Best+Practices

What are some tricks that worked for you?
=** Here in Denver: **=

At TJ HS, my goal is to let the teachers know I'm here.


 * Every month I send out an email that highlights four to six handy web 2.0 tools that the teachers may want to use. I then save those emails to the TJ blog: The well-read Spartan
 * I use my library web page as the home page for the computers in the library, so children get used to navigating the web page in order to do research. Every time I do a tutorial, I remind the children that they can access these resources from home.
 * We hold a **monthly potluck** for the teachers in the library. Every month has a different theme (Comfort Food, Irish, Asian, Salads) teachers get used to visiting the library and talking about things other than research, books and lesson plans. If the office staff doesn't make it, we bring them desserts.
 * At **Parent-Teacher night**, I sit with the counselors, who pass out students' grades and schedules. I hand each parent a library newsletter that has library news on the front and an article about the importance of school libraries/librarians on the back. If I pass out 100 flyers and fifty parents read them while waiting in line to talk to teachers, I'm happy. I also get the chance to shake hands and talk to the parents in person, which is invaluable.
 * I come to the **Freshman Academy** in August and visit with our incoming freshmen
 * I have a table at **registration** where I encourage the kids to sign up for their DPL library cards.
 * The library has a Twitter page, a Myspace page, and a Facebook page.

=** What Others are doing: **=


 * In California,** Teacher-librarians created a Voicethread for their administrators that discusses our role in 21st Century Learning skills: []

A Massachusets Librarian has posted an open letter to the president on her blog: http://www.maschoolibraries.org/content/blogsection/5/30/

The North Carolina Library Media Association has posted some handy Elevator Speeches for librarians to use: