Summer Reading Suggestions

Just4U: Adult Summer Reading

The Walrus: Pick up and carry in your beach bag a copy of the July/August issue of The Walrus: it is "the only mass magazine in the country that publishes fiction in every issue .... The Summer Reading Issue will bring you the work of nine Canadian writers (“Canadian Studies,”) who were given a simple challenge: write a truly Canadian short story" (from Editorial by John Macfarlane).

NOTE: Zsuzsi Gartner, one of our wonderful FOSL reps whom we recognized with an award at our VTLA year-end dinner, crafted the response that spoke for school libraries during the recent VSB budget process. Her story, "Say the Names," is included in this issue of The Walrus. We can feel very privileged to have her speaking for Vancouver's school libraries.

Canada Reads: This year's book is Nikolski by Nicholas Dickner, translated by Lazer Lederhendler. But you could choose any one of the selected titles, including Good to a Fault, by BC writer Marina Endicott; Generation X by Douglas Coupland; The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy; and Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald, if you were looking for good Canadian fiction but didn't feel compelled to join in by reading the cross-country summer book choice.

CBC suggests you listen to the Between the Covers audio reading of Nikolski and check out the CBC Book Club's celebration of Nikolski. And join host Hannah Sung and other book lovers in the Book Club all year long.

Indigo's Top 100 List: choose one from the list of best books as determined in an online survey of Canadian readers in 2007.

Project Gutenberg's Top 100 eBooks: a list based on downloads

The Bookmark: The June 2010 (50:2) issue of this BCTLA tradition is now online and it's free! What are Living Libraries? What's New on the Net? How do you get a teen book club going? What's this about "convergence or confusion" about eBooks? What's worth reading in YA and children's literature? The answers are all here for your summer enjoyment.

VPL Digital Resources: now includes Best of BC Books Online; use your VPL card to access this pilot project of 1000 ebooks published in BC.

VPL Book Clubs: there's one for every reading and social need -- Reel Reads, World Authors, Online, Drop-in, Poetry, Summer Reading, One Book: One Vancouver -- or find out how to start your own.

Or plan to attend one VPL event this summer: the Book Lovers' Reading Circle starts July 3 and the Summer Book Sale is July 8.

VPL Recommends: Fiction &Literature (for Adults) offers loads of lists, including Staff Picks (June 2010). Something for every taste! If you prefer lists of recommended non-fiction, check here.

The list of lists of Fiction & Literature is long, including but not limited to Award Winners, Banned Books, Canadian Mysteries, CanLit, Delectable Reads, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novels for Adults, Books Made into Movies, Life in Venice, Lusty Reads, Reading the City Series: Vancouver is for Readers, Manly Fiction, Vancouver Fiction, and Women’s Fiction.

4them: Kids and Summer Reading

TD Summer Reading Club: Destination Jungle

This online reading club is sponsored by TD, the Toronto Public Library, and Library and Archives Canada, its goals are to encourage and strengthen the habit of reading for pleasure to create life-long learners, as well as to increase children's reading skills and reduce summer learning loss.

VPL Summer Reading Club: Children ages six to twelve are invited to join the Reading Rocks! Summer Reading Club. Vancouver Public Library also invites school age children to join the Multilingual Summer Reading Club - read books in any language!

Chris Tougas, author and illustrator of Art's Supplies and Mechanimals has created the hilarious poster and reading record for Reading Rocks! Summer Reading Club. Members will receive a reading record, bookmark, and stickers to collect. Children can record the titles and authors of the books they read on the reading record. It's lots of fun and absolutely free!

This summer reading initiative is sponsored by the British Columbia Library Association and the Vancouver Public Library, with the assistance of the Public Library Services Branch, Ministry of Education.

VPL’s Summer Writing and Book Camp: Got the Write Stuff (August 9-13) is for 11-13 year olds and for 14+. It’s FULL already but there is a waiting list.

Keynotes include well-known YA authors Carrie Mac, Sarah Ellis, Polly Horvath, Susan Nielsen, and Meg Tilly. Also working with young writers and readers will be Maggie de Vries and Julie Burtinshaw. Get your teen or pre-teen writer on that waitlist now! This extremely popular summer camp is a bargain for $225. If you can't get your teen or pre-teen in this year, remember to look for this earlier next year.

