beccablog, teacher-librarian

For most of the year, I thought I would have time to do this for my current school.  Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.  However, the other day I started on it again – for the new school. It took some time, but I think I got it to work.  It isn’t pretty or flashy yet, but it is a start to getting our website mobile.

Resources I used:

• Make Your Website an iPhone Application
• How to build a website for the iPhone with orientation detection
• Cornell University Library Mobile Site
• Mr. Hughes, BVW Business Teacher

For more links to other resources, click here.

If you would like a copy of the code I used on the site, send me an email and I can send to you or grab the code off my site. If you do not read html and other fancy code stuff, don’t worry – send me an email and I can show you how to code it for your library.  It sounds like it could be very complicated – but of all the code type things I have done, this is one of the easiest.

Now, once I code my site to fit for the iPhone, I then need to set it up so it can be “app-like”. *  Since I don’t want to pay $99 a year to Apple or hire a site to make it an app, it won’t be available on iTunes (unless I figure out another way… if so, I will blog later.)  So a user does this —

1.  Go to Safari on iPhone or iTouch.  Type in the URL (http://www.bvswlmc.com/ilibrary.html)

2.  Once the page appears, click the +  .

3.  Choose Add to Home Screen.

4.  New page pops up to Add to Home.  Title default (from your code above – you name it, but the user can change it.)

Notice the image on the left of the Title – it is either a snapshot of your site or HOPEFULLY it is an image/logo that you created.  (This is determined in your code above for your site.) *

5. Click ADD.

It will then be added to the screen of the iPhone/iTouch.  When a user clicks on the image, your site will launch with an opening screen of your image/logo.

(I plan on making a video to show users how to do this.  I have a feeling the students will pick this up pretty quickly.)

*Troubleshooting and other interesting info

1.  It can be expensive to create an app so it is placed in iTunes.  Gale did a great job with their app and it is available in iTunes.  I wanted to go this route with the library app, but at this time, I couldn’t justify the expense.  In addition, I would need to learn some crazy codes.   I don’t want Gale to be the only database students can grab information though.  (THANK YOU GALE for creating the app – hopefully more databases will follow.)   Libguides also has a mobile feature.  (Viewing these sites from a non-mobile device can make them seem very boring – but try it on an iPhone or iTouch.)  Now as I dive more into this, I am realizing there are many way to do this that are not as expensive.  So there may be more information to follow at a later time.

2. While making the app, I notice that my logo did not appear when I tried to “re-put” it on my iTouch.  It worked the first time with the site, but the next time, it just showed me the website as the logo – not my cool logo.  So I change the website URL and put it in my iTouch – it then showed the correct logo.  Moral of the story:  Don’t freak out if your logo doesn’t appear the second time you install it on your phone/touch – for users it will show up (I think).

3.  Text doesn’t show up on the computer browser.  However, it works on my touch.  I will play with the coding so it does show up.

Be looking for my current school’s app soon – I promised I would do one before I leave…

When we opened West nine years ago, I remember creating a website at the beginning of the school year.  It was very basic, blah, and wasn’t really ready to go until a month into the school year.  In the wayback machine, I found the oldest archive of the site over a year later.  Much improved, but still very blah.

Years later, I am opening a new building and one of the first things on my super long list  - the web page.  I do the school web page for the new building and the school site has over 56,000 hits; I posted on SW Libguides links to naming the school alma mater, yearbook, store, and newspaper – it has over 400 hits in two weeks.  There is excitement for opening the new building and I want the library to be a part of that excitement.

So I have the front page done along with creating accounts for the many 2.0 sites it links.  I am thinking of creating a survey to provide feedback.  I really won’t know how ‘well’ the site works until we get students in the building using the site.  I am sure many things will change.

Which brings me back to … I can’t wait to have a colleague in the library to share the nervousness and excitement of opening this building.  I have been so lucky to have a great partner in the library at West - so I know how valuable it can be to have someone share ideas and work through the many obstacles and triumphs.

