Well, of course I did not blog the next day, but the rest of conference went like this:
Went to another great SC media specialist session…this one was with Micheal Hope Brandon and Ashley Paddock from Richland 2 – 2 fab people. They talked about some of the projects they’ve done with students and highlighted some great online resources such as Glogster, Photostory, and others…good stuff!

Went to IKEA. Spent a lot of money.

Went to closing celebration at ImaginOn. Wine + Librarians = Crazy dancing. I like to not drink and just watch. Good for laughs   Highlight of the evening was convincing the charter bus guy to let me and Lena pretend like we were driving the bus for pictures. We’re easily amused, I guess.

Back home on Sunday and it seems like since then, I have not stopped moving. I’m very busy. A good busy, but a kind of busy where it would be nice to have time to lock myself in my office just to get some things done. Do you ever just feel like you are so behind on emails and the “stuff” you have to do that you are nervous you won’t catch up? That’s how I feel right now, however, I know that I can stay at school late tomorrow and I don’t have much planned for Saturday, so I can get some work done then too. It is going to be okay, right?

Book Fair is here. Tastefully Simple party on Sunday – want to come?

Love,

VBF

The AASL Conference is coming to a close…I have one more session to attend and the closing event this evening…then, back home tomorrow. It’s been a great conference and I’m leaving here with ideas that I plan to use when I get back to school…if you care, here’s what it would have been like if you were here with me -

Thursday – Woke up like a normal school day and got ready for the trip to Charlotte. Ended up not leaving for Charlotte until 1:30pm – was able to plan for next week’s SLIS 220 (undergraduate USC course I teach on Thursdays) and spend time with the pups who have been parent-less since Thursday (their grandfather is hanging out with them though).When we got to Charlotte on Thursday, first thing was to register and check out the Exhibit Hall. The Exhibit Hall is always a little overwhelming for me the first time I visit. I like to walk around once and then go back when I have more time. The opening is always full of people being a little grabby, which gets on my nerves. So, once we were done pushing and shoving a little, Kristen (my D5 pal/travel partner) and I headed to dinner and bed. We are old.

Friday – Woke up, worked out on a wobbley eliptical and headed to the first session of the day -

A Year with Fours and Fives I LOVED this session! It was presented by a library media specialist at a private primary school in OK. She basically went through an entire year of programming and highlighted books, songs, activities, and programming to do with four and five year olds. I plan to use a lot of it with my kindergarten and 1st graders as well as my Lion Cubs (Lion Cubs are younger siblings of New Providence students. I host a storytime for them once a month. Basically, it is a public library-type storytime with a story, fingerplays, a craft, etc. Not all that instructional or standards based, but lots of fun and that’s what reading is!).

2.0 Learning Tools Smackdown This was Joyce Valenza’s session, so I knew it was going to be good! I was also volunteering at this one, which meant I was SUPPOSED to close the door and not allow anyone else in when the room was full, however, librarians tend to just do whatever they need to get what they want, so I was not very tough about not letting people in. I’m a softy. This one has a wiki with all of the great information that was shared…if you have something to share – do it! Smackdown Wiki Some of my favorite tools are in Reading Promotion.

Start Your Student’s Engines with SMART Boards in the Media Center! This was South Carolina’s own Julia Davis presenting about how to use a SMART Board in the library. I wanted to go because I finally have a SB in my media center (a year and a half in the making!), and because I had only started really using the SMART Board at my old school and then didn’t have once at my new school, I had gotten out of practice, so I needed this session for some ideas and places to go for lessons. My right away, take away was a story spinner for kids to spin after I read a story to them. They spin it and tell me the beginning, middle, end, or their favorite part of a story. Made one during the session and will use it next week! Yay Julia, and THANKS!

After that, Lena (other pal/travel partner), Kristen, and I went to Concord Mills Mall during 5pm Charlotte Friday traffic. After shopping a little and eating, we went back to the room where I was able to get them to watch King of the Crown . I’m sure they loved it and will now be just as addicted to it as I am.

Saturday

Prada Promotion on a Dollar Store Budget This was a program geared towards middle and high school students, but I loved it. Again, lots of cute ideas to take back and use in my library. A couple I hope to implement – question of the day (I might do a “question of the week”) and a super cute “Library Avenger” video that highlights library programming and databases/resources. LOVE it! Here’s the link  for more information about some of the things these folks are doing .

