In 2017, I wrote a blog post titled "12 (mostly cheap) Teacher Tricks that Work in an Elementary Library." What I did not realize when I wrote that post was the positive response it would receive. The goal was to share simple, but effective strategies that I have found helpful when working with students in

Teaching the research process to your students? Check out these tips and ideas to help you get from planning to action.

So, I posted recently that my sixth graders were writing a mystery that was going to take place in the library. I took two of the best mysteries that were submitted and combined them! Here's how our mystery looked: The Problem: Mrs. Svarda got to school on Monday morning and saw the mess. At first she was just mad that all of the books were out, then she saw that all the books were missing their endings. She picked up a book and noticed that the barcode was missing, too. She looked around and found that several books were missing their endings and barcodes. The scanners were also missing so no one could check out books! Then Mrs. Svarda was scared and mad. Who could've done such a thing? What happened here? How could this happen? She needed help. Starbelly Sneetch Alibi: It was 5:00 and I heard a knock on my door. It was Fox in Socks. He came in and I turned off my music and put away my IPod. We played at my house until we got bored. We decided it would be fun to go to the movies. We texted Hop On Pop and Yertle the Turtle to see if they wanted to come, too. Everyone came to the movie except Hop on Pop. After the movie we couldn't think of what to do so we walked around. We thought we might stop by the library to visit Hop On Pop. It started to rain as we walked so we stopped at Fox in Sock's house to pick up some blankets to keep dry on our walk. Hop On Pop Alibi: It was 5:00 and I was looking at my clock when the doorbell rang. It was Yertle the Turtle. He had brought me some homemade bread. He asked if I wanted to go to the mall. My mom said, "No. I had to work on my homework at the library." Yertle the Turtle got a text right after that asking if we wanted to go and see the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie. Bummer. I really wanted to see a movie and hated that I had to go to the library instead. Yertle the Turtle left to meet everyone for the movie. I headed to the library with my homework. My animal report was due on Monday and mom said I couldn't do anything fun until I was finished with the report. The fun thing was that everyone came by the library after the movie and told me all about it. They had a great time. At 8:00, everyone had to head home. I had about thirty minutes left of homework, so I told them I'd have to stay around just a bit longer... Yertle the Turtle Alibi: It was 4:00 and I was cooking some homemade bread. When it was done I wanted to have some fun so I took some bread over to my friend Hop On Pop. I asked if he wanted to go to the mall, but then I got a text from Fox in Socks and Starbelly Sneetch asking if I wanted to go to the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie. My mom said I could go to the movie, but his mom said he had to do homework. He tried not to show it, but boy, was he mad. I had to leave Hop On Pop to make it to the movie on time. I told him if we had time, we'd stop by the library after the movie to hang out with him. Fox in Socks' Alibi: I was sitting in my room when my mom came in and said when I finished my chores I could play. I decided to go over to Starbelly Sneetch's house to play. We thought it would be fun to go to see a movie and texted our friends to see if they could come, too. When the movie was over we went by my house to get some blankets because it was raining and we didn't want to get wet. Then, we headed to the library to visit Hop On Pop because he was doing homework there. At the library, I looked for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. I really liked the movie so I thought I would like the book. What the students do: When the students entered the library, they each grabbed a clipboard with a pencil, ingredients of a mystery checklist, alibis, map of the crime scene, and suspect list attached to it. They also grabbed a highlighter. I had the problem and alibis typed up on my SMART board including pictures of the characters. I read the problem and each alibi to the students. We walked through the ingredients of a mystery and checked off all of the mystery elements that our mystery had on the list. Then, I separated the students into two groups. One team surveyed the crime scene and drew the map of the evidence in the crime scene first. The second team worked in teams to read through the alibis and highlight evidence they found in the text that made them believe a character or characters might be guilty. After ten minutes, the teams swapped stations. We returned together as a group to discuss all of the evidence the students had found in the crime scene as well as the alibis that led them to believe that specific characters could be guilty of the crime. We completed the suspect list together. Students work in teams to highlight evidence in the alibis. Students sketched the crime scene. We taped off the crime scene with caution tape. The crime scene included Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, barcodes with fur on them (from characters), endings ripped out of the end of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books (these were really just copies I ripped), a blanket, movie ticketes (3), and a book about bumblebees (this was the book Hop On Pop was using to do his research for homework). I found the copies for the ingredients of a mystery checklist and suspect list from Beth Newingham's Scholastic post about the mystery unit she teaches in her classroom. The Solution The students really thought like detectives in this lesson! I did catch a few of them off guard with my red herrings, though. The fuzz on the barcodes made some of them immediately suspect Fox in Socks and the Starbelly Sneetch. One of the kids said, "This is the best lesson we've had in the library all year!" So, you can make whoever you want responsible for the crime. I decided that Hop On Pop was guilty. He was mad that he did not get to go to the movie with his friends. He was working on his report about bumblebees (since bears love honey) and had to stay later than his friends in the library to finish up. All of the other characters visited the library to visit Hop On Pop and they did not say anything about something being wrong in the library. Hop On Pop tore the endings out of the books when his friends left. To excite the kids about checking out mysteries in our library, we created a mystery display. All of the books were sealed in brown paper bags with the barcodes on the outside so we could check the books out without opening the bags. Each bag had a different mystery inside. This was a fun way for our students to try reading something new in the library and practice their detective skills we learned in our lesson together! Mystery books in mystery bags!