VPL Recommends: Kids & Teens

Check out the great lists for your reading kids and teens.

Holiday Time is Here!

Active artwork by one talented Vancouver elementary student
captures the joy and colourful nature of winter and play

It's Winter Reading Time:

Reading List Fever: this promotional youtube video reminds us of the importance of reading widely.

Check out Rex Murphy's Cross Country Checkup Annual Christmas Reading List for this and past years.

Browse the VPL's Staff Picks Fiction List for December or their Perfect Presents for Adults 2009.

If you have run out of reading ideas, try plugging the title and author of your last good read into The Book Seer for recommendations for your next book.

Want to catch up on professional reading? Here are some readings about assessment-for-learning.

How about the most recent (50th Anniversary) issue of The Bookmark? BCTLA members will be receiving the last-ever print version in the mail soon. Have you renewed your membership? Check for details at membersonline.

Into reading online? Try fora.tv's Programs on Books. While here, check many other programs about the economy, the environment, politics, culture, science, and technology to "feed your inner genius." Thanks for this website, Phil in HR.

Got an urge to brush up on some of the new digital tools and resources? Try the ERAC "EBSCO bundle" Toolkit, developed by TLs and featuring a great video with our Sylvia as "the star." Or have a look at the Smartboard information.

Why not consider the future of books and libraries with Doug Johnson's E-books, E-learning, E-gads! Thanks, Lana, for this one.

Here's one more promotional video for libraries and e-resources posted to BCTLA Forum by North Van's bookminder:

Otherwise, simply ...

Have a wonderful break!

PS: I'll be taking a break too but will be back
to blogging the school library scene in January.

Reading Around the Summer Town

VPL Plans for Summer Readers:

• In July, there will be Chilean Poetry recitals (in Spanish), including works by Neruda, my favourite; Saturday morning Search Smart for learning how to use databases; the Summer Book Sale on July 3 (bring your own bags!); more chances to join One Book, One Vancouver author Karen X. Tulchinsky for discussions of her book The Five Books of Moses Lapinsky
  


• The Adult Summer Reading Club invites you to read in any language and at multiple locations!
  


• On August 15, 8 pm, why not attend the screening of the documentary The Riot at Christie Pits in remembrance of the 75th anniversary of the 1933 race riots in Toronto
  


• Check out the August TechnoTuesdays as they seem perfect for educators. Google Basics, Choosing a Digital Cameria, and internet tools and technologies for enhancing reading, a session called Fiction Resources.
  


• Looking for a Book Club for the Fall? There's the Thursday Night, or Saturday Morning, Non-Fiction, Classics, and/or Ancient Classics Book Clubs to choose from. The Classics include Jane Austen. The Non-Fiction readers will be doing The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester, a book about the Victorian "grand" project of researching and writing The Oxford English Dictionary, a resource that requires its own shelf and that researches the history of the use of each word in the language. I loved the tale and the writing, and I wish I'd been able to see him when he was here recently. Check for this and more information at the VPL website.
  


• For kids, there's the Summer Reading Club: Reading all Over the Map and the Multilingual Reading Club as well. Children are also invited to events that celebrate Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese cultures.
  
  
• For pre-teens, just teens, and other teens, there's the Canadian Book Camp: Read it Write Now! and speakers Richard VanCamp, Andrea Spalding, Norma Charles, Nikki Tate, and more. Information online.
  Read the research about Canadian children and summer reading -- here's the IRA report.

Other summer reading opportunities:

• Check out O (July) magazine; see Oprah's online Summer Reading lists for adults and for kids. While you won't find a lot of Canadian material, you have to love her spirited endorsement of reading, reading, reading.
  


• Library and Archives Canada, along with TD, have kids' reading lists in both English and French. This year's theme is LOL (Laugh Out Loud, if you aren't familiar with chat abbrevs).
  


• TeensSRC is brand new. Teens across Canada can submit online reviews, participate in discussion forums, and take part in librarian-moderated chats. The site is run by the British Columbia Library Association with support from the British Columbia Ministry of Education and the Greater Victoria Public Library.
  


