This archive was originally posted at serrc.org/schoollibraries
December 16th- In This Issue…
James Wickersham. “A Pose in ‘Mother Goose’ by School Children at the Christmas Tree Entertainment. Ruby, Alaska, 1916. Miss Padock. Teacher.” ASL-P277-004-119
SAYL News in Brief
Joining a Shared Collection: Expanding Access to Digital Resources by Sharing
A sample diagram of a consortium’s shared digital collection with additional individual collections for each member school
OverDrive is excited to offer interested schools and districts in Alaska the opportunity to join a digital shared collection. Membership in a consortium provides participating schools access to a shared collection of digital titles far greater than any one individual school could purchase on their own, maximizing the benefits of these powerful reading and learning tools for students and educators. For example, if a school were to initiate a digital collection of their own, they may only be able to afford 50 titles. However, by joining a consortium of 20 schools, that same school would then have access to a collection of 1,000 titles. This shared collection grows as consortium membership increases.
Advantages of being part of the digital content consortium include:
- Join for as little as $100 per school, with all funds going to content.
- The Alaska State Library and Alaska Library Network are funding and selecting an additional $10,000 worth of titles for the shared collection!
- The ability to add additional titles solely for use by your school (separate from the shared collection)
- Titles can be filtered by school level
OverDrive delivers:
- An unrivaled catalog of 2+ million eBook, audiobook and streaming video titles from 5,000+ publishers in all subjects and genres, including digital class sets for English Language Arts
- Compatibility with every major device, including laptops, Chromebook™, Kindle®, iPhone®, iPad® and Android™
- Ease of use – A central platform tailored to your needs and the highest-rated app
- Flexible access models to maximize budget and use
- Expert assistance for successful implementation and customization
The goal is to get participating schools signed up by January 24th February 28th so that we can launch access to the collection early in the 2nd semester – but schools can start at anytime. The more schools that participate, the more age-appropriate content will be available to maximize engagement and usage. OverDrive can help to select resources in the shared account and you can easily add more content just for your school via an individual collection.
For more information or to see a demonstration, please submit your contact information online or reach out to your AK rep below:
Kevin Coon
OverDrive Account Executive
kcoon@overdrive.com | 949-791-7793
CILC Now Available to School Libraries Through OWL
The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) is an international network that uses video conferencing to bring collaboration and interactive educational content to educators. CILC programming has been available to public libraries through the use of OWL for some time, these same services are now available to school libraries on a pilot-program basis.
CILC offers thousands of free and paid programs for teachers and students. These include video conferencing, academic classes, classroom collaboration, and professional development opportunities. Through the Alaska State Library, funds are available to bring these opportunities to your school library.
With CILC, students can go on virtual fieldtrips to museums, zoos, science and other educational centers, and have live interaction with professionals. Authors, musicians, artists, scientists, and experts of all types can be scheduled to virtually visit your school. Browse the Visual Content Provider Directory for an idea of what’s available.
Professional development on a variety of topics can also be scheduled. Webinars, online classes, videoconferencing, and other convenient methods of are available depending on your needs.
School Librarians can now take advantage of these opportunities by scheduling them through the CILC website and coordinating with the statewide OWL network to bring the presentation to your students.
You do not need an OWL “endpoint” like many public libraries use to take advantage of CILC. In order to impact the most users, collaboration with your local public library and other schools or districts is encouraged
For more information on using CILC visit the OWL Library Staff Tutorials on Videoconference Equipment and Service Information or contact Jared Shucha or Daniel Cornwall at the State Library.
The Beginning of a Library Partnership Conversation (KQ)
The Library of Congress Is Putting Its Map Collection on the Map (Smithsonian)
The Best of 2016
School Library Journal’s Best of 2016
ALSC’s Notable Children’s Books – 2016
Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature Best Books 2016
Chicago Public Library Kids Best of the Best Books 2016
Bank Street’s the Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2016 Edition
The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2016
Booklist Top of the List: 2016
Brainpickings the Best Children’s Books of 2016
Scholarship, Grant, and Award Opportunities
For the complete record of scholarships, grants, and other award opportunities posted in SAYL Mail, visit the SGA Archives.
[su_frame]Ongoing – Alaska Association of School Librarians Professional Development Grants
Out-of-state travel, $1500 maximum: 80 days prior to conference
ALA (Chicago, June 22-27) deadline: April 3rd
In-state travel, $1000 maximum: 60 days prior to conference
AkLA (Ketchikan, February 23-26) deadline: December 23rd
Online events, $500 maximum: 7 days prior to event[/su_frame]
Closing December 23rd – Follett Challenge. $8,000 – 60,000 for For an essay and a video demonstrating how an educational program from your school or school district is preparing children to meet the demands of the 21st century.
Closing December 30th – ALA Great Stories Club. “Libraries selected to participate in the Great Stories Club receive 11 copies of three theme-related books (Theme: Nature vs. Nurture: Origins of Teen Violence and Suicide) to use in reading and discussion groups of 6 to 10 young adults; a variety of programming support materials; and online or in-person training (depending on past participation in the project).”
Applications Open for the 2017 AASL Awards. 12 grants and awards, ranging from $1,250 to $10,000 to “recognize excellence and showcase best practices in the school library field in categories that include collaboration, leadership and innovation.” National School Library Program of the Year closes January 1st. All other applications or nominations close February 1st.
Closing February 1st – ALSC Bookapalooza program. Winners receive “a collection of materials to be used in a way that creatively enhances their library service to children and families.”
Closing March 31st – Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Mini-Grant. Up to $500 for an innovative and creative program which bridges disciplines and grade levels, PK-12.
For the complete record of scholarships, grants, and other award opportunities posted in SAYL Mail, visit the SGA Archives.
Employment Opportunities
Media Specialist (District) – North Slope Borough
Additional and up-to-date information at Alaska Teacher Placement
As Seen on Alaska School Librarians Facebook
A roundup of resources shared and questions asked on the Alaska School Librarians Facebook group. This is intended to give readers the chance to access resources at work if Facebook is filtered. Only timely questions, announcements, and links to non-Facebook resources are listed here.
12/11 – [Evidence Base]
12/13 – Have you used digital primary sources with students? How’d you use them? [DPLA Primary Source Sets]
12/13 – Hello All! I have a question. I homeschool, along with a friend, and we are interested in participating in Battle of the Books but our district that we homeschool under isn’t likely participating this year. Any suggestions on how we can get in as homeschooling group?
12/14 – Juneau folks… [Wood Magazine Rack (Juneau,AK)]
Almanac
December 26th is Christmas, observed. State Library is Closed.
January is Book Blitz Month and Braille Literacy Month
January 2nd is New Years Day, observed. State Library is Closed.
January 16th is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. State Library is Closed.
January 24th is National Readathon Day
Something You’d Like to See in SAYL Mail?
To share news, success stories, resources, and opportunities, please contact Jared Shucha. The next issue will be January 10th. To get SAYL Mail updates sent to your inbox, request a subscription to the AkASL listserv and ask a colleague to do the same!