OK, so back to Common Core….

One of the most encouraging (in my opinion) components of The Common Core Standards is that the emphasis on information literacy skills, ACROSS the curriculum.

I stumbled across this today and all I can say is, WOW! Everything you ever wanted to know about literacy, and then some! Bookmark this to your toolbar or better yet, set it as your homepage (that’s my plan). Use this as your “go to” resource and you WILL be a ROCKSTAR!

Kathy Shrock’s Guide to Everything: Literacy in the Digital Age

Yes, it is overwhelming but you have to admit, the information here is excellent! I plan to spend some time digging deeper into it, but wanted to at least make you aware of it before school gets into full swing. Again, definitely worth the time.

Ah, Wikipedia. Do we love it or hate it? Should we love it or should we hate it?

Here are some interesting pieces to add to the puzzle:

Eating Crow…Or the Speed of Wikipedia Editing

3 Charts That Show How Wikipedia Is Running Out of Admins

The Top 50 Sources Where Wikipedia Gets Its Facts

Isn’t it a great time to be a librarian? 🙂

Brace yourselves! Ready or not! Here it Comes!

The Common Core Standards are on there way, and that is a GOOD thing. In case you have been living under a rock the last year or so, you should know that the Common Core Standards are all about:

College and Career Readiness

Information Literacy (across all core areas)

RESEARCH Skills (particularly primary sources)

Hmmmm…has anyone been teaching these skills? What’s that you say? Librarians? I thought they just checked out books and did book talks. OK, OK, calm down… I’M not saying that, but we all know that perception is out there. Hopefully, you have all watched the David Lankes presentation (in the Transform-Able post) and you know that to change the general perception of librarianship, WE need to change are approach. WE need to move from being the keepers of the collection to “improving society through facilitating knowledge creation in their community” (Lankes, D., 2011).

What better time to stretch those wings and show that we are indeed (and have always been) “facilitators of knowledge creation in our communities.” Christopher Harris has provided a great article, A Librarian’s Tricks for Finding Those ‘Complex Texts’ Cited in the Common Core, to get you started.

And here is what The Adventures of Library Girl has to share about The Future of Research. Be sure to take time to watch the videos–it’s still summer, you still have time.

Oh, and while you’re at it, consider the multiple perspective approach:

Multiperspectivity: What is it and Why Use it?

And I realize Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is probably not appropriate for most of your students, but this is an interesting, very “Common Core” approach to exploring the historical details within historical fiction. Something to think about…

Those who know me well know will tell you that I am (somewhat) famous for inundating school librarians with emails packed with articles, ideas, strategies, all centered around a common theme–changing the perception of our profession. You can either love it or hate it but the fact remains–this is the key to the future of school librarianship. At the risk of beating a dead horse, I just found this article on The Blue Skunk Blog (and no, the title [of the article] has nothing to do with the lack of bathroom time in a school librarian’s schedule!)

I know many of you are already doing things but hey, it’s summer–what better time to step back, take a fresh look, and plan your transformation strategy.

And just in case you are really in the mood to be inspired take a look at David Lankes presentation at the KLA Annual Conference, World Domination through Librarianship. It’s 50 minutes long but again, it is summer…..

Prepare to be transformed!

So, here’s the story….

I received my BS in Accounting for the University of Missouri-Columbia *mumble* years ago. I quickly learned that the world of accounting was NOT where I wanted to be and was quite happy to become a stay at home mom. As my two boys started school, I started to work in education, first preschool, then elementary, and finally administration. When my youngest was a senior in high school, I finally decided what I wanted to be when I grew up–a librarian. I considered teaching at that time but opted instead to pursue my Masters in Library Science. After the first class weekend, I knew I was finally headed in the right direction. I finished my MLS at Emporia State in May of 2009 and went on to complete a Masters in Instructional Design and Technology (also from ESU) in December of 2010. For the last three years I have coordinated the library program for the school district. About 2 months ago, I learned that my position would now require teacher certification. My job ended last week, but I am moving forward with the Alternative Route License program (again, at ESU–they should be giving me a discount by now) for School Library Media Specialist.

While I know that bigger and better things lie ahead, it is difficult to transition. What I loved most about my job was the opportunity to share my passion and dreams with my fellow librarians. As I continued to follow the Twitter feeds of my favorite library gurus, Librarian in the Cloud, The Unquiet Librarian, Adventures of Library Girl, Virtual Dave, Blue Skunk Blog (just to name a few), I was frustrated by not having anyone with which to share this “cool stuff.” Well thanks to Heather (who gave me the necessary nudge), I have found an outlet–Welcome to “The Able Librarian”. Stay tuned for the inaugural post.