"People can lose their lives in libraries.
They ought to be warned!"
~ Saul Bellow, author
ReflectionShould they be warned or should they be tempted further? I lost myself at a young age and have been addicted to reading and visiting libraries ever since. Now I see myself as a book pusher, whether digital or print, fiction or nonfiction. To make the perfect connection between student and book, I must know the stories and genres to suggest. With millions of books published each year, I used to haphazardly selected books. But during our Literature for Young Adults course in 2010, I learned how to make quality selections using credible sources such as the American Library Association’s yearly book awards, The Horn Book and School Library Journal reviews.
Knowing my student population, I tailored my choices to include selections from lists such as ALA’s Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers. As a result, I read and summarized more than 35 different resources, including videos and graphic novels. I created an annotated young adult bibliography wiki that included images, summaries and links to the book and author information. I attached the wiki link to my school webpage and email so staff, parents and others could easily access it. Working with struggling readers, I consulted the annotated bibliography when matching students with high interest materials. I also shared it with other teachers whose students also had difficulty connecting with books. I grouped the books using popular categories such as Gangs, Relationships and Sports so students could independently use this tool. The wiki format was somewhat new in 2010, and I found building the bibliography an engaging challenge. Because of its flexible and easy-to-edit pages, I added additional resources to the wiki, including tools to locate books of similar topics. Students often find one book they love but have difficulty finding a similar one. I included a link to another wiki called “Read Alikes,” which connects students to different books based on their favorite books. Students also can access tools such as GoodReads and Shelfari to set up their own digital collections of books they have read. Creating this wiki encouraged me to build on my experience by using new tools to share book information. For example, I created a book blog and even a Twitter feed. This assignment led to many other annotated materials, including a books for the college-bound activity, which exposed students to books selected as “best reads” for students planning to attend college. I also developed annotated Black-Eyed Susan promotional materials, which advertise Maryland's top young adult picks, and suggested professional resources for educators. It’s challenging to stay current with so many new award-winners and recommended materials, but it’s an essential component of being a media specialist, and a task I love. As I learned in my Young Adult Literature course, the hard part begins after I read a book. I must condense the text to its most interesting and essential parts, a complex yet priceless skill in this time-pressed world. Then I market the book and develop creative ways to advertise it. What good is a fantastic story if I can’t get someone else to read it? I have had the best success with booktalks that hook a student or teacher in 60 seconds or less. As I gain experience, I will be able to target words that trigger interest even faster and more convincingly when trying to “sell” the book. |
2.1 LiteratureCandidates are familiar with a wide range of literature in multiple formats and languages to support reading for information, reading for pleasure, and reading for lifelong learning.
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