Libraries at the Crossroads

Harrigan, J. (2015). Libraries at the crossroads. PEW Research Center.  September  2015.  Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/2015/Libraries-at-crossroads/

I was interested in this article since I will be spending time in a pubic library for some of my internship hours

The findings in the report were very interesting. 

1.  Many of the active users of the library hope that they will continue to provide services that they already do such as lend printed books.  There are also those that want the libraries to adapt to the ever changing world with more and more information in digital form that is accessible anywhere and at anytime. 

2.  Concerns about closing libraries- 

There are differences in opinions across gender and cultural groups.  - Hispanics (78%) said that closing the library would have a major impact on their community,   72% of     women vs men said the same thing,   70% of parents with minors,  and 70% of those aged 50 or older.

3. Library Use-

.46% of people ages 16 and older had used a library in the past 12 months (2015) with 56% of college graduates with an in person visit or bookmobile visit.  52% of those ages 16 and older did the same and 52% of those with annual income between $30,000 and $50,000.  They found that women and those with higher levels of education were more likely to have used a library in the past year. 

4. Ebooks-

People are becoming increasing aware that their local libraries are lending ebooks.  It’s a service that I have used with my own local library and it’s great for those of us that are busy and forget to return books on time.  They automatically get returned.  The reports states that 38% of patrons state that their libraries have ebooks while the ALA says that 90% of libraries do.  It was also stated that those that are older (between 50-64) and lower income are more likely to not know that their library has ebooks for loan.  Only 16% of those that are aware have downloaded ebooks to read.  I find that number to be low.  Why is that?  Is it because people are not aware or due to lack of technology at home?

5.  What people do at their libraries

66% borrowed print books, down from 2012 (73%)

42% asked librarians for help, down from 2012 (50%)

53% use the library as a place to sit, read, study or access media, up from 2012 (49%)

16% attended a meeting, down from 23% in 2012

Interesting  fact is that most of the books are borrowed from higher educated and well off patrons while the lower income households and those with African American descent where more likely to use the help of the librarian.  Also that lower income and Hispanic are more likely to use it for watching or listening to media.  It also states that computers and internet access are used more likely by African American and Hispanic and those with lower incomes. 

6. How are people using the library websites

Searching the library catalog

Reserving or placing holds on materials (print, ebooks, audiobooks, cd, dvds)

Renewing materials

Research or homework help

Online databases

Book reviews and recommendations

Borrow or download ebooks

Check or pay fines for overdue items

7. How libraries contribute to their communities

Learning and Sharing Information Activities

Seek health information

Learn how to use technologies

Learn about community resources and events

Decide what information is trustworthy

Find out about opportunities to volunteer

Job training or finding jobs

8. The public wants libraries to advance education, improve digital learning and serve key groups. 

Education is the foundation of a libraries mission.   85% of people think that libraries should work closely and coordinate with schools in providing resources to children.    Promoting and working with kids to increase and promote reading.   They also believe that libraries should help key groups such as immigrants and veterans and those who want help with technology.  78% of Hispanics believe that libraries should create programs for immigrants or first generation Americans. 

9. Libraries, helping with economic opportunity and workforce skills

52% of Americans say that libraries should definitely create services or programs to help businesses and entrepreneurs.  Hispanics and African Americans are more likely to find value in these programs (60%)

10. Community activists are more likely to use libraries

Visited - Solve a community problem 63%, Individual tried to influence government 59%

Attended meetings – Solve a community problem 28%, Tried to influence government 33%

So in looking at the results – lower income and Hispanics are the ones that believe that the libraries are extremely important to the communities but the finding also said that women and higher income use the library the most; I found this to be very interesting and cannot wait to see if the results will be comparable to what I experience when I start working on our local library in my community. 

pages 51

Reflections on Technology

After a full semester of looking into how social media can play a role in the school library and as a future librarian how you can best use it to advocate for your library and get the word out, I have a whole new group of tools to use. 

There are so many different ways that you can use social media to reach the students and parents as well as the community in which your school is located.  I really liked the ease of use for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Vine.  I would have to say that Vine was the most difficult for me and the one that I was not already using.  After my initial fear of trying it out and figuring out what it was, I dove right in.  They are a quick way to get information out and doesn’t require a lot of time to post, a bonus in the busy days of a librarian.

I also got to play around with making Animoto videos, QR Codes, Podcasts, Cartoons, and Screencasts.  These assignments really forced me to go out of my comfort zone and I realized that they really are not that difficult and once you get started they are super quick and really fun.  They are great ways to get students involved and to really see what they are learning in a fun way.  I can’t wait to get my students started. 

I was a fan of reading infographics but not creating them.  Easel.ly was one that I had not used before and after watching the Youtube video, I was able to create my own.  So I learned that they are not that difficult and can really help get your point across in a fast way. 

