By:  Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources

Cattaraugus-Allegany School Library System offers school librarians relevant training in a variety of services including vendor products, technology tools, instructional strategies, best practices, and support from the school library system director (yours truly). The system has worked to support school librarians through shared resources and specialized workshops tailored to the unique needs of each school library program. This article highlights some of the significant ways in which school librarians (which extends to educators and students), have benefited from the school library system.   
 
Professional Development: At the regional level, the School Library System has consistently supported school librarians and their programs through shared resources and specialized workshops, which included the following topics: diversity in the library collection, information and media literacy, graphic literature collections, advocacy, ChatGPT, and a full-day meet-up with vendors for product demos and free trials. Based on feedback from school librarians, a 10-hour Moodle course on Managing Student Behavior was created and will soon be available on CA BOCES’s registration system.  This course, although not specific to librarians, can be convenient for classroom teachers and provide them with valuable content as well.  
 
Relevant Training: The School Library System Coordinator offered librarians help in creating and/or editing their library Policy and Procedure Manual. This year has seen a dramatic increase in book challenges and a pro-active approach was taken to ensure school librarians had the opportunity to update their policies. Both documents clearly state how books are selected for the school library, and if content is challenged, what steps should be taken to ensure all voices are heard through a respectful and fair process. Librarians who have had to navigate these topics this year have done so with professionalism and grace.  
 
Communication Coordinators: NYSED/Division of Library Development recommends that one media specialist from each public member school district and a designated representative from each non-public school meet four times per year (8 CRR-NY 90.18). These meetings take place in the afternoon of each Librarian CLC and conversations are focused on Advocacy, Professional Development, Collection Development, and Achievements. This year, two noteworthy highlights included meeting with Senator Borrello and Assemblyperson Joe Giglio to advocate for school libraries, and being guided through a Project Look Sharp lesson by Aaron Meyers, recipient of a Project Look Sharp grant and Olean’s HS librarian! 
 
Resources: Through the Library CoSer 510, schools are provided with access to a wide array of resources they might not otherwise have. Resources include databases, digital platforms for classroom products & eBooks/audiobooks, movie streaming & licenses, educational materials, and books that can enhance teaching and learning experiences. A day-long vendor fair in February encouraged librarians to see product demos and obtain free trials to share with teachers. 
Educators pursuing higher education often check with the library system first to see if required textbooks are available through OCLC. The school library system is a member of this network of libraries that loans and borrows print books, which is a cost-saving benefit to teachers.  
Speaking of saving money, music and choral teachers who are members of our Music Library have increased their buying power when purchasing music through J.W. Pepper. Music charts arrive at our office and are inventoried, catalogued, and added to Insignia for easy borrowing.  
 
Flexibility and Adaptability: As the coordinator of the school library system, I bring an added layer of flexibility and adaptability to each district. I have tailored my support to address inquiries related to the following: analyzing the library collection and assisting with pulling titles based on pre-set criteria, (which is often part of the Selection Policy); observing library instruction and/or student behavior and providing feedback for improvement; repairing books; training on vendor products including Insignia, Sora, NoodleTools, NewsBank, Flocabulary, Learning A-Z products, GALE databases and World Book.  I have also answered questions related to research, music and movie licensing, book challenges, and copyright & Fair Use.  This customized approach allows me to provide specific support as needed. 
Access to specialized expertise, professional development opportunities, valuable resources, and flexible in-house support is not just limited to school librarians! The school library system is here to support all educators. If you have any questions on how the school library system can support you or your school’s student achievement goals, please reach out to [email protected].  

By: Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources

Teachers looking to help students in grades K-12 develop and strengthen social-emotional skills can use a curated collection of picture books chosen specifically for engaging students. High school and middle school students enjoy being read to and picture books will add a twist and bring new meaning to a classic story. For younger students, pictures provide deeper meaning and help identify emotions. In just 15 minutes, you can have students internalizing what it means to be kind, thoughtful, or compassionate to name just a few character traits. This guide will help you ask questions for facilitating enriching discussions for students in all grades. Most titles can be found in your school library but many are available in OverDrive, which is perfect for using with Zoom. Just download the ebook onto your personal device, share your screen (be sure to check the box to share computer sound), and you are ready to read. To avoid copyright infringement, do not record and/or share on a public platform. 

