LM_NET: Library Media Networking
A big THANKS to all of you who gave wonderful suggestions about what
to include/not include in a newsletter. Thanks too for all the hints
about the format and design. This is just another example of the
power of the Internet!!!! I was also given the URL to access the
archives of LM_NET as newsletters were discussed some time ago. The
address is
gopher://ericir.syr.edu:70/11/Listservs/LM_NET.
Listed below are many of the suggestions I received:
I publish at least once/month--most important are DATES of upcoming
events. Also notification of sign-ups for special guests, items of
interest to teachers, etc.
Be sure to send copies to your administration, to your central
office administration , and to your board members. This is wonderful
PR. I am on high school level; Ijust use MacWrite--with middle school
I used to use the Writing Company with a lot more graphics. One of my
favorite things to use are teacher/librarian/school cartoons. Calvin
and Hobbes is a wonderful source.
Good luck,
Carolyn Wandstrat
Splendora High School
Splendora, TX 77372 (about an hour north of Houston)
I work half time in a k-8 school of about 560 students. Last year was
my first full school year there (from Sept. to June). I wound up
sending out 4 newsletters for the year. I always included a section on
work with classroom teachers, and usage statistics ( I would break
down fiction and nonfiction). Earlier on LM_Net I got some ideas from
others who were discussing this very subject. You might want to check
the archives. One thing I remember which I tried on my last newsletter
and was REALLY popular was to put at the end of the newsletter
something like :
First staff member to read this newsletter and return it to me gets a
freebie gift! (Something like that -got alot of response on it so I
will start my year with it ) Hope this helps - if you have any other
questions fire away.
Jane Perry perocon@mint.net
Now, I must tell you that when I was active in a teachers'
association, and both a staff writer and ultimately editor of the
chapter newsletter, we had a philosophy that the newsletter would be
only one page, front and back - no longer, and no shorter. It had to
be readible by teachers as they walked from their mailboxes (where the
newsletters were put) to the first garbage can in their path. That
way we wouldn't get too verbose, and the teachers could read what we
really wanted them to know. I've adopted that philosophy with my own
newsletters, and it seems to have worked quite well, as teachers have
come in to our office, newsletter in hand, with items highlighted that
they'd read about and wanted to check out. You might also want to
consider a regular column or a monthly highlight so that teachers
could count on seeing something which repeats. You may also want to
highlight materials for grade levels, or warn teachers that Christmas
is coming and they should get their materials early before they're all
gone.
Best of luck.
**********************************************************************
*
Kathy Graves Siskiyou County Supt. of Schools
Office
kgraves@sisnet.ssku.k12.ca.us 609 South Gold Street
phone: 916-842-8427 Yreka, CA 96097
FAX: 916-842-8436
I'm going to start doing a newsletter also. Please share the
ideas you receive. I'm going to include Big Six info every issue,
copyright information, www sites, new materials, information about
special occasions--Banned Books Week, Hispanic American Month, etc,
humor. Thanks! Barb
Barb Stover Voice: 303-972-0763,x571
Chatfield Senior High School Fax: 303-933-4227
7227 South Simms St.
Littleton, CO 80127
Last year I used to include a column in the monthly school newsletter
for parents.. For Children's Book Week, I included a calendar of
reading activities for November (if you want it I will send it to
you.) Each month I wrote about the special activities that I was
doing with each grade level. I made book suggestions. When the
Newberry and Caledecott awards were announced, I included them.
I am also planning on doing a newsletter for teachers. I will include
circulation statistics, reminders, new materials, and book related
activities. I will talk about collaboration, Big Six, and what the
children are doing. I will also look for cartoons, etc.
What software program are you using for the publishing? Please
forward any great responses that you get? Thanks a lot.
Marjorie Schor
mjschor@aol.com
always list or attached a short bibliography of your newest materials.
Colleen Small
Media Specialist
Groveland Elementary
Wayzata, Minnesota
I don't do a newsletter per se. Our school sends home a newsletter
listing important events and PR items once a week. I write a theme
column each week with a short introduction and then blurbs of library
books that for various age levels that address that theme. Not
exactly what you wanted, but easy to do and you might consider
including it.
Good luck...
Jan
I do publish a newsletter for the staff called "News to Use". I
publish it "whenever" meaning whenever there is news to tell and/or
whenever I can fit it in. It usually comes out about once a month.