Students will practice using dictionary guide words by matching words to the pages they would appear on. Download to complete online or as a printable!

Partnering with the Library Community.

Free library games and resources, including printables, worksheets, and slideshow presentations designed to help kids build library skills.

Here's a MEGALIST for my fellow media specialists/teacher-librarians. It's taken a while to gather all the information and I will continue to add to this page. Currently there are close to 185 sites listed. There is SO MUCH information out there! Please feel free to add your suggestions!- UPDATED 3/5/19 RETRO: A 1940s movie about the library profession! LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER MANAGEMENT Accountability in the Information Literacy Program- Mike Eisenberg's vodcast #3; excellent series Elementary Library Routines- this information wiki was created by four librarians and covers everything a school librarian needs to know, from AV equipment management to floor plans. How to Implement an Information Literacy Program- Mike Eisenberg's vodcast #2 Library and Media Center Design Library Media and PR Library Media Center Management- covers policy manuals, management, patrons with disabilities, volunteers, ideas for new school librarians, library promotion and advocacy; long list Library Use Value Calculator Marketing and PR- from the Mid-Hudson Library System 10 Ways Librarians Can be a Marketing Genius Like Lady Gaga from gwyneth jones Presentations and Handouts from Dr. Mike Eisenberg, Dean Emeritus and Professor of the University of Washington Information School- many listed here; very helpful Setting Up a School Library- covers furniture, financial, inventory, cataloging, labeling, bar codes, signage The Role of the Teacher-Librarian and the School Library Program- Mike Eisenberg's vodcast covers how the 21st century has changed the job of the teacher-librarian. Technology Skills Library Staff Should Have-is your staff tech savvy? (from ALA Learning) ARTICLES 14 Ways K-12 Librarians Can Teach Social Media- by Joyce Valenza A Bit on Information Literacy- from the Academic Librarian blog Extend the Life of Your Books by Handling Them Properly- from lifehacker In the Pursuit of Library Elegance- by John Blyberg The Little Library That Could- volunteer-run library in Honolulu, Hawaii Why Publishers Need Librarians BLOGS (Teacher-Librarians, Media Specialists) Academic Librarian Biblioteche.me- Michelle Luhtala Blue Skunk Blog- written by Doug Johnson, Director of Media and Technology for the Mankato (MN) Public Schools. Cathy Jo Nelson's Professional Thoughts Chad Lehman Cool Cat Teacher Blog- Vicki Davis The Daring Librarian- librarian Gwyneth Anne Bronwynne Jones' blog The Dewey Blog- all about Dewey and cataloging DIY Librarian- Tara Murphy Lauren's Library Blog- Lauren Pressley talks about the future of libraries Librarian By Day- Bobbi L. Newman Librarian in the Cloud- librarian Heather Braum's blog A Librarian's Guide to Etiquette- fun site Librarians Matter- Australian librarian Kathryn Greenhill Mighty Little Librarian- Tiffany Whitehead, library media specialist at Central Middle School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Neverending Search- written by Joyce Valenza, professor at Rutgers University School of Information Science The Primary Source Librarian- Mary J. Johnson No Shelf Required- ebooks and digital hardware for reading The Shifted Librarian- adjustments which need to be made due to technology Van Meter Library Voice- teacher-librarian and technology coordinator Shannon Miller What I Learned Today.. - Nicole C. Engard BIBLIOGRAPHY GENERATORS BIBMe* Bibomatic- for books only; enter the ISBN number of a book for the citation Citation Fox for APA Citation Fox for MLA Cite This For Me CiteBite- link directly to specific quotes on web pages CiteFast- covers MLA, APA, Chicago and newspaper, magazine, web site, journal, book EasyBib*- also now has an iPhone app where you can scan the ISBN number on a book GoBiblio- free bibliography and citation generator KnightCite- enter the information in the blank fields and your citation is generated; covers MLA, APA, Chicago NoodleBib Express- free version of Noodle Tools OttoBib- for books only; enter the ISBN number of a book for the citation Son of Citation Machine- for APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian formats Zotero*- keep all your research in one spot BOOK DISPLAY IDEAS Book Displays to Attract Reluctant Readers- from EBSCO Fiction Book Display Ideas- Pinterest board High School Library Book Display Ideas Library Book Displays- Pinterest board Library Displays- Pinterest board School Library Book Display Ideas- Google image search School Library Displays- Flickr pool of over 700 photos! School-Library Displays- Pinterest board Twenty Rules for Better Book Displays-from EBSCO BOOK REPAIR I don't know about you; when I earned my certification as a media specialist, I had never been required to take a course in book repair. My colleague Nancy just received an MLS from Rutgers University (well known for their library sciences