Budget Project
Year 1: (Implementation of Children’s Section)
- Shelving; 30H x 36W x 12D- $102.57 (12) $1,230.84
-Comfortable Seating
*Bean Bags; $19.00 (10) $190.00
*Couches; $299.00 (3) $897.00
*Area Rug; $300.00
- New Technology
*Smartboard; $449.00
- Certified Staff for Children’s Library
* Certified Librarian; $30,000
Year 1 Total: $33,066.84
Year 2: (Front Area Section)
- Computers; $350 (4) $1,400.00
-Furniture
*Couches; $299 (4) $1,196.00
*Round Tables; $259 (2) $518.00
-Coffee Machine; $40.00
- Resources
*Periodicals; $300.00
* Purchase of Book Club Sets; $ 1,000
Year 2 Total: $4,454.00
Year 3: (YA, Local History, Private Study Section)
-Furniture
*Couches; $299 (2) $598.00
*Beanbags; $19 (5) $95.00
* Round table; $259 (4) $1,036.00
*Study Tables; $70.67 (6) $424.02
*Chairs; $24.88 (20) $497.60
-Technology
*Flat Screen; $450
* Internet Ports; $500
*Copier; $500
Year 3 Total: $4,100.62
Total Cost for Renovation: $41,462.26 *With the cost of a new Children’s Librarian
Proposal for Principal:
The Memorial Library is in desperate need of boosting the amount of citizens who visit their facilities. The resources and building itself has been outdated for years (if not decades), and needs to have a more welcoming feel in order to stay as a focal point in our community. It has almost gone the way of complete disuse. This proposal is to get the James Memorial Library up to current speed on resources, availability, and overall appeal so that it is a hub for the community in which we live. By making these changes and purchases, it will encourage more students and adults to come in and use the resources that are being provided, which is also the main goal of this project. School visits will increase, as there is a more appropriate area for children, a more welcoming atmosphere, and better resources. Compared with other local libraries, the James Memorial is an ancient exhibit, in both resources and atmosphere.
The goal of the renovation of the James Memorial Library is to provide current resources to patrons, increase clientele, and help boost the overall education status of the community. Over the 3 years length of time it takes to complete this renovation, one of the objectives is to increase patronage by at least 50%, if not more. The plan of action for this goal is to offer more activities that entice the community to be involved. A major effort will be placed in getting young mothers into the library to help them sign up for online courses. The staff would be available to help them choose a major, a college, resources, and classes. Reaching out to lower-income families is another action that will help achieve this goal. Flyers can be made that advertise the book clubs (at all ages), and can be distributed to lower income housing or posted in easy to see places in town. One specific activity would be to encourage families to come as a whole to the library, the children’s librarian would have activities and resources set up for school aged children, where parents would be encouraged to drop them off and join the adult activities. The adult activities for these nights would be a wide range of things from book clubs on self help books, novels, or even a tour of the library that shows the resources that are available to both them and their children free of cost. Adult Book Clubs would be offered on several different nights in the library. Books would be provided for patrons (they check them out), and the front area would be reserved for the conversation of the novel. Once a month ads will be ran in the local newspapers to advertise what books are available for the upcoming clubs.
The second objective is to help school aged children become more successful in their education pursuits, either in reading ability, interests in reading, or increasing scores on standardized test by providing at least 5 after school group activities a month, and advertising the use of individual tutoring. The plan of action for this objective is to offer private tutoring sessions to local students. Another major effort in this part would be to convince teachers who are active participants in the Career-Ladder Program to use the library and its resources to their advantage. Librarians could already have resources pulled for these activities to make it easier for teachers to come in and use the facilities. Book clubs offered to school-aged children would help increase the interest in reading by advertising the current novels that have been selected. These would be student led book clubs where, if needed, adults monitor or help in conversations. A weekly meeting would be set up for these students to meet and discuss. Parents would be encouraged to drop their child off, and browse the other sections of the library that interest them. These books would be chosen at a level only a small amount higher than the students reading levels, this way they have questions, encounter unknown words, and have to ‘think outside the box’. These book clubs will be provided for all ages, with a specific interest in the YA patrons.
The method for evaluation will be to document all numbers prior to renovation. These numbers include patrons (broken down into age level, and number of visits), books checked out, hours of computer usage, class visits, people involved in book clubs, hours of tutoring provided, and one on one service hours. Throughout the process of the next three years it will be important to keep track of all the above criteria. Each year will need to be titled by the main renovation that way if numbers decrease it can be accounted to construction. The following year, numbers should go up with the new resources being accessible. In the 4th year, after all the renovation, numbers will be compared to the year prior to all the renovations. If numbers are still not as high as expected, more programs and advertising will need to be planned for.
