First Week Back in my HS Library!

This is the image I created with Canva (which is everything awesome and amazing and you NEED it in your life, trust me on this--rush out there to canva.com and go to town) to send out on all our library social media accounts:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nachslib
Instagram: NacHSLibrary
Twitter: NacHSLibrary
(y'all check us out!), as well as sending it to the teachers via a mass email.  When I send notices out to teachers I try to make a splashy image that will catch their attention, give them the information in short bits, and be done.  I want them to know that while I have info to share, I respect their time.

Open a book, find a treasure. ARRGGGHH. 

The first book display of the year has a pirate theme this time around.  I guess I was just feeling pirate-y. Plus, won't it be fun on Talk Like a Pirate Day?

The kids are clearly already enjoying Captain Jack, as you might discern from the second photo.  I don't mind--I enjoy innocent shenanigans and am glad it is getting their attention.  ;)

Terrible pic of our wonderful new reading nook.  Before this year, this space under the stairs was used to store the carts for the library.  Ugly, but useful.  I noticed, though, that my kids were always moving things around in order to create little hidey-holes behind the carts.  Um....no.  This year we've moved the carts back to the storage room and have created a pleasant & inviting nook for my bookish friends who, like hobbits, enjoy cozy spaces. The students love it (well, it did take one a minute to absorb it all--she said---and I quote---wait! what happened to my emo corner?)

And...last but not least....my Slytherin banner.  We are bringing M.A.G.I.C. club back and I am now head of Slytherin House.  OH YEAH, BABY...I'VE GOT THE POWER!


GIFSoup

It's Wednesday and I haven't made my blogging deadlines for the past couple of weeks-- but y'all, I'm flat worn out by the time I get home.  Am not draggin' so much today as I was yesterday, nor the day before that.  Feeling like this time next week I'll be back on track with this whole getting-up-before-dawn thing that the school year requires.

In other high-points-of-the-week news:

• the FIRST day of school I had students waiting on me to open the library. THE FIRST DAY!!!  I had checked out books before our official opening time of 7:30 AM.  Be still my heart!
• I have already received many I-read-this-over-the-summer-and-you-must-read-it moments (don't y'all just love those?)
• we added a beautiful new (old--antique--gorgeous--FREE) sofa to the library.  Pics of that later.
• I was honored to be asked to read the writing of one of my new students to campus.  
• I've been told the library is "so cool".  by freshman.  boys.  who are athletes.  let that sink in.  
• I've already been asked to come booktalk with a class.   JOY!

I hope your new year is off to a fabulous start, too.  Let me know how it's going in the comments!

Welcome back, Jack!

(the front entrance to my library)

It has been a wild and wonderful first 2 weeks of school!  I'm proud to say that we are pretty close to every kiddo on campus having been able to check out library books in this 2 week window----and have several students on their second or third trip back already.  Life is GOOD, people! :)

The school year is now off and running, kids with books in hand, and, like I'm sure many of you all, my To Do list just keeps growing.  A librarian's work is never done--which is a good thing, most of the time, as it keeps me out of trouble.  ;)  I have several areas I am in the process of rearranging, and multiple techie goals for the year (integrating our iPads, for example, into our library lessons).  I did a MASSIVE weeding at the end of last year, and now have specific areas to beef up in our collection, so lists are being made, and purchase requisitions filled out.  I've made new signage for the Fiction section, but still working on new signage for non-fiction.  So much to do!  And with each change I make, no matter how big or small, it seems to add more changes----rather like falling dominoes--because I'm always trying to better meet the needs of my patrons---my teachers and students----and move ever-closer to an "Exemplary" rating using the TEA School Library standards in as many areas as I possibly can (hard to add square footage, folks!)

With all this, I'm SUPER excited that #TXLchat starts up again this coming Tuesday night @ 8:00 pm.  The first topic deals with best tips for the start of school---something we can ALL gain from this time of year! We've shifted the Twitter chat just a bit----we'll meet every 2nd and 4th Tuesday from 8-9.  I do hope you'll join us as we rev up for the amazing year ahead.

