National Science Week 2018

https://www.scienceweek.net.au/

 Next week 11^th-19^th August is National Science Week 2018.

The school theme is: ‘Game Changers & Changemakers”

And it is also the:

·        International Year of the Reef    (Coral reefs and the scientists who study them)

·        200^th Anniversary of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’

·        40^th Anniversary of the first IVF Baby

Plus you have the opportunity to become a Virtual Reef Diver.  You are invited to become a citizen scientist and help to analyse thousands of underwater images of the Great Barrier Reef

Check out the link above and see what else is happening.  

Update on Project Loon

I have posted about this fascinating project before, and have added an update - so this is now the latest update on an amazing project designed to help connect everyone throughout the world. 

It is a project that been in progress since 2011 - and provided connectivity to schools and small isolated communities all over the world.  It has also been on hand to help with communication after natural disasters as well.  

Check it out:- 

https://loon.co/journey/

It isn't just about having the imagination to dream of it - but having the determination to see the project through and make it work. 

History and Lies

Check out this link from the Mindshift blog about history, lies and how history could be possibly be used as a weapon.  Thought provoking or what?

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/51857/lies-my-teacher-told-me-and-how-american-history-can-be-used-as-a-weapon

Australian Reading Hour

http://www.readinghour.org.au/

Check out the link above.  

On Thursday 14th September there is the Reading Hour - which is simple to take part in. Just drop what you are doing and READ for an hour.  This is open for everyone, adults and kids alike.  

Reading is truly important for both adults and children, leading to long-lasting identity formation and helping to set up success for the future.   Research also shows that reading reduces stress 68% more than by listening to music, going for a walk or enjoying a quiet cup of tea.

I wonder if it works just as well if you are being read to??  

Hello Semester 2

Well, I hope you all had a good break because - scary thought ... we are more than halfway through the year already!  Second semester is no longer hovering on the horizon - we've hit the deck running!  

The Library carpet was replaced with a vinyl flooring during the holidays, but somehow they managed to run out of vinyl BEFORE getting to my office.  Now the cupboards that were pulled out so the flooring could go down are sitting outside the door of my office, the drawers from the cupboards are in store rooms, or stacked in corners of my office waiting for the rest of it to be done ... and the stuff I carefully packed 'safely' away in said cupboards is who knows where!  And this includes my barcode reader!  (I should have thought that one through a bit better!!)

However ... you can't rush these things - and it will look pretty snazzy once it is all done, shelves moved, everything back in place - or a new place ... and maybe a compactus to store ALL sorts of stuff neatly away in the office.  

Term 3 always seems to be the busiest for the year and this one is no exception, it appears. Careers Expo, Sports Day, School Formal, Opera Australia .... and along with everything else happening, the Desert Harmony festival kicks off next week with a multitude of things happening throughout the town.  

Anyhow enjoy the start of Term 3 - and carry on being your usual awesome selves!

Web Links

Below are a couple of links to check out.  

Both are infographics, so hopefully should catch the students interest enough for them to at least take a look.  
The first one is tips for evaluating fake news headlines and the second covers Boolean commands for searching.  Boolean searches are shortcuts to find what you need quickly and more effectively, rather than wading through thousands, if not millions of sites, looking for that small nugget of information. 

http://www.easybib.com/guides/evaluating-fake-news-resources/      (infographic)

https://au.pinterest.com/pin/483644447453982190/   (Boolean Search Commands - Infographic)

Unusual Improbable Libraries

Libraries just don't seem to be dying out despite all the predictions otherwise.  In fact, they seem to be popping up everywhere in all sorts of places and styles.  

Check out the link below for some of the more 'improbable' libraries seen around the world. This has been taken from a book with the same title by English journalist Alex Johnson.  

It all goes to show that the Library is a very adaptable artefact that apparently has no intention of being killed off any time soon - and is a definite testament to peoples ideas and ingenuity.  

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/the-world%E2%80%99s-most-improbable-libraries/6483292

Enjoy the long weekend - only one more left in the year after this one so make the most of them. Judging by the weather, a good book or two and a great coffee or hot chocolate would probably be the way to go.

Ideas for the Library

As mentioned at the start of the year, a revamp of the Library has been discussed - especially after the carpet got flooded and needed to be removed. And it still smells damp and soggy in here! 

I have spent a little time playing with floor plans and ideas just lately - although we are still waiting for floors to be done, so we can move on.  Hopefully this will happen during the July holiday break.  However I am getting quite fond of the rustic cement flooring look, I have to admit. 