Prices for this project were found at classroomdirect.com, Teacher Direct Magazine, dell.com, usa.canon.com, scholastic.com, and walmart.com
Monday, July 4, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Week 4 Blogs
Awful Library Books- The name alone made me sign up for their blog! I know it’s not technology or Library Commons related, but I couldn’t keep myself from blogging about it at least once! So overall, the blog is pretty self explanatory, ridiculous books that are still being found in our public libraries. I decided to do this week just to prove a point- how out dated some libraries still are. Too often collections are not weeded out, and horrible literature or how-to’s are crowding the shelves making it overwhelming for someone who wants to find information. This has happened to me several times at our library. This week’s book is called ‘Mask Making’, originally published in 1954. The book has been rebound so many times that the cover is unrecognizable (which makes me ponder, was it really that popular?), and there is a lovely grease stain on the title page. One of two reasons would make me automatically yank this from the shelf; 1.condition 2. Out of date information.
School Library Journal- With all the media and resources floating around it is good to see books that make an impact on students. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one such series that students the world over have grown to love. Today there was an article that showed a NJ teenager winning a contest, judged by the author himself, that won her 500$, and her school 1,000$. Not only is Kinney making an impact in schools by his writing style, but also understands the importance of supporting students and schools financially. I wish I would have known about this contest, because my students absolutely adore these books. I’ve bought the series to keep in my classroom, and never have a single book for more than a day!
Larry Ferlazzo- His blog has to be one of my favorites because there’s always something new that I can use! He doesn’t get overly wordy and just makes sure the information and links are there for you to explore. This week one of his articles caught my eye titled ‘Video Book Trailers’. In our school AR pretty much runs the regiment for independent reading. I understand why it’s a benefit to students, but it also prevents us from doing fun activities such as this. What he does is have his students go to this website called fotobabble, where they create 1 minute long videos about their book using photos. After thinking about this, I think it may be possible to have my students do something like this to ‘promote’ their guided reading book. These are the books that they read in groups and discuss. This not only would be a great discussion start, but also a great comprehension check.
Free Technology for Teachers- The title of the article is ’29,000 eBooks’. Need I explain more? Currently, I do not own an eReader (sigh), but I’m always on the lookout for great deals and promotions in case I ever do get one! This year in my class one of my students was visually impaired, but was very interested in starting chapter books. He hadn’t had that opportunity yet, because the text was too small, and he was embarrassed by the use of a magnifying glass or other visual tools during guided reading time. During his IEP meeting, his mother and I sat down and talked about different options, and that’s when she mentioned his love for technology, “Ding, Ding, Ding” went off in my head. After school that day I went down to talk to the librarian, who is very up to date. Needless to say, a few short weeks later that student had his Kindle available! So even though I wouldn’t be able to use this site for myself, I would have definitely pulled this student up and had him look through age appropriate titles to see if anything caught his eye.
The Unquiet Librarian- In my foundations class we have looked at a few articles regarding the new Media 21 projects. This week she posted what looks like a power point that goes through and not only promotes the idea, but explains why they should be integrated into the classrooms. The slide show (which is 103 slides) is very convincing. However, I think it will take awhile before 5th graders are up to that caliber of work!
School Library Journal- With all the media and resources floating around it is good to see books that make an impact on students. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one such series that students the world over have grown to love. Today there was an article that showed a NJ teenager winning a contest, judged by the author himself, that won her 500$, and her school 1,000$. Not only is Kinney making an impact in schools by his writing style, but also understands the importance of supporting students and schools financially. I wish I would have known about this contest, because my students absolutely adore these books. I’ve bought the series to keep in my classroom, and never have a single book for more than a day!
Larry Ferlazzo- His blog has to be one of my favorites because there’s always something new that I can use! He doesn’t get overly wordy and just makes sure the information and links are there for you to explore. This week one of his articles caught my eye titled ‘Video Book Trailers’. In our school AR pretty much runs the regiment for independent reading. I understand why it’s a benefit to students, but it also prevents us from doing fun activities such as this. What he does is have his students go to this website called fotobabble, where they create 1 minute long videos about their book using photos. After thinking about this, I think it may be possible to have my students do something like this to ‘promote’ their guided reading book. These are the books that they read in groups and discuss. This not only would be a great discussion start, but also a great comprehension check.
Free Technology for Teachers- The title of the article is ’29,000 eBooks’. Need I explain more? Currently, I do not own an eReader (sigh), but I’m always on the lookout for great deals and promotions in case I ever do get one! This year in my class one of my students was visually impaired, but was very interested in starting chapter books. He hadn’t had that opportunity yet, because the text was too small, and he was embarrassed by the use of a magnifying glass or other visual tools during guided reading time. During his IEP meeting, his mother and I sat down and talked about different options, and that’s when she mentioned his love for technology, “Ding, Ding, Ding” went off in my head. After school that day I went down to talk to the librarian, who is very up to date. Needless to say, a few short weeks later that student had his Kindle available! So even though I wouldn’t be able to use this site for myself, I would have definitely pulled this student up and had him look through age appropriate titles to see if anything caught his eye.
