Collecting Library Blogs

There is ten metric tons (22,046.2 pounds) of new information that SHOULD be sorted through each day to ensure that you do not fall behind in learning what is new and how to use it. You know... new phone stuff, new apps, and new technology.




There are great ways to keep up with the newest things. Some examples:

• RSS feeds (like Feedly)
• Follow numerous social media (like Facebook, Instragram, Twitter)
• News aggregators (like Flipboard or Pulse)

Sometimes though you just want to keep up with other libraries and other librarians. Here is a list of some of my favorite library related blogs that you can read or add to your own feeds:

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2015/06/22/lots-of-stuff-we-dont-know/

"The Annoyed Librarian is possibly the most successful, respected, and desirable librarian of her generation.

She has no other interest than to bring her wit and wisdom to the huddled librarian masses yearning to breathe free.

The Annoyed Librarian is a free spirit and you are lucky to have her."

http://thebooksmugglers.com/

"Like many foolhardy ideas, The Book Smugglers was born of a time of great adversity. Faced with threats concerning the overwhelming volume of books purchased on a daily basis, Ana Grilo and Thea James resorted to “smuggling” books home in huge handbags to avoid scrutiny. In 2008, the devious duo founded The Book Smugglers, a blog dedicated to speculative and genre fiction for all ages. In addition to being an outlet for Ana and Thea’s bottomless obsession with books, reviews, and assorted popgeekery, it is also the home of Book Smugglers Publishing–an independent digital-first publisher of SFF fiction and nonfiction."

http://charlotteslibrary.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html

"My name really is Charlotte.  I'm an archaeologist by day, president of the Friends of a small New England library by night, and an avid reader of fantasy and science fiction (and 20th-century British girls' books, but I don't blog about them much).  I began blogging on February 1st, 2007.  Since then, I've narrowed the focus of my blog from children's books in general to fantasy and science fiction books for kids and teenagers."

http://thebookmonsters.com/

Kate and Kristen, The Book Monsters, review literature in the categories of Young Adult and Middle Grade (dystopian, paranormal, fantasy, science fiction), Graphic Novels / Manga, and Adult novels with Young Adult cross-over appeal. Kate is our Dystopian and Manga fanatic, who is always looking for the next upcoming read. Kristen, on the other hand, is our Middle Grade guru, and loves to read Graphic Novels.

These are just a few of my favorites. Come back soon, I will have probably added some more. The information seeking and learning never ends. :)

Pew Research on Social Media 2015 edition

Pew Research Center has posted their new report on social media, 

Mobile Messaging and Social Media for 2015.  The target audience is 

Americans, ages 18+. 

Go read it. Then come back and see some highlights. 

Go ahead, I will wait.

http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/19/mobile-messaging-and-social-media-2015/

Interesting, huh? 

Here are some highlights:

General Internet and smartphone use:

• 85% of American adults are internet users
• 67% are smartphone users

Mobile Messaging:

• 36% of smartphone owners report using messaging apps like WhatsApp, Kik or iMessage
• 49% of smartphone owners age 18-29 use these types of apps.

Social Media Growth:

• Facebook – 62% of adults use it
  • 70% log on daily
  • 43% log on several times a day
• Pinterest – 26% of adults use it (more women than men)
• Instagram – 24% of adults use it.
  

  
  • Really popular with non-whites and young adults, slightly more women than men
  • 59% of Instagram users are not he platform daily!
  • 35% visit several times a day (guilty!)
• LinkIn – 22% of American adults
• Twitter – 20% of American adults.
  • More urban than rural, more popular with younger adults.

Interesting, huh? What does it mean for the library community? 

1. Everyone is using a phone. Does your library Web site work well on mobile devices?

2. How does your customers interact with you? Do you have more contact information than just an email?

3. Do you have a social media presence? Are you utilizing Facebook and Instagram?

Ponder it.. talk about it.. then go do something. 

Finding copyright free images?

Everyone at some point needs to find an image to use for some reason. Copyright laws apply to images and it is important to be able to find an image for use that does not violate the law. I am going to share two places that you can use to find images and how to use them.

Flickr

Step one:

 Go to Flickr Internet Archive

Step two: Search for bumblebee. Click on the limiter "No Known Copyright Restrictions"  https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=bumblebee&license=7%2C9%2C10

Step three: Pick a photo that you find the best for what you are doing. Like this one: See the bumblebee image

Below the image you will find various types of information pertaining to the picture. 

It will include:

• Who took the picture or where it comes from
• The date it was taken
• Whether it is public domain and/or copyright free
• Information posted by the person who added the image to Flickr

For example, this image has a poem.

Further in Summer than the Birds

Pathetic from the Grass

A minor Nation celebrates

Its unobtrusive Mass.