If you have further questions about library resources or library related questions, please contact [email protected] 

By: Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources

            If you are a faculty member taking a college course or wish you had access to a specific book for professional use, Cattaraugus-Allegany School Library System (CASLS) may be able to get what you need at no cost. The Online Collaborative Library Consortium (OCLC) is comprised of public, academic, and school library systems across the nation who value resource sharing.  However, rules for lending vary for each library. 
 
            A lending library may renew a book for an additional six weeks while others request the book be returned. We make every effort to provide borrowers with the materials and the duration for which they need and frequently ask for renewals. In the event a book must be returned after six weeks, we will make every effort to borrow a copy from another library so a swap can be made. Additionally, if a book is damaged or lost it is the individual’s responsibility to pay the replacement fee. 
 
            CASLS recognizes the value of loaning and borrowing books to support knowledge. In 2019 CASLS shared 95 books from our professional library to places such as Harvard University, University of Virginia, and Louisiana State University. Likewise, 252 books were borrowed for educators within CABOCES with the highest percentage going to teachers pursuing their master’s degree or SBL or SDL certification.
 
            With CA BOCES’ new web page, requesting a book is very easy. Visit resources.caboces.org and log in using your school email; password is caboces. (If you need help, email [email protected] .)

• In the top row, click on Prof. Library to visit a new page. In the column on the left, under Services, the link for the OCLC Request Form is listed fourth from the bottom.
• Open the link and complete each field and hit submit. 
• The process for requesting and receiving a book varies but 2 weeks is average.  
• ​Once a book is received at Learning Resources, it is processed within a day and sent out for delivery. The lending is period is 6 weeks and you simply mail back to CASLS via CA BOCES delivery.  

 
  If you would like to borrow multiple copies of the same title, reach out to [email protected] or [email protected] to avoid having to fill out the form multiple times.  If you plan to renew a book, let us know and we’ll request an extension with the lending library.  As always, if you have any questions feel free to contact Cathy or myself at our emails above.

By: Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources

CA BOCES offers a collaborative music library with over 215 music charts for borrowing. Thirty-two charts have been checked out this fall for band concerts making this a well utilized resource.  Music teachers in participating districts send purchasing requests to [email protected] who then orders the music through an approved vendor.  Upon receipt, Cathy catalogs the charts into Insignia.  With a simple search, music teachers may view a chart's summary, select "Click here to watch" for the score, and  easily book an item for delivery and use for a semester or school year.  When returned to Learning Resources, inventory is taken and any missing or damaged sheet music is replaced per copyright law.
For those curious to see the music collection, visit resources.caboces.org and log in.  Search by selecting call number and type in ML.  Searches may be narrowed by categories located in the left column of the web page.
Some choral teachers have expressed an interest in having a similar collection.  If your school is interested in joining this service, contact [email protected]  or  [email protected]

By Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources

Information literacy is pertinent to students’ education and is cultivated through the Empire State Information Fluency Continuum (ESIFC) Cycle of Inquiry and Learning skills Connecting, Wondering, Investigating, Constructing, Expressing, and Reflecting.  These skills help students think critically, encourages innovation, and prepares them for research projects.  Students wonder about many things but lack effectiveness in finding accurate resources, however, through collaborative opportunities between content area teachers and school librarians these skills can be reinforced with students.   
School librarians attending the Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) for 2019-2020 have been provided with an updated version of the ESIFC, which also supports the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards. 
The ESIFC was developed by the New York City Department of Education/Office of Library Services School Library System in 2014 and has recently been updated to include NYS Next Generation Standards.  This resource is available to teachers and school librarians and helps familiarize them with curricular resources and assist in planning collaborative lessons.  The four anchor standards and indicators are:

• Inquiry & Design Thinking - Students Use Inquiry and Design Thinking to Build Understanding and Create New Knowledge
• Multiple Literacies - Use Multiple Literacies to Explore, Learn, and Express Ideas
• Social & Civic Responsibility - Demonstrate Civic Responsibility, Respect for Diverse Perspectives, Collaboration, and Digital Citizenship
• Personal Growth & Agency - Engage in Personal Exploration, Social and Emotional Growth, Independent Reading and Learning, and Personal Agency

Included in the ESIFC are benchmark skills for grades K-12 and assessments for each priority benchmark skill and may be viewed at https://slsa-nys.libguides.com/ifc
School librarians within CA BOCES will receive training in using this fantastic resource. 

