Monday, October 28, 2019

Fall Sharing 2019

When you're a school librarian, it can sometimes be difficult to find professional development opportunities geared solely towards your needs.  Luckily for me, we have an amazing organization devoted to high quality professional development just for school librarians.  The School Librarians' Association of Western New York (SLAWNY) hosts many events throughout the year.

One of the largest events held by SLAWNY is the annual Fall Sharing conference.  This conference provides librarians with access to a nationally known keynote speaker, hour long/speed sessions on a variety of topics, and time to connect with area vendors.

This year's conference was held at North Tonawanda Middle School and was expertly planned by SLAWNY's President, Katie LaFever.  Everyone was really excited to meet Mr. Schu, the Scholastic National Ambassador for School Libraries, who served as this year's keynote speaker.



The morning began with smiling faces at the registration desk.  Upon receiving a packet of information for the conference, librarians were presented with two copies of the book Game Changer by Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp.  These books, a perk of membership, were donated by the Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES School Library System.  They will serve as an advocacy tool for area librarians.  Librarians were encouraged to keep a copy of the book, and pass the other copy to a school administrator in order to discuss the need for book access for all children.


Susan and Abby working at the registration desk.

Welcome, Award, and Keynote
After a quick stop in the cafeteria for coffee and breakfast, the librarians assembled in the school's music suite.  SLAWNY President Katie LaFever provided a welcome message and an overview of the day's events.


Everyone was eager to hear the winner of SLAWNY's Advocate of the Year Award.  This year's winner was the incredible Donn Riggi, librarian at Alden Middle School.  Over her career, Donn has built a reputation for being a creative and generous educator.  Donn is always finding ways to get students excited about reading.  She spearheaded the start of a regional Battle of the Books tournament (which Iroquois Middle School students LOVE to participate in!).  She has also hosted many student teachers throughout the years, which allows her to share her infectious enthusiasm for school libraries.  She has made a monumental impact on the WNY school library community, and is so deserving of this honor!



It was now time for the first keynote address from Mr. Schu!  I've had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Schu at several conferences.  Whenever I see him, I always feel energized and empowered regarding the good work that school librarians can do.  Mr. Schu is a huge proponent of effective school library programs and how librarians can promote kindness and a love for reading within their schools.

During his address, Mr. Schu shared how educators have the ability to impact students, either in a positive or a negative way.  I know this to be true.  Throughout my own K-12 education, I can recall educators that went out of their way to make school a kind, encouraging, and welcoming environment.  Sadly, I can also recall teachers who did not make school a positive or welcoming place.  Mr. Schu reminds us that we have the power to shape students' perception of education, and we should use our platform in an uplifting way.



Hour Long Sessions
After hearing from Mr. Schu, conference participants took a short break before choosing an hour long session to attend.  The hour long sessions allowed presenters to delve into a topic a bit more in-depth than a shorter session allows.  There was a nice variety of session topics, which made it easy for attendees to find a session that would meet their needs.

Descriptions of the Hour Long Sessions.

I wish that I had more pictures from the hour long sessions, but I was presenting at this time!  The topic I chose to present on was advocacy.  Sometimes I feel it is difficult to discuss library advocacy issues, but it is a conversation worth having with library stakeholders.  The librarians that attended this session had great advocacy ideas, so I walked away with some fresh ideas as well!  The link to my advocacy presentation can be found by clicking here.  I only wish I was able to clone myself to attend the other sessions!


Networking with Vendors
Once the hour long sessions concluded, conference attendees had close to an hour to network and visit with vendors.  The vendors and other sponsors are what made the day possible!  It was helpful to get time to meet with them to hear about the latest and greatest library supplies available to us in Western New York.

Thank you, sponsors and vendors!

Happy birthday to Harry, and happy retirement to both Harry and Linda!

Chris presents selections from Gumdrop Books.

Thank you, Follett Library Services!

