Bessie Chin Library Leaves

A Visit to the GooglePlex

2011-11-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThanks to the wonderful tour committee at BayNet I was able to make my second visit to the GooglePlex in Mountain View on Thursday evening. The first time was a visit several years ago sponsored by CSLA Northern Region 4. It's my understanding that Google suspended tour groups for a while after that visit so I was pleasantly surprised when we were able to

Karlene's Birthday

2011-11-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Library Specialist, Karlene Caldwell's birthday a couple weeks ago budget secretary, Margaret Catelli, brought these wonderful mini-cupcakes from the Teacake Bakeshop in Corte Madera. And a fun time was had by all!

End of a Great Year

2011-05-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

The Bessie Chin Library staff would like to congratulate those of you with graduating seniors, say good-bye to those whose last child is leaving Redwood and welcome the parents of incoming ninth graders. From their freshman year through graduation we like think we play a crucial part in helping students succeed and develop as young, maturing adults. We’ll miss the seniors, who have spent a lot of

College Library Prompt 3

2011-05-25T08:20:00.001-07:00

What was the most important thing you learned in this project? What did you like most about this project in general? What would you change?

College Library Prompt 2

2011-05-24T08:39:00.003-07:00

What surprised you about the library site (UCSF) we explored today? Name one particular tool or resource on the site that you think students of that school would find particularly helpful.

College Library Prompt 1

2011-05-23T08:28:00.003-07:00

What surprised you about the TRAILS-12 assessment? What information literacy skill(s) do you think you need more practice with?

How to transfer your purchased Google eBook to your eReader

2011-05-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

More and more folks are purchasing and using e-books these days. (E-book sales on Amazon just surpassing print book sales). Here's short video about how you can transfer your Google e-books to various e-book readers.

YouTube - Doodle 4 Google Finalists: Grades 10-12

2011-05-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Doodle 4 Google Finalists: Grades 10-12

The Library is Not a Fruit: Settle in. It's a long one.

2011-05-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

This blog post reports on the interrogation being received by school librarians and other reduction-in-force personnel in the Los Angeles USD and presents a horrifying scenario of the future of education in the U.S.The Library is Not a Fruit: Settle in. It's a long one.

Cory Doctorow on online Privacy & Youth

2011-05-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

ALA Privacy Conference: Interview with Cory Doctorow from 20K Films on Vimeo.

Infographic: Anatomy of a Librarian

2011-05-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

Whether is rings true or not this Infographic is fun to read. I particularly liked the "Left Brain vs. Right Brain & The Tasks of a Librarian." Talk about a balanced profession--librarianship has it all. ++ Click to Enlarge Image ++Via:Master-Degree-Online.com

Follett's 'A New Leaf in Learning' conference (Pt. 1)

2011-04-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaI was lucky enough to be able to attend the first annual Follett user conference in Chicago a few weeks ago and was really impressed by both the speakers and the new products introduced at the conference. Mid-March in Chicago can be a bit intimidating for we coastal-California types but fortunately, even though the temperatures were in the high 20s and low 30s, there was no

EBSCO's New OPAC Product

2011-03-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia Took part in a very interesting presentation as a member of EBSCO's K-12 Advisory Committee. EBSCO has been developing and selling a new product called OPAC. Basically, it uses MARC records from libraries' online catalogs and make them available for search through the EBSCOhost interface. Most of the things the patron can see and do in the regular catalog interface are

New Home Access to Library Catalog

2011-03-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia When we upgraded our library automation software from Circ/Cat+ to Destiny (both made by Follett Software) in 2009 we lost our catalog web server, Web Cat Plus. We had called the catalog Sequoyah, whose picture you see here. The user didn't have to log in separately although there was a separate IP address for at school and at home access. After we installed Destiny our

Facebook Page Up and Running

2011-02-15T15:18:00.000-08:00

Image via CrunchBaseThe Library's Page on Facebook has been up for about a month now and it's going great guns. At first I wasn't sure what was going to be on the page but after a couple days I discovered it's really not that difficult to find interesting tidbits to share with the fans of the Bessie Chin Library. One thing which students should find useful is a regular posting of links to

