We are all in this together: Finding growth and gratitude in the midst of COVID-19
By: Sean Lockwood | May 18, 2020 |
JLG General Manager Sean Lockwood reflects on the disruption of COVID-19 and what an honor it has been to stand shoulder to shoulder with our incredible library partners as they respond to the impact of the novel coronavirus and rapidly move their on-campus instruction to remote teaching.
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Summer R and R for #KidLit Champions
By: Deborah B. Ford | June 16, 2017 | Shelf Life
For teachers and school librarians, June may mean no school. But even if you have a summer job or if you're like m--you work all year long--you still need to give yourself a mental and emotional break. As educators and book evangelists, helping is what we do. It's our nature. Yet you can't give and give without refilling your own cup. Read More
Webcast Recap:
Books We Love June 2017
By: Deborah B. Ford | June 13, 2017 | Shelf Life
On our webcast today, Kiera and I talked about some of our favorite upcoming books you might want to check out this summer. Kiera Parrott is the Reviews Director for School Library Journal and Library Journal and a former children's librarian. Whether your to-be-read pile grew or it became prioritized, we are sure your readers will get also enjoy getting to know these new stories and their wonderful characters. Read More
Webcast Recap: 12 New Books to Read This Summer
By: Deborah B. Ford | May 23, 2017 | Shelf Life
In our webcast today, Kayleigh and I talked about some of our favorite upcoming books you might want to check out this summer. Whether your to-be-read pile grew or it became prioritized, we are sure your readers will get a kick out of future-telling noodleheads and blue librarians. Read More
Webcast Recap: Stars So Far, K-12
By: Deborah B. Ford | April 25, 2017 | Shelf Life
In our webcast today, my guest Shelley Diaz, Reviews Manager and YA Editor at School Library Journal, and I talked about some of our favorite starred books from the spring of 2017. From favorite authors Nikki Grimes and Kevin Henkes to a heart-warming story about foster kids, the stars are shining this season. Read More
Webcast Recap: Get to Know Spring's Hottest Debut Authors and Illustrators Spring 2017, K-12
By: Deborah B. Ford | March 21, 2017 | Shelf Life
In our webcast today, my guest Carl A. Harvey II and I talked about some of our favorite upcoming books written by debut authors and illustrators. From a National Geographic explorer to A. S. King's debut as a middle grade writer, these authors are sure to find their way into the hearts and minds of the young and older reader. Read More
Webcast Recap: The Buzz about New Teen Books
By: Deborah B. Ford | February 23, 2017 | Shelf Life
In our webcast today, Kayleigh and talked about some of our favorite upcoming books for teens. From angry bananas to stories of teens behind bars and witchcraft, these new books for grades 6-12 are sure to circulate! Read More
Going to Prison
By: Deborah B. Ford | December 13, 2016 | Shelf Life
That's right. I'm going to prison. I've got one more trip to make this year and it's to a correctional institution. The inmates are young men, aged 18-21. Before they are released, they must also complete their GED. I'll be working with their teachers, providing resources for differentiation, lesson plans, and other resources. Offline. Yes. Offline. Read More
Webcast Recap: Fall Debut Class of 2016
By: Deborah B. Ford | November 10, 2016 | Shelf Life
On today's webcast Leslie Bermel and I talked about some of the fall debut titles for readers of all ages. From a house that needs help, an at-risk boy on a polo pony and a compelling memoir of the childhood of a North Korean boy, your readers will hope that these debut stories are just the beginning of the work we will see in the future from the fall debut class of 2016. Read More
Webcast Recap: New Books by Favorite Authors From the JLG Webinar Series
By: Deborah B. Ford | November 01, 2016 | Shelf Life
On today's webcast I chatted with Sara Pennypacker, Barbara O'Connor, and Candace Fleming. From a giant squid, to a girl who makes the same silent wish every day, and new characters for independent readers, these new books from authors you know and love will fly off the shelves. Read More
9 Super Skills to Be Thankful For
By: Deborah B. Ford | October 27, 2016 | Shelf Life
Did you score awesome titles at $5 a book at the recent warehouse sale? Are you on your local board or site council? Do you watch our webcasts and read School Library Journal, Library Journal and The Horn Book Magazine? Do you use LiveBinders, Edu.Symbaloo, or Pinterest to organize your online resources? Then you have some of the 9 Scary Super Skills to be thankful for. Polishing these skills keeps you moving forward and reminds you that you have the best job ever! Read More
Zombies, Ghosts and Other Creepy Tales with Jeff Strand
By: Deborah B. Ford | October 08, 2016 | Shelf Life
