AISL Dallas Highlights

I just returned from an amazing conference, and I promise (well, kind of, since I tend to have many blog ideas and only few blog posts) more in the future. The Association for Independent School Librarians is geared towards people just like me, and each year the conference is held in a different city. Schools work together to plan and host. You get to hear fabulous speakers, network with librarians, meet authors, and tour schools. Next year, the conference will be held in the Tampa Bay area, and we've already been working since last spring to make it an event well worth attending. 

Here's a quick 10 list of some of the highlights from Dallas this year.

 Texans love to display their "Texasness." Many cute library displays were seen. 

What do do with weeded books? Ask your art students. This is well done and poignant. 

Why do I sometimes feel my library is tiny? Libraries like this one, which extends back about a third as far past this picture. Fun fact: This is Luke and Owen Wilson's alma mater. 

Texas Christian University (Go Horned Frogs!) has these technology-enabled "frog ponds" for small group projects. They are sound-buffered, not sound-proof. 

At one elementary school, each student had a poem tied to his or her waist. April 24 is "Poem in your Pocket" day, part of National Poetry Month. This girl was thrilled to share hers.

 I loved Lyle, Lyle Crocodile as a child! The same school has a budget for yearly author visits. The list was impressive, and I'd love to bring more authors to Saint Stephen's.

Any thoughts? I think I want these for the library. Not only the chair with a media desk but also the end table with plugs next to it. 

This school just (as in two days previously) finished its library/makerspace combo. It was huge, with loads of print books and also fish, snakes, spiders, and turtles. Plus, there was an amazing corner that encourages kids to create with technology, not just consume it.

Here are a few of the stations. There were several 3d printers, a video production lab, a whiteboard brainstorming station, and many more computers.

 

 This is a section of the makerspace with zen rock pillows, a video game system that uses movement technology, and sound-buffering panels that are multicolored and can be switched from orange to gray.

Libraries are still vibrant, and librarians are still working hard to improve learning across the curriculum. Great job, Team Dallas!

Why is Florida always in the news for the wrong reasons?

Video of Hawks Attacking Library Patrons

PORT ORANGE, Fla. —

“She had a pretty good-sized wound on the back of her head,” said Volusia County spokesperson Dave Byron.

County officials placed numerous signs outside the library warning people about the aggressive birds.

Residents in Port Orange said red-shouldered hawks have become a big nuisance at the city’s library.
Workers at the library told Channel 9’s Julie Salomone they’re stocking up on umbrellas for guests to use as protection against the hawks.
County officials said a nearby nest has made the hawks more protective.
“Luckily I ducked right before it got to me, and it flew over my head and onto the top of the building,” said library guest Don Cornejo.
The family of hawks lives in a tree next to the building and there are at least two babies in the nest.

The adult birds fly to the ground and attack people as they approach the library, according to library workers and guests.
The county is urging visitors to always use umbrellas as they walk to and from the library after several reports of the birds getting too close and injuring people.
The county shared a picture with Salomone, showing where one woman was scratched on the head by the birds.
Florida Fish and Wildlife officials said the hawks are protected and in some cases officials will come out and remove the nests, but not in this case.
The red-shouldered hawk is one of the most common hawks in the state.
County officials said the birds should be less aggressive in about three weeks, once the baby hawks are out of the nest.
From the Daytona Beach News Journal