The title of this blog comes from one of the presenters on a School Library Journal webinar that I attended on November 4th. The webinar was entitled "Keeping Libraries Relevant: Using Technology • Understanding Informational Text • Improving Literacy" and the quote from one of the presenters (sorry I don't remember which one!) stuck with me. The discussion was regarding marketing informational text to students and the importance of the cover of the book. They referenced a talk by Chip Kidd on NPR "How Do Book Covers Tell Their Own Story" which I immediately looked up online and loved! (I have saved you some time and you can watch it now. Go ahead. I'll wait. Warning: Adult content.)
Wouldn't you just love to have dinner with him? I would! (Call me, Mr. Kidd. I'll clear my schedule.)
At @ the 8 minute mark, he says, "The book designer's responsibility is threefold: to the reader, to the publisher and, most of all, to the author. I want you to look at the author's book and say, "I need to read that.""
That quote resonated with me. Pardon me for taking liberties but...
The school librarian's responsibility is threefold: to the school district, to the school and, most of all, to the students. I want students to look at the school library media center's collection and say, "I want to read that. I NEED to read that."
So, just like Mr. Kidd's book covers reel in readers, my library space needs to reel them in as well. True, as an elementary school librarian, I have a captive audience who is assigned to come to me 50 minutes every week. But I need to entice them to read not only their favorites but something new and something different. I've been exploring not only traditional library sources but also some nonconventional ones as I think about the "global" experience of the library. And, I want to get some teachers in there too! More plans in the works.
Stay tuned. You never know what you might see.
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