People

On the heels of being named the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award yet again, this time for I , Too, Am America, prolific illustrator/author Bryan Collier invited us into his home and studio in Hudson Valley, NY, for a tour and interview about his life and art.

Rourke’s “eRead and Report” database provides one-stop shopping for schools and libraries seeking informational ebooks. Each title is not only Common Core compliant, but comes with student assessment functions as well, with test results immediately available to teachers. Students can search the entire ebook collection to which their library subscribes, or teachers can assign particular books and observe student progress within the system.

A coming-of-age story about music, passion, and the search for identity

Anythink's dynamic director explores how children's services librarians will shape the future of libraries, libraries as places of discovery and experience, and the shift toward participatory librarianship.

Pam Sandlian Smith's ongoing reinvention of library service at the Anythink Libraries in Colorado shows what leadership exercised in a spirit of wonder and playfulness can achieve. John Hunter's World Peace Game takes playing to a new level for learning. We can all learn from both.

Be sure to check out May's starred reviews for two DVDs and five audiobooks that are must-haves for you collection.

Burn Note gives users the feeling that they can talk to anyone about anything because each text conversation “self-destructs,” much like Snapchat (the real-time picture chatting application) does with images.

As librarians, our role is often one of instructional coach. We are called on to help teachers and students find solutions to challenges. Recently, a teacher asked for assistance in locating 35 iPads for a great lesson idea she had. She teaches Read 180, a class dedicated to helping struggling readers improve their literacy skills. She and two of her colleagues who teach our English Language Learners wanted to use the new app from Apple, iBooks Author, which allows you to create interactive, multi-touch books that incorporate captions, links, and even video. It’s a great tool, but we had a major problem—we don’t have any iPads.

Johnsonville Sausage wants to learn about the educators that make your school, town and community a better place to be. If you or a colleague are helping to "create better places to live through actions taken both inside and outside the walls of the classroom," are a U.S. citizen over the age of 18, and are employed in a school or organization that supports education, you're eligible to apply for the 2013 Johnsonville Best of Us award.