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Ready to Read at New York Libraries

There have been some recent changes to a few of the pages on the Ready to Read at New York Libraries site. The State Library continues to evaluate and update content on the Ready to Read site as they move pages to a more responsive template with an interface that is easier to read and more helpful in locating information.

Several pages of the Ready to Read site were recently moved to this more responsive template, specifically information about partner and early literacy organizations, as well as early literacy resources. The EL resources page has been reorganized into general resources, New York-based resources, and downloadable resources. The page on early literacy initiatives, both local and national, is still being evaluated before decisions are made about changes or updates.

Here's the link to the newer looking pages: https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/earlylit/resource-partners.htm

ReadSquared Summer Reading Wrap-up

Topics

  • Reports
  • Importing fall, winter, year-round programs
  • When and how to wrap up old programs
  • New features
  • Q&A

Dates & Times

  • 9/20/2022 10:30 am EST
  • 9/21/2022 10:30 am EST
  • 9/28/2022 1:30 pm EST
  • 9/29/2022 1:30 pm EST

How to Attend

Helpful Links

Inside the Massive Effort to Change the Way Kids Are Taught to Read

Time Magazine recently published an article on phonics

Read the article here: https://time.com/6205084/phonics-science-of-reading-teachers/

Research: The "To and Through" Opportunity

An estimated 15 to 17 million students were cut off from remote learning when schools shut down at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic; a snapshot of the staggering connectivity crisis that afflicts communities and households from coast to coast. While federal assistance is available, much of the country’s more than $60 billion investment in broadband as part of the 2021 infrastructure law is yet to be spent. Thus, there is a pressing need to identify how communities can make the most of their resources when it comes to connecting students and erasing the “homework gap” that forms between students with reliable home internet access and those without.
The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition and the Open Technology Institute have long advocated for building broadband “To-and-Through” schools, libraries, and other “anchor institutions”—upgrading and extending the networks these public buildings already maintain to connect low-income households directly to the internet. This approach is often stymied by federal funding requirements that make it difficult to spend resources off campus. In January of 2021, our organizations petitioned the FCC to permit the use of E-rate funds to help pay to connect students without adequate internet access at home.

To read the full excerpt, download the research paper, and download case studies visit here: https://www.shlb.org/policy/research/to-and-through

From Diversity to Inclusion: How to audit your collection and why

I attended an excellent webinar earlier in the week, on ways and tools to perform a diversity audit on your collections.

The webinar and slide deck are available here: https://www.nicheacademy.com/blog/from-diversity-to-inclusion-how-to-audit-your-collection-and-why?_hsmi=223977704&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9kiQrZLl45uPPRTwqc_1K18DrzVDS5A9IypHC0sXpdhZ7Siu5zdRPQ3BYkgV0TQxDFtDvTDSC7CkEt6b3nVXSXDBLX5g

One tool that is discussed is the Diverse Book Finder Catalog Analysis Tool (CAT) you can use this tool to analyze your picture book collection. https://cat.diversebookfinder.org/

I've tried to get a free account but haven't been approved yet. If anyone else is able to create an account please let me know. ****Update I was able to get my account activated, I'll run a report next week when Jill returns and share the results****

Searching & Finding

Senior Vice President Prabhakar Raghavan, who runs Google’s Knowledge & Information organization, said something very interesting the other day:

In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search--They go to TikTok or Instagram.

What's interesting about this comment as noted by a comment on Twitter, "People want to hear from people — and there’s no place better for that than on TikTok." I think we all know this personally from fielding reference calls. I recall getting a call once from a patron asking about harvesting their veggies, "Is it possible to freeze spinach?"

Something they could have easily googled, but instead they called their local library; I googled it for them.

Overdrive

The legacy OverDrive app is being discontinued in early 2023.

As a first step, the OverDrive app was removed from the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Microsoft Store on February 23, 2022.

As a next step, starting in July 2022, OverDrive app users will be actively encouraged to switch to Libby.

OverDrive app users will see a message in the app prompting them to make the switch with a link to a resource page about the transition to Libby.

Later this year, this in-app message will be updated to remind your users about this change.

Dr Seuss and Taxidermy

Wait how have I never heard of this before. Today years old.

In the mid-1930s, Theodor Geisel was a fledgling author and artist, working as an illustrator for New York ad agencies. His father, superintendent of parks in Springfield, Mass., occasionally sent him antlers, bills and horns from deceased zoo animals. Geisel kept them in a box under his bed and used them to create whimsical sculptures. Above, a replica of Flaming Herring.

Full article here: https://www.npr.org/2016/11/17/502164850/before-his-name-was-known-at-all-seuss-put-creatures-on-the-wall

Created By
Jack Scott
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Credits:

Created with an image by NeoLeo - "3d render, abstract minimal yellow background with white clouds flying out the tunnel"