By: Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources

In September 2018, school librarians attending the Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) were asked to set goals for the new school year. Some chose to look at their school’s student achievement goals while others focused on developing relationships with students and increasing collaboration with faculty.  Meeting as a CLC throughout the year provided school librarians the opportunity to revisit goals and share success stories.  Following are just a few highlights:
Amber Cheladyn, high school librarian at Allegany-Limestone, focused on building relationships with students. What started out as one teacher bringing special education students to the library has developed into a domino effect.  More teachers have visited the library with their students where Amber has guided them through the process of borrowing OverDrive’s audiobooks and ebooks.  Students are thrilled with being able to listen to popular fiction as well as those required for the curriculum.  
Jody Thiel, PreK-12 librarian at West Valley Central School, focused on the long-term goal of increasing student achievement on the Regents and state assessment tests for ELA and Math. Increasing collaboration with teachers was her first step and has resulted in more projects this year.  Jody has provided expertise to teachers on how to access CABOCES’ Insignia for borrowing items from CA BOCES and using the library’s online catalog for accessing databases and resources from the school’s library.   
Elizabeth Brisky is the PreK-12 librarian at Franklinville. This year her school has been staircasing major subject areas and the specific writing and reading strands for each grade level. Elizabeth has participated in grade level meetings and programmed library instruction that builds on students’ areas of weakness.  When she learned that genre was a difficult concept for students, Elizabeth created an entire unit on center-based activities that used genres, categorization of books, and writing activities for increasing student success. 
In March, Dani Newman, PreK-12 librarian at Fillmore, recruited 30 students in grades 3-6 to participate in the IU9 Interscholastic Reading Competition in Bradford PA. When Dani shared her experience and her students’ excitement, other school librarians expressed an interest in recruiting their students to join in for next year’s event.  Each team reads a total of forty pre-selected books and are responsible for knowing answers to questions asked during the competition.  Librarians have received a list of titles for November’s competition which can also be used for summer reading. 
Carli Wright is the new librarian at Randolph High School this year.  Her goal of fostering relationships with students and getting them into the library led to many creative endeavors.  Inspired by Dani’s success with the reading competition, Carli has connected with the Randolph Public Library to make sure her newly formed middle school team has what they need to read over the summer. 
The Librarian’s CLC provides important networking for school librarians and has consistently seen high participation  levels. Thank you, school administrators, for recognizing the unique professional development needs of school librarians!

​By: Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources

School librarians within CA BOCES are having an amazing year!

Whether it’s borrowing books from other school libraries to prepare students for a multi-school reading competition, providing a maker space where grades 7-12 compete to see whose best at repurposing odds and ends, promoting OverDrive’s class sets to teachers, or using instructional strategies to engage all learners, school librarians are exploring a range of techniques for whole class and group work, guided learning, and individual activities. 
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On January 17, school librarians reviewed the new National School Library Standards which complement and strengthen content standards.  Focusing on the six Shared Foundations (Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage) and school librarian Competencies, each librarian chose one competency of strength and one that needs strengthening and were challenged to come back to our next meeting on February  to share examples of personal growth and impact on student learning.

​Recently, librarians at Franklinville and Friendship had students write letters to Senator Catharine Young and Assemblyman Joe Giglio.  Students not only learned how to properly address an envelope (and where to place a stamp), but crafted hand-written letters expressing why their school library and librarian is important to them.   In the afternoon of the January CLC,  school librarians participated in civic engagement by meeting with Assemblyman Joe Giglio and a representative from Senator Young’s office at St. Bonaventure’s Friedham Memorial Library, where the receipt of students’ letters mentioned.

​Meeting with state representatives provided librarians from public, academic, and school libraries to share why library funding is critical.  Specifically, the need for broadband access so students can complete homework.  Although a student may have access to a cell phone, the monthly data plan is quickly exceeded when accessing databases or other sites needed for homework.  This was a meaningful experience for school librarians.  (Photos below by Danielle Newman, librarian at Fillmore Central School @FscLibraries ).

By:  Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources

The Library CoSer provides all districts with TeachingBooks, a resource accessible to students and faculty at resources.caboces.org. 
 