• The Dewey Divas and Dudes blog is wonderful. This is a group of Canadian publishers’ reps who blog-talk their favourite reads of the upcoming season to librarians and school teachers. What a great resource this is.
  


• Maclean's senior writer Brian Bethune muses on all things literary in his infrequent postings to the blog: Bethune on Books
  


• Have a peek at what is suggested for St George's high-school-age boys' summer reading. I also liked these Washington International school lists (in French and Spanish, as well as English). Included in some of the lists are Canadian authors, non-fiction, poetry, and novels in translation. These are great lists.
  


• Canada Reads 2008: Paul Quarrington's King Leary
  


• You will love this one: travel to Reading Places! Check out the Wikireadia. Celebrate 2008 which is the national Year of Reading in the UK
  
• The LA Times offers summer book choices by month: June to August
  


• Read online: The world's 50 most powerful blogs! Now there's something to aspire to ...
  


• Travelling in the UK? Here are Richard and Judy's TV Book Club choices for this summer.
  


• Here's a list in many genres from The Telegraph -- the best books for beach, garden or rooftop from those most enjoyed by Telegraph critics this year
  
• All right, so it's compiled in 2002, but I always think this is a great reference when you are looking for something great: The Top 100 Books of All Time from The Guardian
  
• The ALA's Reading List Council seeks outstanding genre fiction that merits special attention by general adult readers and librarians. Ten librarians, experts in readers’ advisory and collection development, select adrenaline titles in eight different categories: suspense, thrillers, and action adventure; Fantasy; Historical Fiction; Horror; Mystery; Romance; Science Fiction; and Women’s Fiction. The page reads, "This inaugural juried list features established voices and debut novelists and suggests titles that will thrill avid fans and entice new readers." See also the Notables List and the Current Notable Children's List for 2008.
  
• There are several booklists now available from Booklists on the VSB School Libraries and Learning Resources page. The most recent MARBLES (Multicultural, Anti-racist Book-Loving EducatorS) list features Canadian titles for K-12, is being regularly updated, and was developed by Vancouver TLs and Angela Brown, our Diversity Consultant.

How's that? Make sure to share this Summer Reading blog with your colleagues, and add other lists you use in the form of Comments (or email me and I will add them).

It's National Poetry Month

On Teaching Poetry

I loved teaching poetry. My favourite poetics experiences were when the grade 8s come to the library to "do" poetry. There are surely none so eager as grade 8s. In they would fly, heading for the computers to search for "poetry" on google.

Imagine my delight as they pulled up millions of sites. It was the same every year. When asked what was next in their search strategies, I could count on one or more to tell me they were going to look at the sites. Pushed a little more, they would then suggest limiters, words like "funny" or "love" ... but these too brought up too many sites. In fact, I would have pre-searched the numbers of sites they would likely have found by searching "poetry" and by using certain single limiting descriptors and calculated how long it would take, if they spent only 30 seconds on a site, to get through them all.

I wanted them to see that google as a source of poetry was messy and largely "unreviewed" and best searched if you had a particular poet in mind -- which didn't leave you open to the wonders of new poets. I wanted to introduce them to the subscription poetry database and be able to critique it for its limitations ... these Canadian children have a remarkable literary legacy of local and national poets of worth. The database is not very Canadian. The last time I used it, there was no Cohen, no Lane, no Bowering ... just Atwood.

More to the point, I wanted to show them the many small volumes and books of poems I had collected that were available in the school library collection -- old and new, for children and adults, in one voice or four -- these surely were the very best sources for poetry! [My powerpoint that accompanies this introduction is available on the tlspecial wiki: see item 6 "Sources of Poetry" under Tools and Strategies for Technology Integration with Teaching and Learning.]

The assignment, Poetry in Powerpoint, had them selecting a single poem to present to the class using powerpoint. The intro above had contained examples of how this would look: "I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree ...." The student would learn to use powerpoint and many of its features; the poem chosen by the student would be presented with a few lines on each slide as well as an image the student had chosen to represent how he or she visualized the lines. Additional slides might include analysis of poetic devices, interpretation, or information about the poet. Not only were the students working with poetry, they were delving into visual and technology literacies as well as practicing oral language skills with their presentations.

