On Libraries and New Media, powered by Library Journal and School Library Journal
The South Dakota State Library launched a new program this fall, the 21st Century School Library Award, to honor the work of 20 school libraries who are best representing 21st-century principles. The creators are hoping the recognition will serve as a motivation for other schools and districts to invest in their libraries.
Follett has partnered with Macmillan Publishers to distribute Macmillan’s collection of popular ebook titles for PreK–12 students. The collection adds to the more than 250,000 ebook titles currently available through Titlewave, Follett’s collection development, search and ordering tool.
In an ambitious foray into transmedia, Razorbill has teamed with the special effects company Framestore to produce The Creature Department (2013). The making of the new novel by Robert Paul Weston, starring a cast of fantastical characters, was a unique collaboration—with Framestore playing an active role in the book’s creation.
Follett has partnered with Simon & Schuster to make more than 450 PreK–12 titles in ebook format available on Titlewave, Follett’s collection development, search, and ordering tool. The partnership brings the total number of Follett’s offerings through Titlewave to more than 250,000 ebooks.
Even teachers need a little acknowledgment for learning new skills, according to library media specialist Laura Fleming. Through her site, Worlds of Learning, Fleming is offering teachers at her school and beyond the opportunity to earn digital badges—honors that can be posted online—for mastering digital literacy in various areas, from QR codes to video editing.
Now that the Google Play for Education store is here, is it everything we hoped it would be? In many ways, yes—with education app heavies like Explain Everything and ClassDojo in the mix. But there’s still work to be done to make it more attractive to libraries.
Sarah Ludwig, dean of digital and library services at the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT, keeps up with tech tools by osmosis—and by following conference session hashtags on Twitter and watching resources stream by. Here are her 10 current favorites.
Librarians are leading the way in technology use, according to School Library Journal’s annual technology survey. SLJ’s got the proof, and we encourage you to share it.
As education technology has evolved, so, too, have the kinds of digital tools that school librarians use with their students. More than 750 school librarians responded to SLJ’s survey, representing K–12 public and private schools across the country. According to the data, they make the most of what they have, learning one day and sharing that knowledge the next.
McGraw-Hill’s professional’s ebook catalog of more than than 5,000 business, consumer, education, technical, and medical titles is now available for K–12 school libraries and public libraries worldwide on OverDrive. Also, some 700 of McGraw-Hill’s 2012 and 2013 offerings will be offered at special rates.