Rosen Publishing shares its print and digital offerings.

It was great to partner with NFRC this year!

Sharon presents the latest from Children's Plus.

Monkey See, Monkey Do Children's Bookstore shares new titles for young readers.

Speed Sessions
The time with the vendors seemed to fly by!  The next portion of the conference was dedicated to the speed sessions.  During this time, attendees are encouraged to view a variety of short presentations.  Although not as in-depth as an hour session, the speed sessions are a perfect length to have a quick chat and gain some helpful insights from others.

A listing of Fall Sharing's speed sessions.

Thankfully, I was able to visit most of the speed sessions.  During this time, I was able to grab some helpful ideas for new titles, as well as genrefication ideas for the library's nonfiction area.  I'll plan to put some of these ideas into practice!




Jessica shares ideas for QR codes and book reviews.

Melissa shares practical tips for genrefying your library.

Brandon provides ideas to make the most of Google and Microsoft products.

Final Keynote
As the event concluded, participants were treated to lunch in the North Tonawanda High School Library (beautiful space!) and more time with Mr. Schu.  Expanding upon his theme from the morning, Mr. Schu continued to share the book love and the ways librarians can make an impact on students.

Mr. Schu invites Fall Sharing participants to celebrate book birthdays for newly-published books.

Conference Takeaways
I left Fall Sharing feeling energized, inspired, and full of new ideas for the library.  After viewing the conference posts on Twitter, it's clear that other librarians in attendance felt the same way!  Being a school librarian can sometimes be a strange job.  Being the only librarian in a building can often feel isolating, which makes librarian-specific professional development time all the more special.




Thank you to all that made Fall Sharing 2019 such a special and memorable experience!  I'm already looking forward to Fall Sharing 2020.
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Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Makerspace Progress

Over the summer, I received some exciting news regarding the physical footprint of the library.  The Teacher Resource Center room adjoining the library is now part of the library!  This room was once used as a conference meeting space, but will now be solely student space.

There are many features of the room that make it ideal for a student creation space.  Most importantly, there is an abundance of storage.  This is perfect for storing STEM items, craft supplies, and ongoing student projects.  The space itself is open, making it possible to store the bulky LEGO League mission board.  There is also a bank of windows leading into the library.  This means that students can be working in the creation space while being supervised from the library itself.  A long counter underneath the windows makes for a perfect workbench.  All of these features are opening up many possibilities for our library program!

After lots of cleaning over the summer, the room was ready for its transformation.

The back room prior to any re-purposing.

Here are some pictures of the room in its current state:

The long counter is a perfect workstation.  The bank of windows
make the room visible from the library itself.

All drawers are labeled and contain various craft supplies.

The LEGO League mission board fits perfectly in this large room.

All cabinets are labeled with the supplies each contains.

The LEGO League teams have their own cabinet
where they can keep their supplies organized.

Maker and STEM books have been added to the library's collection. 
Many of the books are now on display in the student creation space.

Access to a sink makes messy projects a reality!

 Maker Mondays
Now that the space was ready for visitors, it was time to invite the students in to enjoy the space.  The first "Maker Monday" program took place on Monday, October 7th during sixth grade study hall.  During this time, students were invited to visit the library to participate in coding activities using the BlueBot coding tool.  Students learned how to use the coding tool, then applied their knowledge to tackle various coding challenges.  It was great to see students try something new and work together to meet the needs of each challenge!

Students were challenged to create the longest code possible using the BlueBot.

Students worked together to create a code that would
avoid the fire squares on the BlueBot mat.

There was lots of enthusiasm for the first Maker Monday activity!  Future activities will include STEM challenges as well as craft activities.  The library books purchased will be used for project inspiration.  We're lucky enough to have an abundance of duct tape that needs to be used, too!

Future Steps
We're off to a great start, but there is still a long way to go in building this hands-on component of the library program.  Some next steps include:

1. Naming the student creation space!  I'll be putting together a contest for students to come up with a creative name for their new space.

