Quick ways to publicize the library

It has been a while since I have posted, I have been so overloaded doing our PowerSchool migration that I have really had to put my blog on the back burner.  I am hoping that I can start back up.  One of the things I have been doing between data cleaning and importing is library publicity.   In Indiana, we are required to create a Student learning Objective, which for a library media specialist is a challenge. How does one who doesn't teach kids directly handle that?  I decided to focus on increasing library visits by students.   Last year, I averaged 1780 visitors a month.  My goal is to increase that number by ten percent.   Here is how I plan to see that happen.

1.  Maker Space:  We had some money left over in an old account so we bough some duct tape, legos, and origami. We also got new computers so I snagged a few old ones from the pile to recycle and added those items to the space as well.   Though we aren't functioning yet, we are ready to go. Kids are already asking when they can come in and make crafty things.  It is super exciting to see the kids interested.

2.  Postcards:  I started sending email postcards with little tips, facts and ideas to all of the students from time to time.  I wanted them to see what was happening in the library.  I put little tidbits about book orders, new releases, surveys and things we can do for them.   I am not sure how many kids read them, but I do get some replies.

3. SMORE:  I started making a newsletter to share with staff (and sometimes students) on SMORE.  I got inspired by a fellow Hoosier librarian who started doing this.  I add some info about what is hot in the library as well as a tech tool that can be used.  The newsletter comes out once a month and is mailed to all teachers and students.

4. Posters:  I make posters about very important topics and scatter them around the school.  We have a color printer so I print them in color.  Publisher is my platform of choice for that, or even PowerPoint.  Both are simple.  I take the poster and do a screen clipping of it and make it an image and put it on facebook.

5. Social Media:  Last but certainly not least:  I post everything I do on social media.  Twitter, Facebook and sometimes Pinterest.   I even post videos of all new releases on Animoto to YouTube. Then I share them on my school library blog.

If what I am doing doesn't hit a few people, then I am not doing something right.  I have already seen an increase in visits and library usage and I know a lot of it is in part to the numerous things I have implemented to publicize the space.

Google + as my ed platform

In January, my local educational cooperative posted a course to become a technology coach and I was on board fast.   I started the process last week and in the two days there, I learned so much.  The experience, I know is going to be a rewarding and life changing one and I am so excited to take part in the course.

There are about 18 of us in the cohort and we were all encouraged to use social media to share and expand our skills.   I learned quickly that Google + is my new professional social media platform.  I have been on it since it started, but I never got super involved with how it works and how much I can do with it.   I have been on Facebook for years, but I use it mostly to share things with family and friends, see what people I have known forever are up to and to post about my more social things.  I did create a Facebook page to communicate with students and parents, but I seldom visit.  

Google + is just different for me.   I am catching myself checking it on and off throughout the school day and I don't feel like I am doing something inappropriate since it is a self directed professional development.  I am finding myself asking people in the educational field questions about things and getting good answers.   I do the same with twitter, but the ability to post more information and not just 140 characters makes it easier to be more specific.

So, as I delve into the training to be a tech coach and as I expand my horizons professionally, I am going to rely on Google+ as my platform.  I suspect I will be very pleased with how it helps me grow as an educator.

My PLN to the rescue

For the last three weeks, my library has been trying to win a contest through Follett learning company.  Last week, I decided to tap into the powers of my PLN and see if I could get some more votes.  I had no idea how much impact that could have on what I was doing.  My PLN has totally come to the rescue.  Though I don't suspect we will win, my PLN has helped us move from the last page of the rankings to the top of the third page.   I couldn't have done it without them.

I never realized how many people I can impact with just a quick message.  I posted a comment on the Indiana Learning Connections site, which is the state of Indiana's list-serv.  It took off.  I gained over 500 votes in one day.  For a small school of my size, that is huge.  I continued to use social media sites to add more votes.  I posted something on twitter, Facebook and google +.  Then, it all started rolling.  I had retweets, personal messages and comments.  It was amazing.

My point is this, a PLN can be a lifesaver for anything you do.  If you are a hesitant teacher and haven't started establishing a PLN, do it.  Join the millions of other educators who have interests similar to yours, you will not be disappointed.

HELP a small school out.

Hamilton Schools, one of the smallest in the state, is the only school in Indiana that is enrolled in the Follett Challenge, a grant that can award our library up to $60K for materials, tech, renovation, etc.   

Our school district has only 400 kids and some of the districts we are competing against have thousands.  It is hard for us to be able to accomplish a lot while being so small, so, I am not one to typically ask, but, if we could get some of our other Hoosier Schools and others around the nation to help us, we could perhaps earn the votes we need to boost up to the top.   Spread the word...we need to renovate our library to be handicapped accessible and safer for our kids.  We have no funds to do it alone.

