For Library Friends
Hi All,
Hope things are going well for all of you! I have my countdown to summer calendar going in earnest, otherwise all is good.
For my librarian friends, I've been meaning to share this...We started something new around Christmas time this year that has been surprisingly successful.
My principal, as part of an organization she works with, visits other schools to see what they are doing. She came back from one school with the idea of having teachers put a picture of the current book that they are reading in a designated place in their room. The teachers at that school reported that these posters led to more frequent conversations about books and reading habits and that this practice had been very positive for them.
We started small, talking to team leaders in a meeting, then later my principal introduced the idea to the teachers during a faculty meeting. I followed that up with an email to the teachers, which I copied below:
"Before I go on, know…this is voluntary. However, you would make my day if you would participate. :-)
"The idea is to model for students that we are a community of readers. Some students, whose parents may not be readers, may only see reading as something that they do at school. For reading to really and effectively change lives though, we know that reading regularly should be a way of life. This is where you come in as adults who read for pleasure, relaxation, information, etc. You can model good reading habits by letting kids know what you like to read. Maybe you’re not reading YA books or books that you think they would be interested in. Still, just the fact that you voluntarily read on a regular basis can make an impression on students."
I created small posters that teachers could put on the door to their classrooms or wherever they’d like to post them. (The door was thought to be a good place because when it is open, people in the hallways could see it, and when it is closed, the class could see it.) I also print book covers for the teachers, which I like because then I know what everyone is reading. Here's a picture of one faculty member's poster:
I also created a poster for myself and another for my student library aides (I couldn't use the actual student poster as it has their names on it, but you get the idea...)
Mine:
The library aides' poster....or a reasonable facsimile. Just imagine student pictures in the place of the animal pictures. :-P
Even the teachers look first at the library aides' poster to see what they've chosen before they look at mine. The other students definitely look at the kids' poster when they're in the library. My library aides take pride in the books they post, and they get frustrated with me when I fall behind on printing copies of book covers.
This has been such a great tool to encourage students and faculty to talk about books and to connect with each other as readers. It has been really fun to see what everyone reads, and I've even been able to recommend a few books to teachers now that I have a better idea of what they're reading.
Simple, easy, and fun! I totally recommend giving this a try whether you're a school or a public librarian!
Hope things are going well for all of you! I have my countdown to summer calendar going in earnest, otherwise all is good.
For my librarian friends, I've been meaning to share this...We started something new around Christmas time this year that has been surprisingly successful.
My principal, as part of an organization she works with, visits other schools to see what they are doing. She came back from one school with the idea of having teachers put a picture of the current book that they are reading in a designated place in their room. The teachers at that school reported that these posters led to more frequent conversations about books and reading habits and that this practice had been very positive for them.
We started small, talking to team leaders in a meeting, then later my principal introduced the idea to the teachers during a faculty meeting. I followed that up with an email to the teachers, which I copied below:
"Before I go on, know…this is voluntary. However, you would make my day if you would participate. :-)
"The idea is to model for students that we are a community of readers. Some students, whose parents may not be readers, may only see reading as something that they do at school. For reading to really and effectively change lives though, we know that reading regularly should be a way of life. This is where you come in as adults who read for pleasure, relaxation, information, etc. You can model good reading habits by letting kids know what you like to read. Maybe you’re not reading YA books or books that you think they would be interested in. Still, just the fact that you voluntarily read on a regular basis can make an impression on students."
I created small posters that teachers could put on the door to their classrooms or wherever they’d like to post them. (The door was thought to be a good place because when it is open, people in the hallways could see it, and when it is closed, the class could see it.) I also print book covers for the teachers, which I like because then I know what everyone is reading. Here's a picture of one faculty member's poster:
I also created a poster for myself and another for my student library aides (I couldn't use the actual student poster as it has their names on it, but you get the idea...)
Mine:
The library aides' poster....or a reasonable facsimile. Just imagine student pictures in the place of the animal pictures. :-P
Even the teachers look first at the library aides' poster to see what they've chosen before they look at mine. The other students definitely look at the kids' poster when they're in the library. My library aides take pride in the books they post, and they get frustrated with me when I fall behind on printing copies of book covers.
This has been such a great tool to encourage students and faculty to talk about books and to connect with each other as readers. It has been really fun to see what everyone reads, and I've even been able to recommend a few books to teachers now that I have a better idea of what they're reading.
Simple, easy, and fun! I totally recommend giving this a try whether you're a school or a public librarian!