Mrs. S
@sonjaschulz

My debut Pecha Kucha movie------for Teacher Inservice

So, I'm new to this whole Pecha Kucha phenomenon.  Really new.  As in, just heard of it the first time this spring, and only now daring to play with it myself.

I'm NEW, but I really love it so far.  It's fun and creative and I think it will prove a GREAT way to keep  the attention of our students and    *ahem*    TEACHERS---'cause let's face it: few things on this earth are as dull and dry as typical teacher inservice days. I begin to glaze over just thinking about it.

I'm super excited to play with this format since the moderators of TXLchat (of which, I happen to be one!) will be using this format for our upcoming presentations this year.

This one hits the highlights of library info everyone needs to know, as well as info for the Gifted and Talented program at my campus (I'm also the GT coordinator.)

Honestly---for this first presentation, my goal was simply to just finish it and like what I saw.  And I think I accomplished that!

Get Your Hands on a Great Book---Zombie book display

My Zombie display is officially done! I'm quite happy with it and thought I'd share it with you!  My brain first started tingling with bits of a then unconnected idea while I shopped in Dollar Tree last weekend.  (Oh, how I LOVE Dollar Tree, don't you?) I saw they had this area filled with Zombie goodies--in particular I felt drawn to the severed hands!---- and I just keep thinking there had to be a clever way to use those in the library.  Of course, the idea didn't fully come together until Sunday night about 10!  So, off I trekked to Dollar Tree again Monday morning.  ;) I loaded up on undead lovelies and headed up to school, ever-so-grateful they had the A/C on all week even though we weren't officially back to work until Friday, and with my little 4 year old "helper" in tow.

You know I'm a Pinterest addict, right?
Yes, it's true....my name is Sonja, and I'm addicted to Pinterest.  ;)  Feel free to check out my Back to School board if you'd like to see these pins.

In this case, I got the idea of the oozing green globs from one of my pins (especially since after I pinned it one of my students commented on the pin about how she would check out every book on the display!), and decided to update some of my "book talkers" inspired by another.  You can't tell it from the pic, but I have a couple of zombie dudes (ahem, those were my my idea, *blush*), and others are word bubbles that say things like, Read this book, zombies love brains. Duh.  and Sink your teeth into a good book.  I'll take some close ups of them and post them a bit later.

I've had so much positive feedback from this display, which is AWESOME because I really think the books are just gonna fly off of it once the kids come back!  To prepare, I've made extra vampire/werewolf/faerie themed book talkers to have on hand once I'm cleaned out of zombie books!

Yep, August has arrived

I don't officially go back to work until this Friday.  Of course, as with most educators, I've been working unofficially all summer.  Reading blogs, pinning ideas like a madwoman, "meeting up" with fellow librarians through twitter and Google hangouts; sharing ideas and making plans for the upcoming year.

My beginning-of-the-year To Do lists are HUGE, of course.  HUGE, I tell ya.

But that's okay, I'm eating that elephant one bite at a time.  There are just so many AWESOME new ideas I'd like to implement this year, so many GREAT new books I can't wait to share with my kids this year, so many FABULOUS improvements to make.

Here are a few of the gazillions of things on my To Do list at the moment:

1. Finish up my Zombie bulletin board.  The Undead aren't just for Halloween anymore! Seriously, I was in Dollar Tree last weekend and couldn't believe my luck finding a whole Undead section this time of year.   Today I'll add actual books and shelf-talkers and that bad boy will be good to go. I'm tweaking some awesome Pinterest ideas to make it too, too fabulous. 
2. Due to some strange and unusual circumstances last year I have a million books to process.  *sigh* No more on this....let's think on some pretty pink and blue thoughts instead, okay?
3. Finish my new signage for the Fiction section, since I did a massive book shift at the end of the year last year. 
4. And the biggie: finish up making my new spine labels and editing my book info in Destiny for my genre-fied Fiction section.  Oh boy, I'm starting to sweat just thinking about this one.  One bite at a time, right?  

Some of these will be crossed off this week, others may take the entire year, and THAT IS OKAY. Progress, not perfection. 

What are your back-to-school goals?  

Mrs. S