The Weekly Update

from SD State Library School Library Services

August 25, 2021

Back to School Edition!

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Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year!

Who else wants to make this the best year EVER in the library?! *Everyone raises their hands*

Well then, you are in luck because this week's newsletter is packed full of ideas, inspiration, and insight for you and your library. If it's all too much to digest right now, bookmark it and come back whenever you have time.

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Stay Connected to SDSL School Library Services

If you only have time to do one thing right now, bookmark the School Library Services page on the SDSL website! This is your go-to resource for everything school library related!

Help me help you!

If you haven't already done so, please take a few moments to fill out this survey that will help me understand how I can best support you this year. It is open until the end of next Friday 9/3. And, everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a drawing for FREE books for your library!
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Check out these Back to School Hacks

This video is a little dated (2018), but there are some great ideas. It would be a great watch over your lunch break!
8 Back to School Hacks for Teachers and Leaders

Join these 3 Facebook Groups

Be Visible & Vocal

The Don't Shush Me blog has plenty of great posts for librarians, but I find this one particularly helpful for the beginning of the year.
Along with being vocal and visible, here are some other things to think about as you start the year:
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Know the SDSL Databases

Kim Bonen, SDSL Digital Resources Coordinator, hosted 3 super informational database webinars last week. If you weren't able to attend in person, you can watch them on SDSL's YouTube channel. Contact kim.bonen@state.sd.us with any questions.
To access the complete listing of SDSL Databases, click HERE. You can then look at lists specifically curated for elementary, middle, and high school. After clicking on a grade level, you can also access a handy PDF guide (listed as help guide) that briefly details each database. This is a great resource to give to teachers and students if you don't have time to show all of the databases to all of your classes!
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Spot a Trend!

If you are a middle school or high school librarian, and you suddenly find a specific title flying off the shelf for no apparent reason, it may be going viral on TikTok! If you have a TikTok account, you can search for BookToks to see what is trending. If not, there is always YouTube. Here is a compilation of YA BookToks that I found on YouTube.

TIKTOK: Young Adult Book Recommendations 2021

And lastly, continue to be a safe and welcoming space for all of your students!

...from SDSL School Library Services

...from SDSL School Library Services

...from SDSL School Library Services

The Weekly Update is a correspondence from the South Dakota State Library focusing on current topics in school libraries, best practices, resources, professional development, and more.

800 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD, USA scottie.bruch@state.sd.us 605-295-3152 library.sd.gov