Check out the page so far… http://www.bvswlmc.com

I’m going to create a survey right now to get feedback.  Check back for that – any input would be appreciated!

Here is the library logo (for the new library – Southwest).  I purchased the tree on istockphoto and then a talented friend of mine (soon to be a graphic designer – although this shows she is already) was able to make it specific to Southwest.  I had to enlarge the library for web, but for print  ”the” and “library” will be much closer together.

I am not really good at the marketing and design of things – but this is a great start.  I have visions of using the ‘tree’ in the physical library as well as on the web.

1.  Opening a new building.  New furniture, new books, new – everything.

2.  You won’t be the only new person!

3.  You love kids and enjoy the school atmosphere.

4.  You love to integrate technology and show others how to as well.

5.  You love to try new things.  (You aren’t freaked out that the library fiction shelves are organized by genre.)

6.  You stay up on all the blogs, Twitter, and other 2.0 tools out there and want to integrate effectively into lessons.

7.  Believe administrative support is essential to a good library serving students.  (Our administrators are awesome!)

8.  Green – not only is the school color green, but the library furniture is ‘green’ as well.

9.  You believe you impact student achievement and figure out ways you can do/show this.

10.  You understand that sometimes you might have to do crazy – ‘this isn’t in my job description’ things.  (Running up to a room to help with technology, set up a projector and speakers for FCA or other clubs – you know, this list could continue…)

11.  You have a teaching degree and a master’s in library science.

12.  You enjoy working with a great staff – and we have a great staff!!!

I am sure I missed a few things and might add more later…

Any of these things work for you?  Apply now https://jobs.bluevalleyk12.org/ .  Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions…

As I mentioned back in November, I am opening a new library at our new high school (August 2010).  In the last post, I listed more questions than answers – so after a few months (I can’t believe it is April!) I moved forward,  hopefully answering some of the earlier questions.

1.  What does it look like to have a “creative space”?

Well, now the library has windows, walls, and carpet, but that isn’t what makes it the creative space.  I believe it begins with personnel and access to innovative resources.  I am thankful to be on the Leadership Team that meets every other week.    We have discussed the hopes and dreams for the school along with the bell schedule, tardy policy, and so on.  Working with such teachers gives me hope that they will see the library as an integral part of the learning process and that we (there will be a second library position posted soon!) can creatively develop opportunities for students to express their learning in a variety of ways.

2.  What is my role as a teacher and information specialist in this environment?

Teacher. Facilitator. Guide. Colleague.Learner.

3.   Where do books fit?  How does the collection look different from the building we opened 9 years ago?

Hmmm… Will I have a set of print encyclopedias?  Probably not – I know, crazy.  We will have World Book Online, provided by the state, and Britannica Academic Edition.

Will I have a reference section?  Yes, but most of it is online through Gale Virtual Reference along with a few ebooks.

Books still fit.  Our fiction collection will expand more so than the nonfiction as I am continually ordering ebook format for nonfiction.  My 500s are smaller, my online databases are expanding, my print reference section is super small.  It feels like the right thing to do, but it is so awkward in many ways.  While I worry about access, I am reminded of the 38 computers in the library along with additional computers used for digital editing.  Plus, we will have additional laptops available for classes.

4.  What things remain important?

I really can’t answer this now – there is too much that is important.   But I do worry about the things that might be lost.  I think back to the principal that got rid of every print book in the library and how I thought that decision was crazy.  However, I am not getting rid of resources – I am just making more available online rather than print. I have a feeling that principal didn’t provide funds for online databases.

