Are You Ready? New Insignia Discovery Layer Coming November 9

UPDATE as of 11/16/15: This change is on hold for now. You will receive an email with a new release date.

On November 9, 2015 we are transitioning to a new version of the Insignia student catalog called the Discovery Layer. Hopefully you had a chance to read the previous blog post announcing this change.

Get a Sneek Peek

I have created two screencasts to give you an introduction to the Discovery Layer and its key features. I highly encourage you to watch both of them; they are about 10 minutes each.

• Intro to Discovery Layer pt. 1
• Intro to Discovery Layer pt. 2

What to Expect on November 9

I anticipate that the transition to the Discovery Layer will be pretty seamless. You won't need to make any changes to the catalog links you have on your library websites or other online resources. On November 9 the existing web address will point to the new Discovery Layer.

You can use the Discovery Layer in any web browser, including Chrome.

As a reminder, this change is only for the student catalog. The administrative part of Insignia will remain the same.

Try It for Yourself

Feel free to try the Discovery Layer before it goes live and send me your feedback. The test link is https://library.bvsd.org/library/discovery (note that we will only use this link during the testing period).

Email me, amy.hitchner@bvsd.org, with any questions. Thanks!

LIBinar recap: Developing an LGBTQ Collection for the Middle School Library

Congratulations to Barb Miller, our first BVSD teacher librarian to host a LIBinar. She did a great job sharing her passion for her Allies group and her LGBTQ collection. She even said that doing a LIBinar wasn't that scary!

In case you missed the live stream yesterday, 10/29/15 at 4:00 pm, you can watch the recording here.



Barb's Google Slides presentation contains lots of great info and links. Contact her if you have any questions or want to chat about resources.

If you're interested in sharing your passion in an upcoming LIBinar, please contact Nannette or Amy.

Our next LIBinar is 11/17/15 at 12:00 pm. Colleen Jiron will be sharing how she increased circulation at Community Montessori. Look for a calendar invite with a link to join soon. We hope to see you there (virtually)!

Our First LIBinar on Library Standards

This morning we launched our first BVSD LIBinar! LIBinars are the library webinars hosted by BVSD teacher librarians and friends.

Today's LIBinar host was BVSD library coordinator Nannette McMurtry. Her presentation, What Are My Standards?, was a discussion of how library standards are embedded in the curriculum. She shared some great resources about national, state, and local standards, and about what the teacher librarian's role is in supporting standards.

Watch the recording of today's LIBinar:

Takeaways

We had fun and learned a lot during this morning's event, which will hopefully make it easier for you to participate in our live broadcasts in the future. Our main takeaway was that instead of just inviting teacher librarians through Google Plus, we will be sending you a calendar invite with the link to join the LIBinar. We will also post that link to this blog. By getting out the word in multiple ways, we hope to have more of you join us during the live broadcast so that you can participate in real time.

Next LIBinar

Our next LIBinar will be on Thursday, October 29 at 4:00 pm. Barb Miller from Manhattan Middle will be talking about developing an LGBTQ collection for the middle school library. She has many helpful resources and powerful stories to share—I hope you will be able to join us for the live broadcast! You will be receiving a calendar invite soon with the link to join.

Connect with us on Twitter

Help us promote our LIBinar series and share what you learn using the hashtag #LIBinars. You can also follow @BVSDLibraries and @edtechmusings to find out what's going on in BVSD libraries.

Please use the comment feature below to give us feedback about LIBinars.

Content Connections: What's Next?

Our Content Connections documents are done! Thank you for all your work on these important Educator Effectiveness support materials this year.

What are the Content Connections documents?

These documents demonstrate how the Educator Effectiveness Standards can be realized in the school library. They contain information to help you discuss your role as a teacher librarian and to clarify your goals for the library.

Content Connections: Elementary

Content Connections: Secondary

How were the Content Connections documents developed?

The Content Connections documents were first drafted by the Library Advisory Council (LAC) in February 2015. For the following six months, teacher librarians had several opportunities to review them and provide feedback. The final documents were submitted to HR and the Office of Professional Development in September 2015.

While these documents are not yet posted on the Educator Effectiveness site, Mary Jo Bode, Director of Professional Learning, has given us the go-ahead to use the Google Drive versions. Please share them with your principal to use during evaluations.

We appreciate all your help and diligence in preparing this import component of Educator Effectiveness.

October Announcements

You want weapons? We’re in a library! Books are the best weapon in the world. This room is the greatest arsenal we could have. Arm yourself!

~Doctor Who

Celebrate Banned Books Week!

How are you celebrating? Send out your pics, ideas and thoughts to the bvs.teacherlibrarians@bvsd.org

Think!

• Check out this new short film “The Adaptable Mind” : This film explores the skills we need to flourish in the 21st Century

Why Watch This?

Think about how you see your role in helping students and teachers to develop these important skills, and how you are a part of this larger journey of preparing our students for our global society. Use this to discuss with other librarians and teachers what you agree with, disagree with and what you'd like to explore more!

Insignia Info

• The new Discovery Layer will be replacing the OPAC (student catalog) on November 9, 2015. Read all about it in our blog. See Amy with questions.

October LIBinars!

• BVSD LIBinar: What Are My Standards? led by Nannette & Amy, Wednesday, October 21st, 7:30 am. We will post the link to join on our Libraries Blog.
• BVSD LIBinar: Developing an LGBTQ Collection for the Middle School Library led by Barb Miller, Thursday, October 29, 4:00 pm. We will post the link to join on our Libraries Blog.

Remember: All LIBinars will be available for viewing on-demand!!

Learning for You!

• Casey Veatch, Digital Literacy Specialist at the Colorado State Library, curates articles about libraries and digital learning in School Library News. You can sign up to get his email newsletter or follow him on Twitter @Library_Dude
• Library 2.0: Worldwide Virtual Conference (free!) on October 20, 2015--sessions are around the clock (international presentations, too!)

Why should you check these things out?
Because these are amazing opportunities for you for learning on your own time and differentiated for what you need and your goals for the year.

What to Know @BVSD this Month!

• Library Spaces @BVSD: Looking for information and ideas for innovating your library space? Check out this page on our 21st Century Library website to get the ideas flowing!
• The Colorado Summit Featuring Google for Education is October 10 & 11. Registration is still open! Contact Elene Medicraft for a registration code for BVSD educators. You can also follow along on Twitter using #gafesummit.
• The CAL Conference is October 22-24 in Loveland. Registration info is on the CALCON website. You can also follow on Twitter using #CoCALCON15

News from Beyond!

• Barnes & Noble Educator Appreciation Kick Off: Saturday, October 10th @10:15am--great opportunity for you and your teachers to attend!