I enjoyed getting to see the different types of online book communities.  I was very stuck in my own personal choice of Goodreads which I will stay with for my personal use but I am so glad to be introduced to Biblionasium to use with my students at school.  I have already mentioned it to other teachers at my school and hope that they check it out and utilize it as a source for their students.

So not only do we as librarian need to know about books and what’s hot and upcoming.  We also need to be up on social media and how to reach our students and parents as well as learning from other librarians.  We also need to be up on the latest technology and ways to use that technology to showcase student learning.  Many of the things I have created this semester have helped me immensely  in becoming more tech savvy and I thought I had a pretty good grasp on it with all the technology I use daily in my classroom.  So break out of your box check out something new and if fear has you stalling – look on Youtube for videos to show you how.  It’s okay to make mistakes and blunders.  Just keep trying because it’s all about learning. 

Teens, Technology and Romantic Relationships

Teens, Technology and Romantic Relationships

picture taken from

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-34416989

A. Lenhart, A. Smith, & M. Anderson. (October 2015). Teens, Technology and Romantic Relationships. Pew-Research Center. Retrieved October 2015 at http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/10/PI_2015-10-01_teens-technology-romance_FINAL.pdf.

With today’s ever changing technology and the ease of it being at your finger tips twenty-four seven,  it’s even easy to keep up with loved ones.  So in looking at that along with how teens use technology: social media to be exact how it plays a role in their relationships and how it effects it.  They used teens ages 13-17 to create their report.  This really hit home with me since I have a 13 year old.  I am so not ready for this but it’s coming and it’s time to get my head out of the sand. 

Some of the points that I found important are:

1.  Dating - Only about 35% of them have dated, “hooked up”, with or been in a romantic relationship with another person.  The number of teens that have met and hooked up or dated someone online is relatively small with it being only 8%.  The ones that have met online were most likely to meet on Facebook.  My thinking – most still aren’t dating and most are meeting in person with only a few meeting online.  Online scares me because do you really know if that person is who they say there are, how do you even date if you have never met?  Educating kids is a parent’s best defense as well as open communication. 

2.  Flirting - Teens even use social media for flirting. They typically like, comment, “friend” or joke around with someone that they are interested in or that they have a crush on.  Most common flirting is by those teens that have flirted before.  Girls seem to be the target for more uncomfortable flirting practices than boys with social media.  So in response 35% of teen girls have blocked or unfriended people versus onl y 16% of boys who have done that same.  My thinking – Unwanted or unsolicited advances have always been around.  At least if they are doing it on social media you are able to block or unfriend them to get rid of the unwanted advances. 

3.  Staying Close/Contact - Social Media allows those that are dating to feel closer but it can also lead to jealousy and uncertainty in relationships.  My thinking-It seems to be a double edge sword – they can post about their relationships online but then it also allows too many people to become involved into their personal relationships.  Some things should just be kept private and no one wants to see your dirty laundry.

4. Communication- Daily communication is expected by significant others.  The numbers were staggering to me about those who had to check in hourly, every couple of hours, or just once a day.  Texting seems to be the number one way that they stay in contact with phone calls and being together in person next.  Social Media follows behind that with instant or online messaging.  They mentioned that lower income households communicate with their romantic partners via social media more than those with higher income households.  This had me thinking why?  Is it because the students have jobs to help support their families so there is less time to spend with their significant other therefore social media and texting/messaging plays such an important role in their relationships. 

5. Researching Potential Romantic Partners -  It also seems that they use social media  to research their potential romantic prospects.  This seems a bit like stalking behavior because they keep it on the low, which means that they don’t like or comment so that it’s not known that they have been looking and gathering information about the person.  My thinking is that it’s a little bit like old school in that you ask around about the person and watch them it’s just done on social media instead of in person. 

6. Breaking Up - It still seems that breaking up is most acceptable in person but phone calls and texting and social media are also done.  Seems to me that some are using the easy way out or doing it the only way they can to not feel guilt about doing it in person and caving to pressure to stay together. 

7. Who shows interest first -  Girls are more likely than boys to wait for someone to show they are interested.  My Thinking – it’s like it has been, I was always taught to let boys make the first move.

 

8. Sharing/Posting-When teens share online they typically share humorous or funny posts.  They also share general post about what they are doing, their thoughts, activities or location.  They also feel that sometimes their significant other only post what they want people to see, that they are less than authentic on social media.  I have always thought this to be true.  Who is really going to post it on social media what their life is really like and how would people respond if they did.   I don’t think sharing your location is a good idea.  It let’s other know where you are and that it not always a good thing. 

