Category Archives: Uncategorized

Georgia Library Association Scholarship Announcement

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This message is posted on behalf of the Georgia Library Association (GLA).

The Georgia Library Association Scholarship Committee invites applications for 2013.

The Georgia Library Association annually awards two scholarships to students completing a master’s degree in library science:

  • The Hubbard Scholarship, a $3,000 award, is intended to recruit excellent candidates for librarianship in Georgia.
  • The Beard Scholarship, in the amount of $1,000, is for applicants who show strong potential for leadership in the library profession.

Recipients of both awards must agree to work in a Georgia library for at least one year following graduation, but need not be residents of Georgia to apply.

The deadline to apply is May 21, 2013.

See the Georgia Library Association website for applicant qualifications and the online application form: http://gla.georgialibraries.org/scholarship.htm

Questions and application materials may be directed to:

Karen Viars
GLA Scholarship Committee Vice-Chair
Georgia Perimeter College Alpharetta Center Library
3705 Brookside Pkwy
Alpharetta, GA 30022
karen.viars@gpc.edu

AABIG Conference Proposals Extended Deadline

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This message is posted on behalf of the Atlanta Area Bibliographic Instruction Group (AABIG).

The Atlanta Area Bibliographic Instruction Group (AABIG) wants to invite GLMA members to consider proposals for the May 17, 2013 conference because we welcome media specialist presentations and attendees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Atlanta Area Bibliographic Instruction Group (AABIG) 12th annual conference will convene on May 17, 2013 at the Mercer University in Atlanta. This year’s theme is Beyond Face Value: Asserting the Value of Instruction and Making Instruction Valuable.

This year, the conference will focus on the practical and new ways librarians are affirming their worth to their institutions through effective instruction, assessment, and marketing. AABIG invites proposals for 20- and 45-minute sessions that address this theme. The committee particularly invites submissions from public and academic librarians, school media specialists, and individuals from diverse backgrounds. Lively and interactive sessions are preferred.
Ideas include but are not limited to:

  • effective instruction, outreach, and assessment methods
  • effective strategies for online and face-to-face instruction
  • practical techniques for advocacy/marketing toward external stakeholders
  • innovative techniques, examples, and pedagogy to intrigue and entice students

Submit your proposal here: http://tinyurl.com/AABIG2013

Extended Deadline: March 23, 2013. Please direct further questions to
Elizabeth Andrejasich Gibes at elizabeth.gibes@mu.edu.

Continuing Education Opportunity: Personal Branding

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This message is posted on behalf of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) Georgia Chapter.

The SLA (Special Libraries Association) Georgia Chapter invites you to participate in a three hour workshop, “Crafting Your Personal Brand,” on Saturday, March 16, at the Clough Commons on the Georgia Tech campus (in Atlanta) from 9:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. As McKinsey Quarterly reported in July 2011, “We’re all marketers now.” Whether you’re a librarian, competitive intelligence professional, analyst or department head, engaging your customers (however you define them) is more important than ever. SLA Georgia Chapter feels that we could all learn from the expertise and experience from 2012 SLA Fellow and marketing consultant Chris Olson. (For more on Chris, go to: http://www.chrisolson.com/.)

Expected outcomes from the workshop include:

  • Understanding the components of a personal brand
  • Receiving feedback on one’s personal brand
  • Applying personal branding skills to achieving professional goals
  • Relating a personal brand to one’s organization.

Program details along with an online registration form can be found at: http://georgia.sla.org/2012/11/the-sla-georgia-chapter-presents-chris-olson-speaking-about-personal-brands/

Besides the affordable $60 registration fee (Students, retirees and the unemployed qualify for half off!), consider these other reasons for attending:

  • 3.0 hours for continuing education credit
  • Refreshments and lunch are included in the registration fee
  • An opportunity to learn from an information industry leader
  • Meeting and networking with other Atlanta area info pros.

Registration closes soon, so be sure to reserve your spot NOW at: http://bit.ly/XKjl6e

Contact program planner Ernie Evangelista with any questions at Ernie.M.Evangelista@atl.frb.org.

GA Peach Book Award for Teen Readers….correction!