The Unquiet Librarian- In my foundations class we have looked at a few articles regarding the new Media 21 projects. This week she posted what looks like a power point that goes through and not only promotes the idea, but explains why they should be integrated into the classrooms. The slide show (which is 103 slides) is very convincing. However, I think it will take awhile before 5th graders are up to that caliber of work!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Learning Commons Webinar
Joyce Valenza- Wow- there are so many free tools out there available for my students and myself, and I feel so lazy for not taking advantage of it!! One thing I for sure plan on looking more thoroughly for is the Maps/Posters she showed later in the presentation for search tools/ references for kids. I would love to have a poster like that in my room, so students could see visually what is available for them. Also, I’d like to connect a few of those to my classroom webpage. The Google Apps poster would be neat, because I’m not aware of all the possibilities, and this would be a reminder, or even an encouragement to do more research into them. What could I integrate into my school’s library tomorrow? The biggest thing for me was the idea that work is not created just for the teacher anymore; it is the students’ responsibility to publish their work. I think this is a fabulous idea because it gives them ownership. I did something similar with my students, but it didn’t involve technology (cringe!), but they created their own book, I had it published, and parents even had the opportunity to purchase a copy if they chose to. They did their very best work on this project because they knew that others would be looking at their publications. Another thing I would like to look into for integrating soon would be the idea of Skype (hopefully I can talk someone into taking down that firewall) for Children’s Authors and presenters. I do currently have in the works something I learned in this class. I have already changed my newsletter from a link on our webpage, to a link to our new classroom blog where the newsletter will be provided. The next step? Taking Lit. Circles to a blog form, I think I have a lot of convincing to do on that part!
I absolutely adored the ‘adding chapters to the textbook’ activity. We did something like this in high school, but had to outline it and present it orally. There are so many learning opportunities with this activity its mind boggling. It’s been proven that history books are written from a specific viewpoint, and I find it very important that all aspects are provided. This not only gives the missing groups a voice for their time period, but the students as well for presenting the information.
David Loertscher- I found his graphics to be visually arresting, it was hard to take your eyes off of them, because they were so clear and related directly to what he was saying. The one that really jumped off the page to me was the first one he showed with the idea of physical space vs. virtual space. So many librarians get stuck in just that physical realm they completely forget about the biggest resource they have (or have the possibility of having)- wireless capabilities. Collaboration was a big concept Loertscher stressed. I liked how he included everyone in the learning process and not just the students within that group. My students are put into groups based on their reading levels, it would be really neat to have an assignment where they have to relate their book to a different book that another group is reading. They could simply look on the other groups blog/wiki and comment directly on there. This assignment would be very easy to see once it was completed, and it would start even more conversation within that group. Also, David makes a good point that what you are teaching is available in a documented record online! It’s always nice to be able to go to administrators and say “This is what I’m doing, isn’t it great?”. Overall I think David’s quote summarizes it nicely, “Taking a stream of information and turning it into a giant conversation.”
Doug Johnson- It was refreshing to see an administrator so involved and current on technology within the district! With someone like Doug it would be a lot easier to convince the necessity of taking down a few of the firewalls or other blocking tools. His 5 essential conditions for educational networking were very powerful. The one that stood out the most to me was to support best practices not technologies. So often the school I work for (and I’m sure it’s this way nationwide) gets stuck on one idea or concept and we diverge onto it whole heartedly. Johnson suggests that instead of jumping on the bandwagon to take a step back and look. How much would it hurt to combine these new programs or technologies together to create a ‘master plan’? After all, the best technologies do not improve achievement, but they can support the best practices, which in turn leads to achievement. I am also a fan of the idea of creating a ‘galaxy’ instead of a few bright stars. At first I thought he was talking about students, but I quickly realized he meant the educational staff itself. Here it’s easy for me to be ‘all on board’, but I think that often time’s resistance will follow. I work with people who can’t operate Microsoft Word, let alone PowerPoint, and a blog is a form of some kind of Japanese food to them. I think as long as administrators realize there is a learning gap in their staff, just like their students, and they are patient, they will see bigger results than just pushing issues.
I absolutely adored the ‘adding chapters to the textbook’ activity. We did something like this in high school, but had to outline it and present it orally. There are so many learning opportunities with this activity its mind boggling. It’s been proven that history books are written from a specific viewpoint, and I find it very important that all aspects are provided. This not only gives the missing groups a voice for their time period, but the students as well for presenting the information.