5.  How can I be ‘virtual’ in my role as well as physically present?  How do the two work?

I am lucky that most students in our area have access to computers outside of the school and  our public library is amazing.  As at West, Meebo and our libguides will be present on the SW library site.   Similarly, I want to post student projects, create a facebook site, youtube channel, and a twitter account.  What else?  I am sure my list will expand.  But the thing that keeps me up at night – I have been so lucky to collaborate with  great teachers at West, will I be able to do the same at my new school?  I know it was hard work the first few years, but looking back, it didn’t seem that difficult.  I fear I may have forgotten what that was like.

Next post:  How do I communicate to the classroom teachers their expectations of me and the library?

At Blue Valley West, we use Meebo in the library for instant messaging.   It has been on our home page for two years and this year, we added it to all of our libguides.

Pros:
1.  Some students feel more comfortable initiating a question through text (similar to their draw to text messaging maybe?).

2.  Ability to help multiple students at one time.

3.  Ability to help student any time we are logged in to Meebo.  During major project time, we log on in the evening and respond to questions.

4.  With a class continuing a project in the lab, students can meebo us while we are the library with other classes and get assistance.

5.  Teachers can use Meebo as well.  Recently, a teacher from another school meebo’d us a technology question.

Cons:

It does keep you at the desk at times.  I have a class come in for instruction and a student is Meebo’ing me for help.  What to do?!?  We have not investigated having Meebo run on multiple machines including our library para work stations.  I think that would help.

And yes, we have had some students act silly on Meebo.  For example, students have changed their Meebo name to Secret Admirer, asked for dating advice, and provided the occasional knock, knock joke.

Here is a link to a library newsletter, Jag Stacks, post about Meebo.  It includes directions about how to post the widget to a website.

Also, we just started keeping track of the Meebo interactions:

Teacher needing access to United Streaming

[14:58] meeboguest462005: What about for a teacher acct?
[14:59] bvwmunson: Do you already have an account set up? If not, we can set up an account with your information
[14:59] bvwmunson: If you forgot your password, we can retrieve it as well
[14:59] meeboguest462005: Its >>>>>>….had an acct a couple of years ago but I need an update
[14:59] bvwmunson: Ok – let me look – just a second
[15:00] bvwmunson: Check your email – I just had it send you your username and password
[15:00] meeboguest462005: ok thanks!!
[15:00] bvwmunson: Let me know if you don’t get it

A recent student response after getting help from us through Meebo:

“I think this is the coolest thing you guys have on the library page.”

from Will Lion Photostream

I came across this blog/wiki a few months ago http://librarydayinthelife.pbworks.com/.  Librarians with blogs or wikis have been posting photos and narratives about their work.  Beginning in 08, the wiki provides a list of participants and their blogs.  They are now doing Round 4, 2010.

We decided to do this with our February library display.   Our typical display, Love your Library, includes pink and red with lots of hearts.  So this year, we added photos with descriptions – A Day in the Life of… Library Paras and Librarians.   While we thought posting to a blog or wiki would be a fun way to display the images, we also know that this could be a great advocacy tool for when we have administrators walk through the building, parent-teacher conferences, and students in the halls.

Love the idea of this and saw several links to blogs and flickr accounts with postings.  Not sure if I am going to attempt it yet, but wouldn’t it be interesting.  I think I would need to carry around a device to record everything.  Librarians are the best ‘multi-taskers’, so our lists/photos would show us doing five things at once (or more!).

http://librarydayinthelife.pbworks.com/

I saw another librarian (I wish I could remember who and I would post here) do a monthly report using Animoto.  I thought it was a clever way to provide information to an administrator.  I created a first semester report using Animoto.

(Disclaimer:  I realize what we do is not about numbers and statistics, but is can be a great tool to advocate for the library.)

Presentation Notes from Friday, October 16, 2009

I presented using CoolIris and then uploaded to Slideshare.  No audio this time.  My colleague, Amanda Davis, led the Widgets presentation – I will post the link below as well.  Look for “how-to’s” with widgets from Amanda soon!



Widgets http://prezi.com/ctt8owlrfx_f/

Links:

Library 2.0 Session

Widgets Session