SLMS+Minutes+Oct+2009


 * Present:** L. Knaze, E. Urbanski, S. Eichelberger, P. DiSturco, J. Turner, S. Rowland, L. Wrobel, D. Janus, N. Tebo


 * Jean Turner started the meeting at 8:15 am. **
 * September 2009 minutes approved: **
 * No new equipment issues. But, often books & pens/pencils/etc. go missing.
 * Shirley noted that QueCenter has a place for space requestors to note which equipment is needed.
 * It is reiterated that keyboards definitely need to be cleaned/disinfected. Those of us who do it on our own to ensure that it’s done daily are using //nonalcoholic// wipes, in order to avoid any allergic reactions by students/staff.
 * Verify the ILL processes:
 * //In-district// – Click “Processing Needed” (by the red flag in Destiny). Then, click either “receive” (to be able to check out a book sent to you from another school) or “ship it”/“pull copy” (to send to another school so that it can be checked out to a student from that school). If you have more than 1 copy of the book, make sure you send the right book (match the barcode on the book you send to the one Destiny selected).
 * //BOCES emails sent to you individually// – Please respond to these emails with a “yes” or “no”. These requests come via the Union Catalog but are sent by an individual SLMS directly to //you.//
 * //BOCES emails from Kathy Herlihy// – These are group emails and you do not need to respond __unless__ you are able to send the material(s).
 * Breann Howell (from “Our Schools”) will come to the Nov. 24 meeting at West Middle: **
 * Daryl said Breann will not always have space but that we should have several articles (some long, some brief) ready. She prefers articles submitted electronically and photos in JPG.
 * Daryl will also check with Breann regarding publication dates.
 * To get us started:
 * Sandy will send Daryl her veterans article & each librarian will send (Sandy? Daryl?) a sentence on how their library celebrated (//past tense//) Veterans Day.
 * Jean will write an article about Destiny.
 * In the future, we plan to have for each issue a //special events// article and a //tech tips// article (ex. Emily’s World Book word definition tip).
 * Congratulations to Nancy Tebo on her retirement: **
 * Nancy loved the card, flowers and cake. She especially liked the cake, which Daryl “baked” himself!
 * Her last day working is Friday, Nov. 20. Then she’s travelling to meet her kids near Boston.
 * Nancy, we’ll all miss you very much! Thanks for all your hard work!
 * Computer permissions: **
 * Daryl reminded us this is an “opt-out” function. So, you can assume all students __can__ use computers unless you hear otherwise from your building’s main office. “If you’re not told, every kid’s on a machine.” –Daryl
 * Daryl also noted that the district does not have a formal, separate “Acceptable Use Policy” (AUP). It has the “Code of Conduct,” which includes a section on expectations for computer use.
 * SLS update from Sandy: **
 * Reminder: Respond to information requests that are included in Kathy Herlihy’s emails from BOCES. These are not the ILL requests, but the requests for your opinion on a topic mentioned in the email or on a question from another local SLMS.
 * Sandy’s official liaison title is now “communications coordinator.”
 * The Union Catalog will be updated this fall. The Union Catalog is where those “direct requests” for materials come from (you may see these in your email, sent to you __only__, not a list of recipients). The “indirect requests” that come in a general email from Kathy Herlihy are for when multiple books are needed OR when new books (not yet in the Union Catalog) are needed.
 * If you can’t find any of the documents Sandy e-mailed earlier in the year (such as the Union Catalog directions) just ask Sandy for another copy. She did not include those items in your folder of SLS documents because she had already emailed them, but Sandy is happy to re-email.
 * Regarding the list of online subscriptions Sandy gave out: The list doesn’t include CSLO databases (those are ordered separately).
 * Free e-books from BOCES are accessed under NOVEL à Choose e-book icon and it shows you the titles.
 * Remember to use teachingbooks.net
 * Sandy will tell Carol our district is interested in subscription to SoundzAbound for copyright-safe audio to use in projects.
 * The author of the “Gotcha” books will be in the area this November.
 * E1 conference will be in January.
 * You will soon be asked to update the Union List of Periodicals.
 * SLS funds decreased; state funds are the same.
 * April 9-10 is state book festival.
 * The 3 Apples award (which __students__ vote for) now has 3 sections: Young Reader, Children, and Teen. []
 * Graphic novel kits from B&ECPL now include //Journey to Mohawk City// and //Satchel Paige//.
 * Lower-level resources: **
 * Emily asked about resources to supplement textbooks, especially at the lower levels. Unfortunately, the lower-level print encyclopedias do __not__ have the content we need!
 * She gave a tip: In World Book Online, double-click a word to define it.
 * Lynne mentioned SIRS has articles categorized by reading level. It also has elementary-level magazines.
 * Exxon-Mobil Grant **
 * Congratulations to Pat and Winchester for receiving this $750 grant (up from $550) for math/science library books. If your school is within a certain distance from an Exxon-Mobil, your school would be eligible to apply.
 * Use of Wikis **
 * The district did not buy its own wiki due to prohibitive cost ($8,000). Wikispaces is free to use. However, for blogging some teachers use WordPress (instead of the district’s blog) but then they have to deal with the age restriction of 14+ on Wordpress.
 * Centralized registration **
 * Daryl demonstrated the links where parents can find all the paperwork needed to register a new student. Any communication with parents about the registration process will now come from the central offices, rather than individual buildings.
 * To get to the paperwork links, start at the district home page, then look under “District Highlights” (on left) and choose “Student Registration.” There will then be a link to student forms (such as the health office form) and a link to the new entrant packet, which includes the “Code of Conduct.”
 * Daryl said he will check whether the Code of Conduct is actually signed every year by parents/guardians.
 * Online safety materials **
 * BOCES is switching from iSafe to new, free materials because iSafe is beginning to charge for content.
 * We have $450 for online safety materials. Daryl is going to order 1 copy each of the 4 books Sandy suggested. They will be cataloged at East Senior, but will rotate among us as needed.
 * January staff development day **
 * Daryl made a Wikispaces page for sharing staff development ideas.