After that was a bit of SCASL work with Amanda LeBlanc. Finally walking through Exhibit Hall and now blogging. After the next session, we are headed to IKEA and then tonight is the closing “party” at ImaginOn, which is quite possibily, the coolest place ever.

More tomorrow (maybe!)

VBF

Heading to Charlotte this afternoon, so I am at home, catching up on professional reading (or actually, links and stuff in my email inbox that I don’t delete “for later”…there’s quite a bit of Martha Stewart emails in there too…), anyway, what I just read was this article:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-10-26-kindle-school-library_N.htm

From USA Today, about a private boarding school that has purchased Kindles and is upgrading their library to be mostly digital. They’ve also added a coffee shop and seem to be trying to create a “hip” place for the students to go. They state that the library wasn’t being used at all and that hardly any books were ever being circulated. So, the headmaster has taken out book shelves and put in cubicles for laptops and other digital toys and a coffee shop. I like that all of that was added…he even hired MORE librarians to help students decide what information from the internet is reliable and to teach them how to find the good stuff and how to download the digital media to their toys. But, why doesn’t he ask these librarians to give book talks, purchase popular fiction, ask students what BOOKS they want to see in the library? Why didn’t he start there? Why not have 5 (or 50) print copies of Twilight and then some on digital media as well?

And, the fact that they have Kindles leads me to my next thought: I have a Kindle for my library. Just one, purchased with book fair funds to play (principal said “go for it!” when I was jealous that he had one). So, how can I use this in my library? Haven’t figured it out yet…I’m in an elementary school, so I don’t know about checking it out??? What do you think? About everything I said?
VBF

Maybe I’ll start blogging again…what do you think?

If I do…it will be about the library, of course, because that’s where I spend all of my time, but maybe about other things, like my dog…and cooking. 

Tomorrow, I leave for AASL and I am very much looking forward to it. Perhaps that will kickstart my blogging again. I think with blogging, I let it get too segmented – like, I had to have a personal blog for personal stuff and a professional blog for professional stuff. Let’s face it, I am organized, but it can get to the point of TOO organized and I just need to pull some things together, so my “new” blog will be a mash of ME. You’ll love it.

VBF

One day, I might just update this blog…I think having to update the SCASL Blog and all other things I must update throughout my days keeps me from updating THIS blog.

It’s the last day of spring break today and I’m going through email and such and thought it would be a good time to just let you know I’m still here and I’m not throwing this blog in the cyber-trashcan just yet…

VBF

PS- Sorry in advance about spelling, formatting, etc., etc. Just trying to get the information out to you all

• Alex Awards for the best adult books that appeal to teen audience -

City of Theives by David Benioff

Dragons of Babel by Swanwick

Finding Nouf by Ferraris

The Good Thief by Tinti

Just after sunset by Stephen King

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

Over and Under by Tucker

The Oxford Project by Bloom

Sharpe Teeth by Barlow

Three Girls and Their Brother by Rebeck

•  Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children’s video -

March On – Weston Woods 

Coretta Scott King / John Steptoe Award for New Talent –

Shadra Strickland; illustrator of Bird

Illustrator Honor Award –

We are the Ship by Kadir Nelson

Before John was a Jazz Giant by Sean Qualls

The Moon Over Star by Jerry Pinkney

Illustrator Award-

Blacker the Berry Illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Author Honor Book –

Keeping the Knight Watch by Smith

Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carol Thomas

Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Boston Weatherford

Winner-

We are the Ship by Kadir Nelson

Honors –

The Underneath by Appelt

The Surrender Tree by Engle

Savvy by Law

After Tupac & D Foster by Woodsen

Winner-

The Graveyard Book by Gaiman!

Ashley Bryan

Laurie Halse Anderson (!!!)

Kathleen T. Horning

Honor –

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing… by MT Anderson

The Disreputable History … by ???

Nation by Pratchett

Tender Morsels by Lanagan

Winner –

Jellicoe Road by Marchetta

Honor Books –

Garmon’s Summer by Hole

Tiger Moon by Michaelis

Winner –

Moribito by Uehashi

Honors –

Listening Library – Curse of the Blue Tattoo

Listening Library – Elijah of Buxton by Curtis

I’m Dirty McMullan – Weston Woods

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach – Peachtree

Nation Pratchett - Harper Collins

Winner –

Recorded Books – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part – Time Indian

Illustration Honor -

Papa and Me Illustrated by Gutierrez

The Storyteller’s Candle illustrated by Delacrue (?)