Library Facebook Page Up and Running

2011-01-19T09:34:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaThe library's new Facebook page has been up for a week now and we are adding info to it regularly. You don't need to remember a complicated URL to find it, just search Facebook for Bessie Chin Library and it will come up. There is a lot of information on the page including library mission, hours of opening, photos of library art and events, links to other library social

Martin Luther King Birthday is a Day of Service

2011-01-13T13:31:00.000-08:00

Cover of Martin Luther King, Jr. Monday is a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the famous civil rights leader of the 1950s and 1960s. Starting in the mid-1990s, the day has been a national day of service. Martin Luther King, Jr., who once said: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'" It also reminds me of President John F.

Why Do They Keep Telling Me to Use Quote Marks in Google Searches?

2011-01-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaCute video about searching in Google. Have you ever felt this way helping someone find something online? Patience, patience, ... Related articles10 Simple Google Search Tricks (thesocialmediaguide.com.au) How do you limit the number of results given by search engines (wiki.answers.com)

A Slice of Life in the Library

2011-01-07T14:20:00.000-08:00

I made this Animoto video last year for a Board presentation but still think it's pretty neat.What do you think? Ask the librarian if you'd like to learn to make something like this video.

My YA 2001 Wish List

2011-01-07T12:53:00.000-08:00

Image by Pesky Library via FlickrThis post from Daniel Kraus on the Booklist Book Blog is a funny, poignant look at the current status of young adult literature. What do you think? Are you fed up up unrealistic romantic heroes, vampires, novels-in-verse, lack of adults, first-person narratives, and so forth? What do you (or don't you) like about the current fiction scene?

The Hub: Your Connection to Teen Reads

2011-01-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

Here is the description of a new blog developed by the Young Adult Library Services Association. One neat thing about The Hub is that you can add your own comments to the reviews, including video reviews. Recently reviewed books include Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli, Jane by April Lindner, and The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.Take a look."The Hub is the literature blog for YALSA, the

New in the Teen Health and Wellness database

2011-01-04T11:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from the Rosen Online team! We hope you're beginning 2011 in good health and wellness. 2010 was a banner year for Rosen Online. We updated and expanded Teen Health & Wellness to include: Instant translation into over 50 languages, including Spanish and French Videos throughout, including student-created PSAs Over 50 new articles Social bookmarking and RSS feeds Site optimized

Public Domain Day 2011

2011-01-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

Public Domain Day 2011 was January 1st. Remember that just because a work has gone into public domain it still needs to be cited properly in any new work you create. A note from the Wikipedia article about Public domain: According to Bernt Hugenholtz and Lucie Guibault the public domain is under pressure from the "commodification of information" as items of information that previously had

Kindle Book Loaning Enabled

2011-01-03T14:42:00.000-08:00

Amazon has announced a new program of lending its Kindle books. Following Barnes & Noble's lead with its Nook e-book reader, Amazon now lets users "lend" books for 14 days to others even without a Kindle. While the book is on loan the original owner can't read the book. Not all books are available for lending. Publishers and authors need to authorize such use. Books which are available are noted

Anything's Possible When You're in the Library

2011-01-03T14:33:00.000-08:00

From California to Kaiping: A Video by Bessie Chin's Nephew, Casey Chin

2011-01-02T20:16:00.000-08:00

Casey Chin, Bessie Chin's nephew, made this video about his search for his Chinese heritage, including his grandmother, Lily Chin, an immigrant from Kaiping, China. Our own Bessie Chin is featured in several interviews about her mother and her life in the United States. Watch the full episode. See more ViewFinder.

