I volunteer at a library at Hellgate Middle School in Missoula, MT. The library website, set up by Becky Mosbacher, can be found >>here<<. It is an extension of the school's website, so she did not need to create her own. I find that her website is the easiest place to find general information for the school. She includes staff information, school policies, club information, and a link to the iBistro catalog which is a part of the Montana Shared Catalog. My favorite part of her site is the "What to Read Next" link where students can find a book similar to one they just read and loved.

After reading the article on things to include on a library page, I agree that a library webpage should include a (1) Top 10 list of books that are commonly checked out of the library, a (2) wish list of books that are needed in the library, a (3) section that advertises special events such as Banned Books Week, a (4) monthly reading theme to keep the students inspired to read, and (5) a section requesting volunteers to improve the library experience for students. There are multiple ways to make a library site unique to that library including images of students reading and comments about books that students recommend. I've worked with HTML in the past, and I think that creating a library site would be very exciting!

"Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak. -Albus Dumbledore

RSS-Google Reader

I read the chapter on RSS (Really Simple Syndication) in the Richardson text, and I have been working with the site all week. I knew that it would take me a few days to "fully" grasp the idea of an online reader, and I'm glad that I took the time to peruse its usefulness. I followed the blogs that my group mate's created and the UMW news feed at first and did not have any problems. At first, the website seemed cluttered-especially after I subscribed to some other sites including BBC news, Scientific American, and Nasa publications. Creating folders such as "Library Media," "Personal," "News," and "Science" definitely helped clean the page up!
I took the advice to write myself a note to continually check my reader, and I think that I'm getting the hang of the site. I definitely needed the extra push to start reading about News again because I don't have TV, and I don't get the newspaper. I may not be saving money, but I am getting the information that I was missing before!
The funny thing is that I was able to read the chapter on RSS without even using my own textbook! I substitute at Hellgate Middle School, and I substituted for the Tech. Lab. teacher who had the book on his shelf. I was able to read the chapter during the prep. period! (I could get used to being paid to go to school!)
I also want to text out the research capabilities of the site, so I am going to start folder for World War I. I am working on a project for Lit. 382, and I can use all the information I can get about female protagonists in WWI literature. I think that this research concept is the most promising for classroom use, but I would like to see how effective the processes turns out to be. I also love the idea of a paperless classroom, but I still struggle with the idea of keeping students anonymous on the web. Since the students at the school that I substitute in are not provided with e-mail accounts, I need to be careful with what web tools I bring into the classroom. I am, however, determined to find some ways that RSS feeds can be used in the classroom!
I also like the Word of the Day tip that the book suggests! I love finding ways to boost my vocabulary!

LIB 491 Post

Hello, all!
I have had this blog for quite a while, but I don't use it too often. I've actually used it primarily for other technology classes from the UofM. I really wish I could keep my blog up, but I have never been the journaling type.
I was trying to think of something interesting to post, and I thought I would put something Valentine's Day related since the holiday quickly approaches.
I did some searching and found this great website where you can learn how to make an origami heart. There are quite a few ideas, but my favorite is the "Jar of Hearts" pictured below. Inspired by the Christina Perri song, I thought that it would be a cute and easy decoration/gift! You can even learn how to fold a dollar into a heart shape!
Website: http://www.squidoo.com/origamiheart#module44514162