Anyway, it has occurred to me that maybe the question I really should be asking is: what do people actually WANT in this space?  Print? Digital? Space for classes? Other ideas? Do you even need a 'Library' as such - or could it possibly be reborn in some other way? Maybe you have some radical thoughts for a vibrant learning space?? 

Lots of resources in here are rarely used and often just seem to be taking up space or helping to create corners for students to lurk in - so maybe there is another way to utilise this area, as well as the resources, that will work for everyone ... and really, I can't always see the forest for the trees.  

There are some awesome ideas out there in the Pinterest world - although I suspect that we may also need a bucket of never ending cash to make some of them a reality.  

So ....... input and ideas please??

Infotopia Weblinks

Infotopia is an academic search engine providing trusted websites that have been previously selected by both Librarians and teachers for use by teachers and with students.  

As you would expect from something put together by Library professionals,  it covers a huge variety of subjects and areas, possibly making it one of the better sites for providing resources in schools and at home.

Below are a couple of links I have taken from the site for you to have a browse though and see what you think.

http://www.infotopia.info/

http://www.infotopia.info/citations.html

http://www.infotopia.info/games_educational.html

http://www.infotopia.info/mathematics.html

Weblink with Games for building empathy

I found this one on the Mindshift website, which covers a huge lot of articles and resources on education.  It could be worth a look.

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2017/05/15/4-games-to-spark-empathy-building-in-the-classroom

And a cheering thought - we are into the second half of the term!!  A four week break coming up - we can do this!!

Carry on being awesome!

Global Statistics for our blog.

Just sharing an update on the use that our Library Blog appears to be getting!  168 pageviews from Russia - and that is just this week!  I'm glad it's being used!

Entry	Pageviews
Russia	168
Australia	66
France	29
Ireland	6
United States	6
Switzerland	1
Germany	1
India	1

Have a wonderful weekend!

Few thoughts on the 'Age of Information'

So ...  my offering for today.  Some things to mull over and discuss ....

Check out the YouTube link below on 'What the Internet is doing to our Brains'.  Take a quick look - it's a total of 4 minutes.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKaWJ72x1rI

And for those interested - it could be worth reading the book 'Filter Bubble' by Eli Pariser.  This term was coined by the author and refers to what happens when a website algorithm selectively guesses what information a user would like to see based on previous searches.  The theory is that users get less exposure to conflicting viewpoints and then can become isolated intellectually within their own little 'informational bubble'.  I have previously mentioned this title:
http://barklycollegelibraries.blogspot.com.au/2015/

The 'personalisation tools' that Google and other information sources use increase  the chance that people are more likely to continue to be offered information that often helps to reinforce their world views.   This then goes some way towards negating other points of view - and can therefore have an impact by limiting empathy and understanding of other peoples thoughts and feelings.

Maybe take a few minutes to watch the TED talk by the author:
https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles

I'm not advocating barring Google, YouTube and so on - I doubt that I would survive in this job today without them!  There is often a perception (Filter Bubble again) that Libraries and the Internet are in some sort of competition as sources of information but in fact, truth is - we need each other in today's Age of Information and serving clients needs! 

Have an awesome day folks!

New Books in the Library

The cataloguing training may have paid off - as I have finally managed to successfully catalogue some books into our collection!  

We have on offer:

AFL: Amazing Footy Facts - this one has lots of snippets of information and trivia facts such as  - Which team holds the record for the highest score ever recorded in VFL/AFL history?  or Which player holds the record for kicking the most goals?  

Desert Lake: The story of Kati-Thanda - a gorgeous picture book that follows Lake Eyre over a season from dry to what happens when the rains come.  Beautiful illustrations and small amounts of writing.  

Edge of Extinction - "two hundred years ago dinosaurs were brought back from extinction - and they do NOT like to share.  They reclaimed the earth and humans were driven underground.  But ... they are not the most dangerous predators out there, it seems"

In the Realm of Dragons - this is a 'Choose your Own' adventure story, which are quite popular with some of the students.  In this one you find and care for some dragon eggs - but will you gain a powerful magical friend - or be cast into a dangerous world of fire and ice?  Your choice!

Skyfire: Book 1 - Seven young people enter the mysterious DARE awards - and WIN!! However, they are not prepared to be caught up in the events that follow.  Seven weird symbols pit them against a mastermind of terrifying power and they will be racing the clock to save the world.  If you could be a hero - would you DARE??

Have a wonderful weekend!