create brave

an experiment in reclaiming my creative side

[this-machine-k1lls-fascists-dea]

Really happy to see this at my local library

[oracleanne]

OOOOH. *happy YA librarian dance*

[thessalian]

I want this in every library, everywhere. After all, some kids won’t even google this stuff because they don’t want parents/siblings checking their browser history.

[adventurer-c]

This is really awesome. And if you’re not familiar with how the Dewey Decimal system works - the numbers subject-based, which means these numbers are applicable in EVERY library. So if you see something you want to research on this list - look for those same numbers in any of your local libraries.

[jkfngkjwnfgkfnkslf-deactivated2]

This is wonderful.

[marikastaloch]

Now to get this in Library of Congress...

[fruitsaladchewits-deactivated20]

[wherewelive]

Palestinian lady collects gas bombs fired by Israeli army. She grows flowers in these bombs.

beautiful

[quincylenear]

#iftheygunnedmedown Of the thousands of pics of me, they would probably use the most ridiculous and angry looking one they could find… which is me just brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed! #michaelbrown #trayvonmartin

[marikastaloch]

This is such a beautiful blog to follow. 

[marikastaloch]

Disco Tech

My biggest fear with disco tech will be that it is another thing I start, but don't have time to finish.  I really hope I a) can learn something new, b) take the time to do it well, and c) can finish!

[weneeddiversebooks]

Some gems from the @alscblog (Association of Library Service to Children) white paper on The Importance of Diversity in Library Programs and Material Collections for Children:

"Children’s picture books are some of the earliest forms of media that teach children about diversity in the world. Social messages that young children glean from picture books will likely stay with them for the rest of their lives (Roethler 1998; Henderson 1991).”

"The absence of a child’s culture from the stories in print and digital media can also be problematic. When children never see their culture represented in a library storytime or in materials on the library shelves, they receive a resounding message that the librarian does not think their culture is important enough to feature in the library.”

"Children need a global perspective on the world in order to develop cultural competence and move beyond their immediate environment. They need to hear more than one story once a year about a particular cultural group. Adichie (2009) warns that a single story can create or perpetuate stereotypes about a particular culture, offering children their only foray in the experiences of the “other” in society.”

[marikastaloch]

Top Tech Trends at ALA (LITA)

Public

Give out free wi-fi as a free mobile stuff

advertise: free wifi in 10 blocks

inside space: awesome wifi here!

put comfy seating by the outlets where folks plug in

For Staff:

90s - libraries paid for desk phone, why aren’t they paying for our mobile usage now?

Give staff secured wifi that isn't shared with the public 

beef up wifi

[marikastaloch]

Approximately 3 million teens drop out of high school each year. High school dropouts are not eligible for 90% of U.S. jobs and commit 75% of the crimes in the United States.

[marikastaloch]

[marikastaloch]

African American Males in books

Miracle's Boys

March

You Don't know me

Yummy

Malcom X

Bronx Masquerade

Non-fiction: Trayvon Martin - President Obama, and Cornel West's responses to the incident

Rethinking Schools

[marikastaloch]

African American Males in libraries

Have kids explore diversity in collection.  Did this in a middle school in MN, and found the only contemporary fiction with an African American male was Monster.  !!!

We need to stop buying books from publishers that don't publish books of color.  And if they do have African American characters, the kid on the cover matches the race of the child in the book! 

[marikastaloch]

African American Males in libraries

What does it mean to be cool?

What does it mean to have power?

What are some assumptions people have about you?

What are some assumptions 

Then show this image:

  They deconstruct it: 

What does this say about being cool? Power?

Naked to waist (slavery), etc..

Then they show this: 

And then asks same questions.  What does this say about cool? Power?

Which do you see more often in media? (50 cent)  

There are WAY more African American Male doctors than rappers!  Kids are amazed.  Then angry...

[marikastaloch]

Designing Effective Library Experiences for African-American Male Youth

Build on the figurative language that is found in the everyday life of African American youth (Hale, 2001)

Incorporate storytelling, spoken word, poetry, reader’s theater, and song into library programs (Hale 2001)

Utilize literature circules and book discussion formats that allow students to respond orally to texts (Lazer et al 2012)

Engage students in retelling stories and poems (Lazer et al, 2012)

Ideas: (Read Brave ideas…?)

Lunch time book club 

young men only, with male mentors

could read or listen to audio

book discussions focused on big questions

virtual author visit as culminating activity (Skype)

After school book club

students each read 2 books

students recorded their responses to each book suing an mp3 player

responses were guided by “big” questions

Culminating book discussion focused on “big” questions

[marikastaloch]

African American children articulate in a culture that is highly dynamic. They thrive in settings that use multimedia and multimodal teaching strategies. And they favor instruction that is variable, energetic, vigorous, and captivating.

Hale

[marikastaloch]

Afro Cultural Ethos

Spirituality: approaching life as essentially vitalistic and condign one’s life as though supreme forces govern it.

Affect: placing a premium on emotions/feelings

Harmony: viewing one’s fate as being interrelated with other elements of life

Oral Tradition: emphasizing oral and aural modes of communication and cultivating oral virtuosity

Social perspective of time: an orientation of time as passing through a social space

Expressive Individualism: the cultivation of a distinct personality and proclivity for spontaneous, genuine personal expression

Verve: preferring intense stimulation, variability, and action that is energetic, alive, and colorful

Communalism: a commitment to social connectedness being sensitive to interdependence of people and committing to social connectedness over individual privileges

Movement: interweaving of the ideas of rhythm and percussiveness often associated with music and dance into daily life.

- Boykin

[marikastaloch]

Literacy is not just about decoding text. It is about becoming a superior human being that can act powerfully upon the world.

Ernest Morrell, PhD

[marikastaloch]

The same expectations I have for kids in my classroom are detrimental to them in their home environments.

- school librarian, regarding reaching African American males

[marikastaloch]

We are on different schedules, so we have to work during our free time.

How schools and public libraries collaborate. (Not what I wanted to learn!)