Helpful Bookmarks from a "Good Ideas" Library
By Walter Minkel -- School Library Journal, 11/1/1997
Our first Library Web Site of the Month is Peter Milbury's Helpful Bookmarks from a "Good Ideas" Library at Chico (CA) High School. Milbury's large library site, run with the help of student volunteers, offers an up-to-date set of curriculum-related links and an online periodical catalog for local use.
Although it won't win any awards for graphic design, the Chico High School Library site is a lively one, loaded with interesting links. Milbury's philosophy of school library web site management is to select links that are as closely related to the curriculum as possible. "When classes come to the library for research," he said, "I first interview the teacher, and as I suggest in-house materials for possible school use (books, databases, etc.), I also offer to locate Internet resources, and if appropriate, create special web pages."
It is Milbury's dedication to custom-designed web pages for faculty that led me to select his site as School Library Journal's Site of the Month.
For a library site, Milbury believes a core subject directory of links is essential. "Work closely with your teachers to plan and develop the links," he said. "Librarians should convince students to begin web research with the selected links we provide before they use search engines for a general search of the Internet," he said, explaining that the latter is a waste of time in most cases, due to students' lack of searching skills.
Milbury is particularly proud of his relationships with Chico High teachers. "I have had many, many opportunities to work closely with teachers in curriculum development," due to the fact that the site functions as a vital research tool, he said. "Many of our teachers now assume that it is a part of their teaching."
Milbury also manages Peter Milbury's School Librarian Web Pages, and he is known to many library media specialists as co-owner of LM_NET, the listserv for school librarians.
Web Addresses
- Peter Milbury's Helpful Bookmarks
http://www.chs.chico.k12.ca.us/libr/webres/helpful.html - Peter Milbury's School Librarian Web Pages
http://wombat.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us/~pmilbury/lib.html
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Walter Minkel is Multnomah County Library (OR) School Corps Technology Trainer. |
