The Daring Librarian

Sometimes I just want a trashy summer read.  Something light. Something sassy. A cozy coastal mystery. A true Beach Read. Nothing heavy. Not WWII. No cancer, no conflict, no causes.  No political or social commentary. Growing up outside DC I've had a lifetime of political. Don't get me wrong. I have passionate beliefs but when you have lived your life both inside and outside the beltway, see scandals and politicians come and go, and both parties sling mud -- AND you also teach Middle School? Enough..... You sometimes just want some mind candy. Something sweet. Summer reading is made for this. And since I've read almost all of Elin Hildebrand (some hits and some misses there), the Low Country boil series, Rosamunde Pilcher, Crazy Rich Asian series, all Charlaine Harris (natch), and of course my beloved Inspector Gamache (though he's more my winter binge) So, I needed some new suggestions. NOT YA. Love YA. I'm a YA Librarian for goodness sake! I al...

I've talked about the  Art of the Shelfie before, but I had a recent rant I just wanted to share with you. I started with "Hey girl" as a nod to the "Hey girl" meme and my preoccupation with the hit book, "Girl, Wash Your Face" by @ msrachelhollis . It was really just to get your attention, I know educator guys might benefit from this rant, too! I'm equal opportunity judgey. You know what's great about having a professional Twitter & Instagram ? You can just focus on the kids. (It should already be our focus, right?) But it's sometimes kinda comforting to hide behind the kids. Social Media shy? Take pics of your kids being awesome & post them. Not sure about photo consent? Take pics over their shoulders, they'll recognize their shoulders, hair, & hands! To quote the wise Dalton in the cinematic Oeuvre that is the movie Roadhouse: Opinions vary. Of course it's OK to take a selfie now and then! But when the f...

Over the years we've had a great educational partnership with our NYC friends at Flocabulary . I'm even a proud MC Educator or Flocabulary # HipHopEd Ambassador. See? We've been using their Week in Rap news feature in our school since they landed on the hip hop education or #HipHopEd scene in 2008! Not familiar with them? Check, check, check, it out!   Murray Hill even earned a video shout out in 2013 ! W00t! (We were SO proud!)   10 Things to Think About Before You Post video stands up to the test of time.   It's just practical advice and one we like to play on our #MHTVNews at least once a year! So, when I heard that they were teaming up with the awesome Common Sense Media people, to put out a music video about Digital Citizenship, - I was SO there!   Common Sense Media has added some handy extras! You can view the Video Discussion Guide download the Lyrics Poster , Top 10 List Poster , and Fill in Your Own Top 10 Poster . (Require...

Sometimes, when you're sharing the benefits of a professional Social Media presence, it can become a bit bewildering and overwhelming. I get that! With so many choices, it can make your head swim and quickly turn intimidating, and it's easy to say "no way, not yet, not now, no how!"  And you let it slide for another week, month, or year! I've been there! So, I wanted to create a cheat sheet, an At-A-Glance Worksheet that would demystify the steps to crafting your Social Media presence with continuity across several platforms, making it easy to follow while still making sure you're not missing anything important. I wish I had this when I was starting out 10 years ago!  Yes, this is a Paper Handout, What? I created this as a PDF to share even as a .....now, don't be too shocked, a printed hand out . Honestly, I admit I like to check off things on a hard copy when I'm working on a project. It makes me feel like I'm accomplishing stu...

Choose the Twitter Dark Side Here's something cool I recently stumbled upon!  Just like I really enjoy the dark or reverse version of the Kindle App - there's a Night mode version for Twitter! It turns the screen a dark blue with reverse type. Both on the mobile version and the desktop. So easy on the eyes! So conservative for your batteries! So good for the environment! OK, so these days only one of those things above are actually true, and it's a personal choice.  Yeah, apparently - you don't really need Blackle anymore - though it still looks fab to me! I really just find the lighter text on a dark background restful and relaxing to read. Thus, my blog has always had a darker background.  Back in the day with CRT monitors some said it did help with headaches, eye fatigue, and saving on energy. Today, with LCD screens and different technologies this might not still be the same. (You can Google it, and there are reports on both camps) - I'm not here t...

Your Twitter profile is like a virtual professional business card. It's good for people to see who you are (not your cat or your cute kids) and what you’re all about. So why not make the most of your profile picture and header?  Sure, I've talked before about 6 Tips to a Super Twitter Profile but today, we're just talkin headers, hon! Not having ANYthing as a Twitter header is a missed opportunity. Plus, people checking your profile, deciding whether or not to follow you, may just not take you seriously.  That's why having a banging professional Twitter header is easy and important.  1. Measure It! Since they've added the NEW Twitter header feature back in 2014, the dimensions have pretty much stayed the same - 1500 X 500. BUT because of the way Twitter uploads photos there are some invisible areas, so the actual size is really more like 1500px (width) X 421px (height)   Creating the perfect custom Twitter header image is a bit more compl...