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Apparently, in my haste to announce the new GA Peach nominees, I left one book off the list.  Please add I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga to the list.  The corrected list is below.  I apologize for any confusion.  The list is also now posted at www.georgiapeachaward.org (where you can also apply to be a Peach committee member).  Happy reading to you all!!

The 2013-14 Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list is:

 

Ashfall  by Mike Mullin

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

Erebos  by Ursula Poznanski

Every Day  by David Levithan

The Fault In Our Stars  by John Green

The Girl of Fire and Thorns  by Rae Carson

The Good Braider  by Terry Farish

Grave Mercy  by R. L. LaFevers

The Hunt  by  Andrew Xia Fukuda

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

The Language of Flowers  by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Leverage  by Joshua Cohen

My Book of Life by Angel  by Martine Leavitt

My Life Next Door  by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Never Fall Down  by Patricia McCormick

Pink  by Lili Wilkinson

Raven Boys  by Maggie Stiefvater

UnWholly  by Neal Shusterman

Mary K. Donovan

Media Specialist, Mill Creek High School

2012-13 Chair, GA Peach Book Award for Teen Readers

Mary_Kay_Donovan@gwinnett.k12.ga.us

www.mchsmedia.com

Nominees for the 2013-14 Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers are…

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The 20 Nominees for the 2013-14 Georgia Peach Book Awards for Teen Readers (Grades 9 – 12) have been selected! 

Drumroll please . . .

The 2013-14 Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list is:

Ashfall  by Mike Mullin

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

Erebos  by Ursula Poznanski

Every Day  by David Levithan

The Fault In Our Stars  by John Green

The Girl of Fire and Thorns  by Rae Carson

The Good Braider  by Terry Farish

Grave Mercy  by R. L. LaFevers

The Hunt  by  Andrew Xia Fukuda

The Language of Flowers  by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Leverage  by Joshua Cohen

My Book of Life by Angel  by Martine Leavitt

My Life Next Door  by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Never Fall Down  by Patricia McCormick

Pink  by Lili Wilkinson

Raven Boys  by Maggie Stiefvater

UnWholly  by Neal Shusterman

 

Please remember that voting for the 2012-13 Georgia Peach Book Award continues online through March 15. The winner and 2 honor books will be announced in March at the Kennesaw State University’s Annual Conference on Literature for Children and Young Adults (I will post here the following day).

http://www.georgiapeachaward.org/teens-vote-your-favorite-peach-book-voting-ends-midnight-friday-march-15

Also, if you are interested in serving on the Georgia Peach Book Award committee, the online application is now available at

http://www.georgiapeachaward.org/reading-committee

Have a great weekend!

Mary K. Donovan

Media Specialist

Mill Creek High School

 

GALILEO Resources for Women’s History Month

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In honor of Women’s History Month, here are a few resources in GALILEO to help you find the stories of women throughout history.

Middle and high school students can start by looking for a woman in the Discover GALILEO search box. Try finding Susan B. Anthony, Marie Curie, Helen Keller, Sally Ride, Coretta Scott King, Sonia Sotomayor, Jane Goodall, and others. For some major events in women’s history, look for women’s rights, women suffrage, women work*, feminism, or other topics of interest. For literary criticism, type in the title of a book or author names with the term literary criticism; for example, emily dickinson literary criticism or to kill a mockingbird literary criticism.
Tip: If you are getting a lot of book reviews in the results, use Limit by Type to remove reviews (click Show More to see all types, click Check all, then uncheck Reviews). You can also use Limit by Type to only see magazine and news articles (they have an easier reading level), primary source documents, or multimedia (choose Videos, Audio, or Non-Print Resources).

Next, explore Encyclopædia Britannica‘s spotlight on women, the Encyclopædia Britannica Profiles 300 Women Who Changed the World. There, students will find an illustrated timeline of women throughout history along with articles, essays, speeches, video clips, and learning activities.

For speeches, letters, and other primary source documents, search for women in Annals of American History to see a letter from Horace Greeley on women’s rights or a declaration of rights for women from Susan B. Anthony.

