The Ultimate Duo! School and Public Library Partnerships

1
The Ultimate Duo!School and Public Library
Partnerships

• Lacie Griffin- LMS Raytown Central Middle School
• Jessica Ford- Mid-Continent Public Library- Red
  Bridge Branch

2
How to Get Started

• Contact your Public Library/School Librarians
• Pick your method of communication
• Email Phone In-Person Meetings
• Missouri Public Librarians by School District
• Create displays and signage to use in both
  libraries

3
Public Librarians can Create a Presence at the
School

• September is Library Card Signup Month
• This is a good first step into schools
• Open House Nights
• Database Presentations
• Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Teachers Assistance Programs
• Academic Fairs
• Career Days
• Monthly Classes

4
Ways to Encourage Cooperation

• PTA meetings
• Faculty Meetings
• Open House
• Class Visits
• Read for the Record
• School Programs Supplement or man a table
• Parent-Teacher Conf.
• Bookmarks in School Library

5
Raytown Central / MCPL Raytown Branch

• Goals for working together
• Increase teen reading for pleasure
• Increase awareness/involvement of teen programs
• Use each other as sounding boards
• Increase use of Research Databases

6
Programs

• Bookmark Contest for Teen Read Week
• Reading Club/Book Clubs
• Ravin Readers Teen Book Club
• Challenge Students
• Vampire Program
• Free Practice ACT/SAT tests
• Teen Tech Week- Texting

7
Bookmark Contest for Teen Read Week

• Had students design bookmarks based off of the
  theme for Teen Read Week.
• Advertised in both School and Public Libraries
• Winners were chosen by a panel of teachers and
  public library staff
• Winning bookmark was handed out at both libraries
• Top three winning bookmarks were blown up and
  displayed
• Bookmark Entry Form

8
Book Club/Reading Clubs

• Meet once a month at alternating location
• Pick current books based on student interest
• Have stations at book clubs
• 15 minute activities
• Hit multiple learning style
• Good for younger readers (13-15)
• Activities related directly to book
• Time period, trivia games, websites
• Online discussion board
• Throughout the month students can sign in and
  post thoughts on the title

9
Vampire Program

• Based on Vladimir Tod YA series
• Contacted author who sent promotional items for
  students
• Possibility of having direct contact with author
  through chat or webcam
• Field trip to public library to have special teen
  programing
• Spray painting hair
• Write your name in Vampiric language
• Prove/Disprove the existence of vampires
• Raffle for YA vampire books

10
Free Practice ACT/SAT Tests

• Multiple online databases have free practice
  tests that can be accessed from home or school
• MCPL is currently working with Kaplan Test Prep
  to provide free ACT and SAT tests to multiple
  branches throughout the system
• Mumblings of schools being funded based on ACT
  scores received by students

11
Research Databases

• Try to prevent overlap of expensive databases
• This can save the school lots of money and allow
  them better pick their resources
• Database Presentations are a requirement for most
  Public Libraries
• MOREnet has lost funding and schools in the next
  few years may not have any of their own
• Being able to research through online databases
  is a grade level requirement for Missouri

12
Benefits for Both

• More variety of materials available
• Advertising mutual and individual events
• Attentive audiences- easier to tag team
• More reluctant readers interested in reading
• More challenges for Gifted readers
• Shared workload
• Increase in attendance and circulation

13
Summer Reading

• James Kim, assistant professor of education at
  Harvard University, looked at different
  approaches to summer reading and found that
  voluntary summer reading programs can workbut
  they work best when adults and teachers get
  involved by helping students to choose
  appropriate books and employ simple techniques to
  improve skill and understanding.

14
Summer Reading Cont

• Providing books with no guidance may not help
  much at all. But when children get help choosing
  skill-appropriate books and read those books over
  the summer break, both independently and with
  guidance from family members, reading achievement
  scores can improve significantly.
• Dr. James Kim's research

National Summer Learning Association- 800 Wyman
Park Drive, Suite 110 Baltimore, MD 21211-2837
15
Questions? Other Ideas?