program) and she also never learned how to deal with damaged books. How is this possible? Can't figure that one out. But, if you can't attend a training workshop locally, you can always benefit from those who have posted videos and information online. (When I first started my job, the Internet was just a little baby....) There are certain supplies you should always have in your library. Once you read the list, you'll understand why school library offices should have sinks and counter space. Here is a listing of supplies provided by Amigo Book Repair Workshops. I will be adding this post to the Teacher-Librarians page on this blog. FREE WORKSHOP ALERT: Kapco (makers of book protection supplies) will come to your library and present a free in-service workshop on book repair, using their supplies. Here is the info sheet and website for more information. Now for the other resources to do-it-yourself: Beginners Guide to Book Binding- 14 videos from eHow Book Repair Supplies Categories- from Gaylord Bookcraft Book Repair Guide- 35-page pdf file written by Gaylord; excellent guide with pictures to guide you Damage Control: Advice From a Professional Book Repairer- by Aaron Hierholzer <p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p> Damaged Books and How Libraries Fix Them <p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p> How to Repair a Book's Binding- step-by-step instructions with photos How to Repair Your Old Damaged Books- no pictures, but in-depth instructions CARTOONS FOR THE TEACHER-LIBRARIAN COPYRIGHT LAW The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education- assists teachers in fair use doctrine; from the Center for Social Media Copyright Advisory Network- "a way for librarians to learn about copyright and seek feedback and advice from fellow librarians and copyright specialists" Copyright Basics- from Copyright Kids! Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers- PDF document Creative Commons- various sharing methods explained Cyberbee- cute interactive for grades 4-9 Fair Use Evaluator- "understand how to determine the "fairness" of a use under the U.S. Copyright Code." Fair Use Wiki- the fair use clause explained Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright- from the Library of Congress; interactive for kids in grades 4-8 Teaching Copyright- Five 60-minute lessons TeachersFirst Copyright and Fair Use Resources United States Copyright Office- search records, register works What is Copyright?- wiki managed by by teacher Mary Beth Hertz DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM: IS DEWEY DONE?.... Adams County Libraries Shelving Dewey- Denver, Colorado school libraries Are the Dewey Decimal System's Days Numbered?- interesting article The Demise of the Dewey Decimal System- Canadian librarian has incorporated the bookstore model in her school library Dewey? At This Library With a Very Different Outlook, They Don't- New York Times article about the 15-branch Maricopa County Library District in Arizona. Here's a link to the NPR broadcast about the changes. Dewey Decimal, Redone The Dewey Dilemma- from the Library Journal Dewey's Not Dead Ditching Dewey from Tiffany Whitehead Do We Dewey?-New York Times article from 2008 Has the Dewey Decimal system Finally Outlived its Usefulness?- blog post by librarian Roger Green Red Hawk Elementary Scraps Dewey Decimal System for Bookstore Model Saying Goodbye to the Dewey Decimal System- article about five Albany public libraries Students Not Fazed By Dewey-less Library- Gilbert, AZ Three Benefits of the Dewey Decimal System- from eHow What's So Great About Dewey? Will Dewey Still Do?- Massachusetts librarian airs her opinion about Dewey Who's Killing the Dewey Decimal System?- article about the Gail Borden Public Library District in Elgin, IL Would Your Elementary Library Work Better if You Scrapped the Dewey Decimal System?- from School Library Monthly's blog Ditching Dewey from Tiffany Whitehead DIGITAL STORYTELLING Information Center for Digital Storytelling Digital Storytelling in Language Arts Digital Storytelling in the Science and Math Classroom The Elements in Digital Storytelling The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling Integrating Digital Storytelling in Your Class Resources Online Tools 100+ Digital Storytelling Tools for Your Digital Selves part I 100+ Digital Storytelling Tools...part II Big Universe- for younger children Creaza- suite of creative tools, including cartoonist, movie editor, audio editor and mindmaps Digistories Digital Storytelling with the iPad DigiTales- create 3-5 minute stories from these types: living memories, beyond words, itza wrap Do Ink- create Flash-style animations using a "simple and friendly vector editor Domo Animate- free animation website offers characters with dialogue, backdrops and special effects Glogster- drag and drop text, images, audio, video drawings and more; premium edition has no ads A Hotlist on Digital Storytelling Kerpoof- make movies, cards, drawings,pictures, tell stories; for grades K-8; site also has lesson plans and teacher tools. Lightning Bug -assists students in writing a story