• All team registrations for Battle of the Books were due January 17th. If your team(s) were not registered, contact Kerrie ASAP.
• Missed the Communication Coordinator meeting last week? Access the information here.
• Be on the lookout soon for an email with the application for the NYLA-SSL Conference scholarship through the SLS. The conference is in Rochester this year. For more information, visit the NYLA-SSL 2025 site.
• Now is a great time to begin the process of looking at your database statistics and beginning to think about any trials you may want to try. Database ordering season will be here before you know it. We are currently putting trials together and will send them out in early February.

With research season right around the corner, consider getting students involved with the Student Research Awards through the NYS Archives. Information can be found in the link below.

I ran my first-ever teen LEGO program, "Bricks & Blizzards: A Winter LEGO Challenge," and it turned out to be a hit. I wasn’t sure how it would go over with the 7th-12th graders, but they loved it. Over 30 students participated over the 2two weeks, and they were so engaged—I even heard a few say how much fun it was to “feel like a little kid again.”

I used some CCCD funds through BOCES (in the Makerspace category) to purchase a few winter-themed LEGO kits, and I also set out brick suggestion cards for students who wanted to freestyle. The projects turned out so creative, and the students were thrilled to see their builds—candy canes, wreaths, nutcrackers, and more—on display in the library.

It gave me a chance to connect with students in a new way, and they also started sharing suggestions for future themes. Several asked if we could keep the program going into the spring, for which I’m already brainstorming ideas. Honestly, we only stopped because I ran out of LEGOS!

As folks are getting more comfortable with the various modules of TLC, you're sharing out your ideas, which is wonderful. But we also know it can be challenging to remember where you saw or heard a cool tip...or you just discovered something and you don't want to bombard folks with emails. This Padlet can help! TLC Tips and Tricks Padlet

Here's a great place to share what you've figured out, and it's a living document we can circle back to whenever we want. We'll also place it on our LibGuide for you to find it there. (And link to the LibGuide in the Padlet...we try to create multiple ways for you to get to what you need.)

And speaking of Padlets, don't forget we also still have that Padlet on Alternative Resources, which is great for finding (and sharing) resources for ESL/ENL/ELL, large print, and other accessibility features.

Karin sent out a slide deck yesterday containing helpful tips and shortcuts for navigating around LS2 Reports. Check it out! A Peek into LS2 Reports

More information to come. Space is limited so register early.

As always, this workshop is open to all librarians regardless of being a CC.

Date: April 2, 2025

Time: 8:30 am - 3:00 pm

Location: Ballard Road Conference Center

Register: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=18589&I=4959110

Topic: TBD, but we will also celebrate our retirees and our School Librarian and Administrator of the Year Awardees.

Date: May 15, 2025

Time: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location: Ballard Road Conference Center

Register: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=18589&I=4959120

The Regional BOCES School Library Systems are collaborating to bring you multiple book studies this year. Please see the attachment below for information. These book studies are limited to 20 participants so you will want to register early.

• The New York State Department of Labor is hosting the Educator Career Development Ambassador Program.
• The Educator Career Development Ambassador Program is a paid, four-week summer training opportunity for teachers, librarians, and counselors to develop, implement, and deliver 21st-century career-readiness curricula and strategies to New York’s students.
• This program is open to all grade 6-12 teachers, librarians, and counselors with five or more years of experience in a school setting.
• For more information, please visit the Department of Labor’s Teacher Ambassador Program web page or send an email toDOLAmbassador@labor.ny.gov

Highlights include:

• Gale in Context: Literature offers dynamic, high-impact resources aligned with the Science of Reading principles to engage and support all learners. Through videos, character maps, and culturally responsive, rigorous content, students can explore authentic texts that build comprehension and critical thinking skills. Key Features:
• Diverse and Complex Texts: High-interest, leveled text sets featuring diverse perspectives.
• Essential Questions: Guides discussions and debates from multiple viewpoints.
• Accessibility Tools: Includes OpenDyslexic font and text/audio translations in 50+ languages, supporting ELL students.
• Cost Savings: Access to 75 full-text books eliminates the need for class sets.
• Gale in Context: Science and Environmental Studies, align seamlessly with the new Science Standards, offering a blend of qualitative resources like case studies and analysis, alongside robust quantitative content, including thousands of statistics.
• They will be hosting Office Hours to review Gale’s databases and compare resources to maximize research season tools. They are all the same session, so librarians can choose the one that fits their schedule or they can schedule an individual meeting.

• Thursday, January 23 at 8-8:30 or Friday, January 24 at 10-10:30: Book Here
• Tuesday, January 28 at 2-2:30 or Wednesday, January 29 at 11:30-12: Book Here

We’ve created a custom trial site to dig in deeper. This trial will run until the end of February 2025.

Discovery Education Winter News

More information can be found in the email sent to the Librarian listserv on January 13, 2025.

Are you ready for Spring Research?

Don't wait!

Request a free, no-obligation trial through March!

Sign up here!

It's a great time to get to know FactCite, a collection of research databases from Lincoln Library Press. See for yourself why FactCite is the affordable go-to resource for subscribers!

Take a FactCite guided tour: Set up a FactCite tour for yourself or your district colleagues. Email us to schedule this virtual event.

Be ready when you hear "Can't I just Google it?" We'll field this question for you. Email us and we'll send you a link to a "Why use databases?" video (4 min. 40 sec.) to share with students.

Request a free trial: FactCite's award-winning databases are authoritative, easy to navigate, and provide K–12 students and English-language learners with lots of helpful tools including:

• read-aloud, accessibility, and translation options
• images and graphics that boost understanding
• source citations (MLA, APA, Chicago) and integration with NoodleTools
• optimization across devices
• access anywhere, integrate with single sign-on and learning management systems

Kerrie Burch, School Library System Director

Karin Howansky, School Library Media Specialist

Laurie Doyle, Information Processing Specialist

Deb Massa, Information Processing Specialist