TEXAS SCHOOL LIBRARIANS ROAR!

Welcome to Library Lions interviews Raising a Roar for libraries and the outstanding librarians serving youth in schools and public libraries across the U.S. Please Roar today’s guest, Cynthia Bartek!

 

Seen here with the amazing author Libba Bray. (Okay I’m a little jealous of this photo, Cynthia).

The SkinnyI’m one of the Librarians at Becker Library, which serves St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas.  St. Stephen’s is a private school that instructs students in grades 6-12. 

I love playing “matchmaker” for readers with books!  Nothing is more satisfying than finding just the right book for either a reluctant or a voracious reader.  I also love working with our Middle School students in the Computer Lab on their Information Literacy skills.

A Lion’s Pride of Programs
We love to sponsor students at local events and conferences.  Becker Library regularly registers and chaperons students at the Texas Library Association “Texas Teensfor Libraries” Day, otherwise known as TT4L.  A posse of our students gets to attend as special guests for the day, visit the exhibitors’ showroom, and get VIP access to prominent YA authors!

We also sponsor students to serve as greeters and escorts for visiting YA authors at the Austin Teen Book Festival, a growing local event which saw over 3,000 attendees this year!  

 

Becker Library is happy to join with our fabulous committee in hosting our semi-annual Literary Festival, which brings our whole student body into contact with all sorts of people who use writing in their careers:  novelists, journalists, songwriters, bloggers, and historians, among others!

Once a month, our Librarians gather up some of our best and coolest new books and display them in the Middle School building, so that any student can browse and check out books on the spot!  We call it “Booked for Lunch,” and it’s a great way for kids to mingle over reading material.  Word of mouth from peers is the best way to get things circulating.

 

Readers Roar! Let's Hear From the Kids!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 “A book is like a roller coaster ride, you read it and want to read it again.”  Audryanna, 6^th grade

“The library is like Wonderland where we are Alice with a new discovery around each corner.” Kali, 8^th grade

 “I like the library- the knowledge just seems to seep out of these books and into our minds.” – Hallie, 11^th grade

“Upperclassmen like the library because we get the comfy couches.”  - Larkin, 11^th grade

“The library is a great place to chill with my friends.” – Gavin, 7^th grade

“I like funny books; they make me laugh and help me find my next good joke.” – Andrew, 8^th grade

 

Library Laughs

Once, a group of students set up hidden speakers in the library shelves and tuned each of the computers to the same YouTube video so that when we walked in, we were surrounded by the sounds of monkey chatter, elephant trumpets, lion roars, and a general animal cacophony. It was like walking into our own private jungle!

Book Brag: What three books are hot this year? Why?
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is popular because it’s one we recommend a lot(!) and because it contains enough action to satisfy those Hunger Games readers who are searching for a read-alike.  It also appeals to both male and female readers.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: Well, for one thing, it’s by JOHN GREEN!  He has a huge online following; his vlog is wonderfully quirky and informative, and his writing is stellar.  He captures the teen voice better than anyone I can think of.  

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is in demand because of the current movie tie-in.  Our Upper School students are passing this book around a lot, and it’s an upcoming selection for readers in our Literary Society, which is a student-run reading group.

 Author! Author!  

The perfect author visit can be either in person or via Skype.  In fact, a Skype session with wonderful author Laurie Halse Anderson at a recent Literary Festival at our school pretty much fits the definition!  She was candid and open with the students.  She took a photo of us and tweeted it while we were in session!  We had a warm and genuine dialogue, and she even took the time to ask the name of each student who asked her a question.  She’s a real advocate for youth and is honest and fearless when discussing her writing.

Library Lion’s Roar: ONE LAST BIG ROAR

As part of the Library’s outreach, I have developed an Information Literacy class for our 6^th graders, which is part of our curriculum and runs all school year.  We cover all sorts of 21^st Century library skills and learn how to use databases, cite sources, evaluate websites, and stay safe on the Internet as good digital citizens!

 

Let’s Link

Blog (s):  http://blogs.sstx.org/library/

Library Website:  https://www.sstx.org/library?rc=1

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Becker-Library/131592140305957?ref=hl

Thank you, Cynthia! Your school library sounds terrific! We’re here to Roar for Libraries and to create a space for librarians to share their amazing youth programs.  

 To Blog Readers: Love Libraries? Give a Roar in “Comments” below.

Note to Librarians: If you’re a Youth Librarian working in a school or public library we’d love to hear about you and your library. Contact Janet at jlcarey@hotmail.com for an interview slot. 

First Roar for 2011!

Welcome to Library Lions first roar of 2011! We Raise a Roar for Libraries and for the outstanding Librarians serving Children and Young Adults in Schools and Public Libraries across the U.S. Please Roar today’s guest Librarian Susan K. S. Grigsby



Susan has been a Youth Librarian for 15 years. She works at Elkins Pointe Middle School; Roswell, Georgia. I met Susan in 2009 when she was the President of the Georgia Library Media Association. It’s a delight to have Susan kick off our first 2011 LL post!

Roars:
~Susan testified before her State Education Subcommittee on the importance of public school libraries and adequate library funding.

~She coordinates the Georgia Summer Institute professional development programs for librarians throughout Georgia.

~She will be presenting a concurrent session at this year’s Internet in Schools National Conference in Washington, D.C. March 2011.