David Loertscher- I found his graphics to be visually arresting, it was hard to take your eyes off of them, because they were so clear and related directly to what he was saying. The one that really jumped off the page to me was the first one he showed with the idea of physical space vs. virtual space. So many librarians get stuck in just that physical realm they completely forget about the biggest resource they have (or have the possibility of having)- wireless capabilities. Collaboration was a big concept Loertscher stressed. I liked how he included everyone in the learning process and not just the students within that group. My students are put into groups based on their reading levels, it would be really neat to have an assignment where they have to relate their book to a different book that another group is reading. They could simply look on the other groups blog/wiki and comment directly on there. This assignment would be very easy to see once it was completed, and it would start even more conversation within that group. Also, David makes a good point that what you are teaching is available in a documented record online! It’s always nice to be able to go to administrators and say “This is what I’m doing, isn’t it great?”. Overall I think David’s quote summarizes it nicely, “Taking a stream of information and turning it into a giant conversation.”
Doug Johnson- It was refreshing to see an administrator so involved and current on technology within the district! With someone like Doug it would be a lot easier to convince the necessity of taking down a few of the firewalls or other blocking tools. His 5 essential conditions for educational networking were very powerful. The one that stood out the most to me was to support best practices not technologies. So often the school I work for (and I’m sure it’s this way nationwide) gets stuck on one idea or concept and we diverge onto it whole heartedly. Johnson suggests that instead of jumping on the bandwagon to take a step back and look. How much would it hurt to combine these new programs or technologies together to create a ‘master plan’? After all, the best technologies do not improve achievement, but they can support the best practices, which in turn leads to achievement. I am also a fan of the idea of creating a ‘galaxy’ instead of a few bright stars. At first I thought he was talking about students, but I quickly realized he meant the educational staff itself. Here it’s easy for me to be ‘all on board’, but I think that often time’s resistance will follow. I work with people who can’t operate Microsoft Word, let alone PowerPoint, and a blog is a form of some kind of Japanese food to them. I think as long as administrators realize there is a learning gap in their staff, just like their students, and they are patient, they will see bigger results than just pushing issues.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Library Budget Articles
Book Budgets-
Loosing funding is never something that people enjoy, but often times it happens in the field of education. We are always getting reminders, ‘this money has to be spent by this point in time’. I really like the idea of the book jobber that was mentioned in this article. It’s a great way to make sure that you have all the money that has been allocated to you in a given year, without the worries that it will be jeopardized. The only thing that would worry me about this is that you might not get ‘the best deal’. When I’m searching for books or resources I always check around 3 different places for the cheapest price before I commit to buying.
Budgeting for Mean, Learn Times Part 5-
I like the three components they talk about when writing successful budgets. First are goals, making sure that the program will have a positive effect on students learning. Second, that everything is specific, how much money, and EXACTLY what will it be spent on? Lastly, assessment, did the money help reach the goals of the program? One line in this article jumped out to me, it was to be sure that the financial decision makers are aware of the consequences of student learning by either an underfunded or non-funded program. I think the realities of what might happen would probably be a little shocking to them and make them rethink about some of their decisions. One thing that I’m sure will appeal very much to them is to make sure that the budget relates directly to the districts or buildings long range plans.
Help Sweep up the Budget Dust-
I learned a valuable lesson by reading this article as a future librarian and current teacher- the end of the year is a great time to ask for money. Being in the upper grades of an elementary school I often feel like we’re neglected when it comes to budget, so it’s good to know all the ins and outs that are available to me. I’m the type of person that will go out and buy something with my own money instead of doing without. We’ve learned the hard way that often times if you don’t use a budget in its entirety you will lose it for the next year. Believe me, we had plans for it, communication was just jumbled and items weren’t ordered. It was interesting to read about how meticulous this librarian was in records keeping, and how it paid off. It was mentioned that a bunch of PE equipment had been purchased with library funds ‘accidently’. Call me crazy, but to me it seems that resources for education might be a little more important than dodge balls or jump ropes.
Zero-Sum Budgets and Technology-
I found this article to be ruthless, but also necessary. The portion where they talk about taking away funds from someone else if you believe your program is important enough really jumped out to me. The reason why I found this as a great idea is because I do see waste often time by other educators in our building. For our entire grade level of 6 teachers we receive around 125$ for textbooks, lit sets, construction paper, colored copy paper, art supplies, etc. What I find interesting is the fact that I’ve worked in a younger grade before and saw them struggle to spend the amount that they were given, which was almost double what we received. So, this comment leaves me to believe, what’s wrong with fighting for more budget if I truly believe we need it? However, I can see where this would also cause problems in the atmosphere of the workplace. In my building, nothing is secret. This leads me to believe that if I went to someone (including administration) and asked for more money from a different area, I would quickly make enemies! Also, I think that everyone believes that what they’re doing is the most important. After all, that is why they’re doing that job. So if funding is pulled from the PE class to put books in my classroom, the PE teacher might not feel as though they can properly do their job.