2. Expanding the Maker Monday program to include new projects and grade levels.  Student input on September's library orientation survey will help with program planning, as they indicated the types of activities they would like to see happen within the library.

3. Decorate the space!  Although the room looks cozier than it once did, there is room for improvement.  Ideally, students should take the lead on making the space their own.

4. Foster more opportunities for student creation through use of recording resources.  We currently have a green screen, but it has yet to be mounted in the space.  Once dedicated recording capabilities are up and running, students will be encouraged to create their own recordings within the library.
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Thursday, July 25, 2019

Celebrating Sue Bartle

Sue Bartle, the School Library System Director for Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES, has now retired.  How do you pay tribute to a person as amazing as the one and only Susan M. Bartle?  When reflecting on Sue’s legacy, the only word that encapsulates her is “endless.”  There are numerous ways in which Sue’s efforts can be described as endless.

Endless kindness: I first met Sue around 2006 when I was a library student at UB.  After a SLAWNY meeting, Sue invited me to go out to dinner with her in order to get to know me and discuss libraries.  As a younger person entering a new field, it was sometimes difficult to reach out and form relationships.  Sue’s dinner invitation made me feel as though I belonged in the library field and that my thoughts and contributions were valuable.  This act of kindness is something that has stuck with me during my entire library career.  However, it’s likely that Sue doesn’t even remember this dinner, as her whole career has been marked with such acts of kindness.  For her, it was always important to lift up each person she met.  Sue sees the value in everyone, and is genuine in her efforts to establish relationships with others.  Often, these relationships are sparked by a shared desire to do right by libraries and the students we serve in schools.

Endless generosity: It’s impossible to think about Sue and not reflect on the countless times she has gone well out of her way for others.  When Sue was visiting a school or hosting an event, she never did anything on a small scale.  When I started working at Iroquois Middle School, I was eager to carry on the tradition of a faculty/staff holiday party called Book Bistro.  Sue volunteered to bring some supplies for the event.  In true Sue fashion, she arrived with her car stuffed full of goodies: stacks of books for giveaways, autographed treasures, all sorts of snacks, dozens of beautiful notebooks, craft supplies, and even a crockpot brimming with her famous cheesy potatoes!  For Sue, the bare minimum was never enough.  She moves mountains in order to create positive and memorable experiences for others.

Endless advocacy: Sue sees every interaction as an opportunity to advocate for libraries and promote excitement for reading.  She speaks passionately about the power of libraries, helping to strengthen library programs at every turn.  Sue does not shy away from reaching out to those in positions of power.  Last year, Sue discussed the challenges facing Western New York libraries to the leadership of the New York Library Association.  This year, Sue organized a regional library advocacy luncheon and invited members of the New York State Assembly.  As School Library System Director, Sue’s programming efforts have been aimed at empowering librarians to be strong advocates for the profession.  Bringing in notable speakers such as Donalyn Miller has provided librarians with tangible ways to increase book access for students and start advocacy conversations with school stakeholders.

Endless creativity: To say that Sue is an “out of the box” thinker doesn’t begin to describe her creativity.  Sue has a true gift for seeing potential in everything.  She then maximizes on that potential to serve others.  A great example of this is Sue’s vision for the Book Expo America event.  Although Book Expo is an event geared mainly towards those in the publishing industry, Sue saw this as an interesting opportunity for librarians in our region.  Each year, a group of librarians from Erie 2 BOCES travel to Book Expo and return with 100+ boxes of books for all of the libraries in the area.  Every minute at Book Expo is an opportunity to gather free swag and make connections with authors and publishers.  There is no other group at Book Expo that capitalizes on the event quite like the librarians under Sue’s direction.  Her ability to see Book Expo as an opportunity has brought thousands of dollars’ worth of free resources back to our region.  When libraries are facing limited budgets, the bounty provided through Sue’s creativity has helped bolster regional library collections.

