The SurRural Librarian

I have HUGE windows in my library, and new curtains have been on my “to buy” list for a long time. On a trip to Philadelphia this summer, we stopped by the South Phil. Ikea and picked up these great curtains for $40 per window. That’s more than half what I was afraid it would cost me. The compliments have come in droves, including from the kids. I also picked up some cheap throw rugs that jazz up the picture book corner.

*mwah!* Ikea.

They also have a great set with a dragon, but alas, they were out of stock when I was there.

I’ve been lugging these old typewriters around for all of my adult life, and I’m not sure why. These things are heavy to move from apartment to apartment. Fortunately, they have now found a new home in my library. To the kids, they are antique, hand-attracting curiosities. Interactive signage for a new era.

Well, it’s been quite a whirlwind, what with school starting and all. I have more hours this year, and they seem to have filled up quite nicely, thank you. I’ve made a number of changes to the library schedule, curriculum and even decor, so I’m trying to catch up on some of my favorites here.

More Time for the Primary

I’ve scheduled book check-out for the 1/2nd grades to be at a different time than their library class. The teacher sends them to the library in small groups, while the whole class is working on projects or choice time. This makes it so that I have real time to talk with kids and help them choose books. It also means we have time to do more activities with our “story time”. And this means that where I once spent 45 minutes a week with this classroom, now I get to be with them for more than twice that. It’s a luxury our small school, flexible scheduling and wonderfully supportive faculty makes possible, and I’m once again thanking my stars to work in such a great school. I got this great idea from Andra at Oak Grove, thanks Andra!

DIY for the Upper Grades

I worked all summer on a large supply of what I’m calling DIY Information Literacy Challenges. With dual-grade classrooms, keeping everyone on the same page has always been a challenge. So now as students work on their assignments, I’ve got more waiting for the kids who finish early.

I’ve got them classified into categories like “Using Search Engines”, “Creating Bibliographies”, “Finding & Citing Images”. As we cover a topic, I make them available to the class on their website as pdfs they print out (if necessary) and start working on. Many of them are internet scavenger-hunts in the form of crossword puzzles, wordfinds, etc. Already the kids are showing enthusiasm for the variety and the chance to move on at their own speed.