A quick search of SIRS Discoverer (elementary and middle school) will bring back news and magazine articles, images, and more. SIRS Discoverer also includes a spotlight for Women’s History Month, so click the Spotlight of the Month feature at the bottom of the SIRS Discover home page to investigate this (scroll to the bottom of the Spotlight page to see archives).

NoveList and NoveList K-8 offer book recommendations for all ages. Here is a tip to find fiction books by women. Go the Advanced Search, leave the search box blank (or type in a topic of your choice), and choose Female in the Author’s Gender field to see a list of books.

Want to meet important women in Georgia? Take a look at the Women of Distinction in Georgia feature in the New Georgia Encyclopedia. Your students can read about interesting women like Mary Musgrove, Hazel Raines, Rosalyn Carter, Alice Walker, and many more fascinating women. Students can also see Famous Georgia Women in GeorgiaInfo.

Please Contact Us if you have questions or comments or if you need to report problems.

Courtney McGough
GALILEO Support Services
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia

Some links may not work off site. Log in to GALILEO first for access.

Express Links for Databases Mentioned in this Post:
Encyclopædia Britannica School Edition: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zebs
Encyclopædia Britannica High School: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zehs
Compton’s by Britannica (for middle school): http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zebm
Britannica Elementary: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zebk
Annals of American History: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zeba
SIRS Discoverer: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zssd
New Georgia Encyclopedia: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=ngen
GeorgiaInfo: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=gnfo
NoveList: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zknl
NoveList K-8: http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zkne
Find All Your Express Links (what’s this?)

Announcing the 2013 Annual GALILEO Staff Awards for Best Use of GALILEO Resources in a Georgia Student Media Festival Project

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The GALILEO staff will present two awards for the best use of GALILEO resources in a project submitted to the 2013 Georgia Student Media Festival: group project (classroom teacher) and individual (student). In addition to fame and glory, the awards provide a technology-oriented incentive such as a mini HD video camcorder. The award winners are selected as part of the festival judging process based on the number of GALILEO resources used and cited.

Help with Project Ideas
• Example projects are available in the GALILEO Scrapbook
• Standards-Aligned Lesson Plan “Where I’m From in GALILEO” lesson plan (see example in GALILEO Scrapbook)
• Standards-aligned activity “Create Your Own Story in GALILEO”

Here is a handout if you would like to share this information with teachers.

If you have questions or comments, please Contact Us.

GALILEO Staff
GALILEO Support Services
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia

Speaking to Future Librarians

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Sorry, somehow I let last month slip by without a post.  I had a good one too, so here I am to rectify that.

I received my librarian degree from UGA.  They don’t call it that, but you know what I mean.  They do half of their classes face to face and half of them virtually.  I forget the name of their online class software.  Wimba?  Blackboard?  Something like that.

I was invited by Dr. Greg Clinton to speak to one of his first-semester classes earlier this fall and it was an interesting experience.  I don’t think I’ve ever talked at length online before and it was strange not being able to see your audience.  But it was a great class and they had some good questions.  I’ll post the questions and short versions of my answers here and you can add any further advice in the comments.  I have a feeling they’ll be checking this site out.

What was your teaching experience prior to being a Media Specialist?

Mostly I was a support teacher: ESOL, EIP Reading and Math, Gifted, that kind of thing.  The most important thing I learned from that experience that has helped me in this job is remembering to BE FLEXIBLE.

What’s the best and worst thing about being a Media Specialist?

The best thing is the relationships. You get to help all the students, teachers and even parents and other community members.  Each day is new, different and exciting.  I guess the worst thing is not being able to have every thing for every one.  It’d be nice to be able to please every person and fulfilling every request.  The biggest challenge is last minute things tossed in your lap and the frustration of knowing it could have been better if you’d known what someone needed earlier.

Would you go back to the classroom?

I suppose I would go back to more regular teaching if something horrible happened and they got rid of the Media Specialist position, but I have no plans to ever leave this job as long as they’ll have me.  I love reading, technology, and helping people find just the right information they’re looking for.  It is an honor to do this job, truly.

So there you have a shortened version.  What would you add?