I loved being able to see how the student saw the poem. My favourite to this day remains "Dim Sum Girl" -- it turned out to be song lyrics from a NY Chinatown group called Notorious MSG; Notorious send the song out to all the girls who push dim sum carts all over the world:


It’s been so long since I’ve seen you smile
looking so good coming down that aisle
with that sexy dress and a little dim sum
makes me crazy when I order chow fun

While I am sure you can imagine the colourful images for this little show, most of them of food, I suppose it was just a little short on the traditional poetic devices!

Integrating technology's many tools and applications is always a challenge but it can be a fun learning experience too ... while Poetry in Powerpoint was essentially the same exercise for grade 11 Communications students, it was with here that I asked a student about the wonderful template he was using for his powerpoint. That's where I learned about Brainy Betty: now there's a source of templates to liven up your technology presentations.

Here's a fun site with lots to use for Poetry Month: poets.org has for the month of April a Poem-a-day feature and see also the page Resources for Teachers, Librarians and Booksellers

Youngpoets.ca has some great ideas for teaching poetry too.

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More blah-blah:

If you were pondering the realities of teaching here in BC, imagine this: Teacher Suspended Over Book: CNN, March 26, 2008 (video clip)

The newly installed invisible counter on the tlspecial blog shows last Friday was the BIGGEST day of the week for "hits": of the 138 visitors who came to the site last week, 75 of them came on Friday. Not all of the visitors are from Vancouver.

Here's some reading for you: School Libraries Work! 2008 revision of Scholastic's "meta-analysis" of the research on school libraries.

Happy New Year!

I have saved this link to as a reflective holiday greeting: What is eaten in one week (by one family around the world) is for consideration in our own New Year’s planning or for use with social studies or social issues lessons.

I will be away from my desk on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Yes, I am off to give a workshop in School District #6, Rocky Mountain, in Invermere, BC. I will be using our "Role and Responsibilities" document (sent to new and nearly-new TLs this week). For anyone else who may wish to review the scope and nature of the wonderful work you do, check this 6-page document in section 1 of your TL Handbook.

Heidi, Literacy Mentor here at the VSB, sends the following clever “marketing” youtube link of interest for TLs.

Our first TL Studio Workshop of 2008 had 15 registrants but only 5 showed up. I hope that people just forgot and have not lost interest. Michele showed us all kinds of new “open source” resources like Froguts and Scratch, as well as what can be done with the Smartboard. We met John, the new Online Learning Consultant, resisted chocolate, and considered how we might use the new tools. Attendees submitted comments in response to my blog!

I hope you find you can respond to this blog by going to the end of this January 11 entry and clicking onto “Comments.” You can mark this http://tlspecial.blogspot.com/ as a favourite and come back to it at any time.

NOTE: A blog is an online diary – we discussed possible applications for Reader Response but the jury is out on educational applications for these. It is a Web 2.0 tool in that it is interactive. Where wikis are a tool that can be collaboratively developed, blogs are written by one person and responded to by others. In blogs, the first entry is the most recent. Older entries are “archived” or scrolled through. I am still learning how to do this and will be looking for how to make it searchable. But I did choose the background and video clips, post my photo taken from a window of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, and successfully enter the emails I sent you previously. Stop reading when it begins to feel as though you’ve seen this before!

Little Library in Malawi: I got a call this morning from Deanna to say thanks for the donations of really fine reading materials and supplies for the new library in Malawi. She was able to take some books with her and has just sent off 90 lbs more (with the help of a $450 community donation).

UPCOMING EVENTS:

District Literacy Day, Feb. 8: Information will be in the schools next week. 34 workshops to choose from. Be sure to promote workshops with your colleagues, and check out the ones given by TLs.

District Technology Day, Feb. 8: Check the workshops for the Faces of Technology Conference 2008 online.