Another thing that popped up in this article that I saw repetitively throughout the other was to have an advisory committee help you make budget and financial decisions. For some reason I always saw this as a group of adults within the school system, but here it mentions including parents, students, and even community members. This is a fabulous idea, because not only are you getting to showcase how important your activities are, it’s also a lot harder for financial decision makers to say no to a board vs. one person.
Loosing funding is never something that people enjoy, but often times it happens in the field of education. We are always getting reminders, ‘this money has to be spent by this point in time’. I really like the idea of the book jobber that was mentioned in this article. It’s a great way to make sure that you have all the money that has been allocated to you in a given year, without the worries that it will be jeopardized. The only thing that would worry me about this is that you might not get ‘the best deal’. When I’m searching for books or resources I always check around 3 different places for the cheapest price before I commit to buying.
Budgeting for Mean, Learn Times Part 5-
I like the three components they talk about when writing successful budgets. First are goals, making sure that the program will have a positive effect on students learning. Second, that everything is specific, how much money, and EXACTLY what will it be spent on? Lastly, assessment, did the money help reach the goals of the program? One line in this article jumped out to me, it was to be sure that the financial decision makers are aware of the consequences of student learning by either an underfunded or non-funded program. I think the realities of what might happen would probably be a little shocking to them and make them rethink about some of their decisions. One thing that I’m sure will appeal very much to them is to make sure that the budget relates directly to the districts or buildings long range plans.
Help Sweep up the Budget Dust-
I learned a valuable lesson by reading this article as a future librarian and current teacher- the end of the year is a great time to ask for money. Being in the upper grades of an elementary school I often feel like we’re neglected when it comes to budget, so it’s good to know all the ins and outs that are available to me. I’m the type of person that will go out and buy something with my own money instead of doing without. We’ve learned the hard way that often times if you don’t use a budget in its entirety you will lose it for the next year. Believe me, we had plans for it, communication was just jumbled and items weren’t ordered. It was interesting to read about how meticulous this librarian was in records keeping, and how it paid off. It was mentioned that a bunch of PE equipment had been purchased with library funds ‘accidently’. Call me crazy, but to me it seems that resources for education might be a little more important than dodge balls or jump ropes.
Zero-Sum Budgets and Technology-
I found this article to be ruthless, but also necessary. The portion where they talk about taking away funds from someone else if you believe your program is important enough really jumped out to me. The reason why I found this as a great idea is because I do see waste often time by other educators in our building. For our entire grade level of 6 teachers we receive around 125$ for textbooks, lit sets, construction paper, colored copy paper, art supplies, etc. What I find interesting is the fact that I’ve worked in a younger grade before and saw them struggle to spend the amount that they were given, which was almost double what we received. So, this comment leaves me to believe, what’s wrong with fighting for more budget if I truly believe we need it? However, I can see where this would also cause problems in the atmosphere of the workplace. In my building, nothing is secret. This leads me to believe that if I went to someone (including administration) and asked for more money from a different area, I would quickly make enemies! Also, I think that everyone believes that what they’re doing is the most important. After all, that is why they’re doing that job. So if funding is pulled from the PE class to put books in my classroom, the PE teacher might not feel as though they can properly do their job.
Another thing that popped up in this article that I saw repetitively throughout the other was to have an advisory committee help you make budget and financial decisions. For some reason I always saw this as a group of adults within the school system, but here it mentions including parents, students, and even community members. This is a fabulous idea, because not only are you getting to showcase how important your activities are, it’s also a lot harder for financial decision makers to say no to a board vs. one person.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Wools Chapter 9; Empowering Chapter 3
Wools Chapter 9:
Budget is something that everyone in the field of education has to worry about. In small districts such as the one I work in it’s a constant wet towel on an otherwise great environment. It was nice to read through this chapter and understand a little more of how things work at an (almost) administrative level. Certainly much higher than what I have to worry about at this current time. The thing I took away to be most important was to have your plan (or proposal) written out neatly, leaving out things that aren’t necessary, and treating it almost like a college paper, making sure you have people reread over it to check for errors.
The purchase specifications helped me understand what needs to be addressed in the proposal more than anything. First, you communicate specific desires of what is needed, how and who will use the equipment, and how will it be installed and delivered? Another important factor is when you need something that is detailed oriented, make sure that it is of high quality, media centers have to be cost accountable to the taxpayers of their community.
