Coming on Monday...
Happy Summer!
Ah, June. Time to reflect upon all of the great work school librarians have done over the last year. I hope that 2013-2014 has been an amazing year for everyone, and that you all get plenty of rest during the summer months.Things will be busy here at the State Library as I adjust to my first year without a summer break after 15 years of serving in schools. TSLAC and Region 20 will be working hard this summer, promoting the TexQuest program all over the state, developing training for librarians, teachers, students, parents, and administrators, and making sure TexQuest gets off to an amazing start.
Speaking of amazing starts, Friday the 13th is no longer unlucky! Join us in a Google Hangout on Friday, June 13 at 2 PM as we celebrate the launch of the TexQuest program with a virtual Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Our director and State Librarian Mark Smith will join me, incoming TASLA President Nora Galvan, Susanna Garza from Region 20 ESC, and our own Commissioner Sharon Carr to celebrate the beginning of TexQuest.
More About TexQuest!
Districts and open enrollment charter schools across Texas are invited to sign up for TexQuest! The program is free for the 2014-2015 school year, and districts will be asked to pay a small annual participation fee of 22 cents per student beginning in 2015-2016. Because of budget cycles, districts who have signed up for TexQuest will be invoiced for the 2015-2016 school year in January 2015, so please plan some space in your budgets to continue your district's participation in this program in 2015-2016!More information (Including the signup form and FAQs) can be found on the TexQuest Website.
Resources for Teachers and Librarians
Teachers and librarians will love this resource - DocsTeach from the National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) education outreach, which uses primary source photographs and documents in several ready to use educational tools. More information here.Future paleontologists and scientists will find the University of Michigan's online repository of fossils in 3D fascinating. It is an ongoing program that lets users experience holding a fossil in their hands. This amazing interface allows students to rotate, zoom, and measure aspects of fossils in their 3D collection. There are many exciting possibilities for this online resource!
If your district participates in Google Apps for education, you might be interested to hear about Google Classroom, a solution that integrates Docs, Drive, and Gmail into a more cohesive online class experience. Teachers and librarians can sign up for a preview now!
Science NetLinks is a premier K-12 science education resource produced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. At Science NetLinks, you'll find teaching tools, interactives, podcasts, and hands-on activities, and all of it is free!
YALSA has a great contest for your local teens! Teens aged 12 -18 can sign up now through August 1, 2014 for a chance to guest blog for YALSA’s young adult literature blog, The Hub. Winning teens will blog about a wide range of topics related to YA literature while also further developing their writing and blogging skills.
Questions about the contest or about Teen Read Week? Contact Anna Lam at alam@ala.org.
Is your library collaborating with your local workforce or economic development groups? TLA and TSLAC are surveying workforce/library partnerships across the state. Please take a few minutes to complete the WORKFORCE SURVEY that has just been released. We will use this information to help develop training, identify best practices, and support new and enhanced partnerships in these sectors. You can preview the survey in full by using the Workforce Survey PDF.
Information about TLA’s workforce initiative “WIN at the library” is available on the WIN webpage.
Continuing Education Opportunities
Michael Cart will present an update on Infopeople: What's New in Young Adult Literature on June 11 at 1 PM- Do you know the latest trends in Young Adult literature are?
- Looking for emerging authors?
- Need a list of the latest “hot” YA books?
- Want recommendations for the best adult books for YAs?
Do you quake at the thought of public speaking? Are you also faced with the need to communicate to audiences, small or large, the importance of your work in libraries? You really can overcome your anxieties and master the art of public speaking. Join us for this webinar to learn some basic skills for preparing and delivering speeches, plus tips to manage your nervousness and make your library presentations more memorable.
