Making a First Impression with Students and Staff: Library Orientation Ideas

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Making a First Impression with Students and
Staff Library Orientation Ideas

• Jo-Anne LaForty Sharon Mills
• Library and Learning Resources
• TDSB

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AGENDA

• Whos here?
• Thinking about orientations
• Key messages and tips
• Strategies
• Serving a diverse population
• Staff need orientations too!
• Final thoughts

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Orientations are like . . .
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We went to the Library today. It was.



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Key Messages
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Libraries support your academic success

• We are going to help you do better in school
• This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship
  
• Were available outside classroom hours
• We can fill the gaps and provide you with things
  you may not have at home
• Weve got great resources to support your
  learning
• Were current

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Libraries provide a location for learning

• Class work
• Homework
• Group work
• Respectful safe

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Libraries provide tangible and human resources

• Resources
• newspapers
• magazines
• fiction
• graphic novels
• non-fiction
• computer resources
• videos

• Human element
• help you locate what you need or might enjoy
• displays
• reading programs
• activities

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Essential Content

• Introduction of all staff
• Purpose of the library
• Hours
• Areas of the Library - signage
• Borrowing procedures
• Overdue procedures
• Overview of collection
• Rules
• expectations guidelines

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Non-essential Content

• Covering all aspects of the collection
• MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE TO TEACH THIS WITHIN THE
  CONTEXT OF A COURSE ASSIGNMENT, ACTIVITY OR
  PROJECT

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Tips for Orientation Day

• Make your environment welcoming
• Signs
• Displays

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More Tips for Orientation Day

• Minimize conflict
• talk to teacher ahead of time and insist classes
  arrive as a group with teacher
• Meet and greet
• Begin with the students
• find out who they are
• Address learning styles
• especially visual and bodily kinesthetic

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Scary Stuff! Michelle Sterling, Global Image Group

• Within the first three seconds of a new
  encounter, you are evaluated even if it is just
  a glance.
• Within only three seconds, you make an indelible
  impression. You may intrigue some and disenchant
  others.

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Strategy - PowerPoint

• introduction or activity
• whole class or individuals
• provides immediate focus for class
• highlights teacher-librarian as a techno-wiz
• Avoid Power Pointless or Death by
  Power Point
• Irene Jitka

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Additional Strategies Activity

• Look through your package at the brochures
  activities.
• Find an idea that you could use _at_ your library.

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More Strategies

• Stations -introduce students to different
  resources and areas
• Games - scavenger hunts
• Map activities - learn layout of library
• Webquests

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Webquests

• hard to find for secondary
• currently focus on skills
• Dewey
• plagiarism
• search skills
• might be part of an orientation or a later
  library visit

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Strategy Video

• technology that is becoming more accessible
• permanent record
• used for parent nights, staff meetings
• include student testimonials
• visual
• student involvement
• Tip for techno-wizs embed in PowerPoint

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ESL and Special Needs

• Identify special needs of these classes
• Take nothing for granted
• Greater need to address multiple learning styles
• Signage takes on greater importance
• ESL - vocabulary acquisition
• Special Needs - inclusiveness
• ESL

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Staff Orientations

• new teachers
• pre-service teachers
• staff meetings
• department meetings

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Nouveau teachers

• Make connections
• Showcase collection
• Overview of library program
• Outline how we can help through teaching research
  process
• Provide sample assignments
• Provide handouts (student research guides, etc.)

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Vintage teachers

• Update on new and exciting resources
• Re-establish connections
• Re-enforce message Im hereuse me!
• Opportunity for feedback
• Remind heres what I can do for youheres what
  I need you to do for me

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Strategies

• Brochures
• Handouts
• PowerPoints
• Social events Open House, Books and Bagels
• Have flyer and invitation ready for new arrivals
  throughout the year

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You only have one chance to make a first
impression
Final Thought