I was a little surprised to read, at first, the fact that some school districts refuse for any outside funds to be used for certain school projects. However, upon completing the paragraph, I can see where it would make sense. Obviously, if the money is coming from somewhere like a grant, or non-profit business, there should be no issues. Sometimes though, people ‘donate’ money in thoughts that a favor could or should be returned at a later date by the school system. Use your imagination to think of a few!
This chapter was great, because it walked you through step by step on how to complete all the necessary paper work to run a library financially. I found it a little repetitive at times, and hard to get through, but I understand the fact that it is vital for these things to be clearly defined.
Empowering Learners Chapter 3; Budget:
The section on budget here clearly lets the librarian know that there will be times when money is a shortfall, and they will have to put in extra hours to earn what is needed. The librarian is responsible for doing many things like, writing grants, fundraisers, and even parent donation programs. Our library does an annual book fair that greatly helps the financials. Each year there is usually enough money raised for each teacher to come up and select a free book. This is a big deal considering that each grade has 6-7 teachers, including special education. There is also a program where books can be donated in memory of someone, the students especially enjoy these because there’s always a sticker inside the cover that says who donated it and for whom. This chapter also talks of the importance of the librarian in collecting and using data to support their means. Not only are they collecting the data on how much the library is collaborating and assisting the school as a whole, but also current market trends about resources they need, use, or might want in the future. One thing I would like to see at an elementary level, that would probably help with costs, is an interlibrary loan, or a ‘Craigslist’ type of forum. Imagine, you have 5 copies of Dear Mr. Henshaw, your library only needs two, go online and see if that book is needed and if they’re willing to exchange for anything you need or want. I can totally see this happening!
Budget is something that everyone in the field of education has to worry about. In small districts such as the one I work in it’s a constant wet towel on an otherwise great environment. It was nice to read through this chapter and understand a little more of how things work at an (almost) administrative level. Certainly much higher than what I have to worry about at this current time. The thing I took away to be most important was to have your plan (or proposal) written out neatly, leaving out things that aren’t necessary, and treating it almost like a college paper, making sure you have people reread over it to check for errors.
The purchase specifications helped me understand what needs to be addressed in the proposal more than anything. First, you communicate specific desires of what is needed, how and who will use the equipment, and how will it be installed and delivered? Another important factor is when you need something that is detailed oriented, make sure that it is of high quality, media centers have to be cost accountable to the taxpayers of their community.
I was a little surprised to read, at first, the fact that some school districts refuse for any outside funds to be used for certain school projects. However, upon completing the paragraph, I can see where it would make sense. Obviously, if the money is coming from somewhere like a grant, or non-profit business, there should be no issues. Sometimes though, people ‘donate’ money in thoughts that a favor could or should be returned at a later date by the school system. Use your imagination to think of a few!
This chapter was great, because it walked you through step by step on how to complete all the necessary paper work to run a library financially. I found it a little repetitive at times, and hard to get through, but I understand the fact that it is vital for these things to be clearly defined.
Empowering Learners Chapter 3; Budget:
The section on budget here clearly lets the librarian know that there will be times when money is a shortfall, and they will have to put in extra hours to earn what is needed. The librarian is responsible for doing many things like, writing grants, fundraisers, and even parent donation programs. Our library does an annual book fair that greatly helps the financials. Each year there is usually enough money raised for each teacher to come up and select a free book. This is a big deal considering that each grade has 6-7 teachers, including special education. There is also a program where books can be donated in memory of someone, the students especially enjoy these because there’s always a sticker inside the cover that says who donated it and for whom. This chapter also talks of the importance of the librarian in collecting and using data to support their means. Not only are they collecting the data on how much the library is collaborating and assisting the school as a whole, but also current market trends about resources they need, use, or might want in the future. One thing I would like to see at an elementary level, that would probably help with costs, is an interlibrary loan, or a ‘Craigslist’ type of forum. Imagine, you have 5 copies of Dear Mr. Henshaw, your library only needs two, go online and see if that book is needed and if they’re willing to exchange for anything you need or want. I can totally see this happening!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Dream Renovation of the James Memorial Library
Renovation of James Memorial Library
Name: The James Memorial Library
Location: St. James, MO
Students Served: 400+public
Library Personnel: 1 Librarian, 3 Full-Time Aides
The James Memorial Library is what many would consider St. James’ public library, but in fact, it is not. It is privately ran and operated by the James Foundation. The land and business were donated by the namesake of our library, town, and even school, Lucy Wortham James, and her father. However, they are no longer ran publicly, instead a board of trustees from New York make all of the financial decisions when it comes not only to the library, but to the park (where the library is) as well.
The 4 Sections I would like to Renovate:
-YA section; its in a small corner with 2 shelves behind a wall.