A quick subject search using the term Valentine’s Day returns several resources for books, including lesson guides, worksheets, and many other resources that allow for connecting deeply with text.  For example, P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han provides an author book reading, audio name pronunciation, link to the author’s website and blog, audiobook excerpt, reading questions, and several videotaped interviews with the author. Although each featured book is not in digital format for instant reading, students and teachers can identify exceptional books that reflect diverse cultural experiences, interests, and ability levels, and obtain resources paired with book titles that further reading enjoyment, contextual knowledge, and educational relevance (TeachingBooks, 2019).  Additionally, students can practice reading fluency and voice through Reader’s Theater scripts in ready-to-print format. 
 
Stories become more meaningful when students learn the backstory, the research, and the inspiration for each book directly from the author and illustrator. Although I can read a summary of Jaquelyn Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming aloud to students in an effort to pique interest, it’s not the same as the author’s voice briefly sharing about her memoir. The same can be said for Gene Luen Yang’s book American Born Chinese.
 
TeachingBooks also provides English text of author name pronunciations and transcriptions for book readings. The following features benefit all students:

• Highlighting of the spoken word — students can now visually follow along
• Google Translate of the copy for more than 100 languages — creating accessibility for non-English speaking patrons
• Audio anchoring — activate the audio and highlighting from any location of the recording
• Transcripts for printing, previewing, and research — with MLA 8 citation

Reach out to Cece Fuoco at [email protected] or (716) 376-8206 if you would like further instruction in using this great resource with your students or would like information on the other resources available to you through library. 

On October 18th, school librarians honed instructional strategies in recognizing news bias, gained insight into what influences human reasoning, and left with ideas and activities for student instruction when collaborating with teachers or teaching information literacy. Two great tools that facilitate the teaching of news bias and is provided to all CA BOCES’ districts are Newsbank’s Access World News and America’s Historical Newspapers.

With links to primary sources, students can explore global perspectives and differing viewpoints on important issues and events.   Articles from newspapers, magazines, and other news media can be easily cited, saved, emailed, or printed.  Access World News provides current information from over 200 countries including Spanish languages sources, and everyday a list of about 12 headlines in news from countries around the world include activities that tie into common core standards.  A monthly list of hot topics in the news provide suggested search terms and critical questions to guide students in effecting searching.  Topics such as Business and Economics, Health, Literature, Performing and Fine Arts, Politics and Government, STEM, and Technology are linked to primary news sources relevant to what students are learning in the classroom.

America’s Historical Newspapers makes collaboration across disciplines amazingly easy!  Organized by eras from the late 1600’s to 2000, primary sources are divided within each era by the following topics:  Government, Military & Political Events; Social & Cultural Issues; and Discoveries, Inventions & Firsts.  While students are learning about the Civil War in social studies, the art teacher can introduce the Impressionist Movement with news and reviews on artists and their work.  Complementing the Vietnam War are links to primary news sources on music: Bob Dylan & folk music; Beatles and British music; literature: Maya Angelou, Steven King, Kurt Vonnegut, and Ken Kesey; PE/Health: DDT banned, Bobby Riggs vs. Billy Jean King, first Super Bowl; Technology: Pong; moon landing.  Students can become more engaged with an era when provided with topics that appeal to their interests. 

Students can learn perspective through original newspapers printed during the Civil War (north versus south) and Westward Expansion (east coast versus west coast/American Indians). 
Please contact me at Cecelia_Fuoco@caboces for personalized training in your district.

By: Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES School Library System Coordinator

Deselecting books, also referred to as weeding, is necessary for maintaining a school’s library collection of resources. The process of deselecting includes removing damaged, outdated, or books no longer relevant to the curriculum.  Prior to deciding what should be removed from the library, librarians often use Titlewise by Follett to analyze the collection’s strengths and weaknesses based on industry standards. For example, a book on computers with a copyright date of 2000 will likely be outdated, (perhaps not if the focus is on the historical aspect), and books on robotics, forensics, and artificial intelligence may be recommended for strengthening the sciences.  

​When recently asked to help a librarian ‘weed’ the elementary library, I found a book on New York City with a copyright date of 1998.  Although it appeared to be in new condition, the Twin Towers were pictured, and Governor Pataki has since been replaced.  Some other examples of weeded books include The Lincoln Library of Sports Champions featuring Terry Bradshaw, Peggy Fleming, and other popular athletes at the time this text was printed; and The Chinese in America with a copyright date of 1959.  

When a library has not been ‘weeded’ for many years, the process can be overwhelming. Making room for new materials offers an additional opportunity to make the library attractive and inviting. Similar to marketing strategies used by retailers, displaying products often piques the interests of those who may be visiting for another purpose.

Research studies have shown college students prefer to read materials in print rather than in electronic format (Baron, 2016; Foasberg, 2014; Mizrachi, 2015), and a large percentage of students ages 4-15 enjoy reading print books (Kleeman, 2016).  Although the popularity of Amazon Kindle and Apple’s iPhone beginning in 2007 made reading books electronically convenient, print publishers have remained constant for the past ten years ( Mcilroy, 2017).  Balancing the library collection with print and electronic resources is a necessary duty that not all librarians have time to do. 

Schools needing assistance with the deselection process may contact the school library system coordinator: [email protected]

By:  Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources 
 
 
 
Baron, N. (2015). Words onscreen: The fate of reading in a digital world. New York, NY: Oxford University Press,
Foasberg, N. (2014). Student reading practices in print and electronic media. College & Research Libraries, 75(5), 705-723.
Kleeman, D. (2016). Books and reading are powerful with kids, but content discovery is     challenging. Publishing Research Quarterly, 32(1), 38-43. 
Mizrachi, D. (2015). Undergraduates' academic reading format preferences and behaviors.  Journal of Academic Librarianship, 41(3) 301-311
Mcilroy, T. (2017). Startups within the U.S. book publishing industry. Publishing Research           Quarterly, 33(1), 1-9. 

On February 5th and 6th, CA BOCES’ Digital Star Lab visited Friendship Central School (FCS) providing students in pre-k through fifth grades a sampling of what the digital planetarium offers.  David Yochum, the middle/high school science teacher, arranged for the visit and offered four of his 10th grade students an opportunity to instruct an eighth-grade class on pertinent topics using this technology.

During my two days at FCS I was able to introduce students to an outer space view of planet earth, moon phases, constellations, nebulas, the milky way, and the planets in our solar system.  Each field trip ended with watching the sun rise from the surface of Mars.  Students were awed by the experience and demonstrated an increased awareness of our solar system as the planetarium allows for on-demand instruction regardless of temperature and time.
Collaboration with your school librarian is made easy when resources, like the following suggestions, are paired with lessons:

• Pre-school & Kindergarten: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown; Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
• Kindergarten – 2nd Grades:  Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes; Sunshine Makes the Seasons by Franklyn Branley; Gravity by Jason Chin; The Big Dipper by Franklyn Branley and Molly Coxe; The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons.
• 3rd -5th Grades: Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter; Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations by Jacqueline Mitton; Find the Constellations by H. A. Rey; They Dance in the Sky: Native American Star Myths by Ray A. Williamson.
• 6th Grade – 12th Grades: Heroes of the Night Sky: The Greek Myths Behind the Constellations by Tom Kindley; Space, Stars, and the Beginning of Time: What the Hubble Telescope Saw by Elaine Scott; Planet Hunter: Geoff Marcy and the Search for Other Earths by Vicki Oransky Wittenstein; Earthrise: My Adventures as an Apollo 14 Astronaut by Edgar Mitchell; The Dialogues: Conversations about the Nature of the Universe (Cartoon Book) by Clifford V. Johnson; The Cartoon Guide to Physics by Larry Gonick.

The StarLab may be reserved through the SNAP system at snap.caboces.org. 

​By:  Cece Fuoco, CABOCES Learning Resources

The American Association of School Librarians recently released its updated National School Library Standards.  Concepts imbedded in the new standards include shared foundations, key commitments, domains, competencies, and alignments which strongly supports new standards in school curricula. Recently, district librarians came together to review the standards and participated in collaborative activities and developed activities for student engagement.

Collaboration occurs through different venues and a Zoom meeting was used to connect more than 50 librarians from CA BOCES and Eastern Suffolk BOCES.  Shared ideas for student engagement using library books included: Snowflake Bentley and making snowflakes, reinforcing the concept of symmetry, and a STEM challenge involving falling snowflakes; and Bill Nye’s Germ book, growing germs, identifying bacteria, and a STEM challenge involving germ fighting products. 

The Extraordinaire Design Pro kit was introduced for Maker Space ideas with some participants enthusiastically embracing the design challenge.  Also demonstrated was the use of Zome Tools for grades K-12 with ideas for ELA activities and STEM challenges. 
With Zoom’s increasing availability, participants were encouraged to consider its use in connecting students to learning beyond walls, buildings, and geographic locations.

​By:  Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources

Welcoming West Valley students into the school library this year is a new space designated for S.T.E.A.M. activities.  Jody Thiel, SLMS, is offering students the opportunity to explore coding, collaboration, and creativity with $500 raised through Donors Choose. Mrs. Thiel purchased over ten interactive resources to engage student learning and encourage a growth mindset (See photo).
 
A struggling middle school student recently demonstrated growth mindset as he was putting together circuits.  When a bulb failed to light, he blamed it on dead batteries – several times.  Mrs. Thiel did not offer correction on his design but simply told him the batteries were new and encouraged him to try again.  The student figured it out and was so proud of himself!  Taking risks in a safe environment allowed for experiencing success.
 
For younger students, Mrs. Thiel purchased the FisherPrice Code-a-Pillar.  This is a colorful robotic whose pre-coded segments are put together by the student.  Once segments are connected the Code-a-Pillar crawls across the floor to find a predetermined target.  Quick feedback allows for student correction.  Additional segments can be purchased for increased challenges. 

Elementary and middle school students enjoy the Code & Go Robot Mouse and no doubt high school students and adults will too.  Similar to the design of a BeeBot, Robot Mouse can be programmed to find a block of 'cheese' within a maze.  The maze offers a variety of design challenges to engage “steamers” of all ages. and provides small groups with collaborative opportunities to problem solve.
 
Displayed among the LittleBits, Magformers, and Snap Circuits was the Osmo.  This product utilizes an iPad, stand, mirror, and apps to teach coding, letters, words, numbers, and drawings.  I tried the drawing app which uses a mirror to project an image onto a piece of paper that can be traced.  Lettering is also available to make attractive thank you notes or sayings. (See photo).  The tools available to use with the Osmo clearly makes an interactive tool for students K-12. 

By:  Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources

All students in CA BOCES, but especially those in grades PreK – 8th will enjoy the premium version of Tumble Books.  Offered in a French, Spanish, or Mobile interface, over 1400 eBooks are available with Wi-Fi connection. 

• Early readers will benefit from over 280 animated, talking picture books
• 90 second National Geographic video clips
• ESL and ELL students will improve word pronunciation by listening to popular read-alouds
• Students with IEPs can search by lexile level to books that support curriculum and personal reading interests
• Fun math stories including those featuring Sir Cumference
• Popular graphic novels like Geronimo Stilton and Nancy Drew
• Mysteries, Classic Characters, Advanced Readers, and more
• Links to Common Core provided
• Accelerated Reader Quiz Number provided
• Teacher portal set-up for student statistics
• Simultaneous use makes it perfect for a class project
• Popular authors: Kate DiCamillo, Neil Gaiman, Annie Barrows, Mark Twain, Doreen Cronin, Robert Munsch, Matt Christopher,  Eve Bunting

Students may access TumbleBooks through snap.caboces.org with school username/password. Contact your school librarian for log in information, or Cece Fuoco at [email protected]  for assistance or training. 

By:  Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources

Over 300 school librarians converged in Buffalo May 4-6, 2017 to attend the state’s annual school librarians conference. Thirty-nine vendors were available to discuss databases, continuing education programs, cataloging systems, and books that support learning standards as well as popular fiction.  Co-chaired by Pioneer school librarians Maria Muhlbauer and Tina Pierce, this year’s theme Make. Learn. Inspire. was a hit! 

Make. Learn. Inspire. offered professional development workshops specific to the needs of the school librarian.  Keynote speaker Gene Luen Yang, a former high school teacher, has been a recipient of several national book awards. Yang’s engaging style, peppered with humor, brought attention to using comics in education and the importance of representing diversity through the comics medium.  Yang’s message was fitting in that it supports the current initiative by CA BOCES’ Brendan Keiser and Cece Fuoco in building graphic novel kits for classroom use next school year. 

Thirty-six workshops were made available including“Fostering Civic Engagement Through Archival Research”, “The Differentiated Makerspace”, “Sensory Storytime”, “Game Design”, and “Genrefying Your Library”.  One workshop held by Scio librarian, Mary Zdrojewski, had a packed room of 75 attendees who came to learn about using a Breakout Box to teach library skills.  Bolivar-Richburg librarian, Karen Fox, (see photo) presented to over 50 attendees on “21st Century Toolbox for the School Librarian”. Fox capitalized on skills she learned as an employee of Apple and Starbucks to streamline the process for managing her library resources and tracking students.  

