Friday, October 28, 2022

First-chapter Friday : This is Our Rainbow (Lisa Jenn Bigelow)


Each Friday I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from SRCSA library. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for Oct. 28, 2022 is This is Our Rainbow, edited by Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby.

Friday, October 21, 2022

First-chapter Friday : Lety Out Loud


Each Friday I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from SRCSA library. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for Oct. 21, 2022 is Lety Out Loud, by Angela Cervantes.

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

‘Teachable’ aspects of book censorship attempt

Among this week’s assigned readings for LIS 5250, I read an account by Kristin Pekoll, concerning a challenge in 2016 against This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, at Henning Public School in Henning, Minnesota. As highlighted by Pekoll, the challenge brought against This One Summer had several aspects that made it a teachable situation. It concerned a book for older readers in a one-building schoolhouse that accommodated preschool through 12th grade.

Diverse library collections are personal for me

As someone who identifies as both neurodiverse and queer, having access to a diversity of ideas is intensely personal for me, as well as a professional value. During my research for week 10 in LIS 5250, I encountered an op-ed by Erin Iverson, a 16-year-old student at Walla Walla High School in Walla Walla, Washington:

“Representation is vital to everyone. Being able to see yourself in someone and relate to their feelings and experiences helps quell the feelings of isolation and loneliness that accompany many students through their middle and high school years. This is especially true for minority students for whom representation is already in short supply” (Iverson, 2022).

Thursday, October 13, 2022

SOLIS presentation for ‘One Campus, One Book’

UCM’s Student Organization of Library and Information Services held its first meeting of the Fall 2022 semester on Oct. 12, 2022. The meeting featured a conversation led by Dr. Amanda Harrison, assistant professor of library science at UCM; and Angie Wiegers, director of district libraries, North Kansas City; with advice for new school librarians.

Sunday, October 9, 2022

‘Read with Pride’ book display


For the ninth week of my studies in LIS 5250, my task was to showcase some resources of my library’s collection. To paraphrase the AASL “standards” (2018), the collection is the center of any library, whether school, public, or otherwise.

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Let’s revive ‘One Campus, One Book’ at UCM


Update, Oct. 4: Here is a video that summarizes ideas in this essay.

“One Campus, One Book” is a common reading program that, while listed on the American Democracy Project’s page on the University of Central Missouri website, is currently inactive. I wish to advocate for the revival of “One Campus, One Book” at UCM. I also want to advocate for direct involvement by the graduate studies program in Library and Information Science, by our Student Organization of Library and Information Services (SOLIS), and by James C. Kirkpatrick Library on the UCM campus.