On Monday, October 3 Leslie Bermel and author, Jeff Strand chatted about his creepy works. His latest title, The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever is a JLG selection from this summer in the PBH category. JLG has also selected two of his prior works: A Bad Day for Voodoo and I Have a Bad Feeling About This. Like Leslie, I was also told not to read Voodoo in a public place. Read More
10 Scary Librarian Super Powers
By: Deborah B. Ford | October 03, 2016 | Shelf Life
What are your Super Powers? Are you willing to try anything once? Can you use the power of duct tape to keep a much-loved book together for a half dozen more reads? Do your technology skills allow you to create infopics that drive new customers through your door? Do you know everything?! (or at least where to find the answer?) Then you, my colleague, have Super Powers. Read More
Tech Tuesday: Be a Better Google Searcher
By: Deborah B. Ford | August 30, 2016 | Shelf Life
How do we revitalize research in a world that thinks everything can just be Googled? The truth is that much information CAN be Googled. How good they are at Googling is another question. Our job then is to teach them how to use digital resources efficiently, effectively, and ethically. So just how do we do that? Read More
Recap: Licking County Ohio/Embracing Your Super Powers
By: Deborah B. Ford | August 29, 2016 | Shelf Life
This week I traveled an hour out of town for a couple of visits to Licking County Ohio, which is 40 minutes east of Columbus. Launching the new year, we talked about the Super Powers we need to run the library well without going bananas. We all have a Super Power. Perhaps yours is matching books to kids. Perhaps technology is second nature to you. What is your Super Power? What is your kryptonite? Read More
Recap: Norfolk PD Event/Revitalizing Research
By: Deborah B. Ford | August 25, 2016 | Shelf Life
I just got back from spending a morning with the media specialists in Norfolk, VA. Under the new direction of Valerie Ford, these media specialists had a very full day of professional development. I led off the morning with my keynote, Revitalizing Research in a Google-Driven World. If I could boil it down to a few pointers, this is what I would say. Read More
Webcast Recap: A Hat, a Pig and Panda Pants August 2016: From the JLG Webinar Series
By: Deborah B. Ford | August 18, 2016 | Shelf Life
On today's webcast Leslie Bermel and I talked about the some of the fall forthcoming books for elementary readers. From two turtles that discover a hat in the desert to a much-anticipated biography of E.B. White, you’ll find the new releases to be worth the wait. With the addition of new categories, Character Building Elementary, Fantasy/Science Fiction Elementary and Multicultural Elementary, you'll have even more wonderful books for your young readers. And remember to add some Plus categories to get even more books in the fall—just when you need them most! Read More
Recap: Dallas ISD Librarian Summit
By: Deborah B. Ford | August 17, 2016 | Shelf Life
If you didn't get to attend the Dallas ISD Librarian Summit last Friday, I'm sorry you missed it. More than 200 librarians got a good dose of inspiration, affirmation, and information. Lester L. Laminack kicked us off with a hilarious and insightful chat. Read More
PPP- Lies, Spies, and All that Jazz Webcast
By: Deborah B. Ford | July 12, 2016 | Shelf Life
On today's webcast Roger Sutton and I talked about the Boston Globe Horn Book award winners. Celebrating its fiftieth year, winners of the award will be celebrated at a ceremony at Simmons College in Boston on September 30. The following day, a colloquium will be held. This event allows you to be "up close and personal" with the amazing authors and illustrators of these multi-award winning books. Here are the titles from today's webcast. Read More
Three Cool Online Tools for Engaging Presentations
By: Deborah B. Ford | July 05, 2016 | Shelf Life
As I polished my Presentation Tools for the 21st Century workshop this morning, I also updated the 101+ (Mostly Free) Online Resources LiveBinder. With the ever-changing world of presentation tools, it seems impossible to keep up. However, AASL just released their new list of Best Websites and Apps for Teaching and Learning. There you'll find a crossover of tools that are both website and apps. These vetted tools will help you whittle down the options. I, myself, am venturing out from PowerPoint and using one of last year's tools for most of my presentations. It's called Haiku Deck. Read More
Fill Up Your Digital Toolbox: Resources
By: Deborah B. Ford | June 22, 2016 | Shelf Life
This month I published an article in Principal magazine, "Fill Up Your Digital Toolbox." Based on the idea that flipped learning requires digital tools to be used at home, the article begins with one key element: Evaluate your library program. From having enough staff and money to evaluating databases and whether teaching time is provided for their instruction, I think you'll find the article to be a good talking tool for a conversation with your shareholders. The key to a good flipped learning program is not the tools themselves. It's the outcome of using them. We shouldn't use apps just to be using apps. Just like in the movies, what is our motivation? Read More