Librarians also enjoyed hearing CA BOCES’ S.T.E.M. coordinator, Clay Nolan discuss using common fiction stories to create S.T.E.M. activities to support ELA standards.  After introducing the book Timing Races: Measuring Time by Dianne Irving, Nolan challenged participants with Zometools to create an object that could spin and outlast others (see photo).  It was a fun activity and participants’ phones were busy capturing the learning and competition taking place.

Returning to their schools across the state, librarians left inspired to make new learning opportunities for students. 

By:  Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources 

Library makerspaces are becoming more popular in schools and using technology is often part of the experience.  Some school librarians in CA BOCES are becoming familiar with coding, programming, and open source software.  As a result, makerspaces are frequently the place where students can explore, create, and learn.  eTextiling is one method of using technology to engage students with varied interests. 
​
eTextiles use circuitry to create interaction between the wearer and his or her environment.  As a way to introduce fashion and technology to teachers, an eTextiling workshop was offered through the 510 Coser.  Facilitated by S.T.E.M. Coordinator Clay Nolan, and School Library System Coordinator, Cece Fuoco, participants learned the basics of circuitry through the use of copper tape, a battery and an LED light. 

Participants then used conductive thread to sew a circuit. 

Open source technology allows for programming a component to make an LED light respond to sound or movement.  The opportunity exists for students to work together, especially when a student’s interest is stronger than his or her ability. 

An eTextiling workshop will be available again next year with the anticipation that this year’s participants will share what their students have created.  If you would like more information about eTextiling, please contact Clay at [email protected] or Cece at [email protected].

By:  Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES School Library Coordinator

3,853 Overdrive eBooks checked out
 
1657 resources shared through interlibrary loan
 
22 workshops to support professional development for school librarians
 
405 Library System deliveries each month
 
229 databases purchased managed
 
Filled 33 requests for 1 Foundation (American Museum of Natural History), 1 State Library (New Jersey), 2 major academic research libraries, 6 academic libraries, and 15 public libraries
 
Requests from 16 states to borrow library resources
 
2,592 miles of postal service to lend 1 book

Are you looking for resources and don’t know where to turn? Maybe you have some idea of what you are looking for and don’t have the time to cull through the myriad options available. At the CABOCES Learning Resources center in Allegany, we will have a training in January for the teachers in our two county area, highlighting all that our Staff Specialists here can do for you and your students.
​
Learning Resources has recently had an increase in the amount of resources being used by our component schools, but there are still so many things being underutilized. So as part of this training, the Staff Specialists went through each branch of Learning Resources and how they can assist with curriculum and content, utilization of online and digital support, as well as providing tangible resources to use in the physical classroom. The teachers who have gone through the training before have been amazed at the hundreds of thousands of resources available and how each department can either assist with or provide instruction on the various aspects of digital resources and technology, STEM, Library services, and distance learning. 

​Both STEM and the Digital Media program provide kits that can be used in the classroom to aid instruction and provide hands-on activities. Online resources accompany those kits, as well as accessing the SNAP system to find additional support. The Distance Learning branch has many components, including Moodle and Mahara, credit recovery, virtual field trips, collaborative classrooms, online learning, and Adobe Connect. Additionally, our Library Resources offers support to all 22 school libraries in Cattaraugus and Allegany counties, implementation of the inter-library loan system, and provides online usage of Britannica and World Book.
 
If you are not utilizing any of these resources, only using some of them, or need to know more, come join us on January 12 at our Learning Resources center in Allegany, NY.
 
By: Alexandra L. Freer, CA BOCES

Local librarians were recently challenged to use Buncee to submit a photo story that showcased what his/her library program was doing.  Mary Zdrojewski, K-12 librarian from Scio created "Beyond the Bookshelves".

Create your digital canvass with Buncee at www.edu.buncee.com .

Nicole Brandes at Friendship Central School really knows how to liven up the library!  The start of the school year began with a Book Tasting with music of the 80s.  A Book Tasting is an activity that encourages one to sample genres, devour words and sate the intellectual appetite.  

Mrs. Giardini’s students had a great time exploring new books in the media center.  Ms. Brandes said that “during this activity we were able to see, think, and wonder about the different genres and then blog our thoughts”. To make the book selections random, a rendition of musical chairs was used. 

By: Cece Fuoco, CA BOCES Learning Resources