Project Gutenberg eBooks Available from Library Catalog

2011-01-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

A member of the school librarians' listserv recently forwarded a message from Valerie Horton of the Colorado Library Consortium (CLiC) and we have decided to take advantage of the offer. CLiC created a project to clean up the most popular MARC records from Project Gutenberg called eDiscover the Classics. They identified the top 500 or so downloads and cleaned up those records and made them

Updates from Congressional Digest Debates Online

2011-01-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

The January 2011 issues of Congressional Digest, The Bush Tax Cuts:Weighing the Costs of Short- and Long-Term Economic Recovery: Should the Bush Tax Cuts for Upper Income Americans Be Allowed to Expire?, Supreme Court Debates, Illegal Workers:State Efforts to Enforce Immigration Law: Is the Legal Arizona Workers Act Preempted by Federal Immigration Law?, and International Debates, Water and

Google Apps for Education

2010-12-13T14:58:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaA new book, Google Apps for Education: Building Knowledge in a Safe and Free Environment, co-written by San Francisco teacher librarian, Micah Melton, about Google apps for education is now available from Hi Willow Press. Micah's co-authors include David Loertscher and Roger Nevin and they wrote the entire book using various Google apps. As a matter of fact, Micah has never

Figment: A Literary Website for Teens

2010-12-07T15:03:00.000-08:00

Image by Zellaby via Flickr A literary website for teens called Figment went live Monday and provides an online venue for students to write, read and share original fiction they create on their computers and smart phones. A staff writer and a former editor at the New Yorker launched a prototype of the site in June, and teamed with libraries, schools and literary groups to recruit student

Google eBooks

2010-12-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

Well, it's finally happened--Google is publishing ebooks readable on many different devices (except Amazon's Kindle). Since Google's ebooks are stored in the "cloud" there is no need to download them to a device. When you are ready to read you just login and have access to the books you've purchased. Could this be a game-changer? We'll just have to wait and see.

Sept. 24, 2010: UTLA welcomes education scholar Diane Ravitch

2010-12-05T19:00:00.000-08:00

This is a video of a speech education guru, Diane Ravitch, gave to members of the teachers' union in Los Angeles this last September. One of her primary targets here is the movie, "Waiting for Superman," and its supporters such as Oprah Winfrey, various business leaders, and the Obama administration in the form of Arne Duncan's Race to the Top program. Another target is charter schools and their

NY Times Cyberbullying Article

2010-12-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaInteresting article on how parents are learning how to deal with cyberbullying. "Ninth grade was supposed to be a fresh start for Marie’s son: new school, new children. Yet by last October, he had become withdrawn. Marie prodded. And prodded again. Finally, he told her. 'The kids say I’m saying all these nasty things about them on Facebook,' he said. 'They don’t believe me

Vote for "The Catch"

2010-12-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

State Farm Insurance is conducting an online contest, Friday Night Feats, in which football teams from around the country submit videos which are then voted on by viewers. You do have to set up an account to vote. Once you've set up the account and logged in choose "The Catch" and vote in the upper right corner of the video. Go Giants!

Student-painted Author Portraits in the Library

2010-12-02T15:24:00.000-08:00

Several years ago AP art students made these paintings which were to hang in the English Department hallway. Fortunately for us, the fire marshal said they couldn't mount them in the corridor because of fire regulations. The teacher asked me whether we could use them in the Library. Of course, I said yes. It took several years before we got them mounted permanently but they have graced our walls

The TED Commandments

2010-11-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaThese Ted commandments of public speaking have recently been making the rounds in communities I belong to. They come from a page entitled: For hosts: Designing your event: Preparing Speakers. They would seem to be great whether you are preparing a presentation for class or giving a speech at work or the Rotary Club. Take a look. The TED Commandments These 10 tips are given to

Digital Literacy Pathways in California

2010-11-28T22:30:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaIn response to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Executive Order S-06-09 issued last May calling for the advancement of digital literacy in California, the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) Digital Literacy Leadership Council has released a formal definition of digital literacy and a strategic plan for advancing digital literacy for residents of all

A Digi-Desiderata

2010-11-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

Some may remember the Desiderata from college or high school. Here's an updated version from Nancy Willard, Director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, for the Internet Age. Related articlesDesiderata (journeyamerica.wordpress.com)

News from the CSLA/CLA Conference

2010-11-20T22:28:00.000-08:00

Last week I attended the first joint California School Library Association (CSLA) / California Library Association (CLA) in memory. It afforded me a great opportunity to mingle with my school library colleagues from across the state and meet many librarians from other kinds of libraries, public, academic, and special, as well. I have, for the past year, been President of the Northern Section of

