Time for a name change?

The blog the Unquiet librarian recently voiced their opinion on whether or school Librarians should change their job title to better encompass what it is they do.

From my personal experience I can tell you that school librarians are being asked to do much more than just checkout books. The modern school library encompasses many different learning resources and aids. Information literacy is being taught to students at the school to encourage them to research the right way and not just Google everything. I agree that rather than change our job titles we can try to promote the new look of school libraries.

I believe the author said it best when she said “We are librarians. Own it. You must believe even when others do not.  For every doubter, hater, or naysayer, there are children and teachers whose lives and classrooms a school librarian has impacted for the good, and there is no longer room for those who do not put community, service, and people first.    Let us not shrink from what that means and what it can mean, but instead, strive to grow the successful models of school librarianship that DO exist and DO make a real difference because they have a librarian whose work, struggles, passion, and collaborative efforts with teachers and students do matter in helping students compose their own narratives of learning.”

You can click on the link below to view the entire article.

http://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com/

Plagiarism in Schools

 

I recently read an article on plagiarism published by the School Library Journal. The author made reference to how much students rely solely on the internet for information to complete their assignments. Many of them just utilize the copy and paste functions, rather than create their own work. Some very valid points were made including the suggestion that students should be taught how to avoid plagiarism when completing assignments.  

 I believe that will be very challenging! As a student and an information provider who works in a school I know for a fact that many educational institutions do inform their students about plagiarism. They even have special software which can tell you how if the work was plagiarized. Some of individuals still choose to try and pass off some else’s work as their own.

I strongly support the initiative to help prevent plagiarism in all forms, I firmly believe that the success of this venture will depend on the moral fiber of the individual and the vigilance of teachers.

What are your thoughts on this topic?

The link to article mentioned above has been included for your review.  

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/894136-312/plagiarism_that_p_word_.html.csp

Gender Stereotyping in Libraries

Hi all,

My post today looks at the gender imbalance seen in Libraries. We all know that the majority of library personnel are of the female persuasion. Why is that? What is it about libraries that tends to repulse men? Is it because society as a whole perceives Library work as a female profession?

I recently overheard someone say that “if a man is working in the library then he lazy because he could be making better money elsewhere.”  Is this statement accurate? Is money the only deciding factor when deciding what job to take? What do you all think?

Aggressive Library signs

Aggressive Library signs

A look at some of the more creative library signs out there. Hopefully none of us will have to be this drastic in our libraries. 

Using the Hype!!

 

The following article describes how an enterprising school Librarian took advantage of the Hype surrounding the recently release movie The Hunger Games. I applaud her ingenuity. Take a read and discover some great ideas for your libraries.

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/894069-312/librarians_grapple_with_hunger_games.html.csp

Fun Facts about Libraries

Hi everyone i came across this information and thought that it would be fun to share 🙂

1. Academic Librarians will answer 56.1 million reference questions per year! That’s ten million more than those  attending college football matches.
2. Americans go to school, public and academic libraries 3x more than they go to the movies
3. There are more public libraries than McDonald’s in the U.S. (16, 604) unfortunately there are more KFC outlets(54)  than Public libraries in Trinidad and Tobago. (22)

Something to think about!!

Works Cited

“Five Fun Facts You May Not Know About Libraries.” Against-the-Grain.com. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.against-the-  grain.com/2011/06/five-fun-facts-you-may-not-know-about-libraries/>.

How times have changed!

After 244 years Britannica has decided to stop the print version of its encyclopedia and go completely digital. There was a time when almost every home had a set of encyclopedias. This is sign of how the times have changed, we as library professionals must change with times as well if we are to continue to be a positive force in society.

Please lick on the link to read the article about Britannica.

 http://www.wpix.com/news/local/ktla-encyclopedia-britannica-stops-printing,0,7881022.story 

Library Jokes!!

Okay so I know that they’re corny but so what? Even library professionals need a laugh every now and then 😉

Library Jokes

Knock knock.
Who’s there?
Rita.
Rita who?
Rita lot of good books!

What did one math book say to the other math book?
“Do you want to hear my problems?”

What do planets like to read?
Comet books.

What do you get when you cross an elephant with a computer?
A lot of memory.

What part of a computer does an astronaut like best?
The space bar.

Why did the computer sneeze?
It had a virus.

Where do computers take their pets when they get sick?
To the Intervet.

How do librarians file melted marshmallows?
According to the Gooey (Dewey) Decimal System.

What did the spider do inside the library computer?
It made a Web page.

When the cold wind blows, what does a book do?
It puts on a book jacket.

What does Hagrid use on the 18th hole of the Hogwarts Golf Course?
His Harry Putter.

When the squirrels sneak into the library to use the computers, where do they go?
On the Inter-nut.

What do you call a campground for spiders?
A Web site.

Where are there more nobles than in the royal court?
In the library. All the books have titles.

When a knight read a book, who was always at his side?
His page.

What do you do if a dragon bites your library book?
Take the words right out of his mouth.

When spiders go on the Internet, what do they visit first?
Charlotte’s Web Site.

Why did the librarian slip and fall on the library floor?
Because she was in the non-friction section.

Knock knock.
Who’s there?
Snow.
Snow who?
Snow better place to hang out during the winter than the library!

Why did the vampire check out a drawing book?
He wanted to learn how to draw blood.

Librarian: Knock knock.
Student: Who’s there?
Librarian: Winnie.
Student: Winnie who?
Librarian: Winnie you going to bring back that overdue book, hm?

What does a library book wear whenever it leaves the building?
A pager.

Why was the T-Rex afraid to go to the library?
Because her books were 60 million years overdue.

Why is that library book you’re trying to find always in the last place you look?
Because once you find it, you stop looking.

Why does the ghost come back to the library every day for more books?
Because she goes through them too quickly.

Why didn’t the skeleton come back to the library with an overdue book?
He was too gutless.

Why don’t elephants ever pay overdue fines?
They always bring their books back on time. An elephant never forgets!

What did the detective do when he didn’t believe the librarian’s story?
He booked her!

Do you know how many librarians it takes to change a light bulb?
No, but I know where you can look it up!

What king of medieval England was famous because he spent so many nights at his Round Table writing books?
King Author!

When a goose goes to the library, what books does she look for?
Peoplebumps books!

If you travel to Eastern Europe, why won’t you find any books in Prague’s public library?
They’re all “Czech”ed out!

How do you make a library float?
Get a million gallons of root beer, two scoops of ice cream, and add one library!

What building has the most stories?
The library, of course!

Where does a librarian sleep?
Between the covers.

When a librarian goes fishing, what goes on her hook?
A bookworm, of course.

What does a librarian eat dinner from?
A bookplate.

What does the mummy do when he goes to the library?
He gets all wrapped up in a good book.

The above jokes were taken from this website: http://www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/kids/jokeansw.html

About Me!!

Hi everyone,

Welcome to my blog! This blog will focus on everything connected to libraries. I am currently employed at a school library as a Library Assistant 1.  Although my job can be stressful at times it is still a rewarding occupation. I remember the first time a child came and asked me for the correct spelling of my name, when I inquired as to why he wanted to know that he said that he wanted to include me in his acknowledgement for all the assistance I gave him when he was writing his Internal Assessment  for C.A.P.E. I felt overwhelmed!! I sincerely hope that each and everyone of you finds some type of  joy and fulfillment in your area of work.

Until next time!!