Endless influence: Sue does not take a myopic approach to librarianship.  I can’t imagine Sue thinking that something was “not her job” because she believes that diverse learning experiences are necessary in dynamic library programs.  Sue’s influence has included bringing a consortium eBook program to area libraries, organizing Read Across America giveaways for special education students, and supporting makerspace/STEM initiatives by presenting at the WNY STEM Conference and assisting with Maker Faire events.  Sue has been an integral player in the efforts made by The Summer Institute for Human Rights and Genocide Studies.  This group has shed light on injustices worldwide and has challenged students to become change makers.  Through Sue’s involvement, the organization has been able to bring quality speakers, educational strategies, and engaging literature to groups of educators and students.

It is strange to think of Sue as now being retired.  Her impact on libraries and education has been monumental.  Although she will be missed in the day to day operations of our regional libraries, it is comforting to know that her work lives on in what we all do.  For Sue, it was never about self-promotion or taking credit.  Instead, the legacy of her career is the ability to lift up others.  She has empowered everyone she has met to continue to do the hard work that is needed on behalf of our students.  I'm excited for her new adventures in retirement, including promotion of authors and books!
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Tuesday, June 25, 2019

End of Year 2018-2019

Although the weather doesn't want to cooperate, summer IS actually here!  Today marked the eighth grade graduation ceremony, a bittersweet day of endings as well as new beginnings.

Looking back upon this year, there were many wonderful things happening in our library. More teachers and classes utilized library services, more books circulated, and there were ample opportunities for students to take part in "extras" such as book clubs and STEM groups. 

As next school year will be here before we know it, I'll be taking some time to participate in summer professional development sessions in order to gather more ideas for the library.  It will be exciting to see what awaits in 2019-2020!


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Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Girls' STEM 2019 Wrap Up

The 2018-2019 school year has been full of new STEM activities, all thanks to a generous grant made possible through the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.  It's been exciting to watch the Girls' STEM Leadership Group evolve throughout the year!  The focus of our earlier months had been preparations for the district-wide Iroquois Family STEM Night.  Starting in May, we were able to switch gears and direct our efforts more towards STEM programming of interest to our group members.  Here are the highlights from May and June:

May 1, 2019 Meeting
This was our first meeting after Family STEM Night.  The majority of our meetings up to this point have been hectic and jam-packed due to all the planning needed for STEM Night.  However, this meeting took on more of a relaxed tone.  During the meeting, we had a chance to debrief about STEM Night.  We discussed what went well, our favorite memories from the evening, and what we would like to improve upon for next year.  This conversation was really helpful as we were able to gather feedback directly from the girls who ran each station.  We then talked about all of the events and ideas that the girls would like to see implemented during the remainder of 2018-2019.  They had great programming ideas which we were able to put into action during our subsequent meetings.

Although this was a slower-paced meeting than most, it was probably my favorite meeting of the year.  It was valuable to get time to reflect on the year and make plans to move the group forward.  We don't normally have the chance to spend this quality time together as a group, so this meeting was a welcomed change of pace.


May 8, 2019 Meeting
At the May 1st meeting, the girls expressed that they felt that they had missed out on the chance to participate in many of the STEM Night events.  We decided to dedicate this meeting to trying out the VR Goggles and the drones (two popular STEM night activities).  The group had a wonderful time flying the drones throughout the library!

We also took time at this meeting to publicize other STEM-related events planned throughout the year.  The upcoming events included a Women in STEM Career Panel, a field trip to STEM workplaces, and a robotics/circuitry workshop.


May 15, 2019 Meeting
This meeting continued the theme of enjoying the Family STEM Night stations.  On May 15th, we met in Mrs. Ferger's room so the girls could enjoy making slime and bath bombs.  This was a fun time to try out the hands-on activities that they had worked so hard to plan for others.

Students follow the directions they created in order to make slime.