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Don't forget to register for:

EBSCO Training for Teacher-Librarians

Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Prince of Wales Secondary Library, 2250 Eddington Drive (just north of 25th and west of Arbutus) with our David and presenter Dennis Staples, Education Specialist, EBSCO Publishing.

This is the last opportunity of the year to get first-hand answers from the company rep. We have asked Dennis to be prepared to "customize" his workshop for the questions and interests you have.

We need more sign-up for this session!

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What Research Says About Improving the Literacy Achievements of Students of Diverse Backgrounds

Sponsored by BCLCIRA, this evening of professional development with Dr Kathryn Au will be held on Thursday, January 31, at the Italian Cultural Centre from 5 pm to 8:30 pm. For the registration fee of $55 (before Jan 17) and $65 (after Jan 17), you will have a full Italian dinner, an educational evening, and an opportunity to socialize with other literacy-minded educators.

Dr. Au, VP, International Reading Association and Dai Ho Chun Professor of Education at University of Hawaii, has authored numerous books and chapters on multicultural classrooms, diverse learners and effective literacy instruction for all students. Based on research on language and culture, Dr. Au will present evidence-based, practical instructional strategies that address the needs of all literacy learners.

Email Meredyth - mkezar@vsb.bc.ca – if this sounds like an evening for you:

Nick Glass, Founder and Principal of TeachingBooks, makes a webinar offer

If you would be interested in attending a free TeachingBooks.net web seminar, or if you think a group of our colleagues might like this, let me know. Glass writes, “This live training session would enable your librarians, reading teachers, and anyone in your district who uses books to learn directly from TeachingBooks staff about how this electronic resource supports their existing library and reading initiatives.”

He continues, “What we ask is that we have an audience. Your colleagues could be gathered in one place, spread out throughout the district, or a combination of the two. Webinar attendees need only a computer with Internet access and headphones or speakers …. The webinar would have value both live and beyond. We will record the seminar and provide you with a link to share the recording throughout your district.” Call Moira if you would like this set up.

From VPL and Hastings Library -- Teen Book Club and Palmistry for Teens

It’s back! Saturdays, 2:30 to 4:30 pm, Jan 19, Mar 1, Mar 29, Apr 26, May 24. It’s FREE. They provide the books and snacks. Registration is limited to 15 and has started already. Call 604-665-3959 to register or to get more information.

Or how about another exciting program, Palmistry for Teens, coming on Jan 26, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 pm. Again, registration has started. Limited to 15.

More Teen-focused workshops are anticipated. Says Karen Sharkey, Teen Services Librarian at the VPL: “We will be having a gaming program, a beauty bootcamp and a graphic novels workshop coming later in the spring and I'll keep you posted.”

Karen also thanks TLs in Vancouver for promoting the Teen Bookmark Contest. “We had over 200 entries and the 2 winners are both from Vancouver. I am working on finding an event to present them with their cheques and the big 4 foot bookmark that we give them with their art. If you have any suggestions about school events where we could do the presentation, that would be great! I am going to see if the city youth team has anything where we could do the presentation.” Stay tuned.


RESOURCES

Vancouver Kidsbooks: Pre-Sale Event for Teachers and Teacher-librarians

Phyllis Simon sends her personal invitation:

"To all our wonderful teachers!! We invite you to our Annual Sale Teacher's Night Preview for fun, refreshments and first kick at our 20% off sale."

The Pre-Sale Evening will be held at all three stores (Broadway, Edgemont, and South Surrey) from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. RSVP 604-738-5335.

The Annual Sale with 20% of all stock and 30% off Christmas stock will run from Thursday Jan 17 to Sunday Jan 20.

Please promote this event … and come with teacher colleagues. Flyer sent by email.
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NFB Learning Resources Catalogue:
Order by calling 1-800-267-7710

Lots of new titles on the environment, diversity, history, government, Language Arts, aboriginal studies, science and nature, media issues, teens, and more.

