Moving and Shaking with Kids and Teens
RSSBy Library Journal, SLJ Staff
Congratulations to the 50 Movers & Shakers that our sister publication Library Journal has highlighted in its latest issue. Ten of those dynamos who are helping shape the future of libraries work with children or teens. Check them out below and click on their names for the full story. Keen on Teens Renard has spearheaded a teen radio initiative, a Book Buddies program that paired teens with children, and a choreographed library flash mob video, "Read It," a spoof of Michael Jackson's "Beat It." Such bold moves are what make Renard a brilliant manager of and inspiration and advocate for DC youth. Rebel with a Cause Gwyneth A. Jones, Teacher-Librarian at Murray Hill Middle School in Laurel, MD. A self-described "goofball and geek," Gwyneth Jones is a frequent and formidable presence at library conferences; on her blog, The Daring Librarian, where she appears as a cartoon persona with cat's-eye glasses and fiery red hair; and at Murray Hill Middle School Library in Laurel, MD, where she oversees everything from an early-morning, student-generated news show and student-penned audiobook reviews to a library treasure hunt involving QR codes and iPods. Teen Transformer When Velásquez first started working at SAPL, the library offered no consistent teen programming and no designated teen spaces or budget for teen services. Now, teen spaces are an essential consideration whenever new facilities are constructed, and every branch has a dedicated teen liaison—a library staffer ranging from circulation attendant to branch manager—who works with the teens to develop programming. Mission: Possible Deb Noggle, Branch Manager, Tecumseh Branch, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN. Fifteen years ago, Noggle worked part-time at the Allen County Public Library to supplement her income—and she's been there ever since. With a background in performing, she threw herself into story times, developing different voices and perfecting magic tricks. When she launched a blog companion to Bella's Book Club, a teen paranormal discussion group inspired by Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series, the kids learned to converse on the finer points and nuances of character development and plot. The site now boasts participants from 156 countries and has had 100,000-plus visits. A 2007 Harry Potter event drew more than 6,000 people and featured 24 event/activity stations and roving performers. Called to Connect Nolet reaches out to a wide group of users, including online-exclusive patrons. Her track record is demonstrated by her commitment to "Tell Me a Story," KCLS's robust online companion to story times, for which she serves as everything from videographer of the finger plays, songs, and rhymes at her own story times to trainer to go-to contact for 56 children's librarians. She also helped develop "You Choose the Next Newbery" blog, which invites parents and children to discuss and vote for the year's best children's books. In the spirit of crowd-sourcing, anyone can vote along with KCLS children's librarians if they read at least four out of the eight nominees. The Texting Librarian Joan Whether she's moderating a book club or texting reminders to teenage community volunteers, this youth services librarian speaks the language of teens and tweens. She finds out what they want and develops services so the Escondido Public Library can meet those needs. The Xtreme Librarian John Schumacher, School Library Director at Brook Forest Elementary School in Oak Brook, IL. Schumacher (aka Mr. Schu) an xtreme librarian: he uses a high level of exertion—along with some gear and stunts—to get kids reading. Examples of his xtreme tactics include visiting Anderson's Bookshop almost every day, "so that there is always something new to show the students." Or blanketing the bathrooms with lists of new books Fearless Capacity When Walker's bookmobile died a few years ago, staffers were distributing books from bins in the backs of their cars. Walker dug in, convincing the library board to purchase a new bookmobile and inventing a system for ranking bookmobile sites by need. The new bookmobile resulted in a 107 percent rise in use and provides triple the hours, without more staff. Walker oversees five facilities across 70 miles. An "exceptional team member and team leader," Walker "continued to perform her other responsibilities without missing a step," says Reed Osborne, director of library services. Walker's "fearless capacity" makes her a champion of families, children, and the underserved, says Osborne. True to His Schools Richard Hasenyager, Jr., Director for Library Services at North East Independent School District in San Antonio, TX. Hasenyager accomplished the monumental task of creating one digital library collection for all 64 school libraries in his district. The project, which took over a year, involved reviewing licensing agreements and working with vendors to move their metadata into a single district account. The work paid off. By January, elementary school access to ebooks had changed from an average of 7.88 ebooks per school to 677. Middle and high school access rose from 176 to 1,782 and 298 to 2,488, respectively. Hasenyager secured an additional $378,000 from AARA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) Special Education funds for additional e-products for students with special needs. Eloquently Unquiet This media specialist is "decidedly unquiet when it comes to sharing my voice on issues that impact librarianship and learning," she says. On her blog, The Unquiet Librarian, she speaks out eloquently on issues from the challenges of teaching in a test-driven environment to navigating the complexity of Kindle use in school libraries to why librarians should have their own academic departments. At Creekview High—a place of positive "noise"—Hamilton's proudest accomplishment was introducing Media 21, a participatory, transliterate learning environment for research projects. It helped earn her a Cutting Edge Service Award from the American Library Association's Office for Information and Technology Policy. This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe. super awesome!!!
www.RPPLTeenHotSpot.blogspot.com Wow! So glad to see Gwyneth and Buffy on this list as they have served me as super-mentors via Twitter! Congratulations to all of the awardees - the effect you have on your communities' children is powerful and transformational. Kudos! * = Required information
Rebecca Renard, Teens of Distinction Program Coordinator at the District of Columbia Public Library.
Jennifer Velásquez, Teen Services Coordinator, San Antonio Public Library.
Angela Nolet, Online Services Project Specialist/Children's Librarian at the King County Library System in Issaquah, WA.
na Axelrod, Youth Services Librarian II, at the Escondido Public Library, CA.
Donna Walker, Manager, Neighborhood Libraries, Outreach Services, Child and Family Library Services at Arapahoe Library District in Centennial, CO.
Buffy Hamilton, School Librarian, Creekview High School in Canton, GA.
Reader Comments (2)
Posted by laura on March 15, 2011 06:09:23PM
Posted by Marie Slim on March 16, 2011 12:09:17AM
