New Opportunity: M. Ed. Urban Schools

Teachers and librarians: Do you live in the DFW area? Are you looking to go into school leadership? Well, the M. Ed Urban Schools program at SMU may be for you! Visit the Teaching Trust website to learn more about this program and how to apply. There have been two cohorts in the program, and some cohort members have already been hired as school administrators in schools in the DFW area! Take note applications for this program are due on February 4th! Don't miss out! This is an extradorinary opportunity to go into school leadership, and scholarships are available! 

Educator Appreciation Days at BN

New year, new opportunities to save! Need books for your classroom or yourself? Then take advantage of Educator Appreciation Days at Barnes and Noble. From January 12-20, 2013 you can get 25% off purchases for yourself or for your classroom. 10% off DVDs and music. Be sure to bring along your school id or other proof of employment as an educator and obtain your Barnes and Noble Educator Card. The card allows you to take advantage of discounts year round. (See website for more details) Many stores also have events during appreciation days where educators can learn about new technology, grant-writing, and register to win a giveaway like a Barnes and Noble gift card. Click here to see what is going on at a store near you! The last day to take advantage of the discounts is tomorrow. So, make a list and head to Barnes and Noble!

TWU wins IMLS Grant

Good news out of Denton, TX. Dr. Maria Cahill Assistant Professor at Texas Woman's University has won an Institute of  Museum and Library Services grant. The nearly half million dollar grant will allow TWU to partner with the Texas Library Association, and the Dallas Public Library on a master's level program.  The three partners will pull their resources together to train and educate librarians in the area of early literacy and provide them with the tools to serve communities with underrepresented populations. This looks to be an excellent opportunity for future librarians.Congrats Dr. Cahill and TWU!   Looking forward to hearing additional details on the program.
 In the meantime, for more information on the grant announcement visit the following link:
http://www.imls.gov/news/lb21_grant_announcement.aspx#TX

To learn more about the Texas Library Association visit: http:/www.txla.org/ and the Dallas Public Library: visit: http://www.dallaslibrary2.org/
To learn more about Texas Woman's University School of Library and Information Sciences visit:  http://www.twu.edu/slis/

Follett Shelf

Librarians: I am in the midst of setting up Follett Shelf for one of my campuses. I've started the collection with professional titles that teachers and staff can use. If you are a Follett Shelf user I'd like to hear from you! Did you initially set up Follett Shelf for staff to use to access professional titles? For those of you who have made Follett Shelf available to staff & students, did you do an export & import of patron information from your circulation system in order to set up user accounts?   What feedback have you received from your staff and students who have used Follett Shelf?  Lots of questions here. Hope to get some useful information from librarians & teachers alike.

library Things and Twitter

Be sure to follow the library Things Twitter feed: @libraryThings23.  After visiting the ALA JobLIST Placement center in Dallas, I posted a tweet about my experience there. The tweet was retweeted by @ALA_JobLIST to its more than 5,000 twitter followers! The tweet was also featured in the ALA JobLIST Direct Februrary 3rd Newsletter! Spread the word about the library Things Blog and Twitter Feed! Follow both to learn about the latest and greatest information for librarians & teachers, (particularly those in the DFW area) along with scholarship/internship opportunities to share with your students.

Book Review: Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie

Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie is an easy read that gives practical, common sense advice on starting a business, charity or both. Mycoskie begins by sharing how he started his company, and some of the pitfalls and successes along the way. The experiences of other entrepreneurs also help to emphasize important points and help move the story along. This book would be great for entrepreneurs and those who are looking to start a company or foundation that focuses on giving.

BookList Webinar for Reluctant Readers

Librarians: Would you like to get information on how to connect with struggling readers on your campus or public library? Then, join the BookList Webinar on January 31, 2012 at 1 p.m. Click this link to register: http://bit.ly/wbM6Nm.
The panel consists of Nick Glass of  teachingbooks.net, Andrew Wooldridge of Orca Book Publishers, Christin Hirleman, public librarian from South Carolina, and Tim McHugh of Saddleback Educational Books. Ian Chipman, BookList Books for Youth Senior Editor, will serve as moderator of the discussion.
To learn more about resources to reach reluctant readers hit up Orca's website: http://orcabook.com/reluctantreaders/index.html