You can shop online at www.nfb.ca/store, search the free online study guides at www.nfb.ca/guides, and know that NFB DVDs are cleared for classroom use and public performance where no entry fee is charged.
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From Elizabeth Graves of ULS comes news of the January Blowout Sale:
January 14 - 19, 2008
Discounts up to 36% off on all Hardcovers (in house purchases only)

Extra bonuses include:
• A huge clearance section of 80% off titles
• 50% off selected French Books
• Free Shipping
• Lots of Reading Power titles in stock

Sale Hours:

Mon., Jan 14: 8:30am - 5:00pm; Tues., Jan 15: 8:30am - 5:00pm; Wed., Jan 16: 8:30am - 5:00pm; Thurs., Jan 17: 8:30am - 5:00pm; Fri., Jan 18: 8:30am - 4:00pm; Sat., Jan 19: 9:00am - 2:00pm (NOTE: Saturday opening)

101B - 3430 Brighton Avenue, Bunaby BC V5A 3H4
604-421-1154 or toll-free 1-877-853-1200

Elizabeth Hennessey Graves, Sales, BC Schools & Libraries
United Library Services, 101B 3430 Brighton Avenue, Burnaby, BC V5A 3H4
T: (604) 605-8926 F: (604) 605-8961 e: egraves@uls.com


Awesome Stories – The January issue

I know I’ve talked about this site before. The January Issue is available now. And there is a subject index , a separate section for learning tools such as animations, online games, and virtual field trips, and streaming audio recordings of their stories. You don’t have to load a player; just click on the green arrow at the top of each recorded chapter and off you go. Look for podcasts of stories soon. We have now got an academic membership using 39vsb as the password.

Writers In Electronic Residence Launches 20th Year

Jan. 14: Linking Canada's Writers with Canada's Schools

Imagine having Wayne Gretzky assess your stick work, or Elizabeth Baird test your butter tarts. Then imagine that their advice was part of a free exchange of ideas among other students, teachers, and the pros, culminating in everyone joining in a practice hockey game or sitting down to eat the final creation. This captures the reality of Writers In Electronic Residence, where the coaches are prominent Canadian writers, working online wth students and teachers in elementary, middle and secondary classrooms across Canada--Iqaluit to Toronto, Vancouver to St. John's.

WIER's winter term will open with its usual two-week "introductory period" on January 14, 2008. Space is available in each of WIER's online writing programs--elementary, middle school, and secondary school levels. The term will run until April 5.

Please visit http://www.wier.ca/ for program information, student writing samples, author biographies and the like. Here's a quick link to WIER's registration FAXBACK FORM.
WIER is administered by the Canadian Education Association in alliance with OISE/UT.

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From former TL Val, now Co-ordinator, Artists-in-Residence Program, here at the VSB:

WORKING LIVES: A MUSICAL HISTORY OF LABOUR AND ENTERPRISE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

This year celebrate BC’s 150th birthday using this new online learning resource: http://www.workinglives.ca/. It provides a uniquely creative perspective on BC's social and economic history. Collaboratively developed by a TL and a singer/songwriter John McLachlan, Working Lives works well with the Social Studies 10 BC Resources unit. Historical figures are kept alive through the songs they inspired.

Each of the 10 songs can be downloaded. Archival photographs and pen and ink drawings give the songs a visual context, while background information and learning activities in a PDF format encourage students to actively engage with the website. Extension activities and extensive bibliographies enable further research. Working Lives was classroom tested during the development process.

To launch Working Lives as a classroom resource in BC schools, request one of the FREE CDs (limited number) from BCTF Lesson Aids: 604- 871-2180. A $5.00 charge for postage and handling will apply.

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New Book The Evergreen Country: A Memoir of Viet-Nam
By Thuong Vuong-Riddick

Some of you may know Mimi, Settlement Worker in School (SWIS) at Churchill. Her sister Thuong Vuong-Riddick has just published her second book. Mimi has emailed me to say Chapters doesn’t have enough copies at the moment so you can contact Thuong directly thuong_riddick@hotmail.com with questions or ordering information. Five secondary schools have her first book of poems, Two Shores : poems = Deux Rives: poemes

From EdInfo Digest, Jan 3: A BC ARCHIVES Website: THE AMAZING TIME MACHINE

If you haven’t looked at this resource, you should do. It caters to school age children and provides access to British Columbia historical documents, images, and other multimedia information in a format that they can relate to.

