@your school library
May 2017
Libraries, Literacy and Ludibund.........oh my!
Boas & Tiaras
“Grab your girlfriends for an elegant afternoon of high tea and romance”, and meet old favorite and/or new authors for a fun afternoon. Prodigious readers will love the opportunity to sit and eat lunch with authors, win door prizes, book signings, and even receive a special event tote bag stuffed with new books! I rarely include literary events in my newsletters that have a sizable fee, but this one is too good not to let you know about! It will be on June 10th, 1-5 pm at the Adolphus Hotel. Grab your tiara and boa (optional, of course), and let me know if you’d like to join me in on the fun for a girls’ afternoon out!!! Tickets are $50 - $75. Click here for more info.
Austin African American Book Festival
If anyone will be traveling in the Austin area this summer, around June 24, then you might want to consider checking out this special event. This free festival includes literature by and about African Americans, which is in line with our district's of cultural awareness and proficiency.
A state being sued for not providing the right to literacy for it’s students!
"Illiteracy is an enduring disability, the inability to read and write will handicap the individual deprived of a basic education each and every day of his life," is a quote that really resonated with me when I read this article on the dallasnew.com website recently. A civil liberties attorney, Mark Rosenbaum, claims that Michigan state is not providing literacy to its students and that their U.S. Constitutional rights are being violated because of that. It will be interesting to see the results of this lawsuit. If you are interested in reading the article, you can find it here.
Techy Tips
Saving a set of tabs
Recently, while I was teaching Research Boot Camp, I had a personal problem that I needed to resolve. The problem was that I was using the same set of websites everyday and had multiple tabs open with my lessons, slideshows, videos, etc. and I didn’t want to re-open those tabs every morning (1st world problem). I remembered someone at a conference had demonstrated how to save a set of tabs and looked it up. And, of course, I wanted to share the simple solution with you, in case any of you don’t know how to do it. Watch my tutorial here to see how easy it is and as an added bonus, it saves time! *Or copy & paste this link: https://youtu.be/KrfTy1AHEPg
The Best Travel Apps for this Summer:
For those of you who will be traveling this summer, check out these super helpful apps that work with iPhone or Android smartphones. There is an old familiar one included: Google Translate, which, for those of you who don’t already know, is an app that uses your camera to help translate print in a foreign country. You can hold your phone over any sign, menu, directions, etc. and the app will translate the language into English. And then there are a lot of new ones, for example, Herepin which drops pins wherever you go in case you want to keep in contact with your fellow travelers. Also, check out Tripit, which is really cool because it will “auto scan your emails and compile all your travel plans into one place” according to the website - you gotta love that!
Do you love a good mystery?
If your travels take you near Houston this summer and you love a good “whodunnit” book, you might just have to check out this unique bookstore, Murder By The Book! There you will find over 25,000 books waiting just for you. The store has all kinds of events, ranging from book signings (does Sue Grafton or Patricia Cornwell ring a bell?) to author luncheons. I wish we had something like this in the DFW area!
Family Fun Library Contest
Please remind your students to create an original bookmarker for our Peters Colony Library. All family members may be involved in creating a design. I can’t wait to see what our creative students come up with for our final Family Library Contest! And, of course, I encourage all staff members to get their creative juices flowing and enter the contest. Not many teachers usually enter the contests, unfortunately, but fortunately, that increase your odds of winning a prize!!! So just show up to the party and take a risk, ladies and gentlemen. No judging/critiquing your artistic abilities here. Plus, as an added bonus, you are modeling library involvement for your students, which is our ultimate goal of pushing them towards seeing literacy/the library as pleasurable.
Summer Reading - had me a blast...........
Oh, what to pack for your summer travels to read by the beach, mountains, on the road or simply while on your summer staycation? Not to worry, I have some suggestions for you!
Here is the link to the top New York Times Bestsellers, and there is a drop down menu of their top sellers for kids, too.
This is the link to 30 summer reads that you supposedly won’t be able to put down by Woman’s Day.
And, if that list is too overwhelming for you, then look at Publishers Weekly list of the top 10 books recommended for this summer.
Author Visit:
The wonderful and marvelous Mrs. Hernandez, has arranged for a special author visit with Duncan Tonatiuh on May 16 for Peters Colony. Mr. Tonatiuh celebrates his Hispanic heritage with his stories and artwork, and it is very inspiring. We have several of his books in our library. Please help get your students informed and excited about this very special event! Here is his website if you care to learn more about him and his work.
About your school librarian
Email: fisanicke@staff.lisd.net
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/staff.lisd.net/librarianlizzy/
Phone: 469-713-5179
Twitter: @librarian_lizzy