from finding an idea to finishing the story Little Bird Tales- for very young children Microsoft's Digital Storytelling in the Classroom Mrs. P.com My Story Maker- for younger kids; interactive digital story creator Myths and Legends- online digital storytelling site PicLits- students are given a picture with a list of keywords to inspire them to write a story about that picture Picture Book Maker- create an online children's book Pinball- helps students get started with ideas which are bounced around Projeqt- visual storytelling Shiddoni- create an imaginary world with animals Smilebox- mix photos, videos and music into a multimedia presentation Stage'd- create animated comics Story Tools Storybird- "short, art-inspired stories you make to share, read and print Storyboard Template-choice of different templates ThumbScribes- online collaboration of poems, short stories, fiction, novellas Tikatok- for younger children Voice Thread- group conversations around images, documents, videos; Voice Thread in the Classroom. What-if Questions Genie Xtranormal-create online movies using their characters who speak what you write for them; free service will cost $$ soon. ZooBurst-create a 3D pop-up book FAKE NEWS ARTICLES 4 Steps Schools Need to Take To Combat Fake News- Huffington Post 5 Ways to Spot Fake News- from Common Sense Media The 5 Types of Fakes News- from Huffington Post 6 Ways to Spot Fake News- from Snopes 10 Ways to Spot a Fake News Article- from EasyBib The Classroom Where Fake News Fails- from NPR Fake News Fooling Millions- from Scholastic's Up Front Magazine Fake News Sites to Watch Out For on Facebook Fighting Fake News- American Libraries Google and Facebook Take Aim at Fake News Sites- N.Y. Times Higher Ed Takes on Fake News Epidemic- from Education Dive How Photos Fuel the Spread of Fake News How Savvy Are Your Students? 7 Fake Websites to Really Test Their Evaluation Skills-EasyBib How to Spot Fake News (and Teach Kids to Be Media Sayvy)- Common Sense Media Most Students Don't Know When News is Fake, Stanford Study Finds- Wall Street Journal A News Literacy Tool Kit for a "Post Truth" World- Joyce Valenza's blog The Real History of Fake News- from The Columbia Journalism Review The Smell Test: Educators Can Counter Fake New with Information Literacy- SLJ Students Need Our Help Detecting Fake News- from MiddleWeb Three Historical Examples of "Fake News"- Scientific American What are You Doing to Teach Students to Spot Fake News Stories?- by Bill Ferriter What Stands Between Fake News and Students? Educators- from NEA GUIDES TO WEBSITE EVALUATION Misc. Checklist for Evaluating Web Resources Credible Sources Count- view a 10-minute interactive tutorial about how to find sites you can trust. EXCELLENT! EasyBib Website Evaluation Guide Finding Reliable Information Online- slide presentation from middle school teacher Sean Hinger How Savvy are Your Students? 7 Fake Websites to Really Test Their Evaluation Skills- EasyBib *Kathy Schrock *The 5 W's of Website Evaluation *Critical Evaluation of a Website- high School *Critical Evaluation of a Website- middle school *Critical Evaluation of a Website- elementary school Ten Questions for Fake News Detection- infographic checklist University of Berkeley Library- an excellent tutorial on finding information on the Internet Website Evaluation Guide- from EasyBib INFOGRAPHICS NEWS BIASES CHART by Vanessa Otero Ten Questions for Fake News Detection- infographic is in PDF form LESSON PLANS Brain Pop: Fact and Opinion- interactive fun for the younger kids Evaluating Sources in a 'Post-Truth' World: Ideas for Teaching About Fake News- NY Times Lessons Fake News vs. Real News: Determining the Reliability of Sources- NY Times Learning Network Fighting Fake News- includes Common Core standards "He Said, She Said"-Reliable Sources- from School Journalism site Hoax or No Hoax? Strategies for Online Comprehension and Evaluation- from ReadWriteThink; grades 9-12 Hoax? Scholarly Research? Personal Opinion? You Decide- lesson for high schoolers How to Teach Your Students About Fake News- from PBS NewsHour; grades 7-9 I Heard it 'Round the Internet: Sexual Health Education & Authenticating Online Information- grades 7-9 Media Literacy and Fake News- from C-SPAN; grade not specified, but probably 9-12 VIDEOS WEBSITES FactCheck- project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center Fake News Sites to Watch Out For on Facebook- Fake News Watch- updates regularly; lists Fake/Hoax Websites, Satire Websites and Clickbait Websites. Politifact- checking U.S. politics Museum of Hoaxes- bogus web sites from A to Z News Literacy Project- assists students in discerning real vs. fake news Snopes- fact-checking site GIFTS FOR TEACHER-LIBRARIANS (or gifts you'd buy for yourself...) 