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timemach/index.htm

Archival documents (photos, newspaper clippings, drawings, paintings and pages from people’s journals etc.) are grouped into 11 collections that range from “Families in B.C. History” for grades K–1, “First Nations Art in B.C.” for grade 4 and “Women in B.C. History” for grade 11.

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timemach/galler01/frames/index.htm

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timemach/galler03/frames/index.htm

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timemach/galler10/frames/index.htm

The Time Machine is the winner of various awards and “best-of” lists and received a five-star rating from the Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

And finally, this week …

A REMINDER: Sun/Province AFFIDAVIT WEEK IS COMING UP! Here's a suggestion from a TL colleague: Fill in every blank except the date (# of licences = the number of students in your school), photocopy it 6 times so you have enough to send in until June, then each month you only have to fill in the date and FAX as required.

New TL Directories have been sent out. Please replace the ones from the Fall. Some changes have been coming in. We will send these out by email so that you can make relevant changes on your print copy.

Have a great weekend!

Time for a Break!

Time for a Break!

Rather than add to the size of your email with large summary email missives each week, I am blogging and will be sending out the link.

More Changes in School Libraries

The new TL at the Gladstone library is doing her course work in the TL diploma program and is rumoured to work part-time as well at Kidsbooks.

We will update the TL Directory in January to reflect the many changes.

I have a new assistant.

FPinfomart Training

The FPinfomart Training and Professional Services team will hold classroom training sessions in Vancouver on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008.

If you would like to participate, can you contact Moira before registering with Yvonne Yip at yyip@canwest.com.

If you are unable to attend, please contact Yvonne to set up an alternate virtual or phone training session. For more information on all of the different training opportunities, as well as details on the on-site venues, please visit the Training Schedule.

DVD: The Boy Inside

The Ministry of Education is sending out copies of this DVD for schools, as you will have seen in my earlier email today. We need to catalogue one copy be sent in for cataloguing. Can someone let me know when one is available. Remind your administrator that our centralized resource and expertise services are the best way to retain and promote resources in schools. If anyone should happen to get two copies, we could always add one to the district Media collection!

Lunch with Jamie McKenzie –

I can't tell you how great it was for me to be invited to share in the Nootka potluck luncheon with guest Dr Jamie McKenzie, former superintendent for the Bellingham School District. For those of you who want to find out more about his work in supporting teachers who are integrating technology with teaching and learning and in building strong school library programs go to his From Now On website. And the lunch was fantastic, especially the cream puffs!

Cancelled/un-cancelled/re-scheduled -- Workshop on Accounting --

As I drove back to the VSB from Nootka on Thursday afternoon, the snow appeared to be sticking so, on seeing that most were coming from the East Side, I thought it best to cancel the workshop. In addition to emailing, we phoned the schools. You will have seen the email -- several were also sick. But TLs are a hardy and dedicated breed. Six came, two by bike. And the snow turned to rain. So we had a small but successful workshop. I am planning another one for January as Accounting will still send someone.

Lunch with Author Hadani Ditmars

Author Hadani Ditmars and I had lunch this week ... I don't get out very often like this, I swear! She is widely published with a major article on the loss of culture due in the March issue of The Walrus.

Here is a link to her literary agent's page: http://www.tla1.com/Talent/Hadani_Ditmars/HADANI_DITMARS.htm.

Hadani is going to be available in January and February for sure and is well suited to social studies global issues topics. I have several schools already interested in setting dates. Here's the "blurb":

Hadani Ditmars’ Dancing in the No Fly Zone chronicles 7 years of reporting from pre and post invasion Iraq. She has read and lectured on Iraq internationally, from the Vancouver Public Library to London’s Royal Institute of International Affairs to Dublin’s Abbey Theatre. Hadani has had a particular interest in the plight of children and youth in war zones, having documented the experience of Lebanese “children of war” in post civil war Beirut, Somali and Palestinian refugees, as well as children in Iraq. Her work lends itself to elementary and secondary social studies. The chapter of No Fly Zone entitled “The Pool People” describes the plight of displaced children and their families camped out in an abandoned aquatic centre in a north Baghdad slum. “In Hospital” focuses on the Baghdad Pediatric Hospital – sadly in worse shape post invasion than it was under draconian sanctions that restricted the importation of basic medicine and supplies.

