Blog Archives

Rejoice, Relax, Reflect, Re-focus

Posted on January 5, 2015 by RonaGofstein — No Comments ↓

The holidays are over. The mad scramble is past. I hope you rejoiced with family and friends. Facebook was filled with greetings exchanged with those too far away to see over the holidays, and it was good to see us…

Finish Line? Not Really

Posted on December 22, 2014 by RonaGofstein — No Comments ↓

I am a committed Weight Watcher member. When I set out on my weight loss plan almost eleven years ago, I couldn’t imagine I could lose close to fifty pounds. I expected that on reaching “Lifetime,” I would indulge in…

Hello? Are you listening?

Posted on December 15, 2014 by RonaGofstein — No Comments ↓

We live in a noisy world. Until the power goes out we don’t realize how much background noise exists in our everyday life. Our brains have become skilled at blocking most of this out to preserve our sanity. Not hearing…

Tagged with: Hilda K Weisburg, Hilda Weisburg, librarian, librarians, libraries, listen, listening, pay attention, school librarian
Posted in Career

Emotion “sells” better than Logic

Posted on November 17, 2014 by RonaGofstein — No Comments ↓

The most supremely logical Mr. Spock, from the Star Trek series I adored from the very first, says in one episode, “It’s not logical, but it’s true.” As librarians we need to take those words to heart in order to…

Stop, hey, what’s that sound… Maker Spaces are Going Round

Posted on November 10, 2014 by RonaGofstein — No Comments ↓

Makerspaces have been around for a few years. For much of that time, the public libraries had them and few early-adopter school librarians started them in their libraries. Their existence continues to grow, but many librarians are hesitant to start…

You Must Be Visible To Be Valuable

Posted on October 27, 2014 by RonaGofstein — No Comments ↓

In 1997, Gary Hartzell wrote an article for the November issue of School Library Journal entitled “The Invisible School Librarian: Why Others Are Blind to Your Value.” Seventeen years have passed and little has changed for many – and there…

TTK: Helping Students Become Global Citizens… with poetry

Posted on October 16, 2014 by RonaGofstein — No Comments ↓

As a 21st century school librarian you want projects to guide your students into becoming global and digital citizens. Here is a poetry project that’s already up and running and will connect your students to others from around the world…

Do You Watch Your Words?

Posted on September 15, 2014 by RonaGofstein — No Comments ↓

As a writer of books for school librarians (and School Librarian’s Workshop) as well as being the author of Woven through Time, a YA fantasy, I am well aware of the importance of choosing the right words to convey my…

Lessons From the Past – The More Things Change…

Posted on August 11, 2014 by RonaGofstein — No Comments ↓

Today the August/ September issue of School Librarian’s Workshop will be emailed to subscribers. It is the 35th volume year. On this major anniversary it seems fitting to look back in time. The first issue appeared on September 1980. It…

Do You Know Your Stakeholders and How To Reach Them

Posted on July 29, 2014 by RonaGofstein — No Comments ↓

As school librarians we know students are our first priority. Most of us recognize that teachers follow close behind. Indeed where flexible scheduling exists, it’s hard to reach students without some connection with teachers. But what about your other stakeholders?…

Tagged with: administrators, Hilda K Weisburg, librarian, librarians, principal, school librarian, stake holders, students, support, teachers
Posted in Career