Mixing the slime.

Students enjoyed making homemade bath bombs.


May 21, 2019 Events
We had two larger events scheduled for May 21st.  During the school day, students were invited to attend a career panel featuring women employed in STEM fields.  After school, a cryogenics demonstration would be taking place.

Invitation to the May 21st events.

Women in STEM Leadership Panel
We were lucky to be able to secure seven women willing to speak with our group about their schooling and careers in STEM.  The panel included current science undergraduates, a Ph.D. student, a vet tech, a pediatrician, and engineers.  The women on the panel shared the reasons why they decided to enter a STEM field and what they find interesting about STEM.  Each woman shared their own unique stories about getting interested in STEM and the people that inspired them along the way.  A common theme that emerged in their responses was to not be afraid of failure.  Often, people have the misconception that you need to be super smart or perfect to enter a STEM field.  Instead, it is more important to be hard-working and curious.  Middle school is an opportune time to try out new interests and see where those interests may lead.  After the panel, students had a chance to "network" with our guests by asking them their own questions.  Over 50 girls took the time out of their schedule to attend this event.

The Women in STEM panel sparked lots of great discussion.

Praxair Cryogenics Demonstration
As the panel concluded, the girls were then treated to a cryogenics demonstration organized by employees at Praxair (now known as Linde after a company merger).  During our Family STEM Night, the Praxair room was very popular.  The girls that attended on May 21st were excited to get to see what they had missed while running the stations.  This demonstration included lots of information concerning physical science.  Infused within the presentation, the employees from Praxair provided information about their jobs and what makes STEM so exciting for them.  This was the perfect follow-up activity for after our career panel.

Employees from Praxair (now Linde) treated our group to a cryogenics demonstration.

STEM Workplace Field Trip
The morning of Monday, June 10th, 50 girls from Iroquois Middle School embarked on a field trip featuring a showcase of STEM workplaces in Western New York.  Our group was slated to visit Moog, Praxair (Linde), and the Niagara Power Vista.

Upon entering Moog, we received a tour of the area where engineers design products aimed at being light and efficient.  It was interesting to hear how each engineer uses the design process in order to optimize items for performance.  They mentioned that 3D printing, as well as lots of trial and error, play a role in this process.

Receiving a tour of Moog's facilities.

After our tour of Moog's lab area, we were then treated to a presentation from three different women employed at Moog.  Each shared their interests in STEM and what led them to pursuing a career with Moog.  One presenter shared her experience on NASA's "vomit comet", which simulates what it is like to be in outer space!

Hearing about experiences on NASA's vomit comet!

Receiving an overview about interest in STEM careers.

Getting another perspective on why engineering is an engaging career field.
Our group was then onto the next stop, which was Praxair (now known as Linde) in Tonawanda.  Students were already familiar with Praxair's work from their cryogenics demonstration and their Family STEM Night visit.  We were eager to see the Praxair workplace!

As our Praxair tour began, it was easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer size of the workplace.  It consisted of multiple lab spaces, as well as outdoor testing facilities.  Praxair did an amazing job organizing the workplace tour.  At each area we visited, we were greeted by female engineers who discussed their STEM interests and the basics of their careers.  It was valuable for our students to see such incredible female representation throughout the tour.

Praxair was generous enough to provide our group with a delicious pizza, salad, and chicken finger lunch before we left for our next destination.  The lunch even included liquid nitrogen ice cream, which was a huge hit!  We are grateful for the planning and attention that went into this special visit.

The final destination for the field trip was the Niagara Power Vista.  Although this is a STEM workplace for professionals, it also contains interactive displays for people of all ages visiting the facility.  Students enjoyed the flexibility to visit the displays at their own pace.

Posing at the Niagara Power Vista.

Enjoying the interactive displays!

The field trip was jam-packed, but it was a great day of STEM learning.  Our group plans on hosting another workplace tour next year.  We will look for other workplaces within the STEM field as well.  Many group members have expressed an interest in veterinary or health care workplaces as potential visit sites for 2020.