Iraq, like Canada, was once a secular, multicultural society with one of the best public health and education systems in the world. Today, infant mortality rates are on a par with sub-Saharan Africa and the literacy rate has plummeted. Baghdad’s libraries, museums, schools and public institutions have been burned, looted or co-opted by sectarian militias and a whole generation of children have had their education interrupted or severely curtailed.

Hadani’s book as well as her video and photographic presentations offer a very human and easily accessible way into the lives of average Iraqi men, women and children caught up in war and conflict, and can greatly contribute to widening the worldview of young people in Canada.

Awesome Stories

Membership to this databases of stories, audiostreaming, audio/video clips, online games, and virtual field trips is free. I am getting the monthly newsletters -- December features Beowulf, Who was St Nicholas?, and The Story of Peter Pan. There is a newly located Learning Tools section.

Check out the site, sign up for the newsletter, or subscribe as an individual member: http://www.awesomestories.com/. We could also subscribe as an academic group if there were interest.

SLRCCC (School Library Resource Centre Consultative Committee)

We had our second meeting of the year on Tuesday morning this week. The committee was pleased to welcome two academic librarians from the SFU libraries and will be joined by one from the UBC Education Library in January. The introduction of academic librarians to the committee structure is exciting for us. The "big picture" for our students who go on to post-secondary and for what happens to prepare their students who undertake practica in our schools to work with TLs is just a hint of the possibilities of conversations.

"The Role and Responsibilities" document (see Handbook, section 1, pages 10-16) was reviewed and we are now able to announce that it looks as though both VEPVA and VASSA will "endorse" the document as a statement of best practice for TLs. The first page (page 10) will be revised for The Handbook to include the following paragraph and to reflect the additional endorsements:

The “Role and Responsibilities” document is not intended as written policy; rather, it is a working document, a set of guidelines to help new teacher-librarians, those considering teacher-librarianship, and those who work with and support the work of teacher-librarians in schools. As a reflection of what constitutes best practice for Vancouver’s teacher-librarians, it can be used as a tool for assessing professional development needs and a framework for discussions of school library programs where it is important to have common understandings about the work of teacher-librarians.

We wished my assistant well in her new year-long position gifts for our Media and Library Services support staff, as well as for the technicians who keep school libraries up and running, were delivered. We also were informed that there will be no change in the Systems Librarian position.

Handbook Revisions

I will begin to work with my new assistant on the latest revisions to The Handbook. The version in the portal is a little out of date but we are now downloaded and ready to go with updating in January. Input from TLs would be important. If you haven't printed out a copy, you could wait but access the electronic version for your own needs.

Get Carded Info

This is a reminder to those secondary schools who have not yet responded with the number of classes of grade 9s who would be involved with this VPL initiative that it would be important to respond this week coming. Thanks for your help.

Ressources: Encyclopedie Decouverte and World Book for Kids (French)

Always in search of resources to meet the needs of Vancouver's French Immersion students, we have been working with the World Book rep on pricing out the French version of the Discovery Encyclopedia as a district/French Immersion purchase. More information will follow. The actual copies are not due out until the Fall of 2008. The electronic database World Book for Kids (French) is due in February. This is not going to be a cost item to schools.

"That's a Family" DVD and Teacher Guide

The Anti-homophobia Consultant has ordered copies of this kit for every school. You may remember I announced at the multivendor display that we are participating, along with the Anti-racism Consultant, in this acquisition for all elementary schools. We will discuss cataloguing with our "catstaff" and then get them out to the professional collections of our elementary school libraries thereafter. We would anticipate that you will want to promote this engaging and significant resource at professional development opportunities and/or staff meetings.

And finally ...

I hope you have a wonderful, lively, and productive last week of school. Unless there is an accumulation of important news, I don't expect I will need to do a summary next week. Here's wishing you a lovely break and a fulfilling new year. Thanks for all the support you have given me. It has been a busy time but I think I'm getting a handle on the pace and expectations. Now if I could just adjust to life in a cubicle!