[CALIBK12] Hit: New Teacher Info Ideas

Sun Aug 26 22:14:03 PDT 2007

Greetings!
I want to thank everyone for such great suggestions for ways to  
introduce new teachers to the library.  I have incorporated many of  
these suggestions into what I am doing this year, and I want to share  
all the suggestions, as so many of you requested this information  
from me. Two of the suggestions below included attached files.  I  
have attached the filels, and noted in the messages below who the  
contributer is.

I am sure there is enough here to get us all pointed in the right  
direction.
Here's to a great year!

Katie

#1: I’m in the process of preparing my New Teacher Library  
Orientation packs. I actually invite all the new teachers (18 this  
year) to join me in the library after school about 3 weeks into the  
new year. I provide cookies, brownies, nuts, sodas, etc. Then while  
they’re eating I do a presentation on what the library has to offer  
and why I can be their best support during their first year. I show  
them: the library catalog, some of the data bases, United Streaming,  
our school and library web sites. I go over library procedures and  
how they can sign up to bring their classes. I give them a manila  
folder already labeled – Library Orientation – filled with the  
information they will need – and ready to put in their filing  
cabinet for quick reference. It’s a great way for me to put a face  
with a name and to get some time to know the new teachers.

And teachers will always come to a meeting if they know in advance  
their will be food – so that’s in big bold letters in the  
invitation.

Sue Tiesiera
Library Media Teacher
Patterson High School
200 N. 7th St.
Patterson, CA 95363
http://www.stan-co.k12.ca.us/patterson/phs/index.htm

*****
#2: Invite them into the Library-Media Center and meet/welcome them  
personally.  There is nothing like that face-to-face personal encounter.

Kathy Graves
IMC Director/Librarian (ret.)
Siskiyou County Office of Education
609 South Gold St.
Yreka, CA 96097
530-842-8427

*****
#3: This year I had several new teachers too.  I included a list of  
what a LMT can do for them, a copy of what our website looks like and  
how to access it, a library collaboration sheet (that I have teachers  
fill out if they want to bring in their classes for research), a web  
site evaluation form, an MLA works cited format sheet and a few other  
tidbits -- these I put into a manila folder with a printed tab that  
says "Library" so they can find it easily in their files...along with  
a nice piece of good chocolate so they will pay attention!

Hope this helps!

Amy Linden, Library Media Teacher
Bear River High School
11130 Magnolia Road
Grass Valley, CA 95949
530-268-3700
alinden at nuhsd.k12.ca.us

*****
#4: In my new teacher pamphlet, I also included a copy  of last years  
staff photos (scanned from the yearbook) and a map of the campus.  
These will be useful until they have learned who everyone is and  
where to find them.

Good luck!
Kathi Grauman
Moreland Middle School
San Jose, CA

****
#5: How about giving them a short summary of the research supporting  
the correlation between school libraries and student achievement?
Susie Goodin

*****
  #6: I put together a folder (in the school colors) of the following:
       A letter of welcome
       A brochure created with information just for teachers
       Information about our online data bases
       The page on the MLA format that we distribute to the students\
       A copy of the application for teachers to get a county library  
card (these are free and there are no fines)
       A list of the DVD, Videos, and Audio Tapes that the library owns.

     In my former job I also invited the new teachers to a salad bar  
lunch and spent a quality hour with them answering questions and  
going over proceedures.

Cathy Johnson, Librarian
Freedom High School
1050 Neroly Road
Oakley, CA  94561

*******
#7: We have 17 new teachers this year!  I gave them the usual  
brochure, but I also used a "letter to baby teacher" that I found in  
the Power Tools Recharged binder to make a short PowerPoint  
presentation which I showed as I did my intro to the library.   
Getting your hands on them takes the cooperation of your  
administration, but it's worth it.  I have attached the PPT.  Feel  
free to use any of it that you'd like, although it will be easier to  
present if you have the whole letter.   ( Note: I have attached Jo's  
Powerpoint file.)

Jo Avery, Librarian

El Dorado High School
561 Canal Street
Placerville, CA 95667
530-622-3634
http://cougar.eduhsd.k12.ca.us/library/index.html

**********
#8: If you can get a ½ hour sit-down with your  new teachers, that  
would be great. Then you might

--Show them examples of assignments and/or products from some of your  
more successful collaborations with other teachers.
Nothing helps teachers understand what a library media teacher does  
better than actual work samples that show you are, in fact, a teacher  
librarian, and not just someone who makes sure the books are in the  
right order. It’s helpful to describe the part of the collaboration  
they might not expect: curricular planning, content-area teaching,  
information literacy instruction by the classroom teacher, evaluation  
of student work.
--Share information literacy goals with them. If you have school-wide  
buy-in, great. If not, share a few key goals you want to target this  
year.
--Share your goal of getting all students to read more this year.  
Give them one or two ideas for pursuing this goal in their classrooms  
and in collaborations with you.
--Ask them to imagine having another teacher with them through an  
entire unit. Would they jump at the chance to cut their work in half  
and work with a highly motivated teaching partner?

Oh, and if you’re lucky enough to have a library media center that  
gets insanely busy during the year and there’s lots of competition  
for your services, remind them that you love chocolate chip cookies.

I love the beginning of a school year—teachers, students and staff  
full of hope for a great year.  Wishing you a career year,

Doug Achterman
Library Media Teacher
San Benito High School
1220 Monterey St.
Hollister, CA  95023
(831)637-5831 ext. 181
dachterman at sbhsd.k12.ca.us
http://www.sbhsd.k12.ca.us/sbhslib/library.htm

**************

#9: Attached is an article I wrote for CSLA a few years back.  Hope  
it's helpful. (Note: I have attached Sharon's article)

Sharon Talmadge

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