I include, at different times, any of the following: blurbs on new
materials in the LMC thanks for....whatever (helping round up
overdues) pleas for....whatever (student-created projects for display,
for example) reminders for...whatever (keep wish list items coming my
way, extended hours of service,)
announcements for...public TV programs of interest or curriculum
related, speakers, projects assimilation of info from
district....copyright issues, AV available from
district, etc requests for suggestions....do they have a bright idea
on how to solve a mutual concern
(lunch passes, study hall patrons, etc)
Those things are usually included. I have also, from time to time,
included puzzles for the staff to solve (ie: that goofy pro-football
team name puzzle which I give them in January during Superbowl; or a
logic problem or estimation problem) They *really* like the puzzles
and I think it looses the relationship between us. I have, on
occasion, photocopied a packing list for an order that has arrived and
included that. I have also reviewed books that I think might sleep on
the shelf (or ones that *have* slept) but that I feel have very
valuable info that the teachers might not ever find. They really
appreciate that service as well.
I always keep the real business to a 1-page limit and then put the
puzzle, list, or review on the back. I do not use a publishing
program but instead created "letterhead" on the PrintShop program and
then just use word processing for the body. I try hard to keep each
item to one short-to-medium length paragraph and start it with
keywords in bold.
This is my 3rd position as a LMS and every principal has been very
impressed with the newsletter...not that it's that great but just that
I'm taking the time and effort to keep people informed. (In truth, I
also do it so that I can at least *feel* I've given all staff the
invitation to provide input :) Go for it! (I can e-mail you the body
of an issue or two if you want)
Sally Lantz sarahl@ccpl.carr.lib.md.us
Sally Lantz sarahl@ccpl.carr.lib.md.us
I, too, am an elementary librarian (K-4) and publish a weekly
newsletter (each Monday morning). All through the week, I list
anything that more than 2 people ask me - I figure there are 20 more
that didn't ask! I regularly include tips on using Macintosh
computers, since we were all new to it 3 years ago (many teachers love
these!); all new materials that have been processed and are ready to
check out (I learned never to tell them what had been ordered, because
they think it will be available the next week!!!); book fair or
special events news from the media center; AR Wall of Fame students
(those students who earn 100, 200, etc. points in our reading
incentive program; descriptions of class displays; and anything
else that comes to mind! I use a word processing program called "The
Writing Center", which comes with a 2-column format and easily-added
graphics (it's published by the Learning Company). Let me know if you
need anything else - I'm not convinced all my teachers read it, but at
least they have the opportunity! ET
Ellen Taylor, Media Specialist
Kenwood Elementary School
(615) 553-2059
Taylore@Ten-Nash.Ten.k12.tn.us
My colleague and I published a monthly newsletter last year (my first
year at this school). It incorporated all of the above items that you
mentioned:
library schedules
basic rules - ie required passes, ID, etc
special activities - book fair, careers presentations
new equipment, materials and other resources (we were mostly
automated last year and described the changes that entailed)
as well as announced and published winners of an "African-American
History Essay Contest"
word searches and crossword puzzles incorporationg library terms
and book titles.
We used ClarisWorks, which permitted us to prepare a template that we
re-used for the entire year (with slight modification each month as we
became more proficient and daring). We have ClarisWorks for the Mac
and for Windows, so we were able to work on the document on any
computer and transfer the files into the final format very easily.
Clipart, borders and other graphic elements added a lot to the
appearance of our publication, and it seemed to have been read by
many... not by all.
--
Angela Jamison
ajamison@ pobox.com http://pobox.com/~cyberphile
Library Media Specialist Kettering High School
6101 Van Dyke Detroit MI 48213
313 866-5383 313 866-5377
In addition to such things as staff book recommendations, I started
including a Web site of the month this last year. I try to highlight
what is going on in the MC, new resources, themes (like Banned Books,
Black History). And I always have a trivia question.
Rosemary Knapp, Library-Media Specialist
Camas High School, Camas, WA
voice (360)834-8806, Ex. 273
fax (360)834-9416
rknapp@teleport.com
This will be my third year in a LMC, and I just put together my first
newsletter and had it out for parents to pick up at enrollment. I
used Print Shop Deluxe and was amazed how easy it was to change fonts,
add graphics etc. This first one was just one page, printed front and
back on yellow paper. I plan to adapt the color to the season (orange
for Oct. etc.)
In this first issue, I told about new books which would be
available for check-out when school starts, mentioned our school's
home page and gave the URL (the library will have a page by Christmas,
I hope, and that will be in the Dec. newsletter!), described important
events with their dates in the library this year (book fairs, author
visit, Children's Book Week and Am. Library Week), and put the
library's phone number and my name/title in large print at the bottom
of one side. I also stressed that a copy of the library's policies
was available at check-out and would be sent home again with all 5th
graders (our middle school is 5-8) but copies were available
for anyone. (I want the library policies in the school handbook but
the principal keeps forgetting...) I also used quotes about school
libraries from ALA; they sent a neat little "Library Advocacy"
pamphlet with my membership renewal that had all sorts of quotes.
