Leah GiarritanoSpring 2012Work JournalLIS591M

Work Journal

Friday, January 20, 2012

Today I had a great opportunity to observe Jana interacting with the kids. She strikes a great balance between playfulness and authority. The kids like and respect her, yet she has no problem being stern when they are out of line. I enjoy her style of interaction and feel like I would like to incorporate some of that style in my own demeanor as a librarian. I am anxious to continue observing her interactions throughout the practicum so I can learn even more and develop my own hybrid style incorporating aspects of the balance she maintains with the kids.

Monday, January 23, 2012

I got a little more exposure to the library software system, Sagebrush, used at Pleasantdale. Jana walked me through all of the different capabilities of the system and taught me how to use some of the different features. In addition to all of the benefits, she explained some of the nuances and pitfalls of the system. This exposure afforded me a better understanding of the versatility of a library software system, but also what to be wary of when selecting/using my own system in the future. She is required to do a lot of manual overriding to certain aspects of the system which

can make things challenging. This insight, gained from utilization of Sagebrush, will allow me to be better prepared and know what to expect from my own system in the future.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Today I presented my practicum project, Peer Readers Advisory, to nine separate classrooms of 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. I introduced the idea behind the project and handed out worksheets for each of them to complete with the title of their favorite book as well as three descriptive sentences regarding why they would recommend the book/what made it their favorite book. I enjoyed being in front of the children and talking to them about this project. When I explained that I would be using their recommendations to develop tools for them to use in selecting books when they come to the library, they became very enthusiastic. I am excited about this project and know how important peer relationships are at this stage in their life. Tying peer book recommendations into the library is a great way to tap into their developmental stage. Assuming the output of this project is productive, I will definitely implement this type of project in my own library. Just from the initial enthusiasm and interest I received from the kids, I can tell that book recommendations from their friends are very important!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Today I spent my time in the library preparing for an author visit for the 5th and 6th grade students. A.J. Hartley, author of

Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact, is scheduled to visit Pleasantdale on Thursday, February 16, 2012. I helped Jana create PowerPoint slides to run on the monitor in the entranceway of the school as a way to get the kids excited about the visit. I distributed order forms to the classrooms so the children would have the opportunity to purchase a copy of the book and have A.J. Hartley sign it for them. I also helped organize the books that had already been signed to make it easier for the author to know how to dedicate the book. I enjoyed my involvement in preparation for the author’s visit. It was fun to see the excitement in the kids’ eyes, knowing an author was coming to visit their school. As a librarian, I will be sure to schedule regular author visits as they certainly create a lot of buzz about the library and reading. I learned that Anderson’s Books, a local bookstore, coordinates a lot of these author visits so I will plan to develop a relationship with them and express my interest in scheduling author visits for the school I end up working for. Thursday, February 16, 2012

 Today A.J. Hartley came to Pleasantdale to speak to the 5th and 6th grade students. There was excitement in the air prior to his arrival as students eagerly awaiting the announcement that it was time to gather together to hear him talk. The PowerPoint presentation was playing in the entranceway and children were excited clutching their books. A.J. Hartley was a great speaker and provided wonderful advice to the children about his experience as an author, how he gets his ideas, what it feels like to have a book rejected and how you have to just keep on writing despite the rejection. He allowed plenty of time for questions and, much to my surprise, the children were full of interesting and engaging questions. The room was like a

sea of hands waving back and forth to be called upon. The questions were thoughtful and proved to me how important it is to have author’s come and visit children at the school. They were very interested to better understand his writing process and I could imagine them keeping his advice in mind as they write their own papers and stories. This experience further reinforced my commitment to make a regular practice of scheduling author visits when I become a librarian.

Friday, February 17, 2012

There was a teacher in-service today that I had an opportunity to participate in. One of the topics I found most interesting and useful for application to my own career was use of the Promethium boards. We received demonstrations on the various functionalities of the boards and suggestions for various uses with the students. They are very powerful and dynamic tools and I think it would be a great educational tool for use in the library. I am hopeful that if one doesn’t already exist in the library I end up working at, I will be able to persuade the administration to consider its value as a significant learning tool.

Monday, April 16, 2012

After lots of behind the scenes work, I finally began to “install” my practicum project in the library. It was exciting to see the fruits of my labor come to life and think about the students utilizing the tools I created. I think that this project will gain a lot of interest and momentum in the

school and, while very labor intensive, I would definitely consider doing another similar project in the future at my own school.

Monday, April 1, 2012

Today was my last day at Pleasantdale. It was sad to finish my practicum as I loved working at the school with the kids and Jana. It was exciting to see my practicum project fully installed. The PowerPoint presentation was running in the front entranceway and the kids were very excited to see all of the book recommendations from their friends. Both the principal and assistant principal commented on how fantastic it was. Within the library, the shelves, by grade, are all set up, with customized bookmarks with recommendations by grade, a posted list of all the students, by grade, with the books they recommended as well as the recommended books displayed by grades with multiple copies for the kids to view and check out. All in all, the project, as well as my time at Pleasantdale, was a great success. It was a rewarding way to end my time there with the implementation of a successful project that is sure to be used long after I am gone and that is getting the kids so exciting about new books to check out based on their friends’ reviews.