Changing Things Up (Ditching Dewey) Resources

A few of the most helpful resources that we used as we "Changed Things Up" and went to a book store model in our non-fiction/informational section of the DES library are listed below.

The Candid Librarian

The Centered School Library

Eliterate Librarian

Library Journal Article: It's Not About Dewey (11/01/09)

Mighty Little Librarian

Scoop It: Dewey Free Library

Summer Project: Kill Dewey (great classification list)

Van Meter Library Voice (several blog posts about the process, from start to finish)

Supplies:

Spine Stickers

After looking at a variety of colored spine labels and stickers, we decided to go with these from Demco.  There are many other options, just make sure there are enough color and shape options available.

Shelf Markers

Demco Block Shelf Markers

The Process 
Non-Fiction Section
Changing Things Up
Changing Things Up - Part II
Changing Things Up - Part III

I must give a huge "shout-out" to Shannon McClintock Miller, as she was my inspiration throughout the entire project!  Thank you for always responding so quickly to my many questions.

A great big "THANK YOU" goes out to my wonderful assistant, Maggie, for sticking with the project to the end!  You are amazing!

Library Centers Are a Hit

Over a month has passed since the start of our Library Centers at DES.  The students come to the library excited to find out what centers there are each week, and they are actively engaged in the activities.  There have been positive comments from the staff.  At this point, we feel implementing centers has been a great move educationally.

The two most popular centers, which we are thinking about having out on a regular basis, are the Doodling/Coloring Center and the Puzzle Center.  I've been doing some research on the benefits of having these types of activities available for students AND adults.  All my findings lead toward the belief that these types of activities are often times very relaxing and can provide some much needed "down-time" in our busy schedules.

A few of our most recent centers included...

Classic Card Games (Go Fish, Old Maid, etc)

Playaway Instructions (grades 3-6)

Whispy Reading

Library Center Ideas

Doodle/Color (snowflakes and winter mittens)
Read to Self, Read to a Partner, Read in a Small Group

 

Multi-District Inservice

On October 25, 2012, several school districts (Cambridge, Deerfield, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Marshall, and Waterloo) combined efforts to hold a multi-district inservice in Lake Mills.  The keynote speaker was Will Richardson.  Educational Law Attorney, Tom Shorter, also spoke during break-out sessions.  We had the opportunity to meet with educators in our content areas.  There were seven other library media specialists in attendance.  What a pleasure it was to meet with this group to share ideas, challenges, and what the future holds.  **It was an extra special bonus that I got to catch up with some of my teacher friends from JC!

I took away several things this day...

• innovation in education can occur without lots of fancy technology (Will Richardson recommended reading Bringing Innovation to School: Empowering Students to Thrive in a Changing World by Suzie Boss)
• schools are the only place where kids are asked to power off - why??
• kids need to see how teachers learn
• seamless approach k-12 when it comes to information literacy
• by graduation, every child in every district should be found via full name google search
  "I want my own children to be found by strangers online". A must. Online I can engage in conversations around the world.  Digital footprint. 

Fall is in the Air

I came back to school after being gone for a couple of days to a library filled with the signs of fall!! Maggie, Kelli, and our high school helpers had been busy!!  I especially like "The Witch Is In" door covering!!