Welcome to Bessie Chin Library Leaves

2010-11-20T22:14:00.000-08:00

For many years the librarian has fairly regularly published articles in the Post, Redwood's parent newsletter. With the new more interactive and electronic version of the Post, you are now linked directly from the Post's web page to the Library's news blog, Library Leaves. We post articles here at least monthly which aim to keep students, staff and the community apprised of things happening in

Material Meets Metaphor

2010-09-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

Pioneering book artist Richard Minsky will speak about his life and work at the Yale University Library, New Haven, CT. Please join us on Tuesday, October 5, 2010, at 1pm in the Sterling Memorial Library Lecture Hall, 130 Wall Street. Light refreshments will be served after the talk. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Yale University Library Standing

Royalty Free Music & Sound Effects

2010-09-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

Need free sound effects or music for your awesome school (or personal) projects? Give JewelBeat a try.Use these free music tracks & free sound effects for any production - advertising, education, videos, photos, YouTube...etc.Their music tracks can be looped seamlessly & repeated to create a longer music track for your projects.

Gale * Apps * AccessMyLibrary iPhone App * School Library

2010-09-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

The Bessie Chin Library subscribes to several databases and ebooks from Gale. They now have a free iPhone app called AccessMyLibrary School Edition which can be downloaded though iTunes.After a simple, one-time log-in using our library's Gale password, the mobile app will give you free, unlimited access to the library's reputable, authoritative Gale online resources — anytime, anywhere! For

Iinternet Public Library 15 Things

2010-09-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

In honor of their 15th anniversary, the Internet Public Library launched the IPL 15 Things – introducing 15 of their favorite online technologies, with background information, best practices, related readings, examples of how the IPL is using the technology, and hands-on exercises.Check out the links on the site and take the 15 Things Challenge!

Get Ready for Teen Read Week!

2010-09-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

The Bessie Chin Library is celebrating Teen Read Week this year (October 17-24, 2010) with an "App Opt Out" Book Festival. This week will provide an opportunity for students and staff to share with others what they are reading and why at lunch sometime that week in the library. If you'd be interested in sharing a book that's fascinated, scared, informed or otherwise entertained you recently

Mashable's Back-to-School Top Ten iPhone apps

2010-08-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

"As August nights get cooler, we begin begrudgingly counting down the remaining summer days. Once Labor Day passes, it’s back to school time for millions." Well, here at Redwood school has already been in session for more than a week but you get the idea. "The best part of going back to school is clearly the shopping. Even though a new notebook can go a long way in preparing you for the new

It's a Book!

2010-08-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to school. And remember... "It's a Book!"

Project Information Literacy

2010-07-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaGot this message via the Infolit listserv today: Debra C. Rollins found an interesting article on Library Babel Fish and thought you might enjoy it too. The article, by a college librarian, discusses how college professors often spend more time in assignments telling student the mechanics of a paper rather than helping them find good resources for the

It's Choose Privacy Week

2010-05-05T15:09:00.001-07:00

Watch this great video. Very thought provoking. Choose Privacy Week Video from 20K Films on Vimeo.

Challenging Article on Reading in the Recent Phi Delta Kappan Journal

2010-04-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

"The reading assigned to students today is almost identical to what students were assigned a generation ago. This is true not only for English classes, which see the same classic titles that earlier students avoided, but also for science, social studies, and other classes. The result? Students are turned off to reading. When they are outside of school, young people read a wide variety of texts in

Cyber Citizenship

2010-04-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

PTSA Presentation This morning Tara Taupier and I with assistance from the Tam District Technology Director, Joel Hames, and Redwood AP, David Sondheim, gave a presentation to the PTSA about cyber citizenship issues. The talk included discussions of student and parental responsibilities, privacy issues, general issues of Internet use and abuse, the development of a curriculum by the District to

Ravaged by cuts, school libraries fight to stay alive

2010-03-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

In an article in the Marin Independent Journal which was published on Monday, March 22, Rob Rogers reports on the state of school libraries in Marin County. A couple quotes from the article: "The way I look at it, I'm a teacher two times over," said Redwood High School librarian Tom Kaun, who like all teacher-librarians holds credentials in both library science and another academic subject - in

Video from Animoto

2010-03-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

This is the Animoto video which I'll be showing at the School Board meeting this evening as part of the librarians' annual report. It was my fourth attempt -- I now know not to publish the video until I've got the timing, etc., down just the way I want it. There's a lot more you can do -- I'll be playing with Animoto and encourage kids and teachers to use it as well. See me for login information.

