Resources
BLOGS:
Don’t Shush Me is a blog that is humorous as well as informative. Kelsey Bogan’s content is relevant to middle and high school librarians. She posts book reviews, library display ideas, diversity and inclusion content, as well as “how-tos” for social media. I have enjoyed reading her blog and see myself continuing to visit her site.
All throughout my first semester of ODU’s MLIS program, my research lead me to the blog Book Riot. There are many articles relating to diversity and inclusion, lots of YA book reviews and a bit of humor thrown in. Looks like I like me some humor! Book Riot also has specific newsletters you can subscribe to, and three podcasts. They have a staff of writers and creators and take a fresh look at books and reading, focusing on inclusion and challenging us all to do the same.
Cult of Pedagogy is a blog, a podcast, a library of teaching video resources, created by a super smart woman named Jennifer Gonzales. The webpage is clean and easy to navigate. There is no fluff, just loads and loads of information about all things teaching. Every topic is categorized, so you don’t have to scroll and scroll to find what you are looking for. I could and will spend hours on her site. I recommend everyone take a look at Cult of Pedagogy.
Kiss the Book is a great review blog for books written for K-12 grade students. Started by one librarian, she then added a student review board, and now has 11 reviewers on staff. Their mission is to get books into libraries and into the hands of student readers. They review over 1000 books a year! Wow! They want us to know the good, the great and those books you could probably pass by. This is a wonderful resource for when I get to order new books for the high school library. The reviewers rating scale is described on the website so you don’t have to guess, and they have all their reviews going back to 2006. This blog is a great resource for the librarian or even the avid reader.
LIBRARY ASSOCIATIONS:
The Maryland Association of School Librarians is an advocacy organization whose vision is that every Maryland student has a certified school librarian in their school. MASL also is the organizer of the Black Eyed Susan Book Awards. A student choice award for books that are nominated by the association. This is a good website to keep track of if I continue to work in a Maryland school district. They are a volunteer run organization creating a community of school librarians.
Young Adult Library Services Association, YALSA is a division of the American Library Association. The mission of the YALSA is to help those who work with young adults in the library provide diverse, inclusive and equitable services. I would like to stay connected with this resource because they have training and grants that could be useful for our high school library.
JOURNALS AND PUBLICATIONS:
The School Library Journal provides so much for our community of Librarians. They provide up to date news, discuss issues of diversity in our libraries, provide resources for public and school libraries, provide book reviews, inform our community of grants, jobs and so much more! This is a journal to keep bookmarked on your computer for the moment you might have to read a little article to inspire you. I’m looking forward to the moment to peruse the pages of this Journal.
LIBRARIES:
https://www.nypl.org/
New York Public Library System has so much to offer, not only to the residence of New York City, but to the nation. The website has seven tabs and more tabs within those tabs. You could spend months looking around this website. The website hosts a blog, staff picks and a new and noteworthy section. I am sure this library is up to date and can teach me about what is on the cutting edge of libraries.