PPP: 30 Minutes with Kwame Alexander Webcast
By: Deborah B. Ford | May 09, 2016 | Shelf Life
We want to thank Kwame Alexander and his publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for participating in our webcast today. How much fun was that? If you missed the show, sign up to watch it and find out: The inspiration behind Surf's Up; Which book is the most autobiographical; Kwame's newest poetry project; The status of a sequel/prequel to The Crossover; The effect of the Newbery on his life; How do you say his name? Read More
Tech Thursday: 101+ (Mostly Free) Online Resources
By: Deborah B. Ford | May 05, 2016 | Shelf Life
As I was polishing my presentations for NHSLMA (New Hampshire School Library Media Association) annual conference in Concord, NH this week, I found a theme: they are all technology. I'm doing the ever-popular Using Social Media to Market Your Library, Using Technology in Your Library, and Online Resources. I made a few changes to the social media session and then began to work on the other two. Enter heart-stopping moment. You know the website I wrote you've been using forever? 101 Best Web Resources? The company that hosted it pulled the plug in March. I knew it was coming. I had a year to regroup. Now the time had come to make a new plan. What to do? Read More
Stars So Far: JLG Webinar Series PPP
By: Deborah B. Ford | April 12, 2016 | Shelf Life
On today's webcast Leslie Bermel and I talked about 20 of the JLG selections that are getting the star buzz. With well more than 150 books to choose from, we had a tough time selecting our featured authors and illustrators. (So stay tuned to the summer webcast schedule.) Remember that in addition to providing you with great selections, we are building resources to help you use these titles. Check out the NEW JLG Spring 2016 Booktalks to Go LiveBinder for resources for these and other great JLG titles. JLG BTG titles are added to our Pinterest board and tweeted out by following Deborah B. Ford. Look for book trailers and archived webcasts on our JLG YouTube Playlist. This webcast will be archived and posted on the JLG website at a later date. Your certificate of attendance can be reprinted by watching the archived video for at least ten minutes. Read More
PPP-Webcast Debut Authors and Illustrators of 2016
By: Deborah B. Ford | March 17, 2016 | Shelf Life
On today's webcast Roger Sutton, Editor-in-Chief of The Horn Book, and I talked about some of the rising stars for the Class of 2016 for the spring season. With almost forty books to choose from, we had a tough time selecting our featured authors and illustrators. (Thanks again for joining us, Roger) If you haven't purchased your Horn Book subscription already, remember that JLG members get a discount on the journal. (It's a celebration of wonderful-must-be-purchased books!) Read More
PPP Irving ISD: Ensuring Diversity in Your School Library Program
By: Deborah B. Ford | March 17, 2016 | Shelf Life
What is diversity? Is it race, gender, ethnicity, ability, or culture? Is it all of the above and more? If we work with diverse students and patrons, shouldn't our teaching strategies, programs, and literature collection be a reflection of our community and beyond? Librarians are faced with the challenge of linking these students and arming them with tools for life beyond academia. Read More
PPP: Leap into Spring with New Books for Teens
By: Deborah B. Ford | February 29, 2016 | Shelf Life
On today's webcast Leslie and I talked about some of our favorite upcoming middle and high school titles for the spring season. From fascinating nonfiction to hard-to-put-down novels, there are plenty of amazing titles to add to your collection. Remember that in addition to providing you with great selections, we are building resources to help you use these titles. Check out the NEW JLG Spring 2016 Booktalks to Go LiveBinder for resources for these and other great JLG titles. JLG BTG titles are added to our Pinterest board and tweeted out by following Deborah B. Ford. Look for book trailers and archived webcasts on our JLG YouTube Playlist. This webcast will be archived and posted on the JLG website at a later date. Your certificate of attendance can be reprinted by watching the archived video for at least ten minutes. Keep reading to find links to the titles. Read More
Get to Know Spring's Hottest Debut Authors and Illustrators!
By: Deborah B. Ford | February 23, 2016 | Shelf Life
From a picture book about reading and surfing (What?!) to a middle grade novel about Manzanar, readers will love the new stories from the Debut Class of 2016. Can you guess which new writer or illustrator used to be in publishing? Which one had an award-winning novel? Which author has a collection of deerstalker caps? Which illustrator is an assistant professor of illustration in Detroit? Which author/illustrator works for The New Yorker? Which illustrator was born in India and now teaches second grade? Who is director of biodiversity and wildlife solutions at RESOLVE? Which author is fourteen-years-old? How can you find the answer to these and other burning questions? Read More