100 Gifts for the Bookworm- unique and some are over the top ideas 2010 Librarian Lump of Coal Guide- 2011 Librarian Lump of Coal Guide- humorous gits 2012 Librarian Lump of Coal Guide- humorous gifts ALA Store- books, posters, clothing, gifts, incentives, downloadable art files ALikelyStory- "literary jewelry and bookmarks for the bookish" Demco Gifts Gifts for Bookworms: 10 Clever Ideas for Readers and Writers Gifts for Bookworms Who Live for Lazy Weekend Reads Just Dewey It- necklaces, t-shirts, bookmarks, posters Nerd Tote- carry all your books Swiss Army Librarian- library holiday gift guide Ten Awesome Gifts for Librarians- from Library Journal Unique Personalized Gifts for Librarians- includes gifts for volunteers and retirees INFOGRAPHICS 27 Things Your Teacher-Librarian Does 29 Ways to Stay Creative ABCs of Information Literacy All Digital Citizens America's 100 Largest Libraries Anatomy of a Librarian The Aroma of Books At-A-Glance Comic Tutorials- from the wonderful Daring Librarian The Benefits of Reading Books Books VS eBooks Books Make a Difference in Kids' Lives: The Haves and the Have Nots Bookworms Bye-Bye Textbooks: How Digital Devices Are Reshaping Education Classification Chart: Readers Components of a 21st Century Classroom Creative Commons Infographic eBooks: The Greener Choice The Evolution of the Book The Evolution of Classroom Technology Evolution of the Noble Librarian The Evolution of Story Telling The Evolution of Typography Finding Online Images Formatting Your Research Paper A General Guide to Understanding Plagiarism- EASYBIB Google Search Genius Guide for Your Research Paper The History of e-Mail The History of Science Fiction A History of Typography How Google Works How to Easily Archive and Embed Tweets Using Search Hash & Google Drive- Daring Librarian The Influential Power of Print Is Print Dead? A Librarian's Worth Around the World Library of Congress By Numbers The Literary Crisis and Kids in America Most Targeted Books Myth #4: Librarians Have a Lot of Time to Read On the Road to Reading Plagiarism: A Visual Guide The Power of Reading to Your Children The Power of Stories and Reading to Spark Children's Potential Press Facts Progression of the eBook Reader Publishing in the Digital Era Questions a Critical Thinker Asks Reading Like a Sleuth The Rise of eReading Students Like Social Media Three Types of Copyright U.S. Public Libraries at Risk A Visual Summary of Harry Potter What Does EasyBib Do? What Makes Good Information Design? You Want to Know About Copyright LESSON PLANS AND GAMES 44 Things That Are All Dewey (The Dewey Decimal System, that is) - posting from this blog Alphabet Book Game- for younger kids; students practice ordering books on the shelf Capstone: Library Skills Support-includes library skills videos, reader's theater, lesson plans, downloadable bookmarks and more. The Dewey Decimal Classification System- by Jean Halsey; from Awesome Library Huey and Louie Meet Dewey- grades 3-5, 6-8 Information Skills Instruction- covers information literacy and the Dewey Decimal System Interactive Tutorials- from Acadia University Library; includes "Credible Sources Count!", "Research it Right!", "You Quote it, You Note it!" plus 7 more. Excellent! Lesson Plans @ Library Instruction.com Library Games.com- free stuff, books, activities Library Lesson Plans- K-8 listing from North East Independent School District, San Antonio, TX LibraryInstruction.com- 18 lesson plans covering different grades Library Lesson Plan Book- by grade level; Word or PDF format Literacy Event Ideas- K-6 ideas Mr. B's Library Skills TV- for grades K-6; videos cover plagiarism, evaluating information, maps, the Dewey Decimal System and more Ode to Librarians- use this video to introduce your students to the library Order in the Library- students can practice shelving books with this interactive game; available in Spanish School Library Monthly Lesson Plans S.O.S. For Information Literacy- voted a top site by AASL Technology and Internet Use Lesson Plans LIVEBINDERS (some to share with your teachers) All About Creative Commons and Copyright Apps for Teachers and Students Digital Citizenship Resources- all ages covered Digital Curation for School Librarians and Other Tech Types Digital Storytelling eBooks and Libraries Edcamp: Do it Yourself Professional Development Edmodo- Extending Learning Beyond the Classroom An Educator's Guide to Twitter Evaluating a Web Site Focus on the Future-Connecting Books and the 20th Century Reader Free Stock Images Google+ For Educators Google Forms-More Than Just Multiple Choice GoogleDocs Infographics for Librarians, Educators and Other Cool Geeks iPads in Content Areas iPads in Schools Just Say No to PowerPoint Library Toolkit- everything for the school librarian QR Codes in Education Reference Research Skills for History and Science Fair Projects School Librarians and the Common Core Standards Staying Safe Online Technology Integration and 21st Century Learning Technology Integration Resources A "Top Ten" Teacher's Guide to Being a Cyber Hero- Web 2.0 tools Web 2.0 Elementary Resource Kit Web Quest Information Write On! for Kids MAGAZINES AND JOURNALS American Libraries- ALA publication; read online for free Booklist Magazine- $147.50 (22 issues in a year); website is here.Bookwire- "search and discover over 20 million book titles, including print, e-books, audio books and more."College and Research Libraries News - print subscriptions and digital online archives Computers in Libraries- $99.95 (10 issues per year); also digital online archivesD-Lib Magazine- digital library research published 6 times per year EDTECH: Focus on K-12- online digital version or print copyeSchool News- free print subscription for educators The Horn Book Magazine- (6 issues) Internet @Schools- (5 issues per year)The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young AdultsKirkus Book Reviews- tough book critics Library Journal- (20 issues per year) Library Media Connection Magazine- (special deal for 6 issues) Library Sparks- (9 issues) School Library Journal- (12 issues plus access to Book Verdict School Library Journal) School Library Monthly- (8 issues) Teacher-Librarian- (published 5 times per year) Tech and Learning- free subscriptions for educators VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) -online digital version MOBILE APPS CAM SCANNER- your phone becomes a scanner! Cam Scanner for iPhone and iPad Cam Scanner for Android CURATOR-collect and organize your stuff Curator for iPhone and iPad DRAGON DICTATION- just speak and see your text or email messages Dragon Dictation for iPhone and iPad Dragon Dictation for Android Easy Bib for iPhone and iPad Easy Bib for Android- app reads barcodes for citations of books, MLA citations Evernote for iPhone and iPad- terrific program to organize your life and the library; Evernote site Evernote for Android FEEDLY- follow RSS feeds Feedly for iPhone and iPad Feedly for Android FLIPBOARD: Your News Magazine- social and world news brought together in one feed Flipboard for iPhone and iPad Flipboard for Android iBooks- for iPhone and iPad; download and read books Free Books: 23,469 Classics to Go- for iPad; "Browse our handpicked collections, download any of our 23,469 classic books, and read with our fully featured eReader. Notes, highlights, bookmarks, dictionary support -- it’s all here." Goodreads for iPhone, iPad Goodreads for Android LIBRIVOX AUDIO BOOKS-access over 10,000 books App for iPhone App for Android NPR App for iPhone NPR App for Android TED App for iPhone TED app for Android VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE LIBRARY OF CO For iPhone and iPad WordFoto- available on iPhone and iPad, I found librarian Tiffany Whitehead using it to create signage for her subject areas. World Book: This Day in History-for iPad; excellent source for daily updating on your media center's website ORGANIZATIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS American Library Association (ALA) American Association of School Librarians (AASL) British Columbia Teacher-Librarians International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL) New York Library Association (NYLA) SIGMS- ISTE's support network for media specialists Teacher Librarian NING- network of teacher-librarians TL Virtual Cafe Young Adult Services Library Association (YALSA) PLAGIARISM and PARAPHRASING Acknowledging Sources-from the University of Texas at Arlington; charts and diagrams included Avoiding Plagiarism- from the Purdue Online Writing Lab; very good site gives an overview on plagiarism, with information on paraphrasing and exercises for students. Citation Machine- create a citation in APA, MLA, Turabian and Chicago; free EasyBib- creates a citation from the information you input; MLA is free, cost for others Facts About Plagiarism How to Cite Your Sources- very complete listing KnightCite- from Calvin College; APA, MLA, and Chicago are all free MLA Formatting and Style Guide- very complete; shows formatting for all types of sources Plagiarism Tutorial- information and 2 quizzes to check your knowledge; from the University of Southern Mississippi Successful vs. Unsuccessful Paraphrasing- many examples are shown to explain the best way to paraphrase a paragraph Types of Plagiarism- lists six types of plagiarists and five sources cited by still plagiarized types of people What is Plagiarism?- a video from Rutgers University; explains the seriousness of plagiarism; excellent!! WriteCheck- submit your paper to see if you plagiarized anything; $$ You Quote It, You Note It- a short slide presentation/quiz to see how much you know about plagiarism PODCASTS Barnes and Noble Studio- video podcasts with writers Book Lust- Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl interviews writers Book Review- The New York Times Books Available as Podcasts Bookworm- showcases writers of fiction and poetry Fireside Book Chat-"books for teens; reviews by teens" Librivox- books in the public domain; very extensive list includes Shakespeare, Dickens, Aesop and Verne The NewYork Review of Books NPR Books The Penguin Podcast-Penguin Books Podiobooks-from fantasy to fiction, this site has loads of FREE books you can listen to in your spare time Science Fiction Book Review Podcast Slate's Audio Book Club REAL OR MAKE BELIEVE RESOURCES FOR KINDERGARTNERS LESSONS Fact or Make-Believe Worksheet- must log into you Education.com free account Real and Make-Believe- PowerPoint presentation Real or Make-Believe- PowerPoint presentation Real or Make-Believe Lesson- from Family Education RESEARCH SKILLS The 6 Online Research Skills Your Students Need- from