New Blogger Customization Tools

2010-03-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

I just changed the design of this blog using Google's new template customization site. Take a look if you have a Blogger page.

CLSA NS Workshop in Berkeley

2010-02-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

Several California School Library Association Northern Section board members leaving Books, Inc. after a successful board meeting --and some productive shopping! Pictured are: Region III rep, Eric Wheeler and past president, Margaret Baker from the Central Valley and secretary, Becca Todd who made arrangements for a very successful workshop and meeting at the Books, Inc. bookstore on 4th Street

Ocoee Middle School Students Like to Read

2010-02-25T14:06:00.001-08:00

Ocoee Middle School Gotta Keep Reading from Michael Cardwell on Vimeo.

School Library Advocacy in Action

2010-02-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

Professor Alice Yucht, in a blog entry today on Alice in InfoLand, says that we need to activate before we advocate. I couldn't agree more. I was at an "educational summit" today with Jackie Siminitus, CSLA's advocate extraordinaire, where high school and middle students from all over Northern California were scoping out the possibilities for college and beyond. In this picture the badges we are

Do educators need a tea party?

2010-02-07T23:57:00.000-08:00

Read my comment to Joyce Valenza's posting. Do educators need a tea party?: "I can feel the grass roots growing. But they need a little water, or perhaps, some tea. Daily, my email box and my Twitter stream fill with..." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Maybe you'd like to join my armband wearing to mourn the loss of school librarians and school libraries across the

President's Budget Reduces School Library Funding

2010-02-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

In response to a press release submitted by The American Association of School Librarians and reported on the AASL blog I posted the following comment: If the Administration had, as Stephen Krashen has suggested, budgeted funding for a well-staffed, well-stocked library in every school in the country it would have more of an impact than any of the “scientifically” vetted programs promoted by

Thanks for the new LCD monitors and Redwood Barkives storage

2010-01-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the Redwood Foundation The entire Redwood community would like to thank the Redwood parents and others who contribute to the Redwood Foundation for a couple valuable new additions to the Library this winter. LCD Monitors Over the break 22 new LCD monitors replaced the old CRTs which were pretty much the last ones in the school. The new monitors don’t just look great. They take up a

The Unquiet Library

2009-12-11T10:30:00.001-08:00

Keep an eye on this site it's full of stuff about "21st-century" learning and is sure to change and grow as time goes on.Take a look at the video "Connected Student Toolbox" for a vision of the future.in reference to: The Unquiet Library 2009-10 (view on Google Sidewiki)

An On-going Book Fair ... And Thanks!

2009-11-17T12:41:00.000-08:00

Support the LibraryAs gift-giving season approaches in earnest now is a great time to accomplish two things at once: giving great gifts and giving something to Redwood’s library program too!The library has several ways that allow parents, grandparents, and others to give great gifts and contribute to the library program as well.The one which we have participated in the longest is Book Passage’s

Funny? Maybe Not so Funny!

2009-10-08T23:23:00.000-07:00

Just discovered Taylor Mali thanks to Nina Jackson."I'll Fight You For The Library" performed by Taylor Mali as part of the Page Meets Stage Series at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City on April 29, 2009.

National Information Literacy Awareness Month

2009-10-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

President Obama has proclaimed October National Information Literacy Awareness Month.Here's the text of the proclamation:Every day, we are inundated with vast amounts of information. A 24-hour news cycle and thousands of global television and radio networks, coupled with an immense array of online resources, have challenged our long-held perceptions of information management.Rather than merely

2009-09-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

This just in from Bonnie Gosliner, the Young Adult librarian at the Corte Madera branch of Marin County Free Library.Hi everyone!I hope you are all having a great start to the school year.I want to tell you about a new FREE service provided by the Marin County Free Library. “HelpNow! Powered by Brainfuse” is an online free tutoring service for grade 3 to 12 offered 7 days/week from 1pm to 10pm.·

September Is Library Card Sign-up Month

2009-08-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

According to the American Library Association "Library Card Sign-up Month was launched in 1987. Library Card Sign-up Month is a time to remind parents that a library card is the most important school supply of all. Since then, thousands of public and school libraries join each fall in a national effort to ensure every child does just that."I'd like to recommend that every student at Redwood have

An Information Literacy Tutorial Series

2009-08-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

I just came across this series of information literacy tutorials featuring the director of the Pima Community College in Arizona.I'm hoping to do something similar for Redwood this year. Keep posted and we'll see what happens!

