessment is an important element of a successful library. It is important to not only prioritize library services for our users but to also evaluate the success and function of those services. This website provides links to LibGuides, articles and assessment tools. As I develop services like Makerspace, it is helpful to have a place to find research that provides templates and suggestions to accurately evaluate the success of the program.

Scholastic: Library Grants

https://www.scholastic.com/librarians/programs/grants.htm

Library Funding can be scarce. It is important to find resources outside of federal and local funding. Scholastic offers a long list of grants that librarians and schools can apply to support the school library funding. I hope to take advantage of these resources to purchase materials not only for reading but also for our inquiry process and makerspace room.