Scholastic Copyright, Fair Use and Research Skills for Elementary Students- LiveBinder Doing Research at the Elementary Level- written by technology teacher Mary Beth Hertz Evaluating Information Sources Worksheet- for older students The Future of Research- written by middle school librarian Jennifer LaGarde Google Scholar- advanced scholarly searches Infomine- scholarly Internet searches iResearch: Information Skills for Life- 10 modules (covers plagiarism and searching databases) each include a PDF download The Free Library- over 20 million articles and books K-4 Research Materials- LiveBinder Kentucky Virtual Library's How to Do Research- excellent interactive poster designed like a game board Research it Right- from Acadia University's Library; animated interactive Research Skills Lesson Plans- from Lesson Planet Research Skills Worksheets- from TeAchnology; covers various topic areas Research Skills Worksheets- teacher-reviewed; grades listed Research Skills Unit- for 8th grade students Rutgers University's R.I.O.T.- wonderful interactive modules include: Selecting a Topic, Finding Sources, Selecting Keywords, Identifying Citations, Evaluating Sources. State Library of Victoria- research skills for grades 5-9 Teaching Research Skills to Young Students- the role of the media specialist is explained Teaching the Ten Steps to Better Web Research from SweetSearch Using Critical Thinking to find Trustworthy Websites-video lesson by N.Y. middle school teacher Emily Koch (Grades 6-8) Wading Through the Web: Teaching Internet Research Strategies- Three complete 45-minute lessons for grades 6-8 ONLINE INTERACTIVES Dinosaurs: Real or Make-Believe- Real of Make Believe?- from Scholastic; needs Flash to run Tina's World: Real or Make-Believe SELF-PROMOTION INFOGRAPHICS/ SIGNS PRINTABLES ALA's Celebrate National Library Week- just download and print READ Feed Your Imagination Poster VIDEOS SITES 50 Excellent Open Courses for Techie Librarians ALA/AASL Library Media Resources -extensive Books in Print- 3.5 million book, audio, &; video titles Bookwire-book industry news, features, reviews, guides to literary events. The Consortium for School Networking- mission is to "advance the K-12 education community's capacity to effectively use technology to improve learning through advocacy, policy & leadership development." CyberDewey -Dewey classifications including subcategories Internet Library for Librarians Internet Public Library Internet Resources for School Library Media Specialists Library Instruction.com Library Link of the Day Library-Media Resources Librarian Resource Page Media Awareness Network- resources & support in the field of media & information literacy Resources for School Librarians- info on program administration, education and employment, continuing education etc. Scholastic's Links for Librarians School Library Certification- listing for all states School Library Media Kids- good for K-6 kids, with reference, author, search engine and games links, book reviews and book trailers. Teachers of the Dewey Decimal System Unshelved- a library comic strip TEACHING INFORMATION LITERACY 90+ Videos for Technology and Media Literacy Information Literacy: Search Strategies, Tools and Resources- articles about information literacy, links to resources Information Literacy Resources- from LibrarySupportStaff.com; very comprehensive site Information Literacy Tool Kits- from Indiana University-Purdue University Media Literacy Media Literacy Handouts- lesson plans for K-12 and above from Ithaca College Standards for the 21st Century Learner Lesson Plan Database- from ALA What is Information Literacy?- part 1 of Mike Eisenberg's vodcast series TEACHING RESEARCH SKILLS The 6 Online Research Skills Your Students Need- from Scholastic Copyright, Fair Use and Research Skills for Elementary Students- LiveBinder Doing Research at the Elementary Level- written by technology teacher Mary Beth Hertz Evaluating Information Sources Worksheet- for older students The Future of Research- written by middle school librarian Jennifer LaGarde Google Scholar- advanced scholarly searches Infomine- scholarly Internet searches iResearch: Information Skills for Life- 10 modules (covers plagiarism and searching databases) each include a PDF download The Free Library- over 20 million articles and books K-4 Research Materials- LiveBinder Kentucky Virtual Library's How to Do Research- excellent interactive poster designed like a game board Research it Right- from Acadia University's Library; animated interactive Research Skills Lesson Plans- from Lesson Planet Research Skills Worksheets- from TeAchnology; covers various topic areas Research Skills Worksheets- teacher-reviewed; grades listed Research Skills Unit- for 8th grade students Rutgers University's R.I.O.T.