The Skinny: What inspired you to become a librarian?
I was active in Atlanta’s audio/video industry prior to becoming a media specialist. When my second child was born I began to look for a more kid-friendly career and read about how Georgia needed qualified media specialists. I had no idea what that meant but I was intrigued and investigated what it would take to become one. I found out it was the new term for “school librarian” but when I learned about all the technology then available in the schools and how my background could be used effectively every day I jumped in with both feet.

I LOVE my job and feel very fortunate to find something that is such a perfect fit for my personality, my skills, and my life’s goals.

A Lion’s Pride of Programs:
March Madness
We start our March Madness Reading Tournament with a a big team "rah rah" Pep Rally in the gym. March Madness connects reading with sports so we show photos like the one below to get things started.




The Reading Tournament is run with "homeroom teams". We treat it like the March Madness basketball format. Students fill in reading logs and teachers create DEAR time that is logged on student accounts. Our tech specialist set up a database in which teachers can plug in the number of minutes read. We start counting the minutes each week in March, narrowing down to sweet 16, elite 8, and the final four - the final four get to come to the tailgate party in which the tournament winner (most minutes read) is announced.

We culminate the program with the March Madness Tailgate Party


Photo of Tailgate Party

I also have a themed reading program in which students are required to read at least one book from that month’s theme and one book from any other area in the library. It is based on The Dewey Decathlon developed by Kris Woods, a fellow Georgia media specialist. I took her idea and tweaked it a little for my own purposes using monthly themes like Realistic Fiction, Horror/Mystery Fiction, Biography, Fantasy/Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, etc. to help guide students towards a broader range of reading materials. Each month, every student that has read the two required books are invited to the library for Cafe Read-A-Latte –



I serve them Mocha Lattes or Vanilla Lattes with some home-baked treats and they get to hang out for 30 minutes and read magazines, play board games, or just visit with friends in the library while enjoying their treats.

Clapping Paws for Susan and her Library Programs!
~ I attended, and thoroughly enjoyed, your Café Read-A-Latte presentation at COMO!
(Conference participant)

~ WONDERFUL! Thank you so much for putting this together. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and had so many excited kids today with their books!! Thank you again!! (Teacher)

~ We are so lucky to have you!! Thanks for all you do! (PTA President)

~ When I get a chance I want to come by and get some reading logs for the historical fiction month…A.Z. ASKED to read his book yesterday….. sometimes mountains do move… Thank you partner for the support and assistance as we try to get these kids reading! (Reading Teacher)

Library Laughs:
In my first year as a media specialist I worked in a K-8 private school. I had a beautiful library collection in a brand new facility and prided myself on really knowing my collection. One day a little 1st grader came in and asked for my help in finding a book on dinosaurs. I confidently led the way to 567.9 and then asked if he had something in particular in mind. He replied that he wanted a dinosaur book that had pictures in it. I pulled a big, colorful book off the shelf and said, “How about this one?” He shook his head and said he really wanted a book that had pictures in it. I pulled another book off the shelf, and another. He kept saying “I really want one that has pictures.”

I showed him the pictures in the book and said “See? This one has pictures.” Again, he shook his head and looked at me like I must be the most dense librarian on the planet. “Pictures,” he said. “You know...pictures like you take with a camera!” Thinking I had the request nailed I pulled out a book filled with photographs of scientists digging up dinosaur bones with accompanying drawings of what they believed the dinosaurs looked like. “NO!” he said. “Pictures of the dinosaurs!” I slowly realized what he wanted, got down on one knee, looked him straight in the eye and said softly, “Cameras weren’t invented when dinosaurs were around because people hadn’t been invented yet, either.” “Oh,” he said. “Then that first one you showed me will be okay.” He happily checked it out and went on his way!



Author! Author!
We were fortunate to be visited by Laurie Halse Anderson in November 2009 just as Chains was being promoted.


Susan with Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson did an amazing presentation to my middle schoolers about how she did her research into the historical accuracy of her story. She made some beautifully poignant remarks about how finding out our founding fathers were slave owners rocked her own belief system and forced her to think about our American Revolution in a slightly different way. The students were mesmerized and so many lined up after class to speak to her personally - she looked every one of them in the eye and listened to what they had to say, answered their questions without rushing them, and signed their books if they had them. It was one of my career highlights.

Book Brag: What three books are hot this year? Why?

~The Hunger Games series (Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins).

~Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth.

~I’m just starting to get some interest in The City of Bones series, too.

~I know this makes more than three, my students cannot get enough Origami books. Is this some kind of new craze?

Library Lion’s Roar: ONE LAST BIG ROAR
I work with some of the best teachers in my county. It is an absolute pleasure to walk into my building every day and know that I will be collaborating with some of the most creative, dedicated teachers I’ve ever met. It is the collaboration that makes my program work. It takes effort, compromise, flexibility, and energy but it is worth every second when I see the results: improved student achievement. My principal is a smart leader who knows how to create a positive working environment without micromanaging the professionals in the building. This atmosphere of mutual respect has cleared the way for innovative and dynamic teaching to take place. I encourage anyone reading this to reach out to his/her staff and find a way to work together towards improved teaching, improved learning, and improved students.


Susan’s Links

Susan Grigsby Wordpress

School Library Website

Susan’s Website

Thanks again for the interview, Susan!



Love Libraries? Become a Follower of Library Lions! Give a Roar in “Comments” below.

Note to Librarians: If you’re a Youth Librarian working in a school or public library we’d love to hear about you and your library. Contact Janet at jlcarey@hotmail.com for an interview.