And, of course, I urged parents to set aside a time to read with/to
their children each evening and to always ask their child, "Do you
have a library book to read?" If they don't, they need to see me
ASAP!
I plan to issue the newsletter every other month, starting with
August, and hope to have student input on it too in the form of book
reviews, reporting of class activities etc. Future issues will be
sent home with kids or whenever possible stuck in with anything
already being mailed home to parents. I envision future issues
including stuff I've read in journals that relates to
reading/technology. I suppose I could have a link to it on the
library home page so parents could see it on-line too.
I've sure had fun with my first issue and planning for future
ones.
Good luck to you--a newsletter is a great p.r. thing for the library.
Beverley Buller,
Newton, Kansas
I like to include info about new software or databases, new
books(even reviews etc.) and other items we have received in the media
center. I try to be really positive and only occasionally mention
problems by suggesting better ways to deal with them. I have some
teachers who love it and have had one teacher even recommend I
do it, after I sent them out several times that year. I use colored
paper and try to have a theme of the same paper etc. so they begin to
recognize it as belonging to the media center.
Sarah Sanford
Salem High School, Conyers Ga.
ssanford@mindspring.com
I put out a newsletter every month. I call it From the Stacks. I
include some trivia, and a Pappas' Pick of the Month, I also include
WWW sites of interest to people professionally and personally. I
always include circulation statistics, and compare those to the
previous year. I give an overview of the classes using
Library Media Services, etc. I usually do two- four page newsletters,
one at the beginning of the year, and another around Christmas. I like
doing it, but I am never really certain who reads it. I use Quark for
layout work and I often scan the covers of books, then resize it and
put in the newsletter the cover of various new books. I like doing it,
but I rarely do it at school.
Sometimes for bookfairs and other school-wide activities I put coupons
in the newsletter for discounts, or candy bars, or Starbucks coffee,
or a free period in the LMC. Teachers always use those.
I'd be happy to send you some of my samples, if you want.
Connie Pappas
I, too, have decided to create a library newsletter to present my
staff with library info in a format that I think they'll read (as
apposed to just a memo). This is my first year as librarian, but I
created a newsletter for my interview. I went through technology
magazines and library periodicals and pulled out articles and tidbits
that I thought the staff would enjoy or that was applicable
to certain people. I also included web sites that were specific to
high school.I added some graphics and book reviews. It turned out
pretty good. I used a three column format, double sided. My
superintendent seemed impressed. I am planning to do this at least
once a month.
Any other help you can give me would be great! Good Luck! I really
had a lot
of fun creating it.
Terri Duncko
South Range High School Librarian
11836 South Ave Ext.
North Lima, OH 44452
SRAN_TLD@access.ohio.gov
1. once a month (stop in july & august)
2. new books list - most easy to make
3. review form different teachers - most hard to complete - time
needed
4. summer vacation reading list - good before end june
5. family / parents book guide - new trend
6. invit parents to write their review
7. magazine rack - to review magazine and highlight the realtion to
subjects
8. interview with teacher / principal / famous writers / famous people
on their reading - you may cooperate with other librarians within you
district and share the work with common articles but post seperately
Hope help, post a HIT with repsonse you got!
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I am at a Pre/K-5 school. I have done library newsletter off-
and-on for the past several years. The first was on a typewriter and
I used clipart to add an artistic touch. Next I progressed to
Microsoft Works and still used my handy clipart books. Originally I
planned to do a monthly newletter and list upcoming events, special
notes, and list new materials acquired since the last newsletter.
One group of teachers really enjoyed me listing the new materials and
would keep my newsletters on file to refer to when they wanted to
know what had come in. Due to time constraints I was unable to do
the newsletter monthly so I did it whenever I had the time. My
principal thought I did such a good job on it I was assigned to do
the school newsletter...so the library newsletter fell by the wayside
for a couple of years. Now I primarily use Pagemaker 5.0 or
Microsoft Word for my newsletters. I try to do one each season and
list upcoming events (with special focus sections on some of the
events). I do not list new materials since it takes so much time and
we are on a paper budget. I run them off on bright colored paper...
usually one that can be associated with the season/time of the year I
send it out.
Hope this helps, I have several extra copies of some of my
newsletters. If you would like copies send my your school address
and I'll be glad to give them to you.
Good luck,
Tony Pope
McHenry Elementary School
100 McHenry Drive
Rome, GA 30161
Phone: (706) 236-1834
FAX: (706) 290-8166
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