- Local Information and History Section; there are artifacts spread throughout the building, but they’re never on rotation or have any real highlight to them, the place where the actual resources for this is also in a small darkly lit corner opposite the YA section
-Technology Space; there are 4 computers available for internet use all in a small area right behind the circulation desk, thee computers available for card catalog searching only.
-Children’s Section; is at the front of the library, where the kids are encouraged to be quiet, with a table available for toddlers, but zero furniture that’s welcoming for any older children.
Goals for Renovation: Overall, bringing this library to the 21st Century.
- YA section; provide a more welcoming space for teenaged students, where it doesn’t feel like their being constantly monitored because of their age, comfortable seating that encourages students to sit and interact, possibly one of the computers from the main section in this area as well. The main goal is to get kids to use this free resource in our community. I have students that refuse to go here because they don’t even know where the YA section is (a lot of my 5th graders are reading this genre, and there’s a lot of inappropriately aged materials in this section as well, that should be in the children’s section)
-Local Information and History Section; My goal is to have this information all in one section. Also, it would be nice to have some kind of technology that constantly shows local history, facts, and pictures that aren’t available through physical artifacts any longer.
-Technology Space; is right now right next to the Circulation Desk. The areas are cramped, and hardly allow any social interaction whatsoever. Also, with the lack of computers each person is limited to an hour a day on the computers, I understand this, but believe something should be done about it since it’s been this way for years.
-Children’s Section- make the kids feel welcome here just like the YA section. Make it a kid friendly atmosphere, add comfortable furniture, have recommendations on the walls, and if needed provide an aide for strictly this section.
How does my proposal change the concept of the Learning Center?
My proposal changes the entirety of the library by making it a more collaborative friendly environment. The use of space is changed to make sure appropriate age groups are together to ensure maximum interaction. I put the Children’s Section in the back, this way they don’t feel obligated to be quiet, a space in the center allows families or older children to come together to share a book, and this space can also be the new area where all the presentations are made.
The picture below was done in PowerPoint. The top slide is the 'Before' shot, and the second slide is the 'After' shot.
MemLib
Name: The James Memorial Library
Location: St. James, MO
Students Served: 400+public
Library Personnel: 1 Librarian, 3 Full-Time Aides
The James Memorial Library is what many would consider St. James’ public library, but in fact, it is not. It is privately ran and operated by the James Foundation. The land and business were donated by the namesake of our library, town, and even school, Lucy Wortham James, and her father. However, they are no longer ran publicly, instead a board of trustees from New York make all of the financial decisions when it comes not only to the library, but to the park (where the library is) as well.
The 4 Sections I would like to Renovate:
-YA section; its in a small corner with 2 shelves behind a wall.
- Local Information and History Section; there are artifacts spread throughout the building, but they’re never on rotation or have any real highlight to them, the place where the actual resources for this is also in a small darkly lit corner opposite the YA section
-Technology Space; there are 4 computers available for internet use all in a small area right behind the circulation desk, thee computers available for card catalog searching only.
-Children’s Section; is at the front of the library, where the kids are encouraged to be quiet, with a table available for toddlers, but zero furniture that’s welcoming for any older children.
Goals for Renovation: Overall, bringing this library to the 21st Century.
- YA section; provide a more welcoming space for teenaged students, where it doesn’t feel like their being constantly monitored because of their age, comfortable seating that encourages students to sit and interact, possibly one of the computers from the main section in this area as well. The main goal is to get kids to use this free resource in our community. I have students that refuse to go here because they don’t even know where the YA section is (a lot of my 5th graders are reading this genre, and there’s a lot of inappropriately aged materials in this section as well, that should be in the children’s section)
-Local Information and History Section; My goal is to have this information all in one section. Also, it would be nice to have some kind of technology that constantly shows local history, facts, and pictures that aren’t available through physical artifacts any longer.
-Technology Space; is right now right next to the Circulation Desk. The areas are cramped, and hardly allow any social interaction whatsoever. Also, with the lack of computers each person is limited to an hour a day on the computers, I understand this, but believe something should be done about it since it’s been this way for years.
-Children’s Section- make the kids feel welcome here just like the YA section. Make it a kid friendly atmosphere, add comfortable furniture, have recommendations on the walls, and if needed provide an aide for strictly this section.
How does my proposal change the concept of the Learning Center?
My proposal changes the entirety of the library by making it a more collaborative friendly environment. The use of space is changed to make sure appropriate age groups are together to ensure maximum interaction. I put the Children’s Section in the back, this way they don’t feel obligated to be quiet, a space in the center allows families or older children to come together to share a book, and this space can also be the new area where all the presentations are made.
The picture below was done in PowerPoint. The top slide is the 'Before' shot, and the second slide is the 'After' shot.