- wonderful interactive modules include: Selecting a Topic, Finding Sources, Selecting Keywords, Identifying Citations, Evaluating Sources. State Library of Victoria- research skills for grades 5-9 Teaching Research Skills to Young Students- the role of the media specialist is explained Teaching the Ten Steps to Better Web Research from SweetSearch Using Critical Thinking to find Trustworthy Websites-video lesson by N.Y. middle school teacher Emily Koch (Grades 6-8) Wading Through the Web: Teaching Internet Research Strategies- Three complete 45-minute lessons for grades 6-8 WEB CURATION TOOLS Bag the Web- curate web content to make your own topic bags Bundlr- create and share bundles of content eduClipper- educational digital clipboard Evernote- one of my favorites; sync with your smartphone, home computer and work compute Video streaming by Ustream Juxtapost- all of your favorite things, side-by-side Kuratur- "cool, customized automated content magazines" Kweeper- collect videos, pictures, sites with one click Livebinders-"3-ring binder for the web" Livebinders Tutorial from EdTechTeacher on Vimeo. Only2Clicks- organize your sites with various tabs, (like folders) and thumbnails Paper.li- your own online newspaper Pinterest- online pinboard RebelMouse- "your social front page"; app available Scoop.it- create a topic and Scoop.it will proceed to find you links on the Internet which are related to your topic Spaaze- collect and organize web sites, videos etc. in one location, a giant cork-board. Springpad- save information on your computer and it will sync with your mobile device (Android or iPhone) Storify- tell your stories by curating social media posts Surfmark- collect, express, collaborate Themeefy- allows you to create, curate and publish; phone app available Trapit- captures what you want and “serves it up fresh and spam-free all day long.” WEEDING THE COLLECTION 10 Ways to Give Weeded Books a Second Life Attack Your Collection: Weeding with CREW from Dawn Krause Be Proactive: Weed- School Library Monthly post CREW: A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries- a 93-page document from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission Less is More: A Practical Guide to Weeding School Library Collections- book by Donna J. Baumbach and Linda L. Miller Weeding Library Collections- this wiki includes great ideas on what to do with weeded books, including book sales, donation and more. Weeding Library Collections: A Selected Annotated Bibliography for Library Collection Evaluation- ALA library fact sheet Weeding and Maintenance of Reference Collections- book by Linda S. Katz Weeding: A Practical Manual for Librarians- 7-page document from the Jefferson County Public Schools Weeding the School Library- brochure from the California Department of Education Weeding Presentation from Jennifer Peterson Weeding Your Library- simple page on basics from Perma-Bound Books Weeding Your Library- tips from teacher-librarian Cindy WEBSITE EVALUATION Checklist for Evaluating Web Resources Credible Sources Count- view a 10-minute tutorial about how to find sites you can trust. EXCELLENT! Critical Evaluation of Information- Kathy Schrock's guide by grade level; covers elementary through secondary EasyBib Research- students can enter a topic to search and EasyBib tells them if the site is credible or not. (NOTE: Not all sites have been rated) Evaluating Internet-Based Information- from Media Smarts Finding Reliable Information Online- slide presentation from middle school teacher Sean Hinger The Five Ws of Website Evaluation- from Kathy Schrock Museum of Hoaxes- bogus web sites from A to Z University of Berkeley Library- an excellent tutorial on finding information on the Internet Using Critical Thinking to Find Trustworthy Websites- video from Common Sense Media Website Evaluation- I have put together three important links for your students INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS

Teaching students how to evaluate websites and determine whether they are reliable to use is an important skill, especially these days with the vast amount of information on the internet. While there are many different acronyms that can be used to help kids remember how to check the validity of a website, I like to... Read more

The Monk, Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin S. Sharma, is a story of Julian Mantle, a successful lawyer, and his journey to the path of enlightenment.

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Kick off your digital citizenship discussions with these digital read alouds video for elementary students. Perfect for lessons during Digital Citizenship week the third week of October or all year long! What is Digital Citizenship Week? Sponsored by Common Sense Media, Digital Citizenship Week is observed with the goal of promoting awareness of online habits and encouraging students to engage in online spaces safely. Every third week of October, schools are encouraged to provide opportunities for students to learn more about digital citizenship. Common Sense Media provides lesson plans for all grade levels as well as interactive lessons via Nearpod

Provide Grade-Relevant Examples Of Reference Citations In Current MLA Style This resource provides a clear model for writing a Works Cited page. The Activity Guide contains supporting reproducibles to further clarify bibliographic information from a variety of sources.

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