9. Trust - I thought it was crazy that they showed trust by sharing their password to their significant other.  Seems that it shows a lack of trust on the person requesting the password, it’s meant to show trust but to me it seems just the opposite. 

10. Breaking Up/Ending It - After breaking up there are differences in what they do.  Some block or unfriend their ex some continue on as usual.  Some delete posts and pictures. I could see that looking back at a bad relationship would be painful but also deleting these things don’t make them go away.  Some continue to text (or read text), or even go to extremes such as placing a GPS tracking device on their phones to monitor them.  This to me is crazy, how do they have access to their text and how can the app be there without them knowing.  This is terrifying to me as a mother.   

It seems social media is here to stay and how we as parents help guide our children down the right path being safe and respectful of those they chose to enter into a romantic relationship with.  It seems that some things are the same just how they go about them are different.  I remember writing notes and talking on the phone and eating lunch with my boyfriend, that has been replaced with texting, social media posts, etc.    

76 pages

Parents and Social Media

M. Duggan, A. Lenhart. (July 2015) Parents and Social Media, Pew Research Center, Retrieved October 2015 from http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/07/Parents-and-Social-Media-FIN-DRAFT-071515.pdf

After looking into how teens use Social Media I wanted to read about how parents use social media.  It seems that parents and non parents have some differences. 

Facebook - Parents are more likely to use Facebook and they use it to share/respond to  good and bad news, and support.   It seems that more moms and younger parents use it the most frequently.     I also found it interesting that out of parents 1/3 of their friends are actual friends versus 1/4 for non-parents.   Most parents over 40 are likely to be friends with their children on Facebook.  This makes sense to me since there is an age requirement to have a Facebook account.  Lots of parents are more likely to be friends with their own parents and neighbors.  I find this to be true, I am friends with my parents and family so that I can post pictures of the kids and keep them abreast of what is happening in our lives. 

Instagram –Posting by more non parents .  I follow my son on Instagram, not that he post much anymore since they have moved onto other things. 

Pinterest – Moms are more likely to use than Dads.  This makes sense to me since Pinterest has many things that interest Mothers/females than a male.  

Twitter – Parents and Non Parents are equally likely to use.

Linkedin-More parents than non parents are likely to use Linkedin.   I have never used Linkedin but have had some request from people.  I just don’t have time.

   

Parents also use social media as a source for parenting advice and information. 

1 out of 3 parents expressed concern about their child’s social media and technology use. 

Some parents have felt uncomfortable with what has been posted about their child.  A few have requested that content be removed. 

In the report the findings found that out of parents Facebook topped the list with Pinterest 2^nd, Linkedin 3^rd, Instagram 4^th and Twitter 5^th.  There was a significant difference between Mothers and Fathers on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram with Mother’s using them more.  Twitter and Linkedin were very close. 

I'm not really shocked by the findings in this report.  I use all of the social media with Linkedin being the exception.  My top 2 are the same as the ones they listed.  

  

36 pages

Vine and Instagram in the Library

Vine

What is it and how can it help promote my library? I asked my junior high child and was told that it's six second videos that loop and keep playing. After investigating, he was correct and kids like and use Vine at that age so what better way to reach them than to use what they like to get their interest.

I did not have a Vine account before this assignment so I don't have many post but I did find that they are very easy to create. Simply by clicking on the camera button and holding my finger down to take the clip and then letting up my finger when done. You can also add music after taking your pictures by clicking on the music note.  As my kids would say, it's easy peasy!



Some fun Thanksgiving books in our Library that students are free to checkout.



New Book that I can't wait to find time to read. Best thing I saw today - a student with this book in the library today reading it.


My Students are loving Fly Guy books right now!

Bulletin Board that I created in the Junior High Library


I think that by using Vine you could promote new books, shares books for the season, and showcase things that kids are doing in the library. What a great way to show what is happening and it doesn't take long and is very simple to do.  Plus who doesn't have 6 seconds?

Instagram

I have been using Instagram for a while now but I will admit that sometimes I forget to check my Instagram for days. I know that it was once popular with kids and it still is with the younger adults over Facebook.  It's very easy to create an Instagram account.  You just have to download the app onto your device and set up your profile and you are ready to go.  You can take a picture using the picture button on the bottom of your screen, add tags and post.  It's really quick and easy.  It would also be a great way to share and promote things that you are doing in the library without taking up a ton of time to do it.  As you can see my post are the same and you can reach more people due to their preferences in social media.

