Four SLJ Blogs Short-listed for Edublog Awards
RSSBy Rocco Staino
Here's something to shout about: four School Library Journal blogs have been short-listed for the Edublog Awards, which highlights the educational value of social media. Valenza, a media specialist at Pennsylvania's Springfield Township High School, one of the 40 nominees in the Lifetime Achievement category, is also nominated in the best individual and librarian blogger categories. Her blog, which focuses on the role of school librarians and the use of technology in schools, is no stranger to the awards; in 2010, she was nominated in the individual blogger category and was the first runner-up in the most influential blog post category for her August 24, 2010 post, "Things I think teacher librarians should unlearn (20 & counting)," which outlines a list of things media specialists should just forget about, such as the fact that Wikipedia is bad; that databases are the only online sources with value and credibility; and that having a really good and useful web presence is optional. Bird, a youth materials collections specialist for the New York Public Library, whose hugely popular blog reviews children's books and discusses trends and issues in children's literature, joins Valenza as one of 51 nominees for best individual blog. Some Day My Printz Will Come, which debuted on SLJ.com on September 28, was nominated as one of the best new blogs on the block. Cowritten by Silverman, a librarian at New York's Elizabeth Irwin High School and Couri, a librarian at New York Public Library's Teen Central, the blog deals with books that will likely be under consideration for the annual Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. In response to their nomination, Silverman says she was "surprised and verklempt" and "I was doing a happy dance on the subway on the way to school after hearing the news." Another first-time nominee is Adult Books 4 Teens, which reviews books published for adults that may be of interest to teens. Written by Carstensen, a head librarian and an upper school librarian at New York's Convent of the Sacred Heart school, the blog, launched in October 2010, is recognized in the best librarian blog category. Launched in 2004, the Edublog Awards were created in response to concerns that schools, districts, and educational institutions were blocking access to educational blogs, which provide valuable information and resources to teachers and librarians. Voting is now open to the public and the deadline is 11:59 p.m. EST December 13. The winners will be announced live online December 14th at 7 p.m. EST.
December 4, 2011
Betsy Bird's A Fuse #8 Production, Joyce Valenza's NeverEndingSearch, Karyn Silverman's and Sarah Couri's Some Day My Printz Will Come, and Angela Carstensen's Adult Books 4 Teens were nominated by the Australia-based Edublog website as important resources that aid educators. Hundreds of blog readers submitted recommendations in 19 categories that range from best individual blog and most influential post to best free web tool and best library/librarian blog.