Robotics and Circuitry Workshop
Our group decided to hold one hands-on weekend workshop in order to give students some in-depth exposure to STEM concepts.  We couldn't think of a better way to accomplish this than providing students with the opportunity to learn from someone their own age!  Rose Scordo, now in seventh grade, has been interested in coding and robotics since the age of six.  She would serve as our leader for a four hour workshop on Saturday, June 15th.

Flyer announcing the Robotics and Circuitry Workshop

After a quick breakfast, Rose introduced the group to the various robots she had assembled and designed.  Students were then allowed to try their hand at coding and manipulating the robots.  This time to interact with the robots provided the group leaders with some ideas for next year's STEM purchases!

Rose introduces the group to her robots.

This robot had some amazing dance moves!

Some robots had a remote control.

Sphero was fun to chase around the library.

Rose is a true professional!

It was now time to delve into the circuitry and coding portion of the workshop.  Although our students had been introduced to coding concepts in the past, this was their first time using Microsoft MakeCode and the Adafruit Circuit Playground toolkit.  Rose showed students how to use the coding software, and how to create codes featuring the LEDs embedded into a circuit board.

Rose introduces students to Microsoft MakeCode.

Students individualized the projects by creating their own codes.

Next, the Adafruit supplies were unpacked.  Students were able to upload their codes into the circuit boards.

Unpacking the Adafruit supplies.

Connecting the circuit boards to upload the codes.

After the codes were successfully uploaded, students were then instructed to sew the circuit boards onto two scrunchies.  There was lots of deliberation involved in choosing the perfect scrunchies!  We were surprised to see that the girls ran into some difficulties with the sewing.  We thought that the coding would have been the hardest part, but that wasn't the case.

Sewing circuit boards onto scrunchies.

The final products were individually coded, LED scrunchies that responded to the girls' movements based on what they uniquely coded.  To celebrate their creations, the girls even created a dance to highlight the features of their scrunchies!

Proud of their hard work!

Showing off the finished products.

Dancing to show off the capabilities coded into their projects.

All of the workshop's participants.

Students expressed how much they enjoyed this opportunity.  It was a great day for all involved, and we're grateful to Rose for sharing her expertise with us.

We appreciate Rose's expertise.


Celebration!
Our final meeting of the year took place after school on Tuesday, June 18th.  We began the meeting by thanking the girls for their hard work, then invited them to participate in a short survey requested through the PEAR Institute and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.  The feedback collected via this survey will assist us in implementing even better STEM programming next year.

Invitation to the last event of the year.

After completing the survey and enjoying some refreshments, the girls participated in coding challenges featuring Terrapin Learning's Blue Bot coding tool.  We have plans to include the Blue Bot in the Family STEM Night offerings next year.

Coding with the Blue Bot.

Students coded the Blue Bots to avoid the "lava" placed on the mat.

Looking Back, Looking Forward
What a year it has been!  One of our main takeaways is that support for our program has been significant.  As we continue to network within the STEM community, people are eager to offer their advice and assistance.  We are grateful for all of the help we have received from so many in order to offer this program to our students.

Another takeaway is that empowering girls in leadership roles helps to bolster their confidence.  We advertised our STEM group as a leadership opportunity, and we believe that this has made all the difference in girls’ eagerness to partake in these learning experiences.  The girls involved in the leadership group displayed a keen sense of pride with their many accomplishments, including the Family STEM Night with hundreds of attendees!


We will be making programmatic changes in regards to our approach with high school students.  Although we are pleased that so many middle school girls have enjoyed our program, we also know that this will be a valuable opportunity for high school students as well.  Instead of offering programs at our middle school only, we will be branching out by hosting meetings at our high school.  We will also be partnering with high school administrators and science teachers in order to learn more strategies aimed at reaching high school students.

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