GALILEO Resources for Native American Heritage Month

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November is Native American Heritage Month. If you would like to find resources to celebrate the history and traditions of Native Americans, take a look at these GALILEO resources.

Some of you may have noticed the search box that recently appeared in GALILEO High School and GALILEO Teen. Discover GALILEO is a search of most of the GALILEO resources and provides a quick way for students to find articles, book chapters, and more all in one place. Discover GALILEO is great for any topic, so try searching for Native Americans or any person, place, or event to see what students can find.

SIRS Discoverer includes a wonderful spotlight on National American Indian Heritage Month that highlights articles, government documents, primary sources, images, and websites. To access this spotlight, go to SIRS Discoverer and click the Spotlight of the Month at the bottom of the screen. The spotlight will change on November 1, but you can see the 2011 Spotlight Archives (lower right corner) to get an idea of what will be appearing. Students can also search SIRS resources for events (e.g., Trail of Tears, Battle of Little Bighorn), tribal names (e.g., Cherokee, Seminoles), or names (e.g., Sequoyah, Sitting Bull) to find a variety of resources for projects and papers.

Encyclopædia Britannica includes an article along with many great images, maps, and editorially-selected websites for all grade levels. Just search for Native Americans or Native American in your grade level of Britannica to see the main article, or search for an individual’s name, tribal name, or event to find more. In addition, Annals of American History offers many primary source documents. Just search for Native American to see documents.

History Reference Center offers articles, biographical information, primary source documents, and historical images. Search for Indians of North America or by event or name to find more. From the main search page, students can limit their search to a particular time period by choosing it in the Timeline section, and they can also limit to their reading level by choosing their grade range in the Lexile Reading Level section.

To find literary criticism, biographical information, reviews, and much more on Native American authors and their works, take a look at Literary Reference Center. Search for a name, book title, or theme, or you can search for Indians of North American for a broad search. Here’s a tip: if you go to Advanced Search, leave the search box blank, and limit to Native American in the Literary Author’s Cultural Identity, you’ll be able to see all results from Native American authors without having to choose an author name, title, or theme.

To find fiction book recommendations, search NoveList or NoveList K-8 for Indians of North America and then limit to an age range to find books for your students. See the Advanced Search to limit by grade level or Lexile reading level. To find Native American authors, use the Advanced Search, leave the search box blank, and choose Native American in the Author’s Cultural Identity field.

For information about Native Americans in Georgia, the New Georgia Encyclopedia offers quite a few articles about Native American history and culture. Read about the read about the Creek Indians and their leaders, including Tomochichi and Mary Musgrove, or read about about the Cherokee Indians and their removal. You can also browse to the History and Archaeology section and see articles under Archaeology and Early History to learn about the Native Americans in Georgia’s early history. The Digital Library of Georgia includes the Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842 collection, which contains approximately 2,000 documents and images relating to the Native American population of the Southeastern United States. Finally, GeorgiaInfo provides links to resources about Native Americans in Georgia.

Please Contact Us if you have questions or comments or if you need to report problems.

Courtney McGough
GALILEO Support Services
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia

Image from Encyclopædia Britannica

Some links may not work off site. Log in to GALILEO first for access.

Express Links for Databases Mentioned in this Post:

SIRS Discoverer

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zssd

Encyclopædia Britannica School Edition

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zebs

Encyclopædia Britannica High School

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zehs

Compton’s by Britannica (for middle school)

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zebm

Britannica Elementary

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zebk

History Reference Center

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zbhr

Annals of American History

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zeba

Literary Reference Center

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zblr

NoveList

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zknl

NoveList K-8

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=zkne

New Georgia Encyclopedia

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=ngen

Digital Library of Georgia

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=dlg1

GeorgiaInfo

http://www.galileo.usg.edu/express?link=gnfo

Find All Your Express Links (what’s this?)

GaCOMO 2012 Volunteers Needed

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  Volunteers are also needed around noon to 1:00pm Friday, October 5th to assist with gathering AV equipment out of the breakout rooms and returning it to its owners using the Green Room on the Second floor of the Centreplex.

  All interested volunteers should contact by email: valerie_ayer@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us  

Again, thanks in advance for your time and energy in Macon this conference a success!