MemLib
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Week 3 Blogs
Larry Ferlazzo- Upon looking at this site one might not think it’s exactly educational, and used in the incorrect way it wouldn’t be, but I see the potential lurking there. He blogged about a company called Anmish that allows you to choose a caricature of a World Leader and then you can create a 30 second audio clip recording and mesh the two together. Not only does the world leader say what you did, you’re allowed to change facial expressions as well! Being in the classroom I could see this used especially in a Civics Class or Social Studies, but it would also work for something like Speech where students learn to recognize unspoken communication.
Larry Ferlazzo (again)- I teach Communication Arts, and one thing that my students struggle with is journal writing. You always have a few that will write no matter what or create a story, but for the most parts my students complain, “I have nothing to write about”. I’ve tried giving examples or a question of the day, but have come to realize that students need a visual sometimes. I’m always on the lookout for interesting photos, and Mr.Ferlazzo has provided a who list of “Photo Galleries of the Week” on June 22nd. A few of the sites have to be sort through for content, but the majority are ones that I definitely plan on using next year.
Free Technology for Teachers- I’ve been hearing about Social Bookmarking and web based bookmarking a lot lately, but have never bothered to find out much more about it. I’ve used ikeepbookmarks.com, but I used it in college and didn’t find it to be all that spectacular. However, on this website they do an easy to follow 9 slide power point presentation on how to use and get Google Bookmarking. What gets me excited about this is because I work with a lot of older teachers who aren’t familiar with new technology. This will probably be something that I share with my ‘Teacher Mom’ at school.
Pixelated- Using the Ipad on the Gale demonstrated by a student. I think this is a great clip because it shows how simple it is to use Gale as a resource. I think it probably scares off a lot of students just because they’re not familiar with it. However, within this 55 second video it shows how to start at point 0, and go all the way through to finding your resources.
School Library Monthly- I am constantly fighting the Facebook battle in my classroom. Students and Parents are constantly requesting me to be their friends, even though on multiple occasions I’ve told both that, my FB is for my personal life. However, this does little to stop them. During school I’m fighting the issue of cyber bullying through FB. I guess, though, one good way to look at it is that they are becoming familiar with not only technology, but the use of free programs available to them. This week on School Library Monthly they ran an article on Fakewall. Basically what students do is create a fake FB wall for a historical figure. Even though at first I thought it was encouraging them, I know think it’s a pretty neat idea. The walls are all privately set, and ran on a safe program. It would be a great learning assignment for them to not only create the wall, but act as though they are the actual historical figure, respond like them request the same friends as them, and even learn about some of their famous quotes and post them as they’re post of the day!
Larry Ferlazzo (again)- I teach Communication Arts, and one thing that my students struggle with is journal writing. You always have a few that will write no matter what or create a story, but for the most parts my students complain, “I have nothing to write about”. I’ve tried giving examples or a question of the day, but have come to realize that students need a visual sometimes. I’m always on the lookout for interesting photos, and Mr.Ferlazzo has provided a who list of “Photo Galleries of the Week” on June 22nd. A few of the sites have to be sort through for content, but the majority are ones that I definitely plan on using next year.
Free Technology for Teachers- I’ve been hearing about Social Bookmarking and web based bookmarking a lot lately, but have never bothered to find out much more about it. I’ve used ikeepbookmarks.com, but I used it in college and didn’t find it to be all that spectacular. However, on this website they do an easy to follow 9 slide power point presentation on how to use and get Google Bookmarking. What gets me excited about this is because I work with a lot of older teachers who aren’t familiar with new technology. This will probably be something that I share with my ‘Teacher Mom’ at school.
Pixelated- Using the Ipad on the Gale demonstrated by a student. I think this is a great clip because it shows how simple it is to use Gale as a resource. I think it probably scares off a lot of students just because they’re not familiar with it. However, within this 55 second video it shows how to start at point 0, and go all the way through to finding your resources.
School Library Monthly- I am constantly fighting the Facebook battle in my classroom. Students and Parents are constantly requesting me to be their friends, even though on multiple occasions I’ve told both that, my FB is for my personal life. However, this does little to stop them. During school I’m fighting the issue of cyber bullying through FB. I guess, though, one good way to look at it is that they are becoming familiar with not only technology, but the use of free programs available to them. This week on School Library Monthly they ran an article on Fakewall. Basically what students do is create a fake FB wall for a historical figure. Even though at first I thought it was encouraging them, I know think it’s a pretty neat idea. The walls are all privately set, and ran on a safe program. It would be a great learning assignment for them to not only create the wall, but act as though they are the actual historical figure, respond like them request the same friends as them, and even learn about some of their famous quotes and post them as they’re post of the day!
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