Twitter Feed

2009-07-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

I just added a twitter feed from BessChinLibrary on Twitter. You can find the twitter updates further down this page.I had already decided to do this and had just added the widget when I read a post on David Lee King's blog in which he discusses ways "not to tweet" for libraries. The first thing I did was open my tweets. I'm not sure why I set it up so the viewer would have to ask permission to

The Library Named One of the 7 Wonders

2009-06-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

As mentioned earlier, the recently published Log, the yearbook of Redwood High School, had as its theme this year "The Seven Wonders of Redwood."Named as "Wonders" were the spirit ball, the senior parking area, the new lunch plaza, the library, new gym and pool, the amphitheatre, and Mount Tamalpais.When I talked to the yearbook advisor about the process used to pick these seven things, she said

Two Things

2009-06-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

One of the Seven Wonders of RedwoodLast week my assistant got her hands on a preview copy of our annual, the Log. The theme this year is "The Seven Wonders of Redwood." And guess what one of the "Wonders" is? Yes, the Library.It was really neat to see that the kids value the Bessie Chin Library and it's programs. The introductory article says the following: "Always a blessed place in our hearts,

Loertscher and Farmer Webinar

2009-05-06T22:47:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I took part in an interesting, if a bit frustrating, webinar. It was lead by David Loertscher, and Lesley Farmer also participated.The frustrating thing was that wasn't interactive like most webinars I've attended before. But maybe that will come eventually. They plan on hosting more of these sessions.The presentation, which lasted an hour, was full of tips for keeping track of

How I Spent My Spring Break

2009-05-01T22:55:00.001-07:00

I apologize for being away for a while but I was determined to post my impressions of Library LegiDay in Sacramento on April 15 before the CSLA board meeting tomorrow.The picture is of CSLA's president, Connie Williams, and me standing on the steps of the Capitol after our "press availability" that morning. Senators Lois Wolk and Ellen Corbett had announced the proclamation of National Library

The Mainstreaming of e-Books in Our Library

2009-04-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

eBooks @ AdelaideI recently added over 1300 ebook records to the library catalog from the eBooks @ Adelaide (University of Adelaide, Australia) website.To access the books search for the series "eBooks @ Adelaide" (from home; from school). This will bring up the entire list of 1306 titles. Most of these books are older and therefore are out of copyright and many are available on such sites as

What We'd Love Our Graduating Seniors to Know

2009-04-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

Joyce Valenza's statement to her high school seniors in a recently published article in VOYA says it all for me: "I hope you will do more than what the researchers call 'satificing,' a cross between satisfying and sufficing. I want you to use your skills to find quality. I want you to go further than any of your peers will. I want you to search for quality, relevance, currency, and credibility. I

Delaine Eastin Endorses Tom Torlakson

2009-04-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

This video shows Delaine Eastin's April 3rd endorsement of Tom Torlakson's bid to run for Superintendent of Public Instruction.Delaine is a real hero to the school library community and she mentions school libraries a couple times in the course of her speech. If Torlakson has only half of the passion Delaine has exhibited for school libraries over the years we will be well served by him.

