Vickie Thomas is the library media specialist at Anderson High School. Her high school recently underwent extensive renovations that included the library media center.Learn more about Vickie Thomas at http://eduscapes.com/sms/thomas.html
You might begin discussions with Vickie on information skills, collaborative programs with public library, and facilities planning. But feel free to expand the interaction to any ideas and issues related to her work and career.
Good morning, everyone!
ReplyDeleteI'm Vickie Thomas (vthoma@acsc.net) and I'm looking forwarding to reading and answering your comments and questions. I have been busy setting up a new facility at Anderson High School this fall. Shelving and furniture were just delivered and assembled last Wednesday. So guess what I'm doing this week? Exciting times for not only me, but also the students and school community.
Vickie
Hi, Nicole, I agree that reading groups are a great way to connect with teachers for future collaborations. Any time you are providing programming for teachers, you are giving them the opportunity to get to know you and "see you in action." Make sure you have reading group shirts or sweatshirts to wear on meeting days; create READ posters for their rooms to show them reading; encourage them to display the book they are reading on their desks next to a sign that says: "ask them about what I'm reading." You will find teachers talking about you and their book discussion titles in the teacher's lounge.
ReplyDeleteMany faculty members will share your love of reading, but may not know the joy of sharing their reflections/responses to the reading with their colleagues. It is important for you to include faculty as you build your community of readers. They are the front line to your students. They are modeling behavior you want for all of your students.
One of the ways you gain the trust of your faculty is to follow through with what you commit to do - go the extra mile to make something work. Start small with your collaborations and be sure to evaluate what worked, what did not, what needs to improve for next time, etc. Success builds more opportunities for collaboration.
So, yes, book groups are great advertisement for your potential as a collaborator.
Vickie
Vickie--
ReplyDeleteHow was the renovation process for your new space??? How much of the planning process were you involved in??? What were your main priorities when planning the space?? Anything that you are not happy with???
Vickie,
ReplyDeleteHow much do you collaborate with the public library? What kinds of programs does your public library offer? Have you been able to create your own programs which the public library will join in on?
My middle school is situated within walking distance from the public library...it would be great to take advantage of this valuable resource.
Amanda
Amanda
The library is part of a larger school remodeling project. It is in the new construction area of the building, so planning did not involve the remodeling of an existing library, but the design and construction of a new facility.
ReplyDeleteMy involvement in the process consisted of looking over plans presented by an architect at two different meetings and recommending (strongly!)adjustments/modifications(as allowed). Ideally, the librarian should be part of the dialogue/decision-making from the beginning.
My priority in planning was to make sure student work/research/reading space was flexible to change with our programming and curricular needs. Another issue concerned supervision. The layout of the old library did not make it easy to see what was going on in small rooms and around corners. Since I had almost no workroom, office and storage areas in the previous library, I wanted an efficiently designed area where librarians and teachers could work or collaborate and sufficient storage for library materials, equipment, and supplies.
While I was disappointed in the degree of my involvement in the planning, the overall size of the new library, and the types of storage areas, I am grateful for and excited about the beautiful, inviting, functional new library - a huge improvement over the previous one.
Vickie
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteRegretfully, I do not collaborate as much now with Anderson Public Library (APL) as I did when I was in the middle school.
The Teen Librarian met monthly with our reading motivation team to help plan programs at APL and at the middle school.
APL staff participated in our school READ 'n' FEEDs (reading motivation program in which all participants read the same book, gather to discuss the book through an unique, fun activiy while enjoying food) In turn the public library sponsored (and still does)an annual READ 'n' FEED for all interested Anderson middle school students.
Since professional reference books for Young Adult programming and book selection are so expensive for each school library to purchase, APL developed a centralized reference collection of resources available for all school librarians and teachers to use.
APL employs many talented and interesting people. We quite often invited them to school as guest speakers, asked to display their collections, or used their expertise. Ex.: Booktalking; the children's librarian was an accomplished storyteller, who helped me start a storytelling club.
The public library also shared the cost of bringing authors to Anderson and provided assistance in writing grants.
Check the APL website (and.lib.in.us) for a listing of current teen programming. The library also is sponsoring Mystery @ the Library that many teachers enjoy.
I continue to promote resource sharing and APL programming - just not at the same level as before.
September/October/April are always good times to connect with your public library: sign students up to get library cards, Banned Books Week, Teen Read Week, and National Library Week.
If you have a public library within walking distance of your school (or even if it is a distance away), you have the potential to do great things for your students and teachers.
Vickie
Vickie,
ReplyDeleteIn your bio it mentions one of your interests is "Librarian as Consultant". This is an interesting idea to me. Consultant to teachers? students? administrators? Could you elaborate for me what the consultant role is?
The role of consultant allows me to partner with teachers, students, parents, and adminstrators and assist them in finding relevant information - developing a plan of action for whatever information need they may have. This role provides for a mindset (or in the case of my corporation, an attitude change!) that the librarian is an information specialist and that the library is a teaching and learning center.
ReplyDeleteExamples: working with a student to revise their search strategy for a research paper; helping a teacher find information for a grant he is writing; talking with a parent about where and how to find information to help her child with homework or college admission and scholarship issues; meeting with administrators as they draft an instructional technology plan for a school renovation project.
Vickie
Hi Vickie!
ReplyDeleteI have recently made the transition from high school teacher to middle school media specialist. As someone with experience at both levels, what would you say are the greatest differences in high school vs. middle school media usage? What did you find were significant challenges or benefits of working at the middle school level?
Kelly VonGunten
Hi Vickie,
ReplyDeleteI love the READ 'N' Feed Program from your book, "Fiction, Food & Fun" and was wondering if you and your co-authors have a new edition in mind with new novels. The program has been very successful in my middle school and at the junior high I used to work at. Any chances for a sequel? Thanks,