What can you do with a Rebozo illustrated by Cordova

Winner Illustrator –

Just in Case illustrated by Morales

Author Honor Books –

Reaching Out by Jimenez

Just in Case by Morales

Storyteller’s Candle by Gonzalez

Author Winner –

The Surrender Tree by Engle

Honors –

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Frazee

How I learned Geography by Shulevitz

A River of Words by Sweet

Winner –

The House in the Night by Krommes

• Robert F. Sibert Medal honors an author, illustrator and/or photographer of the most distinguished informational book published for children.

Honor Books –

Bodies from the Ice… by Deem

What to do about Alice by Kerley

Winner –

We are the Ship by Kadir Nelson

Young Children’s - Piano Starts Here: the Young Art Tatum by Parker

Middle Grades – Waiting for Normal by Conner

Teen Book – Jerk California by Friesen

Honor Books –

Chicken Said Cluck! by Grant

One Boy by Seeger

Stinky by Davis

Wolfsnail by Campbell

Winner –

Are you Ready to Play Outside by my boyfriend, Mo Willems (he does not realize he is my boyfriend)

New Award!

Finalists

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth Bunce

Gracling by Cashore

Absolute Brightness by Lecesne

Madapple by Meldrum

Me, The Missing, and the Dead by Ballentine

Winner –

A Curse Dark as Gold by Bunce

I am still alive and just not updating very often.

I’m in Denver at ALA Midwinter…doing work and attending lots of meetings.

On Monday, ALA will announce the Youth Media Awards and I will be blogging the winners as they happen!

More later,

VBF

I like to listen to Oprah’s radio station on XM from time to time because you actually learn a lot on that channel. I love Jean Chatzky, the money lady and Oprah’s friend Gail makes me laugh. Yesterday, while cleaning the house, I was little to the Aussie guy who talks about organizing your life. I don’t know his name and am too lazy to look it up. ANYWAY, I got the biggest tip for managing my out of control life.

Take just one thing and tackle it. Take the one thing that you keep saying to yourself, “I need to do this” and just do it. Decide for a moment that you aren’t going to do anything but that. For me, today, that was commenting on the 23 Things participants blogs. Doesn’t sound like a huge deal and there weren’t that many of them but I keep putting it off and putting it off and I’m so happy that I heard that show yesterday and just sat down and did it. Now that I’ve done it once, I will do it more. I have it in my calendar to do now, in fact. So, that was the biggest tip I got yesterday and I wanted to share. If I figure out what my one “must do” for each day is, I think I’ll get much more done than my usual putzing around on Plurk and Facebook and then feeling like I got nothing done.

VBF

Since August 8 (last post), I’ve been busy!

Here’s a run down…I have been blogging at http://scasl.wordpress.com/ and http://npeslmc.edublogs.org/, so I haven’t been so bad with the blogging…just on this page. Perhaps this is telling me I have too many blogs? Each serve a different purpose. But, here we go:

1. New library and new library books! I’ve been busy ordering and putting new books in the shelves as well as getting to know my teachers and students.

2. SCASL. I’m President now. I’m pretty busy. Kicked off our 23 Things program: http://scasl23things.edublogs.org/ 

3. Dog drama. In my personal life, my hubby and I have had some dog drama. Had to put one dog to sleep, still training our puppy, and my parent’s dog had to go to the animal ER last Thursday. All is calming down on that front, but it’s added to stress and busy-ness, for sure!

Love,

VBF

The summer has FLOWN by. What have I done?

• Went to California for vacation and for ALA Conference
• Along with that trip to California, I went to Vegas and got the vows renewed by Elvis
• I became President of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians
• I graded some papers for a USC class
• I played with my dogs
• I spent time with my family
• I spent too much time on FaceBook and Plurk
• I stopped spending time on MySpace and Twitter
• I read the Twilight series
• I hosted my first board retreat for SCASL
• I started working at a new school
• I spent some time with friends

Overall, a very productive summer!

What goals do I have for the new school year?

• Finish setting up new library (bookcases came yesterday - I HOPE!)
• Get to know new teachers and students
• Have fun at work
• Be a successful and productive leader of SCASL
• Stay on top of deadlines
• Try not to say YES to too much (need to concentrate on what I’ve already agreed to)
• See my Gamecocks win

That’s it! I can do it!

I hope everyone has a great school year…I really do hope to blog on a regular basis…I think I’m going a good job, considering I’ve got three to keep up with (SCASL, this one, and NPES). So there.

VBF