#seasonsreadings @BJH library

A photo posted by Charlotte Polk (@charlottepolk71) on Nov 19, 2015 at 7:49am PST

#mighty robot #loved the action #thumbsup

A photo posted by Charlotte Polk (@charlottepolk71) on Nov 18, 2015 at 1:14pm PST

Fly Guy #allthebuzz

A photo posted by Charlotte Polk (@charlottepolk71) on Nov 18, 2015 at 12:12pm PST

Screencasts

Screencasts, what are they?  Well I was terrified of them and for no good reason it seems.  I thought you had to be super tech savvy to do one and that is just not the case.  They are just recordings of numerous things (websites, catalog searches) that you can use to show how to's to your class, you can put them on websites, blogs or even email.  It is also great because they can be used by more than one student and at more than one time and from any place that they have access to the internet.  It's a great tool to use to help visual learners.  


I created a screencast with Jing to show how easy it is to create a comic using MakeBeliefsComix website.  It was extremely easy to download and then you're ready to create a screencast and record. The first thing you do is open Jing and then click on the tool at the top of your screen to capture (+ sign) and then drag to fit the image you want to capture.  Then you decide if you want to capture an image or a video.  I like that there are tools available to add to your image: arrows, text, frames, highlight and tool color.  If you are recording a video, then once you click the button at the bottom, it gives you 3 seconds before recording starts.  Once you are done, you click finish and then you can save your video to screencast.com.  I was not able to find an easy way to embed the file for easy viewing without clicking on a link.  That was the one drawback to Jing.

Screencast made with Jing on MakeBeliefsComix.com

I also created a screen cast using Screencast-o-matic.  It was easy to record and I didn't even have to create an account.  After opening the webpage all I did was click record, you can install and download the application but I just chose to record off the site and then once done, you click the Done buttom and then chose if you want to save, upload to screencast-o-matic or upload to Youtube. I uploaded it to my youtube channel and embedded it here.  I did have to complete my screencast using Internet Explorer and not Google Chrome due to Java problems.  They only thing I don't like about Screencast-o-matic is that unless you pay for an account they have a watermark on your screencast.   I would have to say that Screencast-o-matic was my favorite because it was easiest to save and embed into my blog and I like having the video there to just click on the play button versus clicking on a link and then clicking play.  I also liked the yellow circle that highlighted where you were clicking during the screencast.

I also created a screencast using Screenr that is going away on November 11, 2015.  I was not able to save my file or download it.  I tried numerous times and finally just gave up.   Screenr was very easy to use and it's sad that because of the problems with Java RE that it is not longer going to be available.

I was terrified of screencasts before using them and really they were quite easy and the worst part is having to listen to my voice during the recordings.

Creating Cartoons and Comics

With so many reluctant readers today, comics and graphic novels are a way to get them interested and reading.  So why not have students create comics instead of just using reports, there are so many other ways to see if your students are understanding what you are teaching and it allows them to be creative at the same time.  It's also a plus when you can get students to use technology to create Comic Strips using ToonDoo, Pixton and MakeBeliefsComix.



By MrsPolk | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

Of course I wouldn't use this comic with my students, but it was funny and I couldn't resist!

My first strips was made using ToonDoo.  It was easy to create a free account and I was up and ready to create in less than a minute.  The site seems very user friendly with graphics to help you navigate the site.  You can also create a comic book with your comic strips.  This would be great for a big unit of study or to create a class book.




I then created a comic strip in Pixton.  It was more involved and took much longer to create.  It was not as user friendly and I would most likely not use it with my younger students because it's too difficult to navigate easily.  I was able to create a free 30 day trial educator account.  I did create my own character that I used to resemble me.  They had some variety but not as much as I would have liked.  I also was unable to save the comic to my computer unlike ToonDoo.   You can log in with an Edmoto account which if you have one would be nice.  Once in I was asked to set up groups, post an assignment, and add people.  You can customize the assignment and put a start date and a due date  as well as give instructions to kids.  This was the most difficult site to navigate and create a comic on, I would not use this with my students at the primary school.

I also created a comic using MakeBeliefsComix.  I did experience some difficulty and the site was not working the first time I tried.  When I went back the next day the site was back up and working fine.  I really liked how easy it was to create and  that I didn't have to log in and create an account.  I think students could do this with ease.  It was also easy to save to my computer as well as I could email it.  This was my favorite Comic maker site.

So having your students get creative and make a comic to complete a unit of study, tell about something they have learned, work on creative writing, parts of speech, plot, retell a story, prediction, book reports, onomatopoeia, current events and just about anything you can think of.   

I also created a Tellagami.  It's a free app that I downloaded onto my Ipad mini.  It was super easy to create your gami and put the picture into the background and record.  Students would love this, plus the price is right for every teacher and student-free!  I think even my second graders could do this and have a great time learning!  It could be used to create summaries of books they have read, reports on science or social studies topics and maybe even to explain how to work a math problem.  Oh the wheels, they are a turning!

Halloween Hustle Tellagami