No Ordinance be seen

So gradual the Grace

A pensive Custom it becomes

Enlarging Loneliness.

Antiquest felt at Noon

When August burning low

Arise this spectral Canticle

Repose to typify

Remit as yet no Grace

No Furrow on the Glow

Yet a Druidic Difference

Enhances Nature now

  

-- Emily Dickinson

Creative Commons (Pixabay)

Another great resource to find images without copyright is Creative Commons.

Step One: Go to Creative Commons

Step Two: Mark the two boxes under the search box that say "use for commercial purposes" and "modify, adapt, or build upon"

Step Three: Enter your search word or words.  Let's look for bumblebee again. Click on Pixabay. See the results.

Step Four: Pick an image that you like and click on it. Like this one: Bumblebee image

The results show the image, information about the image, and links to download it.


These are just two sites that can be utilized to locate images that are free of copyright restraints. Here are a few more:

http://www.freeimages.com/

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://www.morguefile.com/

extremal-board

What is copyright?

Copyright is a law. It gives you ownership over anything that you create. It is a form of protection for original works. Whether it is a photograph, a painting, a poem, or a song. It it is created by you, you own it and the copyright law helps you protect it.  "Copyright" literally means the right to copy. It guarantees certain rights which include:

• The right to reproduce the work
• The right to prepare derivative works
• The right to distribute copies
• The right to perform the work
• The right to display the work publicly

These rights cannot be violated legally. That means, no one can perform, make copies, or attribute the work unless you give them the right.

What is copyright infringement?

Copyright infringement occurs when a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of the copyright owner. Using copyrighted material is a crime and you can be prosecuted and/or sued.

How To Make Sure You Do Not Break the Copyright Law

The best way to be sure that you are not using someone else's material is to use your own skill and imagination to make something that is all yours. That means you own it!

Here is a Slideshare to help you understand more.

Copyright presentation 5 from marivelcg

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT YOUR ATTORNEY, AND THE INFORMATION I PRESENT HERE IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE. I PRESENT THIS INFORMATION FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.

Researching Summer Learning Loss

Researching....my thoughts.

     The process of researching for my paper began with a visit to some databases. I did not find it difficult to find information on my topic, only that the sources I found often said the same thing and quoted the same study.  I was able to find good scholarly sources. I began with not thinking I had enough information to write a 1000-word paper, but found that I had to leave a great deal out.

    I learned a great deal through researching this topic. I was unaware of just how much knowledge is being lost over the summer breaks and the long-term effects this has on the students. I would like to research this topic more. I also would like to see up-to-date research to see if any improvements have been made over the past few years. 


  

Summer Learning Loss

Summer learning loss also known as the "summer slide" or achievement loss is the loss of learned information that children experience over summer vacation. Three months of reading progress is lost each summer, and this loss is cumulative over time. By the end of the fifth-grade children can be three years behind their classmates if nothing is done.

All children can experience this loss, but it is much more prevalent in lower social and economic children, and those of different ethnic and racial backgrounds.

This loss happens every year and is compounded which creates a higher loss level through their entire educational career.

Every community experiences this loss, although it is higher in lower economic communities and rural communities.

Children need ongoing opportunities to learn and practice essential skills to prevent the loss of that information until it can become a permanent part of their knowledge base. 

Webquest
 Butterfly Life Cycle

A

Introduction

Do you like butterflies?

Do you know they have four parts to their life?

As part of our study of life cycles you will learn many interesting facts about the butterfly cycles.

You will become a butterfly expert as you gather information from Websites about the butterfly life cycles.

Task

You will go to the websites and read about the butterfly life cycle and then create a presentation about the process for the class.

The Process

1. Choose a partner.

2. Decide who will use the computer first and who will take notes. Decide on how you will switch roles so you get equal use of the computer.

3. Read the Introduction and Task together. Be sure you understand the assignment.

4. Visit the sites one-by-one. As you read for information explore the sites carefully. Take notes on a sheet of paper as you learn new information. Return to this site so you can then visit another suggested site.

5. When your research is complete, you can begin making your presentation in Powerpoint.

6. Now, share your presentation with the class.

Resources

1. Butterfly Life Cycle and More
2. The Butterfly Website
3. Label a Butterfly
4. Butterfly Life Cycle
5. 
   

Evaluation

We will be using a rubric that we will develop together to assess your presentation.

Conclusion

Congratulations! Your job is done! You have now created a presentation using the information you gathered from  Websites! Refer back to your books as our classroom butterflies continue to move through the life cycle called metamorphosis. Share your presentation with your parents, brothers, sisters and neighbors. Soon they will be experts on butterfly life cycles too!