The Unicorn Library Weekly News
March 7, 2016
Not Your Grandfather's Library
If you have visited The Unicorn Library recently, you will noticed some changes. Furniture has been moved, books have been weeded, and shelves have been emptied. Many of you might wonder what is going on. Let's just say, we are changing our focus.
Prior to the internet, information was only available in print. The library housed all of that information. Coming to the library was the only way to access that knowledge. It was a grocery store for information.
We now live in a world where most of us have access to all the information in the world in our back pockets or purses. Any web-connected device can take you to eBooks, databases, web sites, videos, audio, and more. Librarians are no longer gatekeepers of knowledge, but tour guides. Libraries are becoming "kitchens" or learning commons.
That change of focus has necessitated the following changes in The Unicorn Library:
- Less print reference since we have access to over 1,200 eBooks through the Gale Virtual Reference Library
- Less shelving since there are less books to shelve
- More open space to facilitate collaborative learning
- More flexible learning space for Project Based Learning
- A Makerspace to encourage and support creativity, communication, critical thinking, ad collaboration
Here is a great article that Carolyn Foote, the librarian at Westlake High School in Austin, shared on Twitter. They are also a 1 to 1 iPad school like NBHS. I think it does a great job of explaining the changes libraries need to make.
New Nonfiction in The Unicorn Library
App of the Week - Doodle Buddy*
Looking for an easy app to draw, doodle and sketch? Try Doodle Buddy. Break out your creative side!
*This app is on the whitelist.
Remember we are here to help!
The Unicorn Library
Library Assistant: Kim Szekely
Email: jwyatt@nbisd.org
Website: www.theunicornlibrary.blogspot.com
Location: New Braunfels High School, Texas 337 Loop, New Braunfels, TX, United States
Phone: 830-627-6031