April 27, 2024

5 Tips for Makers on a Budget from a Teen Librarian

“Teen Librarian Toolbox” blogger and SLJTeen Live! panelist Karen Jensen shares some ideas and resources for low-budget maker spaces.

The Chatty Librarians: Podcasting | Field Reports

Library staff are the folks who love to talk about books. The more people we reach and can inspire, the happier we are. We also love to talk about libraries and their place in our society and share ideas about how to make libraries a better place for our users.

Build Your Own Speaker: SLJ Reviews BOSEbuild Speaker Cube

Teachers and librarians can use the activities to design in-depth lessons on how sound is created, magnets work, and frequency and vibration affect pitch.

Tech Tidbits for National Poetry Month

What better way to celebrate April’s National Poetry Month than to incorporate these wonderful tech tools at teens’ disposal?

Streaming Story Times | Field Reports

Do you want to web stream your story times? The Youth Services Department at the Fayetteville Public Library, AR, hoped to make these events available to parents and children who couldn’t get to the library, and our patrons’ response has been fantastic!

“Information Literacy in the Age of Fake News” Kicks off SLJ ISTE Webcast Series

A new season of the SLJ ISTE webcast series launches with “Information Literacy in the Age of Fake News” on March 16.

Easy Pass | Product Spotlight

Many libraries work with local cultural institutions to provide patrons with free or reduced-cost access. These print passes can be checked out in-house by patrons just like other resources, complete with circulation limits, due dates, and fines. Some software companies are simplifying pass management with web-based tools to help patrons discover and check out museum passes and event tickets or make reservations.

In Call for Early STEM Learning, Libraries Cited as Potential ‘Charging Stations’

Gaining STEM skills is as important for young children as learning to read, asserts a new report by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center and supported by the National Science Foundation. Libraries could play a critical role in this call for more preschool STEM learning opportunities.

STEAM Project Recipes: Insta-Robots and Sewing Art

Step-by-step illustrated instructions for sewing and robot-building activities from SLJ’s 2016 School Librarian of the Year.

Libraries Join National Initiative To Transform Public Housing into Book-Rich Environments

The Book-Rich Environment Initiative will serve children living in HUD-assisted housing—and encourage families to use local libraries. The U.S. DOE and the National Book Foundation are among the new project’s partners.