Short Stories, Conic Sections, and the Magic Eye

2009-04-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

It's not that often that a teacher brings a class in to find short stories to read. Today Jeff Ryan brought two of his American Lit classes to the library to find short stories.I was able to show them how to find short stories using the catalog--search for the subject "Short stories," for example. Then I explained than in our library story collections by more than one author are kept in a special

Mock Senate Spring 2009

2009-03-31T22:36:00.000-07:00

Today the Government classes held their Mock Senate exercise in three different places around the campus. One of the sessions, featuring the students in Mr. DeNardo's classes, was held in the library.It's always great to see the students dressed up like young ladies and gentlemen and taking part in this "exercise in democracy." The Mock Senate gives the students an opportunity to debate issues

Weeding, Teaching, Searching, Mock Senate Preview

2009-03-30T22:09:00.000-07:00

Today was fairly quiet in the library.I'm continuing to weed items from the library. I'm focusing right now on the 500s--especially the 580s, Botany. A lot of the items were given new call numbers in the 333 (Environmental protection area). We have a lot of material on the rain forests which were purchased in the 1980s and 1990s which had been classified with botany but are more properly located

Busy Day for Kids and Teachers

2009-03-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

Today I had four classes in the library.Two of Mr. Winkler's classes came on a follow-up visit to continue finding information about their papers related to their reading of Orwell's 1984. Robert had started this project last year and this year gave his students four sheets with directions for the project including one specifically about library resources. He is requiring that they use Opposing

Good Friday

2009-03-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

Friday was a very busy and productive day in the library.I spoke to five classes--all 9th graders--which are my favorites.Three English classes came in earlier in the week to take the TRAILS information literacy assessment survey. The teacher, Jeanne Woltering, is my peer evluation partner this year and I decided that I was going to work with her classes on information literacy skills. Earlier I

Public Libraries vs. School

2009-03-01T17:35:00.000-08:00

Interesting point of view from a young man which I saw on Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk blog and which he discovered at Walt Crawford's Liminal Librarian blog. I actually came to it via the AASL (American Assoc. of School Librarians) blog through a comment by Deborah Stafford! The wonderful world of blogs. Enjoy!?The original (AASL) posting was about a grant opportunity available through AASL for

A New Course for the District

2009-02-13T14:56:00.000-08:00

At its February 12 meeting the TUHSD Board of Trustees approved a new course which will be offered next year at Redwood. The course, called Advanced Library Research, will offer students an introduction to college-level research skills. While we teach students at Redwood, and throughout the Tam District, how to use information efficiently and effectively through class projects in a number of

Teacher of the Year

2009-01-09T00:06:00.000-08:00

Last spring at our annual end-of-the-year staff party, the "Ginny Luncheon," two staff members where honored as Employees of the Year. Kelly Starrett, our outstanding information tech, was honored as the classified employee and yours truly was honored as certificated employee. The only reason this info is being posted now is that Mike Dibley, a highly respected member of Redwood faculty and

SF's Mayor Visits the Redwood Library

2008-12-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

On Monday evening, December 1, Mayor Gavin Newsom, an alum of Redwood, visited the campus to hold a town hall meeting and (possibly) test the waters for a run for the governorship. Mayor Newson has visited Redwood before, his most recent stint as the graduation speaker last June.The town hall meeting was held in the Bessie Chin Library and over one hundred invited guests and others heard Mayor

Celebrating Native American heritage

2008-11-04T11:18:00.000-08:00

Throughout the school year the Library celebrates various ethnic and other groups which make up the rich fabric of the United States. Starting in September with Hispanic American Heritage Month and ending in May with Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Library staff creates wonderful displays of books and other artifacts that demonstrate the diversity of our country and state.November is

Banned Books Week

2008-09-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

We've put up displays of banned and challenged books in the Library along with documents and quotes about censorship and the First Amendment.Our library clerk, Cythea, with an eye for the dramatic and beautiful was a great help in designing the displays.As soon as I can I'll have some pictures to share. The picture shown is from an exhibit about the artistic response to literary censorship

Hispanic Heritage Month

2008-09-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Throughout the year the Library celebrates several groups with displays of posters and books. From Spetember 15 through October 15 we celebrate Hispanic Heritiage Month. Unlike the other month-long celebrations Hispanic Heritage starts in the middle of one month and ends in the middle of the next. This is because Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua achieved independence

Welcome to Our New Afternoon Library Specialist

2008-09-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

Because Karen Barrett, our long-time full-time Library Specialist has taken the position of Athletic Director we have hired a new part-time person to fill her position in the afternoon.We'd like to welcome Hans Doto to the Bessie Chin Library and the Redwood community.Most recently Hans has been working in food service at Drake High School in the district. He also runs a martial arts school in

9th Grade Library Orientation

2008-08-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

Library orientations started this week with a presentation to a special ed class. Four students got an "up close and personal" introduction to the library. Three where freshmen and one had transferred from Drake (another school in the district) and hadn't taken World Cultures & Geography yet which is a graduation requirement.The students were attentive and I think they were able to absorb most of

Welcome Back!