If you could take a few minutes, copy and paste this link http://follettchallenge.com/video.cfm?id=288#.UyxCVqKsjLv or click here Our Follett Challenge Link and click vote by email, you will receive a pin in just a few seconds, put it in the box, submit, and voila, we have a vote.  We need to get about 5000 more votes to stand a chance.  YOU CAN VOTE DAILY! Any help is appreciated! 

Displays and social media in the library

It has been three long weeks since I have been at school so my brain function is way below the norm.

This post may be short but I thought it would be a good time to talk about our displays and use of social media to share things with our students.   We moved to the genre format three years back, but we found that there were still genre that were not being checked out so we put our heads together and started creating inventive ways to share our genre with the students.  We started developing bulletin board displays in the hallway and making a selection of books available to the students in the media center.  We pulled titles that don't circulate a lot, but would be well loved if they did and voilà, a great way to share with students our selection of the month.

A few months we have gone way overboard.  We joined forces with the Student Council/ Spirit Club and made our theme go along with their spirit week.  We had a Zombie themed October and the Spirit Club had a Zombie war the last week of the month.  Kids tried to turn each other into zombies.  It was awesome!  We even had a few kids show up wearing zombie makeup.  

No matter what we do to share our displays, we rely heavily on several social media platforms to present the information to as many as we can.  We have a twitter account (@hamiltoncommlib) that is linked to our YouTube account and our Facebook account.   We have a Pinterest account as well. I am also working on a Flickr account or Picasa to keep track of all of the images I take.  I feel sharing as much information as I can makes people more aware of what is out there for them. It makes me feel like I am doing something right for our students.   Each week, we make an animoto video with our new releases and put it on our school library blog/website. 

We have some hits and some people check them out.  All in all, I am pleased with the use of social media and how it is helping build PR for the library.

Make that fun video

I don't often do commentary about iPad apps, namely because not everyone has an iPad, but, when my co-worker showed me Touchcast, I had to share it.   Touchcast is an app on your iPad (sorry android folks, it's not available.) that lets you make a creative recording.  It has a green screen, the capabilities of adding a moving background or adding an image for the background.  Why do the typical boring video when you can make something special this way.

I made a quick video to share with students information about our Doctor Who theme.  It was easy to use and a little addicting.  (I think I spent more time playing with bells and whistles than I needed to, but who wouldn't!?) I am going to add it to the class set of iPads I have in the media center for the seventh graders to use for their book talks.  I am going to start doing video chats about books as well.

What I liked about it is the numerous types of products one can make.  It has a business report, a new report, a how to setup, just to name a few.  You pick the type of video you want to make, add some text and record.  It puts the text directly onto the screen and it has a ticker that runs across the bottom with current events.  It's really cool.  There is even a TelePrompTer tool that scrolls your content.

The app also links to several social media sites and allows for posting videos on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.  I have decided I am going to take a new twist to doing some of my promotional videos. Right now, I use Animoto and add images of the new releases, the books we are sharing or book clubbing, but, with this app, I can make an actual press release type video.  According to the site, there is soon to be a desktop version available.  I will certainly check back for that one!  Imagine using my desktop to make a video.  Just like in the newsroom. I can't wait.

Touchcast is fun and it's FREE!  Can't beat that!

Managing multiple social media feeds at once

I must admit, I am a social media junkie.  I love Twitter and Facebook.  I participate in many chats each week, sometimes multiples at once.  I am an all over the place social media freak.  Sometimes, especially when I am involved in multiple conversations,  I use different apps to help me.   Tweetdeck is my favorite.

Tweetdeck has several means to present your information.  You can download an app to your device (Computer, iPad, Android, etc) or you can work off of the internet browser directly.   The program lets you organize columns of information to follow.   For example, I have all of my interactions, #edchat, #tlchat #pblchat etc. set up to filter into tweetdeck. I can multitask, which in my line of work is key.  

If you are a google chrome user,tweetdec k is an actual app built into the browser.   I use it regularly to keep track of things I am working on.  It also lets you keep track of lists, favorites and messages.  You can also monitor your Facebook page as well.  I love the ease of use.

I have tried other programs to monitor and track social media, but I have foundtweetdec k is the easiest for my needs.   

A few words of caution:  If you have the actual app installed on your computer, beware, if you don't set it up right, you have a constantpin g as tweets come in. It gets to be a little of an annoying sound.  The alert isnice bu t if you are trying to do something, it gets distracting. 

Look it over if you are interested in organizing your social media into one place.

*Note: Thetweetdec k version you are seeing here is the versionfro m google chrome.