Book Value

“you can blog about anything this week…”

Funny how an open ended topic creates insurmountable writer’s block!

Ironically, there is so much going on in my life library-wise that I should have no problems establishing topic parameters.

I recently read an article in “Today’s Parent” magazine (March 2003) by John Lorinc entitled Book Value. It basically talked about ‘new’ research that shows a strong link between student achievement and a well-stocked and easily accessible (something Lornic referred to as ‘healthy’) school library.

(And as we all know, in order to achieve a healthy status a library must have a healthy budget.)

Which got me to thinking….

I am currently in a position as a Teacher-Librarian but I am a nearly extinct species (a fact that exists mainly due to budget cuts and the like). And as it is….I am a Teacher first and a Librarian second. Even now my time must be split between the classroom and the bookstacks and that invariably leads to stack neglect as library tasks get pushed to the wayside while student needs are addressed.

So I thought some more….

Isn’t there an easier way to bridge the gap between library and user (and in this case student) that makes my job as a Teacher and a Librarian easier??

How can I get my students involved in library use AND get homework handed in?! And HOW can I use wiki’s and blogs (and other such technologies) to give these kids the immediacy today’s generation craves so much??

The answer to that…..I am still working on….

In the meantime I’m off to update the current collection to at least one step higher on the technological front….barcodes on books…..here….we…..go!!!

In the beginning...

Phew! So here I am....post # 1.

Boy, this is exciting!

...

So......

What now????

Well...This blog is beginning as an assignment for an online course in Library Studies. But...I hope it becomes much more than that! Having only experimented with livejournal in the past, I feel pretty green when it comes to blogging. In fact, I feel as if it is reserved for those advanced computer techie types and find the entire process rather daunting. Which is why it feels sort of strange to be here....blogging. I feel almost as if I have taken on a new persona....like Carrie Bradshaw in 'Sex and the City'...except I'll be blogging about librarianship in a small northern town instead of making poignant observations about men and shoes.

Okay...maybe I'll throw in a line or two about my shoe of the day....just to mix it up a bit!


Surprisingly, setting up this blog was a super easy experience! The hardest part was deciding on a title. Otherwise it felt as if I had simply sat down and opened up Microsoft Word in order to do some typing. In fact, it has felt so easy that I feel strongly that one of two things must be happening: Either a) I am most certainly doing something wrong or b) my lofty opinions of how tricky and advanced those techie computer guys were was greatly overrated!


In any case, it's great to finally be here! While there will definitely be a large learning curve when it comes to all the lingo and how to use it (ie. RSS feeds = Really Scary Suggestion) I hope that it all works out in the end. Gulp!

I'm also curious to explore the world of blogs for library use. Particularly for library use within a high school setting. I am currently in a new position as the high school librarian for a grade 9-12 school in Nunavut. Many of these kids are unfamiliar with written language, particularly English, yet most excel with technology. What are the implications for blogging in the northern school setting? I'm curious how this new tool can help make this library (and language) more accessible for these kids.

And who knows, maybe I'll learn enough to impress my computer savvy fiancee! Stranger things have happened in the world of blog-dom!


Stay tuned!