This archive was originally posted at serrc.org/schoollibraries
October 6th – In this Issue…
“Ready for the Library” (Nome). Seiffert Family Photographs. UAF-1985-122-245. Graphics: Big Huge Labs Framer
SAYL Mail is Dead, Long Live SAYL Mail!
The SAYL Mail listserv was terminated on October 1st. The SAYL Mail newsletter (as in, the thing you’re reading) will continue to be distributed via the AkASL listserv and hosted here (with links on Facebook and Twitter). If you know of any Alaskan school librarians who would be interested in receiving the SAYL Mail newsletter, as well as benefit from other ongoing news and discussion with Alaskan school librarians, please encourage them to sign up for the AkASL listserv.
Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Posts Two New YouTube Videos about Alaskans
[From INFORMATION EXCHANGE, The Newsletter of the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development, September 25, 2015]
Two new YouTube videos are available from the Alaska office of the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center:
Urban Interventions: Skate Art at the Museum
In August 2015, the Anchorage Museum and Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center provided Anchorage-area teenagers with an opportunity for creative, athletic expression through skateboarding. Led by New Yok-based activist Jim Murphy (Lenni Lenape), students received a skateboard kit and designed decks inspired by Alaska Native objects from the Smithsonian collections in the Living Our Cultures exhibition and from the Anchorage Museum collections. They learned how to assemble the kit parts and joined in a public skate jam with their new skateboard.
Traditional Healing for the 21st Century
Tlingit Traditional Healer Meda DeWitt-Schleifman discusses Alaska Native traditional health practices for living well today, including how to harvest wild medicinal plants. Her presentation is part of the Smithsonian Spotlight series hosted by the Arctic Studies Center at the Anchorage Museum and is sponsored by the Recovering Voices Program, an initiative led by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
Grants and Awards Opportunities
Closing October 30th – EBSCO offers five scholarships to librarians attending 2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting. $1500.
Closing November 1st – [School/Public collaborative] Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award. Up to $4000 to provide a visit from an author/illustrator.
Closing December 1st – Frances Henne/YALSA/VOYA Grant Application. $1000 towards research project.
Closing December 1st – The Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced With Adversity. “$3,000 check + $1,000 travel, along with an odd, symbolic object from his private stash, and a certificate, which may or may not be suitable for framing.”
Closing December — Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries. For first-time recipients. Staffed, designated, and established school libraries with at least 85% Free/Reduced Lunch are eligible. Up to $7,000.
Closing February 1st – AASL Awards season is open. Ten awards open to school libraries and related programs/faculty ranging from $1,250 to $10,000.
Training and Continuing Education Opportunities
Opportunities not fitting your schedule? Many of these webinars will later be available as archives.
Free webinars:
- Wednesday, October 7, 7-8am – STEAM @ Your Library
- Wednesday, October 7, 11am-Noon – Driving Community Engagement for Library Makerspaces
- Wednesday, October 14, 6am-1pm – The Digital Shift: Libraries Connecting Communities. Virtual Conference.
- Wednesday, October 14, 9-10am – Introduction to Finding Grants
- Tuesday, October 20, 2015, Noon-1pm – Research in a Digital World: Electronic Resources for K-12
- Wednesday, October 21, 9-10am – Introduction to Proposal Writing
[Additional and up-to-date Library Development Training and Continuing Education Calendar.]
[su_frame]The Idaho Commission for Libraries offers free, self-paced courses through ABLE on collection development, technical and public services. SABLE provides a youth services sequence. Courses require 2-8 hours of contact time.[/su_frame]
CE Courses requiring tuition:
Beginning October 26 – eCourse: Planning and preparing for RDA. $175
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.
9/22: Changing Teens’ Lives Teens discuss the importance of the library in their lives.
9/27: My daughter went to a release party for a new children’s picture book and bought a copy for our school library. The party was at Jitters in Eagle River. The author is a friend of my daughter’s and to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the art and rhyming story. It’s downright adorable! “The Grand and Glorious Cupcake” by Brenna Nikalee Rath and illustrated by Lona Powell ISBN 978-1-4507-5468-2 is available on Amazon.
9/28: “Alaska Department of Fish and Game educators, working in cooperation with teachers, biologists and other agencies or nonprofits, have developed the following kits to provide educators with hands-on materials, information and activities. Kits are housed in a variety of locations throughout Alaska and are available for loan.”
9/28: Delta Junction’s local author/photographer, Cindy Lou Aillaud, is once again on the road visiting schools and talking about her book Recess at 20 Below, which is a Battle Book for 3/4 this year. The month of October is full but she still has a few spaces available in November. If you’re interested in an author visit you can contact her at cindylou.aillaud@gmail.com for more information and to schedule a visit. I am the librarian for the school district she used to teach with, Delta Greely, and I can vouch for the excellence and exuberance of her presentations.
9/29: Anyone tried Amazon audio-book subscription Audible? Looking into affordable way to purchase audio-books for our elementary library.
9/30: New Knowledge Quest feature that might be of interest. [Supervisors of school librarians share advice on Knowledge Quest.]
[su_frame]10/1: The deadline has now been extended to October 16! Don’t miss your chance to apply! [Apply to Present at the 2016 AkLA Conference in Fairbanks.] [/su_frame]
10/5: Some school focused Maker trainings coming up.
10/5: Too bad there’s no data for Alaska for 1950 or 1900 but still a very interesting map.
10/5: This looks like a cool idea. Have any of you tried it? [Library Displays: Word Cloud Quiz]
10/6: [It’ Monday! Graphic Novels Too Good to Miss]
10/6: [Research shows that captioned media increases literacy skills in people of all ages.]
AkASL Puffin
The latest from the newsletter of the Alaska Association of School Librarians, The Puffin. To submit an article, please contact The Puffin editor, Cayla Armatti.
Building Background Knowledge
Where to Begin
You’re Bound to Get Ideas, or How Teachers and Librarians Brought a Road Trip to the Classroom
Dueling or Dancing with Data? A Conversation about Data and Statistics as Information Literacy
Almanac
New York Times Learning Network: On This Day
October is Filipino American History Month, Italian American Heritage Month, Polish American Heritage Month, National Bullying Prevention Month, National Fire Prevention Month, LGBT History Month
October 3-10: It’s Alaska Book Week!
October 19: Alaska Day (observed) – State Library closed.
October 18-24: Teen Read Week
October 18-24: National Friends of Libraries Week
So
mething You’d Like to See in SAYL Mail?
To share news, success stories, resources, and opportunities, please contact Jared Shucha. The next issue is October 22nd.