2008-08-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

As the new school year starts I've got a lot of catching up to do.The summer was eventful for the Library, especially August 2 when we had over 50 international visitors who were in town for the annual conference of the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL). The visitors were impressed by the welcoming nature of the Library. They also commented on the size of the space and the

Catching Up as Summer Begins

2008-06-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

I've been off work since last Friday but visited the library twice this week for some final tasks.Yesterday I found out from my principal that we may have a new part-time library specialist working in the library. It's complicated and since nothing is final (or even announced) I can't go into detail at this time. Suffice it to say that change may be coming to the BCL.It's been very hot this week

San Jose State Intern Working at BCL

2008-04-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

I've been away from the blog for a couple weeks. Part of that was the Spring Break vacation.I had a great time down in Puerto Vallarta enjoying the sea and sun. The photo to the right shows the church and plaza in the center of PV on a recent beautiful spring morning.While in Mexico this time I got to fly to a small town back in the Sierra Madre which used to be a sliver-mining center. It just

National Library Week 2008

2008-04-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

I thought this short video "Go Fish," was a fun one to celebrate the week with. Even though we've got lots of resources in the Bessie Chin Library, the public library has even more. Make sure you get (and keep) your public library card.| MARINet | Marin County Free Library | Larkspur Public Library | Belvedere-Tiburon Library |.:| Celebrating National Library Week, April 13-19, 2008 |:.

When I Have the Time

2008-04-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

When I have the time I'd like to make some videos like this one which show how to use various library resources. This one comes from the Cornell University Libraries and is part of their series of 90-second videos called "Research Minutes."The topic of this video is finding substantive news articles, certainly a topic which Redwood students need to know.

Open House

2008-04-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

Last night's Open House went well in the Library. We had advertised our display of student art work (ongoing) and the orientation presentation we give to 9th grade students at the beginning of the year. Many more families are able to visit the Library during Open House than at Back-to-School Night because they are not restricted by a schedule.I always enjoy seeing parents from past years and

Website of the Month (Poets.org)

2008-04-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

April is pretty well known as National Poetry Month.There a many poetry sites on the Internet but one I particularly like is Poets.org, the website of the Academy of American Poets. From this site you can subscribe to a poem of the day throughout the month of April. Try it, it's kind of fun to receive a poem each day to remind you about the power and beauty of the English language.

80 Online Resources for Book Lovers

2008-04-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this massive list of links for readers. The author is David Bondelli, who says he re-posted it from an earlier blog which he's no longer maintaining.Included are classics I'm already familiar with such as the social networking sites, LibraryThing and GoodReads; e-book sites, like WikiBooks, the Poetry Archive, Project Gutenberg, Google Book Search, Bartleby, and the UVa Electronic

Periodical Records Added to Catalog

2008-04-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, while the Mock Senate was taking place in the Library's Main Room, I decided to upload some of the MARC cataloging records for magazines and journals from EBSCOhost to our library catalog (home access/school access). It's turned out to be a more exhilarating and complicated process than I had anticipated.I had already uploaded the records from Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (a

A Question from a Colleague--And an Answer

2008-03-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

On LM_NET, the school library listserv, one of the members, a distinguished author in the school library field, recently asked the following:"Now that we have our new AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner, when I am writing, I'm not simply using the outdated term "information literacy skills." The first time I mention the five literacies, I say "digital, visual, textual, technological, and

Common Sense Media Video Teaches Media Literacy

2008-03-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

I recently viewed a new video from Common Sense Media. Common Sense Media is "a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, [which] provide[s] trustworthy information and tools, as well as an independent forum, so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume." Based in San Francisco, their website provides comprehensive information and reviews of all types of media